He’s the one showing both leadership and principle on this. I’m not so sure that some House Republicans are voting no on the stimulus just to be obstructionist (although I do think that Sully has overstated the case about “war” on Obama). A great many Republican partisans are happy to be an opposition party and not put a lot of thought into what they are opposing and why they are doing it, it is true. But it’s not Obama who has earned this opposition. Rather, it’s the idea of lighting a trillion dollars on fire that is worthy of objection.
But Sanford is taking a personal political risk by saying South Carolina should not be part of the problem and stimulus money shouldn’t go there. And he’s right to do it, because while there is a wonderful-sounding laundry list of stuff in the stimulus (including some nice-sounding tax cuts) it’s not going to make things any better and will saddle us with huge debt.
Until further notice, I’m saying Mark Sanford is my guy in 2012.
