Who is this guy? This is a genuine question - what's his reputation like? Your gov just bolts to Argentina (!) for the weekend and doesn't bother to tell his family, his staff, or anyone? Is this guy dirty? What do y'all know?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_governor_where

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
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Iran Contra Scandal round Two


Just kidding no its a very interesting question and i'm curious as well.

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

Usually the term "secretly took off for South America" is reserved for con men and embezzlers, better check the silver.

This guy is frequently mentioned on the Right Wing Talk Radio circuit as a the face of the "new GOP" and is pushed as a top choice for the GOP 2012 nomination. Looks like another GOP meltdown to me. This guy supposedly works for the people of South Carolina. If you had an employee like that, what would you do with him?

I am almost always wrong with my political predictions, but I predict that this story will end Sanford's presidential bid. Nixon notwithstanding, American voters don't elect weirdos to the White House. If they did, then former Senator Bob Graham of Florida would have been a front-runner for the 2004 Democratic nomination. He totally kicked the other candidates' butts on the issues, but he also keeps minute-by-minute journals of every day. He writes down when he got up, what he had for breakfast, what color suit he wore, etc., etc., every day. Extremely competent guy, but that notebook thing was too weird for the voters. At least that's my theory.

I don't see how Sanford overcomes this one, which probably means that he will get the nomination.

As governor, don't you have to at least assign someone in charge during your absence? You can't just go off on "mystery missions".

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2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
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2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

I know nothing about the man, but I'd trade him for our current governor. Heck, I'd prefer you to the present Governor of Maryland.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

You will be amazed to learn that I completely disagree with you about Governor O'Malley. Of course, I am observing from a distance, so I don't have the detailed knowledge of him that you Marylanders have.

His opposition to the death penalty is one of the more principled things I've seen a politician do. I heard a long radio interview with him when that issue was going through your legislature. I was impressed.

It wasn't principled; it was the result of a politician saying what his constituents wanted to hear. His support comes from only 4 of Md's 25 political subdivisions--The DC suburbs, and Baltimore City and its suburbs. Many of those voters are government (federal and State) empolyees.
He called a special session to push through the largest tax increase in our history saying that it was needed to cover a budget deficit. It wasn't--there was no deficit--the previous governor had left $200 million ( I think) in the "rainy Day Fund. O'Malley spent that and planned for billions more. His palnned spending is what caused the deficit.
He is a mean-spirited political hack who uses the power to harm enemies.
He looks good in his tee shirts, and speaks well--but it an empty suit, IMO.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

That's the sort of thing you would know better than I. My impression, based on observing from a distance, was that O'Malley is one of the few high-ranking politicians willing to oppose the death penalty. Most politicians seem to shy away from the issue for fear of being branded as soft on crime. My impression was also based on listening to his reasons, which I found to be quite thoughtful. That he agrees with me has nothing to do with it.I don't know about that stuff. It's hard enough to keep up with Virginia politics.I didn't get that impression, but it wouldn't be the first time I got fooled.Looks good in his tee shirts?

Hey, I've got photos of Darling Wife with O'Malley (back when he was the mayor of Baltimore) following one of his shows (back when he used to play with his rock band!). Arms around each other and everything!

Darling Wife was one of a couple young ladies invited on stage to dance during the show

As to his politics - I tend to agree with dculkin's read on O'Malley's stand on the death penalty.

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1961 220b: first project car - sold.
2000 CLK 430: first modern Benz - sold.
2001 CLK 55: OMG the torque!!! - sold
1972 280SE 4.5: Baby Gustav
1991 300TE 4Matic: Gretel the Snow Bunny - sold
1978 300SD: Katz the Free Man - given away
1980 Redhead: Darling Wife

He IS very good on TV, and personal appearances. The "tee shirt" thing was an allusion to his rock band. Before becoming Govenor, he played in a rock group called " OMalley's march". He wore tight-fitting tees to show off his abs--nothing wrong with that. But he traded on that image.
It is not risky in this area to come out against capital punishment. Its difficult to even get the Baltimore AG to charge anyone with a capital crime. Do you think that might have any connection with Baltimore's astronomical murder rate? Communities that tolerate crime get more crime.

It is a well-known secret that his ambition points to the White House---his problem was that he backed Hillary in this state. oppps!

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

I don't think anyone cares about O'Malley but from experiance we know that people are always open to photos of the Darling Wife.

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

He is also very much in love with speed cameras. There are already 66 in our county and with the new statewide legislation, there should be one watching you soon.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

I wonder whether that is true state wide.No. I don't believe that the data show that capital punishment deters crime any more effectively than life without parole. The swiftness and certainty of the punishment is what counts, not whether the state kills the defendant, IMHO.Last I looked (a few years ago), communities with capital punishment tended to have higher murder rates than those without. I am not saying that the data show a causal connection, but the data also don't rule it out. To me, a community that is willing to kill devalues human life and might encourage murder, at the margins.If that's the worst thing they've got against him, he should be OK.

Unbelievable. This just went to Meltdown Stage. The reason for the secrecy was because his was on a fornication expedition. Un Freaking Believable. You people in the GOP are getting one huge wake up call, your leadership is in shambles. Dumps his wife and kids on Father's Day, abandons his duties to his state, in order to go get laid. And this guy was a "top contender for the GOP nomination"? Something is seriously, seriously wrong with the GOP.


Gov. Sanford admits to extramarital affair
Relationship revealed after S.C. governor's mysterious trip to Argentina



Sanford: 'I've been unfaithful'
June 24: South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford holds a news conference to explain his absence from the state, and admits he's been having an affair with an Argentinean woman.
MSNBC

updated less than 1 minute ago
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford admitted Wednesday he's been having an affair with a woman he visited on a secret trip to Argentina and said he'll resign as head of the Republican Governors Association.

Sanford, a rumored 2012 presidential candidate, refused to say whether he'll leave office.

"I've let down a lot of people, that's the bottom line," Sanford said at a news conference. He said he's known the woman about eight years, but their relationship turned into something more a year ago while he was on an economic development trip to Argentina.


Sanford, a 49-year-old father of four, choked up during remarks to reporters. He said his wife has known about the affair for the last five months.

Sanford revealed Wednesday morning that he'd gone to Argentina for a seven-day trip. For two days after reporters starting asking questions, his office had said he had gone hiking on the Appalachian Trial.

Meanwhile, first lady Jenny Sanford had told The Associated Press she did not know where her husband went for the Father's Day weekend.

First elected governor in 2002, the former real estate developer has more than year remaining in his second term and is barred by state law from running again.

A former three-term congressman, Sanford most recently snared headlines for his unsuccessful fight to turn aside federal stimulus cash for his state's schools.



His vocal battle against the Obama administration — and libertarian, small-government leanings — won praise from conservative pundits. Ultimately, a state court order required him to take the money.


Sanford's announcement came a day after another prominent Republican, Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, apologized to his GOP Senate colleagues after revealing last week that he had an affair with a campaign staffer and was resigning from the GOP leadership.

Sanford was born May 28, 1960, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the eldest of four siblings. He earned a bachelor's degree in business from Furman University in 1983 and a master's of business administration from the University of Virginia in 1988.

After working for a couple of years in the financial world in New York, he returned to South Carolina and said he was shaped by his summers working on the family plantation. He served in the U.S. House for three terms before honoring a term limits pledge and leaving office in 2001.

In 2002, he defeated incumbent Democrat Jim Hodges by 4 percentage points to become governor and won re-election in 2006, beating Democratic state Sen. Tommy Moore.