South Carolina to Sanford: Stop Playing Politics With Job Creation

The reviews are in, and South Carolinians from both parties are rejecting Governor Mark Sanford’s decision to play politics with $700 million in federal job creation and economic recovery funds. On the same day the Washington Post is running a front-page story on the economic crisis in South Carolina, a bipartisan mix of South Carolina leaders are criticizing Gov. Sanford’s decision to put his personal political ambitions ahead of the people of South Carolina by threatening to reject economic recovery funds that will create or retain jobs, improve education, and complete infrastructure projects throughout South Carolina. As one local paper reports, “South Carolina's Republican-controlled General Assembly is poised to rebuff Sanford and seek the stimulus money on its own.”

“Mark Sanford is putting his personal ambition ahead of the people of South Carolina by cow-towing to the Rush Limbaugh-led, obstructionist wing of the Republican Party,” said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Brad Woodhouse. “Now is not the time to politicize these practical steps to create jobs in South Carolina and across the country. Governor Sanford should stop playing politics and work with leaders from both parties who want to use the economic recovery funds to help create jobs, fix our schools, reform our health care system, make America energy independent, and lay the foundation for long-term growth in the 21st Century.”

The Reviews Are In:
Bipartisan Rejection of Sanford’s Ploy

South Carolina Republican: State Needs Recovery Money. “House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said the $700 million can help state agencies, such as the Department of Education, transition to smaller budgets over a few years rather than taking the hit at once. Charleston Mayor Joe Riley urged Sanford to change his mind. ‘Paying off the debt does nothing for the schoolteacher who is losing a job or the probation officer who is being laid off,’ he said. House Minority Leader Harry Ott, D-St. Matthews, said the House, which passed its budget early Wednesday, plans to use the money as a one-time fix. ‘The recovery money was intended to fix some problems, specifically in the education budget, but also to help generate jobs,’ he said. As the jockeying around the $700 million continues, the state Senate will begin debating the state budget.” [Charleston Post and Courier, 3/12/09]

Herald Online: Republican Legislature “Poised to Rebuff Sanford.” “Gov. Mark Sanford on Wednesday became the first governor to reject some of his state's share of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus money, spurning $700 million that he said would harm his state's residents in the long run…South Carolina's Republican-controlled General Assembly is poised to rebuff Sanford and seek the stimulus money on its own.” [Herald Online, 3/12/09]

Upstate Today: Local Lawmakers Question Sanford’s Stimulus Proposal. “While some local lawmakers may agree in theory with Gov. Mark Sanford’s proposal to use stimulus money to pay down the state’s debt, they’re also questioning its practicality and the governor's priorities. Sanford said he will seek a waiver from President Barack Obama to use $700 million of the $2.8 billion allotted to South Carolina to pay debts and contingent liabilities. ‘First of all, he is operating on the premise that he can get a waiver from the president to allow those funds to be used that way,’ Rep. Bill Sandifer said. ‘I personally do not feel there is any possibility of getting such a waiver. The stimulus package was written in such a way that the funds are designated for very specific things, with very specific conditions on their use. Beyond that Sandifer also said he and others in the General Assembly were irked by Sanford’s waiting to announce his intentions until after the House had passed on a spending bill to the Senate under the assumption they’d have all stimulus moneys at their disposal.” [Upstate Today, 3/12/09]


Clyburn: Sanford move all about 2012. “House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) minced no words in responding today to South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s decision to reject stimulus funds for state projects. ‘This is just political posturing aimed toward the next national election,’ Clyburn told reporters on a conference call today. ‘If he were looking out for the state he would be looking out for the people of the state.’ ‘He’s got a political agenda that runs contrary to the needs of his constituents,’ said Clyburn, noting the state’s more than 10 percent unemployment rate.” [Politico, 3/11/09]

Washington Post: As South Carolina's Job Losses Mount, Sanford Rejects Aid. “Gov. Mark Sanford (R) eschews the prevailing view in Washington that government money should be used as a salve to the economy and to people who have lost jobs. ‘At some level, government steps in to fill the void,’ Sanford said in an interview, ‘but we ought to be the lender of last resort, not the first.’ … While other states have looked to Washington for assistance, Sanford has been a foremost critic of the federal economic stimulus package. Yesterday, he challenged the law's intent, announcing that he will ask the White House for a waiver to use $700 million -- the part of South Carolina's share of the money over which he has direct control -- to lower the state's debt, instead of putting it toward new spending.” [Washington Post, 3/12/09]

Clyburn: Sanford Move “100 Percent Political Posturing.” “Anticipating that Sanford would oppose stimulus money, Clyburn did an end-run around the governor: He worked into the stimulus package a provision that allows a state legislature to accept the federal money if a governor rejects it. Yesterday, Clyburn lashed out at Sanford, saying his effort to get a waiver is ‘100 percent political posturing.’ While the politics play out, the surge in need is visible in the line that snakes across the parking lot at Harvest Hope, the food bank that supplies 400 nonprofits and runs its own emergency pantry.” [Washington Post, 3/12/09]