SC Governor reappears...after going to Argentina?

DaemonSeid · #1 06-24-2009, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSigkid

My issue with this story is that apparently his aides had no idea where he had gone. One question though - did I miss it, or how did his chief of staff get in touch with him?

ETA: The family aspect is a bit bothersome on a personal level (who leaves for another country without telling their wife and kids?), but doesn't matter with respect to his job performance.

I think you just hit the nail on the head...

That is the problem...NOBODY (including his staff and fams) knew exactly where he was.

madmax · #2 06-24-2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Lying about where you are going and then not really leaving someone in his stead or at least informing his Louie that he he was leaving.

He is a grown ass 50 year old man...why lie about where he went?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

I think you just hit the nail on the head...

That is the problem...NOBODY (including his staff and fams) knew exactly where he was.

Then how did he lie about where he was going?

UGAalum94 · #3 06-24-2009, 01:15 PM

Maybe he was just taking a page from the Dave Chappelle playbook, but Argentina is his Africa?

I think it's weird, but I, and I realize I've got nothing to base this on, feel that some member of his household or staff knew how to get in touch with him, even if they are claiming otherwise. If you give out that the Gov. is in Argentina or hiking the Appalachian Trail there's likely to be coverage of that, and maybe what the guy really wanted to most was just to be completely out of the official loop for a few days.

Now the good people of South Caroline as welcome to judge him harshly for that, but it's hard to figure out why anyone else should really care.

minDyG · #4 06-24-2009, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Now the good people of South Caroline as welcome to judge him harshly for that, but it's hard to figure out why anyone else should really care.

I's a good people of South Caroline, and I don't really care.

Munchkin03 · #5 06-24-2009, 01:31 PM

This is pretty funny to me. At least it wasn't NY's governor (who most people would be happy to see disappear) or Florida's (an odd duck, really).

Why are governors so...weird?

MysticCat · #6 06-24-2009, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSig RC

This may be a personal bias coming through (as noted by my weak attempt to hedge, with "other than 'standing responsibilities'..."), but I just don't see the day-to-day role of governor of most states (barring CA, which is a disaster right now and anything could happen minute-to-minute) as something that requires constant contact, barring disaster . . . .

I see what you're saying. Like I've said, I think the issue is not the trip itself but the inability for contact during the trip. Many responsibilities or none, he is the Chief Executive, and there are decisions that only he can make. Who knows if any of those will come up while he's gone. (For example one example that has been given: What if a prison riot had broken out on Friday?)

I can get him wanting a real break. The responsible way to do that is to say to your immediate staff: "I'm going away/out of the country for X number of days. I need a real break. I will not have my cell phone on, but I will call in at noon every day to make sure that nothing has blown up. If a real emergency arises, my wife will know how to reach me (and she won't pass a message along unless it is a real emergency.)* If the press or anyone else asks, tell them that I am out of the state for a short vacation but am in regular contact with my staff."

You also let the lt. governor know that you are away but are in contact with your staff.

* I realize that this is a whole 'nother kettle of fish in this thing. But frankly, I simply can't imagine leaving town, much less the country, without a way for my wife to alert me if one of our kids was, say, in the hospital.

Quote:

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Now the good people of South Caroline as welcome to judge him harshly for that, but it's hard to figure out why anyone else should really care.

Aside from the novelty of the story, I think it's because he was seen as a potential rising star on the national GOP scene.

Now, how about that New York Senate?

MysticCat · #7 06-24-2009, 02:31 PM

I'm watching the press conference now, and it sure does look like he's going to admit to an affair.

Yep, he did it right while I was typing.

ETA: I'll give him this -- he didn't pull an Elliot Spitzer and make his wife stand next to him during the press conference.

joliebelle · #8 06-24-2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I'm watching the press conference now, and it sure does look like he's going to admit to an affair.

Yep, he did it right while I was typing.

ETA: I'll give him this -- he didn't pull an Elliot Spitzer and make his wife stand next to him during the press conference.

I for one, am really shocked.

MysticCat · #9 06-24-2009, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joliebelle

I for one, am really shocked.

To be honest, a friend and I at lunch were talking about it and we speculated that the only question was whether it was a woman or a guy.

UGAalum94 · #10 06-24-2009, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I'm watching the press conference now, and it sure does look like he's going to admit to an affair.

Yep, he did it right while I was typing.

ETA: I'll give him this -- he didn't pull an Elliot Spitzer and make his wife stand next to him during the press conference.

Well, it was kind of him to abandon his job for a while so that no one has to address whether the affair alone would mean he was unfit to serve as governor. Thanks for the immoral clarity, Governor.

ThetaDancer · #11 06-24-2009, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I'm watching the press conference now, and it sure does look like he's going to admit to an affair.

Yep, he did it right while I was typing.

ETA: I'll give him this -- he didn't pull an Elliot Spitzer and make his wife stand next to him during the press conference.

Wow.

It just keeps getting weirder.

DrPhil · #12 06-24-2009, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I'm watching the press conference now, and it sure does look like he's going to admit to an affair.

Yep, he did it right while I was typing.

It was obvious that he was having an affair. It's the first thing I thought when I read about his "mysterious trip."

Munchkin03 · #13 06-24-2009, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

You also let the lt. governor know that you are away but are in contact with your staff.

Now, how about that New York Senate?

Isn't there a deal where the governor has to pass power down to his lieutenant governor or Senate President before he leaves the state? I guess it depends on the state, but

The New York Senate is a joke. The Dems have locked themselves in the senate chamber with the gavel! Why can't the Reps just buy another gavel? Or call a locksmith?

deepimpact2 · #14 06-25-2009, 11:08 AM

For some reason I just think everyone is really overreacting. I saw some interviews the media did with constituents who were saying that he left them "unattended."

I feel like others who have said the man is entitled to vacation time. And I don't believe for one minute that no one knew where he was. I think key members of his staff and his wife knew exactly where he was. I just think they didn't feel the need to tell the media and understandably so. It's not like SC was in the middle of some crisis that required his immediate attention. It's not like terrorists were waiting to drop bombs on SC the minute he left the state. I don't care for his politics, but for goodness sake, I wish the media would stop blowing this out of proportion. Even the titles of the articles they wrote about the situation were misleading. When I first saw some of the titles I thought the man had vanished and there was some foul play. After reading the articles I realized that he simply went away on a vacation and didn't alert the media to his itinerary.

As for the affair, I have long been of the mindset that those types of isseus are for the family to handle. I don't think politicians should always resign when they get caught having an affair because I think they can still do a good job in their elected office even if they don't handle their marriages well. And I would dare say that if fidelity is an unspoken requirement for politicians, then over half of the ones we have in office now would have to step down.

DaemonSeid · #15 06-25-2009, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepimpact2

When I first saw some of the titles I thought the man had vanished and there was some foul play.

I think the whole point of this 'reaction' is...if he went away and not told someone and something DID happen.

Suppose he did go and while travelling his plane crashed or he was killed etc and so forth while his staff had little or no clue as to where he was...how does that look upon them for not being able to account for his disappearance?

They are probably being criticized now just for this very idea.