Ted Kennedy

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | August 27, 2009, 9:00AM

Push Builds To Quickly Fill Kennedy's Seat
The New York Times reports that Democrats are quickly stepping up efforts to change Massachusetts law so that Ted Kennedy's Senate seat can be filled by an interim appointment. Said state Rep. Michael Moran, chairman of the election rules committee: "Ted Kennedy was one of the most impressive senators we've ever had, and to have him write a letter just prior to his death saying this is something Massachusetts needs -- how do you not take that seriously and give your position another look?"

Palin Supports Glenn Beck
Sarah Palin posted a note to her Facebook page yesterday, supporting Glenn Beck. "FOX News' Glenn Beck is doing an extraordinary job this week walking America behind the scenes of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and outlining who is actually running the White House," wrote Palin. "Monday night he asked us to invite one friend to watch; tonight I invite all my friends to watch."

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Health Care

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | July 19, 2009, 1:03PM

Sanford Thankful For Attending His Own Funeral
Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) has written a guest column for The State, apologizing again to the people of South Carolina, and discussing his own moral failings and personal growth. "It is true that I did wrong and failed at the largest of levels, but equally true is the fact that God can make good of our respective wrongs in life," Sanford writes. "In this vein, while none of us has the chance to attend our own funeral, in many ways I feel like I was at my own in the past weeks, and surprisingly I am thankful for the perspective it has afforded."

Kennedy: Health Care "The Cause Of My Life"
In a new guest piece in Newsweek, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) speaks of his own personal and family struggles with diseases and accidents, and his commitment to ensuring universal access to health care. "But quality care shouldn't depend on your financial resources, or the type of job you have, or the medical condition you face. Every American should be able to get the same treatment that U.S. senators are entitled to," Kennedy writes. "This is the cause of my life. It is a key reason that I defied my illness last summer to speak at the Democratic convention in Denver -- to support Barack Obama, but also to make sure, as I said, 'that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American ... will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege.'"

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Mark Sanford

Sanford Riding Out The Storm, Seeks To Regain Trust

Eric Kleefeld | July 7, 2009, 3:52PM

It's looking more and more like Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) will be able to ride out this whole scandal, now that media coverage has moved on to other topics like Sarah Palin and Michael Jackson, and serve out the remaining year and a half of his term without having to resign.

Yesterday evening, the South Carolina Republican Party's executive committee voted to censure Sanford for his moral transgressions -- defeating those on the committee who had wanted to call for his resignation.

Sanford's communications director Joel Sawyer put out a brief statement today, responding to the party's censure: "The governor fully appreciates the party's position, and he intends to work diligently to earn back its trust."

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Mark Sanford

GOP Now Favors Censure In Sex Scandals...

Eric Kleefeld | July 7, 2009, 9:07AM

The South Carolina Republican Party has formally voted to censure Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) over his extra-marital affair and his disappearance from the state -- an interesting development, the closer one looks at it.

Of the 41 members of the state GOP's executive committee, a bare majority of 22 voted to censure him. Ten members voted to ask him to resign, and nine others in fact voted in support of him.

Funny thing: Sanford voted to impeach Bill Clinton over a sex scandal in 1998, and at the time a whole lot of Republicans said that a mere censure of Clinton was insufficient -- only impeachment or a resignation would truly satisfy the moral and legal problems at hand.

Mark Sanford

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 8:59AM

Sanford's Book Deal Falls Through
Gov. Mark Sanford's (R-SC) book publisher, Sentinel, has released him from his contract. Sanford had been set to write a book on fiscal conservatism, entitled Within Our Means, to be released in March 2010. However, the deal fell through after Sanford got in trouble for disappearing to Argentina to visit his mistress, and he and publisher have agreed to part ways.

Obama At Camp David Today
President Obama has no public events scheduled, but is spending the day at Camp David. He will return to the White House tomorrow.

