Observations on the Sanford/Colbert-Busch debate (SC-1)

The debate between the candidates for the seat of the 1st Congressional District of South Carolina, Mark Sanford and Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, was painful to watch.

First of all, the crowd was rowdy, resembling British soccer hooligans. And while both candidates had their share of supporters, the supporters of Colbert-Busch stood out as extremely rude.

This blog has endorsed Sanford, and it is no surprise to us that he ran on his excellent record without shifting his positions. Colbert-Busch, on the other hand, noticeably presented herself as a centrist in contrast with her true progressive views.

For example, after taking a tough stance on illegal immigration in terms of tone and words, she completely erased credibility by saying she would support the Graham immigration proposal, which only promises border security and grants citizenship to illegals.

Another example is in regards to Colbert-Busch's response to ObamaCare. While criticizing it for increasing costs on businesses, she then went on to support certain parts of the bill. What she did not mention was that those portions are policies which increase costs on businesses.

Colbert-Busch did a poor job responding to the outside money from liberal organizations pouring into the race. Her defense was all she could reasonably say, which was that she would not listen to special interests. That did not make it any more believable. By contrast, Sanford has been abandoned by national groups, and will not owe anybody anything if he pulls out a win.

Sanford successfully defended his record on port funding, Social Security reform, and school choice and was also able to rebut low-blow attacks in regards to his 2009 affair debacle. He was wonky and sincere, while Colbert-Busch relied on imagery and positioning. 

With the news that Rand Paul will follow his father's footsteps and endorse Mark Sanford, hopefully late momentum will propel him to victory and allow him to join the growing pro-liberty contingent in the House.

Here is the video of the full debate, below: