Bloggers 4 Jim Gilmore

Jim Gilmore's Friday visit to Staunton ... a great success!

2008-11-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

FRIDAY ... JIM GILMORE ... 2-3 pm

So said the sandwich board on the sidewalk in front of Shenandoah Pizza on Beverley Street in historic downtown Staunton.

An overflow crowd packed the gourmet pizza restaurant Friday afternoon to hear from Jim Gilmore who is running for the U.S. Senate, and to munch on complimentary pizza from the owners. He addressed the crowd and answered questions for the better part of an hour, then greeted everyone in the restaurant before heading out the door to visit other shops.

Gov. Gilmore crossed the street to visit the Pampered Palate on Beverley Street, speaking to customers and even popping his head in the kitchen to say hello to the kitchen and wait staff. Next he went to Zelma's Vintage Clothing, Grandma's Bait, Seventeen East Beverley Antiques, and greeted folks up and down Beverley Street including a number of Mary Baldwin College students.

Bob Stuart with the Waynesboro News Virginian, Mindi from the Staunton News Leader, and Ken Slack from NBC-29 provided local news coverage.

It was great to have our Republican senatorial candidate in the area so close to election day. Thanks to Staunton Republican Alex Davis for making the arrangements on short notice.

Jim Gilmore for Senate

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Jim Gilmore to campaign in Staunton Friday afternoon

2008-10-30T19:42:00.001-04:00

Jim Gilmore, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, will be in Staunton Friday afternoon, October 31, at 2:00 p.m. at Shenandoah Pizza in historic downtown. Come on out and talk with the Governor about his issues and you will be convinced he is the best candidate to protect this country and serve our state.

Friday - 2:00 p.m.
Shenandoah Pizza
19 E. Beverley Street
Staunton, VA 24401
Contact: Alex Davis, Gilmore Coordinator for Staunton

Gilmore for Senate

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

McDonnell: "Vote Gilmore for national security"

2008-10-30T12:01:00.000-04:00

Dear Virginia Voter:

Although America’s national security isn’t the number one issue in the headlines right now, it is a topic paramount to the future of our children and grandchildren. Who we elect to the United States Senate from Virginia is going to help determine which direction our nation takes to defend America’s national interests around the world and at home.

Because of his experience and his principles, I strongly recommend Jim Gilmore for the United States Senate. Jim and I are both Army Veterans, and as you can imagine, I have a deep appreciation for the service of the men and women of our armed forces. Jim Gilmore volunteered for the U.S. Army and played an important role in counter-intelligence for the U.S. Army, safeguarding the security of American bases in Europe.

As you may know, Congress chose Virginia’s Jim Gilmore to chair a national commission charged with making recommendations on methods to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks on the United States. The Gilmore Commission warned in 1999 and in 2000 that America was facing a possible terrorist attack.

After 9/11 Congress adopted 146 of the Gilmore Commission’s 164 recommendations. Jim Gilmore has the experience in homeland security I know must be possessed by Virginia’s next United States Senator.

Virginia and our nation must elect Jim Gilmore to the U.S. Senate. Join me in the fight to elect JIM GILMORE as our next U.S. SENATOR.

With less than a week to go you can help in this critical effort with your contribution...no matter how large or how small...by clicking the CONTRIBUTION link below.

Also remember to VOTE on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4th for JIM GILMORE FOR SENATE.

Best regards,

Bob McDonnell
Attorney General of Virginia

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Washington Times endorses Gilmore

2008-10-29T12:09:00.003-04:00

The editors of the Times simply cut through the fog of Mark Warner's rhetoric and looked at the truth:

. . . Mr. Gilmore is strongly opposed to the $700 billion mortgage-bailout bill passed by Congress earlier this month; Mr. Warner supported it.
Mr. Gilmore favors making permanent the federal tax cuts enacted by Congress in 2001 and 2003. Mr. Warner, by contrast, has suggested repealing tax cuts on persons whose family income exceeds $250,000 a year.
. . .
Mr. Gilmore favors offshore oil drilling in Alaska and off the Atlantic Coast. Mr. Warner opposes drilling in Alaska and says more study is needed before drilling is permitted off the Atlantic Coast. Mr. Gilmore opposes and Mr. Warner favors the Orwellian-titled Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it much easier for labor unions to coerce workers into joining.
As governor, Mr. Gilmore is best known for his work to repeal the oppressive car tax. Mr. Warner's major political achievement as governor was his success in pushing a $1.4 billion tax increase through the General Assembly in 2004. Only weeks after passage of the tax increase (which Mr. Warner asserted was essential to balance the budget), state officials acknowledged that Virginia was actually running a budget surplus. (In other words, Mr. Warner's dire warnings of imminent fiscal collapse had been proven false.)

It's easy to see why - as the Times put it - "Mr. Gilmore would be the superior choice."

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Waynesboro NV endorsed Jim Gilmore for Senate

2008-10-27T14:00:00.000-04:00

~ News Virginian gets it when comparing the two candidates~

Willing to look beneath the superficial surface to actually examine Mark Warner ... and bucking the trend that seems to prevail throughout most of Virginia's media who appear to think this is the Miss Congeniality contest instead of a senatorial race ... the Waynesboro News Virginian today endorsed Jim Gilmore for Senate with a well thought-out editorial about Gov. Gilmore's accomplishments and Mark Warner's lack of them.

The very first paragraph of the editorial hit the nail on the head:

Once the practice of statesmen, politics has evolved into an art of all things banal — schmoozing principal among them. On this count, as they have been in the polls since the race began, Senate candidates and former governors Mark Warner and Jim Gilmore are separated by a chasm. Warner represents a twist on the “Cheers” TV show theme – he knows everybody’s name. Gilmore is a politician with a comic’s capacity to offend, squashing toes in the natural manner in which most people breathe, many of the stinging digits found in his own party.

Governor Jim Gilmore is a leader. Leaders have targets on their backs ... they take arrows. Leaders do the right thing despite the critics ... and that is Jim Gilmore.

The News Virginian continued:

As a result, Warner, who made a mint in telecommunications, built a mammoth war chest while Gilmore scraped for relative pennies of support. Warner ascended in his party, winning a keynote speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention, while Gilmore fished for a base despite a relatively strong conservative record.

Despite receiving the Republican Party's nod at a hard-fought convention battle in May and despite receiving the endorsement of the Party establishment, the Gilmore campaign has had an uphill battle going into the war against Mark Warner, a battle that no one else was willing to wage but that the fighter Jim Gilmore was willing to take on. Even the man whose seat he is battling for, Republican Sen. John Warner, has not endorsed him and as recently as two weeks ago said he was undecided on which man he would vote for.

For the reason alone that he was willing to take on the Democrat in the "we-love-Mark Warner" media atmosphere, Jim Gilmore deserves accolades.

Gilmore, the ever-move-forward warrior who headed a commission on terrorism before 9/11 ... who was Governor of Virginia when we were hit on 9/11 ... who fought to get into UVA Law School after serving in Army intelligence as a young man ... the hard-hitting prosecutor from Henrico County ... has always been more concerned about getting the job done than the finer art of communication, something that has been misconstrued over the years into whatever the recipient perceived -- arrogance, disdain, whatever. But Gilmore got the job done.

There are more than a few people for whom Gilmore cares little, and Warner hovers somewhere at the top of the list. Warner in 2002 followed Gilmore as governor and made quick work of depicting his predecessor as an irresponsible spender who left the budget in shambles. Gilmore touted a plan to eliminate the car tax, and wound up slashing it by 70 percent. But Warner charged Gilmore shortchanged the budget in the process, prompting a record $1.4 billion tax increase. It was later revealed that there was surplus that fiscal year and the state revenues were increasing before the tax increase.

