Brett Banter

The latest round of political sex scandals and campaign shenanigans (That's Jim Clyburn's words, not mine) has again raised the ire level of South Carolina. And it has raised the laughing stock level as well. There is a general pattern to these scandals. There is the announcement, followed by the denial, followed by the proof, followed by the criticism, followed by the anger, followed by Jon Stewart making a couple of jokes.

After that comes the retort of "Oh, jeez, South Carolina again is the laughing stock." I'm not going to chronicle the long list of missteps and gaffes that have befallen South Carolina in the past few years, but they have been many.

But have they been worse than anywhere else? Not really. California is a punchline. So is Illinois. New York is. Pretty much every state gets its own round of stupid jokes and pratfalls. South Carolinians don't notice them and guess what, the people in other states don't notice all of ours.

It really isn't that bad.

Well, South Carolina is again embroiled in a political scandal involving sex. Part of me didn't want to examine this yesterday because it is really just the art of noise. No, not the early 1980s experimental rock band, but the new modicum of how the media tells stories in the modern age. Ten years ago, this story would never have unfolded this way. There is no way that a political hack would/or could have admitted to an affair with a gubernatorial candidate in this way. The media back then would likely have let it roll under the carpet like all the messier rumors that come up over time.

But this announcement was made on a website known and read by political insiders. The announcement was made by one of the people involved. And that is where the art of noise came in. Everyone dissected the statement by the accuser, dissected the comments by the accused and then dissected them again. Everyone wants to know why this unfolded the way it did. The theory on the street that this is not over by a long shot and something bigger will unfold soon.

Stay tuned.

In terms of personal strife, our own Governor Mark Sanford has certainly seen his share. Over the past six months the married governor has endured ongoing criticism and public relations fiascos stemming from his actions related to his relationship with an Argentinian woman.

When it comes to the most unpopular governors currently in office across the nation, one might think Sanford would be a star in the topmost tier. But according to a poll released today by Public Policy Polling, Sanford doesn't even make the top 8 in terms of unpopularity. If the poll is correct, Sanford has a better approval rating than California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Budget and financial issues appear to be the root reason of the unpopularity of the eight most unpopular governors, says PPP. They include:

John Baldacci (D) of Maine
Jan Brewer (R) of Arizona
Jim Doyle (D) of Wisconsin
Jim Gibbons (R) of Nevada
David Paterson (R) of New York
Bev Perdue (D) of North Carolina
Ed Rendell (D) of Pennsylvania
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) of California

Takeaway from this poll? Even in an age when scandals like the Mark Sanford affair rock the country, more obscure, less flashy issues may ultimately have a truer impact on a governor's overall perceived image.

VIEW THE FULL POLL RESULTS

Undeniably, reporters and PR people have to work together. In a sublime world, public relations staff and reporters would offer one another easy, fluid transfer of information, but let's get real. Reporters seek facts and instant access to experts that will validate their stories, while PR folks usually have a solid idea of precisely how they think a story should be told. And rightfully so, as their job is to craft a positive image for the person or entity for whom they work. While the need for information can at times create a bit of a love-hate relationship, quality public relations people will ultimately establish and maintain good media relationships.

On Sunday, Taegan Goddard's Political Wire ran a short blip from political strategist and Obama heavyweight David Plouffe's new book, The Audacity to Win. The book quote points to former Presidential hopeful John Edwards. After deciding his campaign was finally kaput, Edwards apparently tried to turn his loss into an endorsement bargaining chip laid on the table between remaining candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. An Edwards aide indicated that Edwards might be willing to jump ship to Team Obama ship to help defeat Mrs. Clinton.