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Mark Sanford

Pressure Mounts On Sanford To Resign

Versha Sharma | July 1, 2009, 5:15PM

One day after Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) held a press conference in which he admitted to having an affair with a woman from Argentina, 50% of registered voters in South Carolina said they wanted him to resign.

Now, nearly one week and many more affair confessions later, the calls for his resignation from elected officials are piling up. Today, 14 of the 27 state GOP senators are asking him to step down. That number has already grown from last night, when six senators took the step of signing a letter calling for Sanford's resignation. This group includes Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler and "five of [Sanford's] dozen closest allies," according to local Columbia TV station WLTX.

State Senator Jake Knotts, who initially called the State Law Enforcement Division two days after Sanford left for Argentina to find out his whereabouts, has also called for the governor to leave office.

See other sources of pressure calling for Sanford's resignation after the jump:

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Barack Obama

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | June 28, 2009, 1:12PM

Axelrod: Obama Won't Rule Out Middle-Class Tax Hike
Appearing on This Week, Senior White House David Axelrod did not rule out the idea of President Obama raising taxes on people making under $250,000 -- which Obama pledged not to do during the 2008 campaign -- in order to fund health care. "One of the problems we've had in this town is that people draw lines in the sand and they stop talking to each other. And you don't get anything done," said Axelrod. "That's not the way the president approaches us. He is very cognizant of protecting people -- middle class people, hard-working people who are trying to get along in a very difficult economy. And he will continue to represent them in these talks."

McConnell: We Have Best Health Care System In The World
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) attacked the Democrats' health care proposals. "Well, listening to them, you wouldn't recognize that America has the finest health care system in the world. We have some problems with access and with cost, which can -- addressed without wrecking the best health care system in the world," said McConnell. "What they really have in mind, Bret [Baier], is to create a government-run plan after which there won't be any private insurance companies."

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Barack Obama

TPMDC Saturday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | June 27, 2009, 12:59PM

Obama Praises Energy Bill, Calls For Senate Passage
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama praised the House of Representatives for passing the energy bill last night, calling it an important component of economic growth and technological development. And he urge the Senate to follow suit quickly:

"Now my call to every Senator, as well as to every American, is this: We cannot be afraid of the future. And we must not be prisoners of the past," said Obama. "Don't believe the misinformation out there that suggests there is somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and economic growth. It's just not true."

Boehner Blasts "Go-It-Alone" Democrats
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) delivered the Republican address this weekend, going after the Democrats on the issues of spending, health care and energy:

"Republicans are offering common-sense solutions that will make a real difference in creating jobs, making health care more affordable, and promoting a cleaner, healthier environment, and reducing energy costs," said Boehner. "We hope our Democrat colleagues will abandon their failed go-it-alone approach and work with us to make these reforms a reality."

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Mark Sanford

Fred Thompson: Sanford Needs To Be In "Private Life" To Deal With Scandal

Eric Kleefeld | June 26, 2009, 1:14PM

On his radio show yesterday, Fred Thompson had some tough words for Mark Sanford -- even seeming to imply that if Sanford is going to have his mid-life crisis, he should do it in private life.

"I've known Mark, and I've gotta preface it with that. And I like him in many respects. And I'm not the one to cast the first stone. And not many -- not many of us are blameless as we go through life, regardless what the category of offense might be," said Thompson. "But I don't have any sympathy in a situation where you got -- where you got a wife and four fairly young kids. And his love life and his falling in love and all that kind of stuff, I mean that can be a personal tragedy. But you know, do it on your own time and do it on your own dime."

"You can't have your cake and eat it, too, and these guys who take money and so forth, they get a sense of entitlement. Same principle involved," said Thompson, seemingly comparing recent political scandal with recent corporate scandals. "They're presiding over all these billions of dollars and they're working on these salaries and so forth, they feel like they're entitled to cut corners and all of that. That's why we need term limits and that's why we need people, if they're gonna do this, they need to be in public -- I mean in private life, and not visit it on millions and millions of other people and their own family."

