Glenn Beck’s newest hero takes the fail test with Miss Teen South Carolina:
Of all the 2012 GOP hopefuls, none have taken a harder line that Sanford. Politico:
The concessions in Louisiana and Alabama leave South Carolina’s Sanford as the only governor resisting large elements of the stimulus beyond unemployment insurance. Sanford plans to refuse $700 million from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, on the grounds, he said, that it would expand government and impede reform.
"Once you’ve got the money, there’s no need to make the reforms," he said of changes he’s seeking to the state education system.
The state’s attorney general has said legislators can’t accept the money without the governor’s cooperation, leading to a charged standoff in Columbia that’s left Sanford bloodied but, he says, undeterred.
"Over time we’ll be vindicated, but it’s been tough," he said.
Update (from Jed @ noon) -- Here's another good line about Sanford's situation:
"What we saw was Gov. Sanford playing chicken, and he got run over," said Hari Sevugan, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. "And we've seen, to varying degrees, others reaping blowback from local communities, as well. But that's a natural result of taking a position based on politics instead of doing what's right."