Sanford's mental state questioned

[Liberal_in_LA]

Source: The State

Gov. Mark Sanford is acting like a love-struck teenager.

Or, maybe he has a deeper personality disorder, some experts speculate.

As the saga of Sanford and his Argentine lover continues, the public, the governor’s political rivals and some allies are speculating about the governor’s mental stability and whether he’s able to lead the state.
SC Governor

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford gestures as he talks during an interview with The Associated Press about his relationship with an Argentine mistress.

While mental health experts are reluctant to pin a diagnosis on the governor, their observations of his behavior suggest a chemical imbalance, narcissism and impulsive behavior.

Sanford has not sought professional mental health treatment, said Joel Sawyer, the governor’s spokesman.

But some fellow politicians are saying the governor needs help.

“That’s a troubled man,” said Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, a longtime Sanford ally who this year became frustrated at Sanford’s refusal to take federal stimulus money. “You can see it in his eyes and his body language. I’m concerned about his mental well-being.”

Read more: http://www.thestate.com/803/story/849427.html?storylink...

[grantcart]

1. The R next to his name is a big time hint lol

[renate]

11. lol

[Cha]

37. The "R" and the way he denied the People

of South Carolina but wouldn't deny himself..sorry to be repetitious.

[opihimoimoi]

2. Its not only Sanford...its the whole GOP...they are all nitters....no wit whatsoever...only Nits

The Party of ME and MINE...they dwell on the lowest Level...look at their rhetoric, their actions, their results...its all moot crap

hardly ever viable solutions for the People....only nits and whine...

[EFerrari]

3. Maybe he needs a CAT scan. You don't just get a personality disorder

at his age. Or, people usually don't.

[Mojambo]

12. This is a very good point. n/t

[tavalon]

18. And they don't usually accuse those who go through a midlife crisis

as having a personality disorder.

[DesertFlower]

4. he's embarrassing himself, his wife

and his children. he needs to STFU.

[TankLV]

5. He's a REPUKE - of COURSE people are gonna be concerned about his mental status!!!

...forchrissakeonashingle...

HA! I didn't even see reply ONE above!!!

[ProudDad]

6. Not by me

He's a bat shit crazy fundamentalist Christianist who can't keep his dick in his shorts...

Hypocrite is the scientific term, I believe.

And dumb as a rock...totally tone deaf as to the drivel he keeps spouting...

He's abandon his "Real Passion" to try to "fall in love with his wife"?

But, he's the gift that keeps on giving... I hope he NEVER shuts up!

[miyazaki]

7. supposedly he has a history of strange antics.

don't think his strange behavior is entirely new.

[tomm2thumbs]

8. he should simply slide away into the dark of night, to join his lover in their poetic flesh mingling

of course is Larry Craig is busy, he can always fly to Buenos Aires

[miyazaki]

9. ya really, there could be a happy ending to this!

[lindisfarne]

10. Oh come on - you can criticize his behavior but you can't diagnose him over the internet with a

mental illness - it wasn't valid with Schiavo and it isn't now either. Not even if it's Republicans doing it(although people who know him better are more aware of what behavior is abnormal for him).

But criticize him - just don't look like fools yourselves.

[RufusTFirefly]

40. +1

[Sultana]

13. Damn this is getting good

[tinrobot]

14. Lovestruck teenager is not a mental illness...

...but someone who is acting like a teenager also shouldn't be running a state government.

[Norrin Radd]

15. RPP -- republican personality disorder.

[orleans]

16. nice one--i say give the jerk another microphone! n/t

[tavalon]

17. Geez, haven't you people ever seen a midlife crisis

He's just getting to do his on a public stage.

[DeSwiss]

19. Well then, there we have it. Shakespeare was wrong.

Romeo and Juliet was not a tragic, star-crossed and doomed love affair. It was simply the result of a "chemical imbalance." I'm sure Jenny will be so relieved. A few tweaks from Big Pharma, and he'll be good as new and back in-love with her in no time.