(Via Sayfie News.)

Mark Sanford

Another Poll Shows South Carolinians Saying Sanford Should Resign

Eric Kleefeld | June 26, 2009, 9:50AM

A new Rasmussen poll finds a plurality of South Carolina's likely voters saying that Gov. Mark Sanford should resign in the wake of his recent disappearance to Argentina and subsequent admission of an extramarital affair.

The numbers: 46% say he should resign, to 39% who say he should not. Only 40% think the legislature should impeach him if he does not resign, compared to 48% who disagree. These numbers are not much different from an InsiderAdvantage poll yesterday, which was of registered voters.

At the same time, 55% of respondents in the new poll said that Sanford is about as ethical as most politicians, with 18% saying he is more ethical than others, and 18% saying his ethics are lower than average.

Mark Sanford

Limbaugh On The Sanford Affair: It's Obama's Fault!

Eric Kleefeld | June 25, 2009, 2:18PM

On his radio show today, Rush Limbaugh offered his own explanation for the Mark Sanford scandal: That Sanford flew out of the country to have an affair because President Obama drove him over the edge:

"This is almost like, 'I don't give a damn, the country's going to Hell in a handbasket, I just want out of here,'" said Limbaugh. "He had just tried to fight the stimulus money coming to South Carolina. He didn't want any part of it. He lost the battle. He said, 'What the Hell. I mean, I'm -- the federal government's taking over -- what the Hell, I want to enjoy life.'"

"The point is," he added, "there are a lot of people whose spirit is just -- they're fed up, saying to Hell with it, I don't even want to fight this anymore, I just want to get away from it."

Mark Sanford

Poll: South Carolinians Want Sanford To Resign

Eric Kleefeld | June 25, 2009, 1:39PM

A new InsiderAdvantage poll finds that 50% of South Carolina's registered voters want Gov. Mark Sanford (R) to resign, in the wake of his disappearance to Argentina and his subsequent admission of an extramarital affair, with 42% opposed.

The option of impeachment by the legislature gets a little less support, with 45% in favor to 46% against, within the ±3.2% margin of error.

Republicans oppose impeachment 63%-32%, Democrats favor it 71%-21%, and independents oppose it 49%-35%. Republicans oppose resignation by a 56%-38% margin, Democrats favor it 70%-20%, while independents narrowly oppose it by 45.3%-44.7%.

Mark Sanford

Sanford Story A Big Boost To Local Paper

Eric Kleefeld | June 24, 2009, 5:57PM

I just spoke with Gary Ward, The State's managing editor for online, and he told me that the Mark Sanford story has been great for his paper's online traffic.

"It's been incredible," said Ward, with the paper getting links from all manner of national news outlets.

"Page views are about three-times normal, and monthly uniques for today are just, like eight times normal," said Ward. "If you look at a graph of our traffic, it started on Monday when we started reporting through the day."

"I would say that traffic today, starting from Monday through today, has been tremendous," he added. "Monday is usually the busiest day of the week, but today is just huge, and blowing last week, and last year at this time, out of the water."

Mark Sanford

Flashback: Sanford Voted To Impeach Bill Clinton

Eric Kleefeld | June 24, 2009, 3:51PM

TPM reader JP reminds us that Mark Sanford, who was a Congressman back in 1998, voted for three of the four articles of impeachment against Bill Clinton.

You can check out the roll call votes, here, here, here and here.

Think Progress has rounded up some of Sanford's comments at the time, both about Clinton and the sex scandal that derailed the leadership ambitions of Rep. Bob Livingston (R-LA).

Haley Barbour

Barbour Takes Over As Chairman Of The Republican Governors Association

Eric Kleefeld | June 24, 2009, 3:29PM

The Republican Governors Association released this statement from its new chairman, Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi -- another possible 2012 presidential candidate -- in the wake of Mark Sanford's admission of an extramarital affair and his resignation as RGA chairman:

"The news revealed today hurts all of us who have gotten to know Governor Sanford over the years and so it is with regret that the RGA accepted Governor Sanford's resignation as chairman.

