President Obama Sends "Blunt" Letter to Gov. Sanford of South Carolina

[PopSixSquish]

"Among the numerous rumors swirling around Columbia tonight is a report that President Barack Obama has told Gov. Mark Sanford that if he does not apply for federal stimulus funds, the money will not be available for South Carolina.

And The Palmetto Scoop has now confirmed that Obama has, in fact, sent Sanford a very blunt, personal letter saying just that.

The correspondence reportedly states that roughly $700 million in discretionary stimulus money allocated for South Carolina will be revoked on Friday if Sanford declines to accept the funds and that, by law, no alternative options can be accepted." (emphasis mine)

http://www.palmettoscoop.com/2009/03/31/take-it-or-lose-it/

Well now, what to do, what to do...If Sanford caves and takes all the money, the conservative knuckledraggers will scream and carry on. If he doesn't and South Carolina loses all of the money...To borrow a quote from the movie Backdraft...

"Governor, You see that flash of light in the corner of your eye? That's your career dissipation light. It just went into high gear."

The article goes on to say that Sanford has approached the South Carolina General Assembly about a deal...

Fucking brilliant!

[babylonsister]

1. Excellent! Poop or get off the pot, guv. nt

[Hutzpa]

2. Playing Russian Roulette with

the President is a deadly game that will end up real bad for you son...
thats the third and final click.....the next click should be your last
light before it all goes dark.

[zbdent]

6. especially if you realize that the President has the option to

load the gun at any time ... we remember that from Bush43 ...

[Sebastian Doyle]

3. The President should not be telling Governor Sanford what to do.

If we offend our Republican friends, we won't be able to elect any more fine Blue Dog candidates in that state.

[Hutzpa]

11. Oh really...

and how has that helped us these past few years I might asked, this pondering and
sucking up that you so much love to do as a DLC member, always sucking up the right
because we don't want to upset them....what a total pile of BS, better get with the
program.

Republican friends...ha! :rofl:

[tblue37]

25. That post was obviously sarcasm! nt

[CreekDog]

15. He's not telling Sanford what to do, he's telling him what his options are.

under the law.

and who is this Republican "friend". do you mean Sanford? are you sure that's an apt description of Sanford?

[stillcool]

17. according to the OP

The correspondence reportedly states that roughly $700 million in discretionary stimulus money allocated for South Carolina will be revoked on Friday if Sanford declines to accept the funds and that, by law, no alternative options can be accepted.
---------------------------------------
Sanford has requested on numerous occasions that the money be used to pay down debt. Obama has repeatedly denied those requests.

But tonight — with the deadline to accept stimulus funding only 72 hours away — marked the first time that Obama has formally told Sanford that he must either take the money or lose it.

[Stinky The Clown]

22. I expect there's a missing sarcasm thingie in your post ......

.... right?

[Cha]

24. Open your eyes dlc, read the letter and

process.

[StreetKnowledge]

4. Another smooth move.

Now, when is he gonna make an idiot out of Bobby Jindal? :)

[PopSixSquish]

5. Bobby Jindal Doesn't Need the President or Anyone Else to Help Him with That One

Do the words "volcano monitoring" ring a bell?

:evilgrin:

[smoogatz]

8. 'Zackly.

Jindal's doing a fine job of that all by himself. But this is what Obama does to his rivals/enemies--they just seem to implode when they try to take him on.

[Hope And Change]

7. Awesome.K & R!

[smoogatz]

9. Good. Now watch Sanford back down like a dog that's been barking

into a skunk's burrow. He won't be able to take that money fast enough, I'm guessing. What a fucking clown.

[nc4bo]

26. Then the slime can come back next election cycle and say

I was forced to accept the money. Wait for it.

These Repukes are beyond obscene and are slimier than a salted snail.

[Jennicut]

10. Good, either take it or get the hell out of the way. Sanford

is blocking money for his constituents, lets see how they feel about that.

[Stinky The Clown]

12. Remember .... it was South Carolina that was to be the captiol of a new Christian nation

It has been a hellhole of assholery for years. Sanford is reflective of his constituency, not the other way around.

[PopSixSquish]

13. I Say We Give Them Back to England to Make Up the DVD Gaffe

I'm just kidding South Carolina DU'ers. I'm right across the border in Georgia so I feel your pain...

[Stinky The Clown]

20. Truth is, we seem to be making some progress there.

Not enough to win state wide, but look at the last election. We did damned good.

[polichick]

14. He's too savvy to say it, but our president's motto is actually...

DON'T FUCK WITH ME!

[TTUBatfan2008]

16. I dare say...

the governor might have a hard time getting re-elected if he chooses not to apply for the money. Brilliant chess move by Obama.

[GoCubsGo]

18. No.

He'll only have a hard time because he's term-limited and at he end of his limited term.

[TTUBatfan2008]

19. Ah, well then he's got nothing to worry about...

Might as well reject the funds.

[GoCubsGo]

21. He's planning to run for President in 2012

That's what this is all about... Unfortunately, his behavior DOES impress a significant portion of this hellhole of a state. I guess he believes the rest of the country thinks the same way they do.

[TTUBatfan2008]

23. Eh, I don't think it would hurt him nationally...

simply because outside of one's own state, they really couldn't care less if another state rejected the money. The only way it will come back to haunt him is if the stimulus actually works...and we don't know if it will yet.

[raccoon]

27. Maybe there is a silver lining to this. Maybe some of the morans

in SC who vote Republican will get their heads out of their arses and actually elect a Dem governor next time.


To borrow a quote from the movie Backdraft...

"Governor, You see that flash of light in the corner of your eye? That's your career dissipation light. It just went into high gear."

Yep!

[Are_grits_groceries]

28. Here's what Sanford is trying to sneak through:

Gov. Mark Sanford has proposed a compromise with state lawmakers over accepting $700 million in federal stimulus money — one that would require diverting state funds to pay off debt and accepting Sanford’s suggested budget savings. <…>

Sanford wants:

• Lawmakers to approve $270 million in cuts Sanford included in his executive budget and to spend that money on debt.

• Lawmakers to find $70 million more over the next two years and to spend it on debt.

Sanford noted lawmakers have about $220 million in extra health-care funds — money the House spread throughout its $6.6 billion spending plan — to make up the difference. Paying off debt would save $80 million in each of the next two years, he said.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/31/sanford-stimulus-compromise/

It's a bait and switch, but the lege isn't going for it apparently.
And there is some hope that the masses are waking up:

Rally urges Sanford to 'Take the money'
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/735653.html