- Yessir, no time at all......

[SoCalDem]

20. My 2 cents.. He's "blown up" his career, so

the only way he's found, to cope with it, is to try to convince himself that he's "in love" with his "soulmate". He probably hopes that his wife will leave HIM, so he can then have some vestige of "not being the bad guy".

He does not want to reconcile with her. He wants OUT, but he does not want to be the one who "left 4 kids". If SHE leaves, she will be the one who "took the kids from their Dad".

It's passive aggressive behavior on both sides.. his and his wife's. he's publically humliating her with the sordid details, and she's whacking back with her bible verses, and her portrayal as the protective Mom (which elevates him and lowers him..but he does deserve it)

Bottom line:

he's tired of being married to her
he probably loves his boys, but not enough to honor their mother
he wants Maria
he wants to be fired

[Lancer]

21. I think you have it in a nutshell

Notice I didn't say "nutcase."

Sometimes I do wonder why people in a hole just keep on digging.

[Christa]

24. You hit the nail on the head there

I think it is exactly what he wants.

He wants to be free, but he cannot do it himself.

He needs to be set free. What a spineless excuse for a human being; a waste of space, an oxygen thief.

[No Elephants]

33. AND he wants to be seen as King David. Grandiosity.

[MADem]

22. I think he's having the testosterone fluctuations of a man of a certain age.

If he's crazy, he's "middle aged crazy" I think.

Of course, the fun of those affairs in some situations is that they're "illicit." Who knows what the deal is with Sanford, though? He reminded me of a little kid who's had his favorite toy taken away.

[GinaMaria]

23. Seriously? Repukes would now have us believe that

that they are concerned for someone's mental well-being? I thought it was a repuke stance to reject modern psychology. They hold no stock in it and view it as weakness. Let Sanford keep talking. He's been their golden boy for a while and now suddenly he's mentally ill? I don't think so. Where was this mental illness when he was spouting the party line? Non-existent? Purposely overlooked? covered up? or not recognized until he was caught with his pants down in Argentina? More than a troubled man, he's trouble for the gop and that's the only concern here for the repukes. They were pushing for this guy they now call mentally ill, to be president of our country. Screw them for trying to foist another useless over-indulged idiot on the American people. Sanford should have his own TV show so people can see exactly what might have been. We dodged a CONservative bullet with this one, but they are not always so sloppy. If they want to address mental illness start with the whole party... Every last one of them seems to be off their bean.

[MadAsHell]

25. "...chemical imbalance, narcissism and impulsive behavior."

I didn't know being a Republican was officially a personality disorder.

[Moonwalk]

26. Now, now, you're being too hard on poor Sanford. Not taking Fed money, running off with a mistress--

--instead of holding to those good, Christian values. He's clearly unbalanced. Yessir. I think we should agree with our Rep. brothers and sisters that this poor, poor man has had a mental breakdown. So sad. Why else would he have sex with this hot, younger woman rather than keep to his marriage vows and his good Christian family like any sane man would? Surely he wouldn't, like a gay person, choose to do this wrong thing?

Only a mental illness could have yanked him off the straight and narrow.

Of course, if he IS mentally ill, then he really can't be kept in office as governor, can he? If not for the sake of his state, then for his own sake. He clearly needs, well, years and years of rest and professional help. And drugs. Lotsa drugs. Which will make him unfit for being in politics perhaps forever more....

So sad. We should all pity him.

[florida08]

27. the religious right

have a hard time growing up. They yield to an idealistic lifestyle that can never be sustained. They start out by denying who they are and what they want..especially when it comes to sexuallty. Not being honest with yourself is just setting a trap to come later.

