Apr 19 2008
Could Mark Sanford Be Our Next Vice-President?
Over the past six years, Mr. Sanford has amassed a political record that many within the GOP would like to see enacted in Washington: tax cuts, school choice, market-based entitlement reform and a long list of vetoes handed out to a profligate legislature. Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove and Sen. Lindsey Graham (a stalwart John McCain backer) have all floated Mr. Sanford’s name for veep.
During our hour-long conversation on a recent afternoon in his office in the state Capitol, Mr. Sanford touches on the vice presidency, but focuses his comments on his prolonged fight against the political status quo in South Carolina. That is exactly why I came to see him. If he is under consideration for the vice presidency, we should know more about his governing record and his motivation in picking his political battles.
South Carolina isn’t the first state many Republicans might think to find a running mate; it’s likely to vote Republican no matter who Mr. McCain taps. But Mr. Sanford is popular on the right because he understands markets. “There are only two ways to raise the standard of living,” he said, “through technology – one backhoe can dig more dirt than 50 men with shovels – and through brain power . . . And that’s it.”
Sanford is undoubtedly somewhere at the top of McCain’s list and it’s not surprising why. Aside from supporting McCain in both 2000 and this year, Sanford has proven to be a fiscally conservative stalwart and have an iron hand when it comes to fighting the political status quo in Columbia. How sweet it would be to have the same successes in Washington. A McCain-Sanford administration could really clean up this country’s financial mess.
