Wealth & Money Quote by Mark Sanford

“Backbone” is doing a lot of political work here: it’s a reverent civic metaphor that flatters a constituency Sanford wants on his side, while making a policy argument feel like common sense rather than ideology. By centering small businesses and “job creation,” he’s invoking the most emotionally resonant economic story in American politics: ordinary strivers, local risk-takers, the people who supposedly don’t ask for much except to be left alone. Once that framing lands, the villain can arrive on cue.

Sanford’s real target isn’t just taxes; it’s the idea that South Carolina is underperforming because government is in the way. “We’re not maximizing our potential” reads like a coach’s halftime speech, converting a technical debate about revenue into a moral narrative about wasted talent. It’s also a clever bit of collective ownership: “we’ve got” makes the problem feel shared, even as the implied blame points upward at lawmakers and the state’s fiscal structure.

The phrase “what’s effectively the highest income tax rate in the Southeast” is the sharpened edge. “Effectively” signals a comparative argument built for headlines and regional rivalry, not a seminar on marginal rates. The Southeast becomes the reference group: if neighboring states are “winning,” South Carolina must be “held back.” That competitive framing turns tax cuts into an economic development strategy and a cultural identity project: be the kind of state that rewards enterprise.

Context matters: Sanford’s brand has long been fiscally conservative, suspicious of government expansion, and fluent in business-friendly rhetoric. The line isn’t aimed at economists; it’s aimed at voters, donors, and small-business owners who already feel squeezed and want a single, legible reason why growth isn’t faster.