Nevertheless, Gilmore’s campaign backside still wears the brand Warner applied, of a failed governor whose policies swamped the budget and forced his successor to stick it to Virginians. In fact, Gilmore’s spending record as governor bears a foul aroma. The state operating budget swelled by a third during his stay in Richmond. Republicans who cut taxes while failing to cut spending do taxpayers and conservatives a disservice.

Mark Warner, who became a rock star of the Democrat Party through the help of some Republican electeds in the Commonwealth's General Assembly when they backed his record $1.2 billion tax increase, giving him the votes needed to pass the largest tax increase in Virginia history (leaving the impression nationwide that Warner was a bipartisan politician who could work with both sides of the aisle), attained a Teflon coating as far as the media were concerned. Throw out the facts about Warner's lack of leadership and watch them slide off as an adoring media look the other way. Warner became the master of spin as noted by the NV:

Still, Warner masters another modern political art, that of unction. Not only did he slip responsibility for his tax increase by wrongly strapping it like a string of dynamite to Gilmore, he also eluded for years accountability for his 1994 rant against gun advocates, pro-lifers and home schoolers. Gilmore achieved rare success when he released an audio recording of Warner’s comments that forced the Democrat to finally concede them as his own after repeated denials.

Those comments against home schoolers hit me particularly hard in 2001 when Warner was running for governor. As a home schooling parent and leader in the local home school community, I wrote a letter to the Staunton News Leader to expose the comments, a letter that was blocked by then-Opinions Editor Dennis Neal (who has since left the newspaper) who said he had no collaboration or proof of it even though I offered up the statement, and he ignored it when I noted he did not normally "fact-check" other letters to the editor. Irregardless, my letter never saw the light of day and every time I mentioned his censorship in the years following, he became defensive.

Indeed, Mark Warner denied making such a statement but was proven to have lied when the Gilmore campaign produced audio of the remarks. What Warner said not only bashed home schoolers but also National Rifle Association members, the Christian Coalition, pro-life proponents -- people he found "threatening to what it means to be an American."

His remarks were:

"One of the things you are going to see is a coalition that is just about completely taken over the Republican Party in this state and if they have their way it's going to take over state government. It is made up of the Christian Coalition, but not just them. It is made up of the right-to-lifers, but not just them. It's made up of the NRA, but not just them. It is made up of the home schoolers, but not just them. It's made up of a whole coalition of people that have all sorts of differing views that I think most of us in this room would find threatening to what it means to be an American." Mark Warner, May 1994

Caught with audio proof, Warner lamely admitted saying those things but added that he had "learned a lot since then." Most in the media ignored that he lied about making the comments. The NV once again got it:

His strong Second Amendment record will allay potential Warner opponents among the ranks of the National Rifle Association, but there’s little to appease abortion foes and home schoolers, except for the fact that a relative of Warner’s home schools. What matters more is whether Warner can be taken at his word when he says, for example, that he opposes a provision in the Employee Freedom of Choice Act that would end secret ballots in union elections. As written, that law – the concept of which Warner favors – would load unions with power and threaten the stability of small businesses across the land.

Similarly, Warner touts as feasible the pipe dream popularly known among Democrats as the “renewable revolution,” a plan to shift America from reliance on fossil fuels to renewables. Never mind that renewables account for only 7 percent of the world’s energy output and that solar and wind power, to which he frequently refers, require vast expanses of land, in the fashion of ethanol, the fallacy of which leftists are discovering. Warner calls for an all-inclusive energy plan, including natural gas and nuclear energy, and insists that Gilmore is focused almost exclusively on drilling, a charge the Republican rejects.

Like presidential nominee John McCain but with a stronger conservative record, Gilmore is less than an ideal foe for Warner. But his deficiencies are dwarfed by Warner’s, no matter how carefully concealed the latter’s might be. As a result, Gilmore is our choice for the U.S. Senate.

The Waynesboro News Virginian, that small hometown newspaper in the central Shenandoah Valley, did more homework than most of the big newspapers throughout the land. They actually took the time to examine the records and accomplishments of the two senatorial candidates ... and whenever that happens, Jim Gilmore comes out on top every time. The NV understands this is not a popularity contest and that the very safety and future of our country is at stake in these volatile, terrorism-filled times.

