Palin v. Sanford - Dueling Headlines

Two politicians have managed to cut through the din of Michael Jackson coverage recently. To their credit Republicans Sarah Palin and Mark Sanford are both generating headlines in recent weeks. Having your name in the paper can be a good thing for most politicians even if the specific actions in these instances have mystified some. The burning questions for each being why won’t Mark Sanford shut up, and what is Sarah Palin thinking? From a strictly political perspective both these moves make sense if we accept one fact about each: Governor Sanford is trying to get out in front of the other times he “crossed the line” (his words) with women other than his wife and Maria from Argentina. Governor Palin’s move can only be about fundraising – with midterm elections just more than a year away, keep an eye on how many campaign fundraising events she attends between now and next November, collecting political chits as she goes.

For Sanford, hanging onto the governorship is the only thing he has left. His wife Jenny, who had as much to do with putting him there as anyone, has left open the door to reconciling their marriage, while simultaneously putting as much distance between the two of them as possible. With 18 months left on his term, I am sure his hope is to rally, move past all this, and put his political career and marriage back together. If he quits now, he is likely done on both fronts. The last thing he needs is another woman popping up in a couple months and claiming to have had a physical relationship with him. With this “crossed the line” comment now on the record, he can at any point down the road use the tried-and-true Clinton approach that whatever may pop up, regardless of what it is, is old news. In other words, he is working to inoculate himself against future charges. Further, he did a smart thing by getting this out in the most controlled manner possible – an interview on his turf, one-on-one with an AP reporter – not some crazy live press conference. Been there, done that, cue the tape.

Palin, on the other hand, has just escaped all the ankle-biting and second guessing her political opponents in Alaska would surely continue to engage in if she remained in office. She is also simultaneously freeing herself up to write a book and collect hundreds of thousands of dollars for her friends, her PAC, and herself by making personal appearances. And yes, while leadership and loyalty are key components for a presidential candidate, a huge pile of cash can combat a whole lot of whatever criticism might be slung your way. Plus, this bold move makes her look like a maverick, which certainly worked to get the last GOP nominee on the top of the ticket.

While neither of these politicians may want exactly the kinds of headlines they have been getting lately, what they both clearly crave is to be relevant. Only time will tell how successful they will be at this… stay tuned….