Taki Magazine

Voted as “Best Conservative” by readers in the Charleston City Paper’s annual “Best of Charleston” issue, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was described as follows: “Facing budget deficits and high unemployment, Sanford has opposed the state legislature’s pet projects and the White House’s economic stimulus. The controversial governor’s logic may not be practical, but it is conservative.” In these tough economic times, accusing conservatives like Sanford of not being “practical” for opposing massive spending has been a common liberal theme.

But unlike Bush, Obama and the majority of leaders from both their parties, Sanford is one of the few leaders who has been consistently practical on government spending.

When conservatives like South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford are called not “practical” for sticking to their limited government ideology, it’s worth pointing out how Obama’s reckless, FDR-inspired ideology of big government spending hardly qualifies as sound statesmanship.