Jim Gilmore for Senate 2008

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Cross-posted at SixtyFour81.com

Jim Gilmore signs Energy Freedom pledge

2008-10-23T18:18:00.002-04:00

Affirming His Support for Increased Domestic Energy Production

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, candidate for the Virginia U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator John Warner, today signed the "Energy Freedom Pledge." Affirming if elected to the U.S. Senate, his commitment to "oppose any and all attempts to impose another national ban on drilling for oil and natural gas energy resources off our nation's shores or on oil shale extraction" in the United States. By signing the pledge, Gov. Gilmore also affirmed to "support efforts to increase domestic energy production which will provide for American's future energy needs and make the U.S. less dependent on foreign sources of energy".

"During these tough economic times, never has America's need to tap into its vast resources of oil and natural gas been clearer," said Gilmore. "Doing so would not only set the course for energy independence, but would create thousands of jobs right here in the U.S and in Virginia."

"Virginia is an energy state, with our vast resources of coal in Southwest Virginia, and oil and natural gas off our shores, as U.S. Senator, I will ensure Virginia plays a primary role towards American energy independence," added Gilmore.

For more information click on the "Energy Freedom Pledge."

Cross-posted at SixtyFour81.com
Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

How Warner's 1994 comments and his support for the bailout are related

2008-10-07T09:20:00.005-04:00

I was considering cross-posting my comments about Mark Warner's 1994 slam against home-schoolers and right-to-lifers, but as the first half of said post included a rehash of what SWAC Girl already cross-posted, I figured I should just get to the point.

That point is this; you may think Warner's little rant is unrelated to today's pressing issues, but if so, you'd be wrong. It's revealing for this reason (an excerpt from my RWL post):

The Dem nominee is the poster-boy for the “limousine liberal” (as Bob Novak calls them), wealthy politicos who vote for the Democrats on social or foreign policy issues, but mainly driven by an elitist snobbery that has no use for ordinary Virginians or what they think.
Until this year, “limousine liberals” did most of their policy damage on cultural or security issues, but the events of the past month have revealed something new: their elitism has become part and parcel of the herd mentality at the top that led to mass hysteria over the financial markets.
The Mark Warner of 1994 was an out-of-touch elitist who was slamming ordinary Virginia voters in partisan speeches. The Mark Warner of 2008 is still out of touch, but he is now part of an elite gone mad on financial issues.
Will the Mark Warner of 2009 be in a position where his weakness for hysteria can do real damage? Or will Virginians recognize the danger in time go with the safer
pair of hands - namely Jim Gilmore’s?

We have four weeks to stop the insanity.

Mark Warner audio: NRA, home schoolers, right-to-life people are "a threat to what it means to be an American"?

2008-10-06T19:00:00.000-04:00

You've read the quote. You've heard the rumors. Now, hear the audio of Mark Warner calling the NRA, people of faith, home schoolers and people who believe in the right to life "a threat to what it means to be an American."

When this issue first surfaced in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, then gubernatorial candidate Mark Warner "angrily denied the claim" and called it "inaccurate." But the audio will tell you a different story.

Listen ... and then decide if you want this man to represent you in the U.S. Senate.

Jim Gilmore for Senate 2008

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Good Morning, it is now a different race

2008-10-06T08:40:00.004-04:00

In the four months or so that I have posted in this space, I'd like to think I gave Mark Warner the rough treatment he deserved. I will confess, however, that I was less enthusiastic than most over here about heaping praise on Jim Gilmore. As one of the leading Bob Marshall bloggers, I must admit that his narrow loss hurt deeply, and while Gilmore was and is certainly head and shoulders above Marky Mark, it was more difficult for me than most to get behind him with zeal.

