Posted on 09/01/2009 3:42:42 PM PDT by DesertRenegade
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Last week, South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer said he would sacrifice his political ambitions if Governor Mark Sanford resigns. Sanford refused, and now Bauer finds himself on defense. The issue? His private life. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer wants to talk about where he would take the state if Gov. Mark Sanford leaves office. And unless Sanford decides to step down soon, making Bauer his successor, the lieutenant governor will likely run for the number one job.
But since his remarks on the subject last week, Bauer has become a target -- first, accusations on a web site claiming that the 40-year-old bachelor is gay. That post has been picked up and repeated on other sites. We found at least 17 of them, all despite Bauer's previous denials. On Tuesday came strong condemnation from some of Bauer's closest advisers.
Said communications director Frank Adams, "Rumors, gossip, lies, innuendo....a bunch of scurrilous crap." Another consultant called the claim a "hatchet job." It's a frustrating situation for Bauer and, potentially, any candidate.
"There's really almost unlimited power or license that they have now on the web or on the blogs where they can pretty much say anything," said USC's Dr. Robert Oldendick. "And you can either choose to ignore it or, if it gets enough momentum, to say, 'well this is really something we need to deal with,' then just address it."
In June, Bauer did address an earlier round of rumors about whether he is gay. Said Bauer, "One word, two letters. No." One Republican strategist says things like this don't happen in a vacuum. He says someone in the party and perhaps a number of people believe Bauer has a good chance to become governor and decided to throw a "hand grenade" to stop him now.
Another party activist says even though they may have reached thousands of people, the claims by bloggers are not bound by the truth and should be ignored.
Bauer needs to take a page out of Charlie’s book.
A friend of mine in SC says that whatever else Bauer is, he’s stupid. Not rhetorically said to be so, but simply dumb as a stump...
I do not care for the way Sanford handled this. He made needless public comments that hurt and humiliated his wife and who knows how it affected the kids.
Bauer can dish it out, but he sure can’t take it. Sanford was elected to two terms, and he should serve to its conclusion, period.
Maybe your friend would know this, it seems I remember “someone”, and I thought it was Andrew Bauer in SC gov’t who had to go to REHAB for drugs shortly after taking office. I could be wrong about it being Bauer, it was in either 2005 or 2006??? It might have been in lt gov office before he took office too...
I live in SC. Andre Bauer is a total zero.
The quickest defense to the “your gay” accusation is “that’s not what my wife says”...oh, he’s not married, well then “that’s not what my girlfriend says”...oh, he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”.......
I’m a refuge from the communist state of Michigan and am hiding out in SC.
I’m seeing no big groundswell to evict Sanford from the governor’s chair. Instead I’m hearing that people are willing to forgive Sanford and let him serve out his term.
I agree.
The skank Clinton was allowed to serve out his term, our own stumbling Sanford should be allowed the same courtesy. At least Sanford confessed his sins. Meanwhile the entire rat party is reveling in their sins, ie. Kennedy’s reincarnation as a saint; obuma’s remake as a meer vacationer, despite proof that the community organizer is praying to the pervert snake-god moohamed.
The only people calling for Sanford’s resignation or impeachment are the loathesome liberal press and democrats disguised as RINOs.
Sanford showed a lot more repentance than Clinton or all the pervert Dems like Barney Fwank.
SC is not my state, although lived there once years ago...but I think you’re right on Ravenel.
Sanford will fight it, but eventually I bet he steps down due to pressure from right. SC Repubs trying to clean their image now, before 2010 reelection cycle.
It sure sounds like it.
So I left the state in 2004...has Leadfoot Bauer gotten pulled over for speeding again lately? Last one I heard, he was doing 100+ in the Upstate and tried to use the police radio in his state-owned Crown Vic to tell the cop not to pull him.
“Zero” is a good word to describe him. He’s a warm body, nothing else. The thought of him actually running a state, even one like South Carolina where the governor is weak, is laughable.
}:-)4
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