Ted Haggard is a prime example. I don't know what Maria did to Sanford but it was powerful enough for him to risk his career and family. Like others here have stated he wants out. His other line crossings are evidence to that. He's not mentally ill he just played the game until he couldn't anymore. Now he's bolting.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

28. Remember, this is the man the GOP wanted to run for POTUS in 2012

Not that I buy this "diagnosis" but it is interesting watching them turn on him.

[GinaMaria]

36. Thank You!

They were fine with his 'mental illness' when he was good for them. They ignored it then or do they want us to believe he's had a rapid and sudden onset Mental Illness with puppy love? If he's ill, he's been ill for a while and they covered it up or he's not ill at all and they are using mental illness as an excuse to get this out of the spotlight. Shameful either way.

[glinda]

38. Never stopped them before. Bush was wacked out bat shit crazy. They all are.

[DrZeeLit]

29. Oh, I see. Clinton needs to be impeached but Sanford, poor baby, needs a doc?

Why is it always thus?

And why the HECK is the entire MSM so caught up in the fantasy, without focusing on the hypocrisy?
Just once, I'd like to SEE AND HEAR Sanford's remarks about Clinton (that he should resign, etc) instead of just seeing the silent film of him in Congress during the impeachment proceedings.
That wasn't a photo op -- that was him on record.

But no. Now he's just sick. Soon, the Republicans will shush everything with a "it's a disease" and we should all move along, nothing to see, let him deal with it, blah, blah, blahbitty, blah.

We don't care.
And actually I don't care if he resigns or not.
I just want him to acknowledge that he might have been terribly wrong about Clinton.

But if he's not willing to do that, then they ALL should resign: Vitter first.... the sanctimonious SOB's.

[timtom]

42. "Clinton needs to be impeached but Sanford, poor baby, needs a doc?"

Funny you should say...

Why, that's EXACTLY Cenk's point, while talking to a sublime nitwit earlier.

Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

30. Or maybe he just can't keep his goddam pants on.

[Paladin]

31. I Think He Was Doped Up On Those Most Recent Statements.

Not that it matters, as far as I'm concerned. He shouldn't be in office, period.............

[Odin2005]

32. Histrionic Personality Disorder with Bipolar, I'll bet.

He's feeding his "hey, look at me" addiction. He's obviously manic right now, too.

[No Elephants]

34. Smart move on the part of the Republicans, whether it's true or not. If he's sick, the whole

volume and nature of the reporting on this has to change.

Even reporters don't like to seem as though they are torturing a very sick person. So, they'll report a little less. Talk of hypocrisy being endemic to the Republican Party will disappear, to be replaced by stories of speculation about Sanford's mental state. Serious faces and those reporter fake "concerned tones" will replace the grins, snarks and shaking heads we've been seeing on MSNBC and the like.

And, the story will die out of political news, then out of all news, as it becomes more about Sanford's illness and "personal tragedy," instead of about Repbublicans and their nasty hypocrisies.

Meanwhile, Ensign is already forgotten. And Mitt Romney is licking his chops and smacking his lips. Clean undies that are firmly in place may be starting to look better and better to the Party's religious right.

Or, maybe they'll say, "From now on, I'm going to worry about morality in my home and when my church chooses a pastor. Politicians, I'll judge by ability to govern and leave their morality to their home and their spiritual leader."

Wouldn't THAT be loverly?

[Javaman]

35. Maybe he's just "tweeking". I'm just saying...nt

[glinda]

39. Sanford will be Repugs poster child so they can appear "normal". LOL!

[eppur_se_muova]

41. Where do you get off calling SC "mental"?

Oh, wait .. they elected a Repug.


Never mind.

[yellowcanine]

43. As a former "love-struck teenager, " I resent the comparison with Gov. Sanford.

It being a long time ago my memory is admittedly hazy but I am reasonably sure that I did not behave that way.

That being said, I admit that my behavior was not always completely rational. Like the time I told the state cop at my car window, "I'm just trying to keep her warm."

[KamaAina]

44. What's the question?

He's batshit crazy, period.