Gov. Mark Sanford no doubt hopes that the successful wooing of a Boeing jet assembly line by the state will bolster his image as a can-do governor. But it might be too late for that, and a recent review of the governor's calendar over his seven years in office presents a more complete and less flattering picture.
The look by The State newspaper at Sanford's day-to-day scheduling since taking office in 2002 indicates that Sanford entered office with a desire to make major changes in the state and pursued his goals energetically at first, jumping from meeting to meeting as he sought to rally support for his vision of a smaller state government and a more powerful governor. But the calendar indicates that Sanford began losing steam during his second term and became more and more disengaged with the governor's job as time passed.
As The State story notes, the second-term calendar indicates that Sanford's focus was somewhere other than South Carolina for much of the time. That became even more pronounced as Sanford, head of the Republican Governors Association, found himself on the list of prospective vice presidential candidates on Sen. John McCain's ticket and, later, as presidential timber in 2012.
After the November election, Sanford began buffing his credentials as a national political figure, especially with his high-profile opposition to federal stimulus money for the state. His calendar in 2008 and earlier this year was dominated with media interviews.
To read the complete editorial, visit The Rock Hill Herald.
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