I won’t be shocked at all if even after all the mistakes and all the piling on Mark Sanford manages to win his special election against Elizabeth Colbert-Busch in South Carolina next Tuesday. The DCCC just sent me a panicked email that said a new poll found the race tied. They’re probably just trolling for money, but the race isn’t over. Truthfully, I don’t really care who wins. I like Stephen Colbert, so I’d like to see his sister win, but we won’t get much out of it even if she does. It will cost us a fortune to hold the seat, and we’ll probably fail in the effort. And, while it will be nice to see the good people of South Carolina’s First District show some decent moral judgment, a Mark Sanford in Congress would be a gift that keeps on giving. Such is the depressing state of play in U.S. politics.
If Sanford does lose, which I still see as likely, it will follow in the recent mold of the Republican base nominating flawed candidates and losing otherwise winnable seats. But, this time, it won’t be some pissed off used car salesman or Tea Party witch that lost them the seat. It will be a former governor. Think about that.
