MSNBC..tone of this story..Stanford did nothing wrong..

[Stuart G]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31522908/ns/politics-more_politics/


As I read this story, I got the feeling that MSNBC was presenting Stanford in a way that what he did was ok. The staff really didn't know about his trip, and that was ok, cause he needed to work on his issues. The story, in my opinion, is a softball for Stanford. Oh, it is ok.

Well that is crap. This behavior is not ok. Can you imagine if some progressive, "liberal governor" did the exact same thing?

[babylonsister]

1. I'm not worried about what a writer at m$nbc says. This story

isn't going away any time soon. At the least, Stanford can kiss his prez aspirations goodbye.

[hlthe2b]

6. Yeah... Every other story/report I've heard says he's "toast"

LOL :evilgrin:

[trueblue2007]

25. JIB JAB should do a cartoon on the missing GOP retard Governor

[Corgigal]

2. as a citizen of the state of S.C.

I'll be the judge not MSNBC. I want to see this cheapskates receipts for his excellent adventure. I want him to personally pay for this temper tantrum vacation.

[dysfunctional press]

24. last-minute tickets to ba can't be cheap, either.

[here_is_to_hope]

3. What exactly did he do?

Did he break some law?

[Stuart G]

7. Of course he did not break the law..but

he acted totally irresponsible. And the lies that supported this irresponsible behavior are just as irresponsible. That is what is wrong with this story from MSNBC. The news outlet could have just presented the facts, or presented both sides of the story, but this was slanted in a way, that it justifies his behavior. Oh, it is ok, he just needed some time away.

And, this story will not go away, as has been pointed out. Good. One less liar out there.

[Xipe Totec]

9. Does it have to be a crime to be news?

Maybe he just went to get a blow job from an intern, in which case it's nobody's business.


Right?

[babylonsister]

10. I don't know about breaking laws, but he's the governor of a state,

and he just left without telling anyone his itinerary. What if there was a prison break, or a massive fire, or a tornado that wiped out half the state, or anything major? No one had a clue where the chain of command stopped or started, including the Lt. Gov. At the least, he was irresponsible.

[malaise]

18. Disappearing is one thing but lying about his whereabouts

is something else.

[babylonsister]

19. And that's not even taking into consideration

his family scene.

I for one would probably divorce my husband if he went to Argentina without me, or went anywhere without letting me know where he was. I'd be distraught, for starters. Very bizarre.

[TheDebbieDee]

22. Not only that, HE LEFT THE COUNTRY!

Governors, SHOULD NOT leave the country, much less the continent, without informing the Lt. Governor, the President, or some damn body!

He's an elected official, FFS! For all we know, he met with representatives of the North Korean Government while in Argentina.

[havocmom]

23. If he wants to be able to up and leave, make himself impossible to reach,

he should get a job where that is not a problem. Governor of a state is not a 9 -5 job. Sure, governors are entitled to take time off, but LET SOMEONE KNOW where you can be reached because emergencies happen. Let family/staff know when you are expected back so if you don't return, people can look for you and make sure you are OK.

And don't go around touting family values when you're fine with blowing off your four kids on Father's Day.

It IS an issue that a man who ACTIVELY campaigned for a job with a lot of responsibility just blew off all the protocols and made himself completely unavailable. Nobody forced him to take the job. The job comes with perks and it comes with responsibilities. He did not live up to those responsibilities by the act of going missing for several days.

I guess, after bush and all his time off as pResident, Sanford figured POTUS looked like his kinda gig. Seems he doesn't have a firm grasp of the responsibilities of governor let alone POTUS. Best the nation finds this out now, don't you think?

[saltpoint]

4. Sanford almost certainly wants to be president.

At the very least he sees himself on the GOP ticket in 2012.

He just spent Father's Day weekend in Buenos Aires. Reportedly alone.

When I add all that up, I'm not getting "President Mark Sanford."

[Buzz Clik]

5. I guess the media has come to expect politicians to lie about everything.

That's not "ok".

[Stuart G]

11. You are damn right, that is ...not ...ok.

Bush had the media in his hip pocket. His lies were rarely directly confronted. I can never recall anyone ever asking him, did you lie? Why did you lie?
..They did not ask Cheney the same. Why did you lie? They still do not ask him. Why did you lie?

It is not ok. I sure hope Stanford is toast for good.

[glitch]

8. If a "liberal governor" did this it'd be 24-7 "concerned" speculation with high disapproval

not to mention calls for resignation.

Here's my speculation fwiw: he intended to disappear in Brazil for whatever reason (check any $$$ accounts he had access to and any interesting business connections) and something made him change his mind. Could be the tip of an iceberg, if I were a muckracker journalist I'd be checking into it. And not for any benders either.

[Stuart G]

12. You are correect..if a "liberal governor" did this..you would never

hear the end of it. And it is the tip of the iceberg. And I hope you are correct, some muckracker will find the truth. I wonder what the "truth" is?

[cali]

13. did anyone on this thread actually read the linked story???

there is no pass in that story for Sanford. Far from it.

[Stuart G]

15. I read the story, and much of it reads to me like a pass..

[Stuart G]

20. I must honesly add this to my comment...

Please read these three paragraphs..

"Sanford's spokesman Joel Sawyer declined to comment Wednesday morning to The Associated Press. The governor did not return cell phone messages seeking comment and his critics slammed his administration for lying to the public.


'Why all the big cover-up?'
"Lies. Lies. Lies. That's all we get from his staff. That's all we get from his people. That's all we get from him," said state Sen. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia. "Why all the big cover-up?" "


When I first read this, I did not see the above 3 paragraphs...They may have been changed, because the story was updated after I posted it. I am not sure. These paragraphs do change the tone of the story from a pass. Will the rest of the media go after him?

[glitch]

21. Don't let their adding 2 paragraphs to the article throw you.

When they broadcast outrage on every network and cable news show non-stop and drum him out of politics for a decade at least you can stand corrected because we'll be seeing the equal treatment.

Wait for it....;)

[Ilsa]

14. If doesn't have to be wrong to be stupid and inconsiderate. I liked

what the Lt Gov said about it: what if there had been a state emergency?
They would have had to waste time with bureaucratic paperwork to get anything
done. Being governor is usually a 24/7 job. You just don't disappear.

[countingbluecars]

16. So Sanford's a former

real estate investor. I wonder if that had anything to do with his trip.

[DrDan]

17. I think you are being somewhat biased in your interpretation

I don't get that feeling at all in reading the story.

[TexasObserver]

26. A father disappeared over the Father's Day weekend. A governor.

Fathers who are of sound mind don't simply disappear over a Father's Day weekend, and they don't fail to tell their wife or kids where they are.

That is news when the man is a governor.

[orleans]

27. listening to *nora* a little while ago, she sounded pissed off

that he *lied* to his staff, family, media, etc.

[UTUSN]

28. Bullshit!1 It's called "Abandoning your post"

What the Army calls "Guard (-duty)" and the Navy calls "Watch (-duty)" is a MAJOR big deal. You canNOT "abandon your post." You canNOT sleep while on duty or otherwise be INattentive.


For the media full of chickenhawks to dismiss what he did as a "vacation" or a "stress day" or whatever INNOCUOUS thing is B.S.


He could have gone, but he needed to pass the duty to the LT Gov. (NOT, incidentally, to just any or some STAFF member.)