That all ended for me when I came across Gilmore's fervent opposition to the Paulson-Pelosi-insert-establishment-politician-here bailout (Tim Craig, Washington Post, emphasis added):

Gilmore came out strongly against the $700 billion plan, arguing in a concise way that it amounted to government run amok. Warner supported the bailout, saying it was needed to prevent economic turmoil. Warner tried to pin the need for Congressional intervention on lax oversight by the Bush administration and "greed" on Wall Street.
Warner noted that both Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama voted in favor of the plan, prompting Gilmore to say at one point, "I'm not in this for John McCain, I am in this for the people on the other side of this camera."
For once, Warner's efforts to turn the contest into a referendum on Gilmore's record as governor was overshadowed by an issue of more immediate concern. The only thing anyone who watched the debate will probably remember tomorrow is the word "bailout."

You got that right, Tim.

Of all the issues on the domestic front, this one was the biggest. Wall Street went into a panic, which promptly infected Washington and led the Administration and Congress into mass hysteria. Two weeks and $700 billion later, the entire episode cast a pall on democracy as we know it, while the free-market ideal (which didn't actually have anything to do with what went wrong) fell victim to the cross-fire. It was an ugly spectacle that revealed the American "elite" to be a bunch of ignoramuses with a dangerous herd mentality.

Friday night, Virginians were given a clear choice on a dramatically important federal issue. No historical arguments about who was the better governor. No Marky Mark distractions and obfuscations that required the Warnerese-to-English translator. On Friday night, Mark Warner revealed himself as the guy who will stand for the elites and stand on ordinary Virginians.

Jim Gilmore, meanwhile, revealed himself as the guy with the level head, the fellow with the better grasp of the state of our economy, and the guy who will stand up for each and every one of us and stand up to the elites of both parties.

Don't tell me this race is "over." Every single vote cast for Jim Gilmore is a vote against that bailout. More importantly, every vote cast for Jim Gilmore is a warning to Washington never to do something this stupid again.

That message will be much louder with 40% of the vote than 30% . . .

. . . 45% will make it louder still . . .

. . . and, if we can pull Gilmore up to 50%-plus-one, the message will reverberate through the country like an earthquake.

Don't tell me Gilmore can't catch up either. I remember a Republican "blue-blood" in New Jersey who was running more than twenty points behind with less than three weeks to go in the campaign. She ran on an anti-tax, populist platform, too. The elites laughed hysterically. Establishment types in both parties declared here a sure loser.

Yet on Election Night 1993, Christie Todd Whitman shocked the world and beat Jim Florio. The anti-tax shock waves rippled across the land and set up the GOP for the 1994 landslide. Meanwhile, Washington hasn't enacted a tax increase since.

Every vote matters now: win, lose, or draw. This isn't about personal battles for glory or reputation. This isn't even partisan anymore. This is us versus them, the sensible electorate versus the skittish and panicky elected, the sane masses versus an elite gone mad.

Jim Gilmore would have had my vote by default, but he's earned it now, and if you're a Virginia voter reading this, any Virginia voter reading this, he's earned your vote, too.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Sen. Mark Obenshain nails Mark Warner and says, "Vote for Jim Gilmore!"

2008-10-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

This is the best, most succinct reasoning of why we must elect Jim Gilmore to the U.S. Senate. You have got to read Sen. Mark Obenshain's (R-26th Senate District) thoughts about Mark Warner's recent visit to Harrisonburg and the former Republicans who were with him. Excellent read that should be passed around to everyone you know. The added emphasis is mine:

On Friday morning, I opened the Harrisonburg newspaper to see a picture of the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Harrisonburg joined by certain former Republican lawmakers - and, in the case of John Chichester and Ross Potts, I do mean former Republican, as it has been about a decade since they have supported any Republican for anything. There are a couple of points that need to be made before pro-business or pro-family voters decide to follow their lead

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, why on earth would we want to help Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Chris Dodd, and the rest of their gang by sending Mark Warner to Washington to help them reach a 60 vote Democrat supermajority?

