The Sunshine Empire

I wrote some time ago about possible vice presidential prospects of the Democratic party.  But one obscure name on the Republican side keeps coming up and I hardly understand.  South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s name came up in a Times Online political and various other places and I have to wonder if it is simply pandering on the part of politicians.  Gov. Sanford is said to be in negotiations with Rudy about endorsing him in exchange for the eventual VP slot.  Mitt also brought him up in a speech to South Carolina Republicans.  Yet is all of this worth it for South Carolina?

I understand that the South Carolina primary on the Republican side is important.  It is at least marginally more important than New Hampshire and Iowa.  But having popular ex-Governor Tom Vilsack on her team only gets Hillary a statistical tie with Barack Obama in Iowa.  Yet in the general election is it going to be needed to have a southerner on the ticket for Rudy to win.  It is key to the political equation.  But the biggest bump comes from the home state of the nominee.  In 2000 George W. Bush picked a man from Wyoming and he lost the popular vote by 550,000 ballots.  A more benificial pick would have to come from a state like Florida, Texas, Georgia, or Virginia if he wants to solidify the south.

Apparently Sanford is from Florida, which is his one redeeming characteristic.  That’s not enough.