"While this news is deeply disappointing, I also know it's important to remain focused on the future and Governor Sanford's resignation allows him and us to do just that.

"The RGA has an important task over the next two years. I am committed to seeing it through and confident we will succeed."

Mark Sanford

Dem Governors Association: "Our Thoughts And Prayers Are With Governor Sanford And His Family"

Eric Kleefeld | June 24, 2009, 3:04PM

The Democratic Governors Association has released this statement on Gov. Mark Sanford's (R-SC) resignation as chairman of the Republican Governors Association:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Governor Sanford and his family, and I wish them the best as they try to heal this wound," said Nathan Daschle, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association.

Mark Sanford

Going To Buenos Aires In His Mind...

Eric Kleefeld | June 24, 2009, 9:43AM

Check out this line from Gov. Mark Sanford's (R-SC) second inaugural address in 2007, paying tribute to the march of technological progress and South Carolina's part in it:

Think for one second about the rate of change in the world around us.

The Pan Am Clipper Class used to be the envy of airline travel. One of their planes would fly 32 passengers at 150 miles per hour from point A to point B. The Miami to Buenos Aires flight took 6 days with numerous crew stops along the way.

The new Boeing 787, being in large part produced here in South Carolina, will soon take 300 passengers at 560 miles an hour on a 9 hour trip straight from Miami to Buenos Aires.

Apparently he's been thinking about traveling to Buenos Aires for quite a while.

Also, Stephen Colbert last night flashed back to an interview he did a year ago with Sanford, asking the governor to tell him about the Mark Sanford nobody knows about. "Well, I guess it would be the degree to which I love solitude," said Sanford. "I love to be out in the woods with my boys."

Mark Sanford

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | June 24, 2009, 9:01AM

Sanford: I Was In Argentina
Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) has now resurfaced at the Atlanta airport, telling The State that he was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, taking a break after a busy legislative session -- not hiking the Appalachian Trail, as his staff had claimed. Sanford said he'd considered hiking the Trail, "But I said 'no' I wanted to do something exotic." When asked why his staff had said he was hiking the Trail, he said, "I don't know," but then later added that "in fairness" to his staff, he'd previously told them he might go hiking there.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will meet at 2 p.m. ET today with Govs. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), Jim Douglas (R-VT), Jim Doyle (D-WI), Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Christine Gregoire (D-WA) to discuss health care. At 8 p.m. ET, he will hold a town hall from the White House on health care, which will be broadcast on ABC.

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Mark Sanford

DNC Web Video: "Where's Sanford?"

Eric Kleefeld | June 23, 2009, 3:42PM

The Democratic National Committee is now getting in on the jokes about Gov. Mark Sanford's (R-SC) mysterious disappearance, with this new Web video, "Where's Sanford?":

Interestingly, among all the news footage that was collected to make this video, the official explanation that Sanford has gone hiking on the Appalachian Trail isn't even mentioned at all verbally -- it only makes a brief appearance in some of the on-screen news text.

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | June 23, 2009, 9:00AM

Sanford's Office: He's Hiking
Gov. Mark Sanford's (R-SC) office told reporters last night that he is hiking the Appalachian Trail. However, they apparently do not know exactly where is along the Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine -- but interestingly enough, does not pass through South Carolina. "He's an avid outdoorsman," said his spokesman. "Nobody's ever accused our governor of being conventional."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. ET, in the Rose Garden. At 2:15 p.m. ET, he will meet one-on-one with President Michelle Bachelet of Chile, and they will have an expanded meeting at 2:45 p.m. ET. At 4:45 p.m. ET, Obama will meet with Sec. of Defense Robert Gates.

