Why Can’t South Carolina get a Break?

South Carolinians were given yet another reason to hold their collective breath last week whenCongressman Joe Wilson blurted out his now famous accusation during President Obama’s bipartisan congressional address.  The absurdly undiplomatic nature of his heckling is only superceded by the fact that he has actually been elected by the fine citizens of the second congressional district of South Carolina four consecutive times. 
While one may debate the legitimacy of his outburst (although it has been empirically proven that what Obama saying about healthcare for illegal immigrants was not, in fact, a lie), the real issue here is the fact that for the second time in the last few weeks, South Carolina has had another disgraceful political incident tied to its name.
While everyone’s favorite Christian playboy still desperately clings to the spotlight, another elected official has found ways to distract the media from the real issues, focusing again on sensationalist absurdities. 
In the interest of terrible metaphors, South Carolinian politicians have managed to give the state the appearance of the kid that got caught with his hand in the candy jar, and then threw a hissy-fit when his parents tried to apprehend him.  It’s as if Sanford and Wilson are competing for who can make South Carolina look worse.
This is not what we need. It’s turning into the perfect storm of political disasters.  Add onto the previously mentioned issues the new issue regarding Lt. Governor Andre Bauer’s alleged homosexuality, and the ridiculousness keeps piling on.  Again, this is not what we need.
At a time where there are more serious political issues on the table than ever before, it seems like the spotlight shouldn’t keep going to the most juvenile of acts.  An article published Sunday in the LA Times titled, “What’s in the Water in South Carolina?” pretty much sums up the taste that Sanford and Wilson have left in the public’s mouth. 
Even more, they just don’t know when to shut up.  Whether it’s Sanford refusing to leave office or Wilson’s insistence that “one apology is enough,” these titans of political office just don’t seem to know when it’s time to break off and slither back to their caves. 
Unfortunately, this is simply the reality of South Carolina these days, and there’s nothing anyone can do to change it.  The real blow is, however, that Wilson’s ill-thought words will probably propel him into another four terms in this dark red state.