Sanford's pig caper raises a stink

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford holds two piglets in the Rotunda of the Statehouse Thursday. Sanford was protesting the fast action by House members to override his budget vetoes. AP Photo/Lou Krasky e-mail this story

"Insulting" and "childish," said House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville. "This is beneath the dignity of the Governor's Office, and I am embarrassed for him."

Minority Leader James Smith, D-Columbia, said, "I don't know if (Sanford) has any credibility or reputation left that gives him any ability to lead."

Adding insult to injury, one of the pigs promptly defecated on the marble floor of House lobby after Sanford put them down.

"Unfortunately, they weren't housebroken," Wilkins said.

The incident came a day after Sanford reacted angrily to the House's rapid-fire override of all but one of his 106 budget vetoes, saying members acted recklessly.

No regrets

He told The Greenville News Thursday afternoon that his effort to inject humor into a serious constitutional issue over an unbalanced budget hadn't backfired, despite legislators' outrage.

"I think the average guy out there will get it," he said.

Wilkins didn't.

He issued a stinging rebuke to Sanford, saying, "The governor stood outside our chamber and practiced the worst kind of politics."

Wilkins said the House had passed 12 of 16 bills on Sanford's "Checklist for Change" and will continue to process important legislation "without engaging in the insulting, childish pranks of the governor."

Sanford's vetoes included changes in how the state might spend $90 million expected from tougher tax law enforcement. He cut about $21 million of that out of the spending plan, saying expectations may be too high and agencies shouldn't count on that money.

Among the vetoes were some to trim about $16 million elsewhere to generate the rest of the money to eliminate a $155 million deficit left from two years ago. South Carolina's constitution mandates unbalanced budgets.

Unwelcome precedent

"We've got to close that gap and I laid it out in our budget vetoes. It wasn't debated," he said, adding that by leaving it in place "we set precedent for 50 governors and legislative bodies from now."

Sanford said, "There's money for people's pork projects in different parts of the state, but there's no money to address this deficit still hanging over our heads."

There was little support for the porcine ploy.

House Majority Leader Rick Quinn, a Republican who voted to sustain a number of Sanford's vetoes, said the incident "does nothing but make it harder to get his agenda passed."

The pig caper has serious implications for Sanford's relations with the Legislature over the 30 remaining months of his term, said Neal Thigpen, a Francis Marion University political scientist, Republican activist and former State Election Commission chairman.

"It's not just busted but probably broken permanently," Thigpen said.

'It smells bad'

Rep. Bob Leach, R-Greenville, said Sanford "appeared out on the floor with two small pigs under his arms. Then he sat them down and one of the pigs crapped all over the floor and we've had to clean it. It smells bad there."

Leach said the "embarrassing situation" has brought relations between Sanford and the House to a new low and "lowered the professionalism of the Governor's Office to an all-time low. It was unnecessary and uncalled for."

"It's going to be very, very hard to work with him after this," Leach said, adding that "I don't know if anything else will be accomplished at all. People have lost a lot of respect for him."

"The governor needs to take his medication," said Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Columbia, Judiciary Committee chairman.

"The House has made a good faith effort to work with him this year and that may not be there next year," Harrison said.

Smith, the minority leader, said what had been a disagreement over issues had been turned into something personal by Sanford, triggering Wilkins' strong response.

"Everyone knows the governor and the speaker haven't always gotten along."

Wilkins said in an interview he would continue to try to work with Sanford, a fellow Republican, "but this certainly doesn't help."

'P-1 and P-2'

Sanford's office issued a whimsical statement afterward, noting that the pigs, nicknamed "Pork" and "Barrel" (State Law Enforcement Division code names "P-1" and "P-2"), were brought to the Statehouse to symbolize the need for real spending reform in South Carolina."

Joe Erwin, state Democratic Party chairman, said "it should be crystal clear that we need a change in leadership in Columbia."

He added that "it is unfortunate that Sanford's spokesman, Will Folks, actually had to clean up the pig poop from the marble floors of the Statehouse today. However, in some ways, it is appropriate since Folks has to clean up behind this governor on a regular basis."

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Dan Hoover covers politics and can be reached at 298-4883.