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Mark Sanford

South Carolina Dems Express Concern Over Sanford's "Erratic Behavior"

Eric Kleefeld | June 22, 2009, 5:47PM

This afternoon, the South Carolina state Senate Democratic Leader John C. Land III released this interesting statement about Mark Sanford's mysterious disappearance:

"We've been concerned by the Governor's erratic behavior for some time. We're praying for him and his family. I hope he is safe and that he contacts the First Lady and his family soon."

So what exactly does he mean by erratic behavior? I just spoke on the phone with the state Senate Dem caucus director Phil Bailey.

"Number one, is actively rejecting our own stimulus dollars back here in South Carolina. Number two is - gosh, where to begin with Mark Sanford, it goes on," said Bailey. "Suing the legislature to prevent our own tax dollars from coming back there to South Carolina to save teachers jobs, and prevent layoffs in law enforcement and prison officers. Sen. Land certainly believes that is erratic."

Mark Sanford

Mark Sanford Is Missing

Eric Kleefeld | June 22, 2009, 4:12PM

Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), a champion of both economic and social conservatism, has gone missing, and has not been seen since this past Thursday.

From The State:

First lady Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press today her husband has been gone for several days and she doesn't know where he is.

The governor's personal and state phones have been turned off and he has not responded to phone and text message since Thursday, a source said.

Jenny Sanford said she was not concerned.

She said the governor said he needed time away from their children to write something.

The governor's office issued a statement Monday afternoon: "Gov. Sanford is taking some time away from the office this week to recharge after the stimulus battle and the legislative session, and to work on a couple of projects that have fallen by the wayside.

Late Update: As a quick reminder to readers, Sanford has been a mainstay of conservative opposition to the stimulus bill and other Obama initiatives. So he's been at the center of some attention for quite a while.

Barack Obama

TPMDC Saturday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 11, 2009, 1:11PM

Obama Discusses International Cooperation
In this weekend's YouTube address, President Obama discusses the importance of international cooperation for problems such as the economic crisis, nuclear proliferation, disease and other issues:

"These are challenges that no single nation, no matter how powerful, can confront alone. The United States must lead the way," said Obama. "But our best chance to solve these unprecedented problems comes from acting in concert with other nations."

Pawlenty Talks Taxes In RNC YouTube
In this week's RNC YouTube address, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty uses the weekend before tax day as an occasion to discuss the tax burdens faced by families and businesses:

"I urge President Obama and the Democrat-led Congress to let hardworking American families keep more of what they earn by cutting taxes and reining in spending. It's just common sense," said Pawlenty. "I'm sure you will agree, especially on April 15th when your taxes are due."

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Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 10, 2009, 9:00AM

Obama Requests $83.4 Billion For Iraq And Afghanistan
President Obama has requested $83.4 billion from Congress, for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which would raise the total costs of the two wars to almost $1 trillion. The Associated Press notes that the request will disappoint the more anti-war Democrats, but at the same time the continued commitment to the withdrawal of combat troops means it is sure to pass without the legislative battles that occurred during the Bush Administration in 2007.

Obama Meeting With Top Economic Officials
President Obama will be meeting at 11 a.m. ET with Treasury Sec. Tim Geithner, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, SEC Chair Mary Shapiro and Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan. The group will update Obama on the current efforts to stabilize and repair the financial system, and afterwards Obama will deliver brief remarks to reporters after the meeting.

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Mark Sanford

DNC Attacks Sanford On South Carolina TV

Eric Kleefeld | March 13, 2009, 3:22PM

The Democratic National Committee is now going after South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, perhaps the most prominent anti-stimulus Republican in the country, with this new TV ad set to begin airing Monday in the Columbia media market:

The ad accuses Sanford, a vocal conservative, of playing politics in his refusal of stimulus money. "South Carolina is facing tough times - but Governor Sanford is playing politics instead of doing what's right," the announcer says. "Turning down millions in Recovery Act funds, putting politics ahead of health care, jobs and schools."