| Sanford takes on opposers Governor's tactics resemble
Clinton's AIKEN - In the increasingly heated political war over South Carolina's budget crisis, political professionals are starting to wonder whether rookie Republican Gov. Mark Sanford is starting to morph into the man his party regards as the Great Satan - former President Clinton. In sharply worded criticism aimed late last week at the GOP-controlled Legislature, former Gov. Jim Hodges and Democrats who still hold office, the governor and his staff showed signs they might be playing Mr. Clinton's old game of triangulation, analysts said. That's the tactic he used to frustrate a GOP-controlled Congress, showing a willingness to attack opponents in both parties to get his programs passed, fend off budget cuts and claim the crucial political center. The key difference in Mr. Sanford's willingness to fire rhetorical buckshot at both friends and foes, analysts say, is that it isn't clear what he hopes to accomplish by borrowing this stratagem. "Clinton came off as a moderate," said Robert Botsch, a political science professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken. "I'm not sure what Sanford's strategy is. I hope this is part of some overall strategy." The central fiscal battle last week took place at a meeting of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, a five-member panel led by Mr. Sanford that decided to reject his call to strip spending from this year's already-tight budget to pay off a $155 million deficit carried over from the 2001-02 fiscal year. After a contentious meeting Wednesday that saw Mr. Sanford slam Republican legislative heavyweights such as state Sen. Hugh Leatherman, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Bobby Harrell, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the board decided to move in a different direction. The board voted to order a $43 million across-the-board freeze in spending by all state agencies and tap a $98 million emergency reserve fund. That money would cover a $22 million deficit from last year's budget and an expected $108 million shortfall in revenue collections. Rhetorical slams continued even after the meeting ended. The governor's press secretary, Will Folks, reacted to criticism by state Sen. Tommy Moore, D-Clearwater, who objected to Mr. Sanford's blaming the state's fiscal woes on Mr. Hodges. "Sen. Moore - with all due respect - was one of those senators who refused to deal with this problem," Mr. Folks said. "This guy doesn't have a leg to stand on." Mr. Moore had a folksy, terse response. "A hit dog hollers," he said. Mr. Hodges' re-election campaign and political contests faced by legislators of both parties were the reasons why spending cuts weren't made to avoid the $155 million deficit, Mr. Folks said. Mr. Moore said the state's budget crisis is too dire for political finger-pointing. "It serves no purpose for the chief executive and his mouthpieces to play the blame game," he said. "Regardless of who's governor, you can take a shot at the General Assembly. It's easy." Fireworks like this won't help Mr. Sanford's efforts to solve the state's fiscal crisis and deal with next year's deficits, which could climb as high as $400 million, Mr. Botsch said. Nor will it help the governor build political capital with legislators from either party. "He certainly doesn't want to build bridges and cooperation," Mr. Botsch said. "This is consistent with someone who isn't interested in building the alliances he needs to get something done next year. And next year's critical for him. He needs to show some accomplishments. He got a hall pass this year, but next year he won't."
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