Make no mistake about it: Mark Warner got his political start from Chris Dodd. He actually got his business start from him, too. Leveraging his knowledge as one who helped Dodd craft the rules for the eventual auction of cellular phone franchise licenses, he rounded up investors and built the foundation of his vast financial fortune. Since then, Warner has fallen in line, appearing on the campaign trail with John Kerry and now Barack Obama, and backing his liberal friends in Washington whenever they need him. Those who truly believe that Mark Warner will develop an independent streak once elected will be greatly disappointed.

Not enough? Try this on for size. In a filmed interview with Virginia's AFL-CIO Leadership, Warner promised he would back the so-called "card check" bill, effectively gutting Virginia's right to work laws. Or this: Warner's election will help liberal efforts to restore the "fairness doctrine," which will decimate talk radio in America. The "fairness doctrine" would require radio stations airing conservative talk shows to also air an equal number of liberal talk shows, even if there is no demand for them and they cannot sell any advertising. Their only legal alternative would be to remove all talk radio from the airwaves. Increasingly, for liberals, the First Amendment is a one-way street. Hello Mark Warner -- goodbye Rush Limbaugh!

Don't get me wrong. I like Mark Warner. He's a nice guy. Jim Gilmore, on the other hand, has stepped on plenty of toes and will never win a "Miss Congeniality" award. That may be all it takes to win the votes of some, but not mine. Good grief!

More is at stake here than Mark Warner's career trajectory, and more is on the line than one more Democratic vote in the Senate. The Democrats are pouring tens of millions of dollars into the campaign coffers of their candidates across the country because they believe their party on the verge of achieving a 60-vote supermajority which would strip Senate Republicans of the few parliamentary procedures they have to reign in liberal excesses. With a supermajority, Democrats could cut off debate on controversial bills and put them to an immediate vote, which they would inevitably win, voting along party lines.

The framers of our constitution, in their wisdom, enacted measures to rein the urges and excesses of the legislature and to check the power of the majority. A vote for Mark Warner could quite possibly be a vote for a Democratic supermajority and against any chance of tempering or standing athwart the liberal Democratic agenda.

For Republicans, there is but one choice -- Jim Gilmore. He has made a career of standing on principle, doing that which is the right, not always the popular thing to do. For some, casting a ballot for Gilmore might not be an easy choice, but it is certainly the right choice.

Jim Gilmore for Senate

Cross-posted on SixtyFour81.com
Cross-posted on SWAC Girl

Jim Gilmore fights for the taxpayers

2008-10-04T10:00:00.001-04:00

The choice is clear: Jim Gilmore fights for the taxpayers ... Mark Warner fights for the high rollers on Wall Street.

In a follow-up after Friday night's debate, the Gilmore campaign issued the following:

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, candidate for the Virginia U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner, said today in a debate with Mark Warner on statewide television the choice for Virginia voters in the November 4th election is clear -- a U.S. Senator like Jim Gilmore who will fight for taxpayers and oppose federal government bailouts or a U.S. Senator like Mark Warner who will sell out the taxpayers for the high rollers on Wall Street.

“I am strongly opposed to asking America’s hard working families to cover the bets of the Wall Street high rollers and insiders who exploited flaws in government regulations to make personal fortunes and devastate our economy,” said Gilmore.

Throughout the debate Gilmore repeatedly pointed out how as a U.S. Senator he will stand up for regular Virginians who are struggling and how Mark Warner will instead protect the special interests on Wall Street, rather than the taxpayers.

“Requiring taxpayers to cough up $700 billion without providing them any additional assurances for their own financial security is wrong,” Gilmore added.

Gilmore said Mark Warner supported the costly bailout of Wall Street while simultaneously taking in almost $3 million in contributions from the Wall Street high rollers who benefit from the taxpayer bailout. (Click here to see)

“Maybe Mark Warner finds it easy to take more and more of the taxpayers’ money, but I do not,” Gilmore said. “We must restore accountability in Washington – and on Wall Street – so America’s taxpayers are protected and our economy prospers.”

