Yes Boys And Girls, There Are Still Conservative Republican Office Holders

Like South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford who is urging President Bush to stop the bailout mania.

In a letter sent to the White House on Monday, the Republican governor says Bush would be committing a "very great mistake" that would "open the floodgates to federal monies for every distressed industry across this country -- and there will be many in this economic slowdown."

Sanford, a potential 2012 contender for the GOP nomination, is siding with the anti-bailout wing of his party that is furious with Bush for trying to prop up the Detroit automakers and help distressed banks. He also is siding with his fellow Southern politicians who have sparred with Northern Republicans who hail from manufacturing states that are heavily unionized and have a significant Big Three presence.

"And I believe we are at a tipping point in moving from a market-based economy to a politically-based economy, wherein one's success can be determined not by good decisions and hard work, but by the size of one's voice and connection to Washington," he said.

The full letter is better than the excerpt but I can't find a version I can copy. A scanned pdf is here.

Between Sanford, Jindal and Palin, it looks like the 2012 conservative bench might not be as empty as the 2008 one was. Of course, that's a long, long way from now.

posted by DrewM. at 01:52 PM

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