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Jun 24 2009, 4:44 pm by Matthew Cooper

What Bill Clinton Can Teach Mark Sanford

I made the point earlier that Bill Clinton was famously saved by the perception that he was  undistracted by his affair and the he was still focused on the country's business. The public tended to blame the GOP for the impeachment trial, the circus, the vast distraction that was the Monica Lewinsky affair. And so Clinton survived. My point is that the I'm-getting-back-to-work ethos could save Sanford if his painful press conference didn't already. Interestingly, Sanford didn't stress getting back to work. He mostly stressed the healing that lay ahead. Clinton did that, too but in politician's fashion almost seemed to throw it off to a commission. He announced that he was going to be seeking pastoral counseling--psychiatry or psychology would have been too unsettling for the body politic--and let it go at that. Sanford would probably benefit from the same but with a pronounced emphasis on getting back to work. He shouldn't go to the john without leaving a forwarding number.

(As a side note, it's worth pointing out that Sanford called on Clinton to resign.)

I mentioned GIuliani as another pol who benefitted from this. John Podhoretz wrote to remind me that Rudy went from moving out of Gracie Mansion to battling cancer to abandonning his bid for the U.S. Senate against Hillary Clinton. True. But the sense that he was still a man of action helped preserve his viability for 2008. That and 9/11 24/7.

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Comments (16)

Abhinav

"My point is that the I'm-getting-back-to-work ethos could save Sanford"

Are you out of your mind? This head of the state government disappeared for a WEEK without delegating duties, wihtout any possibility of communication, and having misled own staff as to probable location. The state government of SC was without a head of organization for a week. And these "work ethos" will save him????

Darius

Matt, your posts are getting increasingly bizarre. Why this sudden rush to offer Sanford advice on saving his political career?

(Also, the "getting back to work" tactic won't work for Sanford, since he was effectively AWOL for an entire week.)

christinep

You forget one thing: Clinton did not disappear. Clinton did not cry for himself. He did not just get back to work; he never left work. The economic health of the country during his watch is testimony to his executive ability and work. (Oh, and whatever one's feeling about the former President, I doubt that he could be accused of ever previously moralizing in the "do-what-I-say-not-what-I-do" vein of politics.)

keith

Yeah, um, getting back to work ethos would seem to not be applicable in this situation as previously noted above....

snavetrebor

CP, you forgot one thing too: Sanford didn't bite his lip and lie directly to the White House press corps (and thus the nation) and debate what a sexual relationship is with the grand jury, like yer boy Clinton did.

And yes, for the record, I live in SC, and no, I did not vote for Sanford. He's definitely a polarizing character, unloved by many Republicans, but jaysus, pick a better example next time.

TW

Marc,

I have to agree with the majority of the commenters here. I have vague memories of what Clinton did after the scandal with Lewinsky broke out (I was young and really didn't care), but Sanford: a) is the executive of a state that is going through a fiscal crises -- see unemployment and debt; b) left said state without telling his family, security detail, or staff, including the second in command, where he was going; c) made up some BS story about "hiking"; d) acted shocked and appalled that anybody would care that he would disappear for days without telling anyone; e) and when people started to ask legitimate questions about his bizarre behavior, confessed to an affair. I don't live in SC, so he cares what I think -- but I would scoff at this dude if he tried to act like a little worker bee after this foolishness.

Rillion

Clinton could rely on the "back to work" ethos, he even took it so far as to be fooling around with Monica while working. Ultimately I do not think it will be the affair that does Sanford in but the whole vanishing act and cover-up of where he was that will lead to him losing his job.

Tim Fowler

Yes Sanford called on Clinton to resign, but the primary issue in Clinton's case was not an affair. The biggest issue was perjury, the 2nd biggest issue was the strongly stated public lies not under oath. The affair itself was only a distant third.

Joel

couple of things

1. sanford went AWOL; the "getting back to work" theme doesn't apply
2. clinton is a democrat and sanford is a republican; the level of tolerance of their respective bases for this kind of thing is different
3. sanford advertises himself as a conservative republican, so the emphasis on 2 is even greater

Rillion (Replying to: Joel)

Spitzer resigned, yet Vitter is still in office. Both got caught visiting a prostitute. So #2 isn't really a universal rule.

MikeS

The biggest issue was perjury

Yeah, that's what I remembered too. Perjury about a national security issue that was evidence of an out-of-control prosecutor for Libby, but perjury about sex was an impeachable offense for Clinton. And perjury about performance-enhancing drugs might send Barry Bonds, unlike either of them, to prison. What a country!

Tim Fowler (Replying to: MikeS)


"Perjury on a national security issue", stretches things a bit. Valarie Palme was on the "non-offial cover" list, but wasn't operating as a covert op, and apparently her idenity was already know around Washington before the leak.

But lets say for the sake of argument that it was "a national security issue". The implication in your post that Clinton received harsher treatment is false. Libby was convicted. Clinton remained in office, he was not convicted in either a court or in the Senate.

A case can be made that Clinton shouldn't have been required to testify, but he was required to testify under the law he himself had signed as governor. If you think it should be repealed or modified that's fine but he should be the last person to get a special exemption from it.

Sean T

Matt,

Clinton survived not because he "got back to work," but because we were in one of the biggest economic booms of all time. At that point he was in live boy/dead girl territory. If the economy had looking in 1998 like it did in 1994, he'd have been toast.

Same with Giuliani. No 9/11, no rejuvenation.

Karen

I agree with Sean T. in that Clinton had the big advantage of a great economy...good luck for him as things could have turned out much worse for him. That said, I do think he did some good as President.

Karen

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AgathaX

Clinton didn't "get back to work"--he never left. All most people remember is their little rendevous in various nooks and crannies of the west wing, but they also spoke on the phone. Clinton simply didn't leave work. Sanford got about as far away as he could.

Moreover, as others note, "its the economy, stupid." When times are good, decadence is expected. This is not one of those times.