Indigo Journal

The Sanford Spin

Posted on 09. Apr, 2009 by Jennifer Read in SC Politics

After facing weeks of statewide rallies, sinking approval ratings, and bipartisan opposition to his ideological grandstanding, the Governor and his cronies are fighting back.

Sanford’s friends at Carolinians for Reform Inc. announced Thursday they will spend $230,000 to air ads featuring the governor defending his stance against using federal stimulus cash to fund education and public safety programs in our state.

“Many families are struggling with challenges we’ve not seen in our lifetimes,” Sanford says in the one-minute ad. “Some say the solution lies in more government spending and deeper debt. The truth is, more tax dollars will be spent in our state this year than ever before. But there must be a stopping point. Going further into debt will not solve a problem that was created by too much debt. There must be a price that we will not impose on future generations.”

Buying Time
Beyond increasing the Governor’s national profile for his likely 2012 presidential bid, the CfR ad represents a broader effort by Sanford and his allies to shift the stimulus debate and public opinion in their favor.

Having bought themselves more time to prolong the drama, Sanford and friends now are trying to shift the stimulus argument away from a take-the-money-or-our-kids-will-suffer debate into a more abstract, philosophical discussion on how best to use taxpayer funds over the long-term.

Brace yourselves.

Over the coming weeks, the Governor’s Mansion will subject us to an endless barrage of Club for Growth talking points espousing the urgent need to protect “future generations,” curb reckless spending, reform our broken state government, and pay down tomorrow’s debts today.

Sanford will paint his critics as alarmists and victims of misinformation. He’ll spin out a myriad of unique counter-interpretations on projected education and public safety budget deficits. And he’ll
graciously offer to ’spend’ a portion of our stimulus dollars on “non-recurring” education expenses, if in turn, we promise to ’save’ money in the future by committing to deeper cuts in government services.

In short, Sanford and his disciples will attempt to frame this as a battle for long-term fiscal accountability and ‘responsible’ government, rather than a fight to fund desperately needed education and public safety programs for our citizens today.

Seeing Through the Spin
Hopefully as the slick interest group ads and crafty ideological rhetoric pervades our airways, South Carolinians won’t lose sight of one important fact: that at its heart, the stimulus stand-off isn’t about lifeless budget charts or abstract future generations as the Governor claims.

It’s about supporting our living, breathing children and their teachers today. It’s about classrooms, and textbooks, and ensuring our public safety now. It’s about demanding competent, accountable state leadership at a time when our schools are struggling, when violence is on the rise, and when 1 in 9 of our fellow South Carolinians can’t find work. It’s about placing the well-being of our current citizens above blind ideological devotion and future political ambitions.

And no matter how much air time the Governor buys or how hard he spins, South Carolinians can’t afford to lose sight of the importance what’s at stake if Sanford’s showdown succeeds.