This third Virginia U.S. Senate debate between former Gov. Jim Gilmore and Mark Warner took place in Roanoke, Virginia. Sponsored by NBC affiliate WSLS Channel 10, the debate was held at the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke and was moderated by WSLS news anchor and political reporter Jay Warren. The debate was broadcast live on television stations statewide

Spread the word that Jim Gilmore is the only choice for conservatives in the U.S. Senate race.

Jim Gilmore for U.S. Senate

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

The latest from the Warnerese-to-English translator

2008-10-01T08:30:00.002-04:00

The Democrat who would be my junior Senator spoke out on the Bush-Obama-Paulson-Pelosi bailout that went down in flames on Monday (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Of course, he spoke in his native tongue (Warnerese) so no one understood him. Time to bring out the translator!

As always, the English version is in bold and italics:

The option was no action or action. This is not one you can say we’ve got to wait another 30 days and play Russian roulette. I would have liked to have seen it improved.
The option was no action or action. As my wealthy Wall Street buddies said one thing and ordinary Virginians said another, I’m completely flummoxed as to what to do. So I’ll take some rhetoric from Column A and some from Column B, mix it all up into an unrecognizable stew, and hope to God you rubes don’t see through it.
These are real people with real homes, with jobs, whose lives are on balance as they wait for this to play out.
These are real people with real homes and with jobs, and my ability to tax them to the gills are on balance as we all wait for this to play out.

When he opens his mouth again, the translator will be there.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Does Mark Warner agree with Joe Biden?

2008-09-23T12:38:00.003-04:00

The Democrats' Vice Presidential nominee announced his party energy policy: "No coal plants here in America."

I have the details here, but check out this quote:

We’re not supporting ‘clean coal.’ Guess what. China’s building two every week. Two dirty coal plants. And it’s polluting the United States. It’s causing people to die . . . No coal plants here in America. Build them, if they’re going to build them over there make ‘em clean because they’re killing you.

Remember, guns don't kill people; coal plants kill people.

So Mark, you're part of the "we," right? Biden is your candidate for VP, right?

Do you agree with him? Do you support "no coal plants here in America"?

Mark?

Mark Warner and Big Labor

2008-09-22T19:30:00.000-04:00

By Jim Gilmore

I spoke to the Harrisonburg Rotary Club today and raised a very important issue that came up in my debate on September 18 with Mark Warner before the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce: The fact that Mark Warner supports the so-called Employee Free Choice Act being considered by Congress!

You can view Mark Warner’s comments on this issue at the Fairfax Chamber debate – and my comments as well – and also Mark Warner’s remarks at a July 4th union rally in Northern Virginia.

The AFL-CIO has said that electing Mark Warner is their “major goal for the 2008 elections” and one of the reasons is Mark Warner’s support for this pro-union bill – also known as the Union Check Card legislation – which would undercut Virginia’s historic Right to Work Law and dramatically increase union activity in our state.

In addition to threatening Virginia’s Right to Work Law, I am convinced the Union Check Card poses a strong threat to Virginia’s small business and industries. The vast majority of union petitions filed and elections held in Virginia involve companies employing fewer than 100 people. Small businesses simply do not have the resources to contest organizing efforts and will be under the gun in their efforts to oppose this kind of union power grab.

Under Union Card Check, workers would no longer have the right to a secret ballot election so union organizers would be free to target workers with harassment and intimidation. All militant union organizers would need to do is gather signed so-called “union authorization cards” from a simple majority of workers. And union organizers would know which workers have signed cards and which ones haven’t, so independent-minded workers who dare to question the “benefits” of this increased union power would pay a severe price.

In addition to indicating his support for increased union power at the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, Mark Warner was recently caught on videotape telling union officials that he would support the Union Check Card legislation sponsored by Ted Kennedy. Senator Kennedy openly acknowledges this legislation is designed to make it easier for union officials to establish themselves as the “exclusive” bargaining agents of employees, including union members and non-members alike, in currently nonunion workplaces in every state in the union, including Virginia.

Economic development specialists have noted time and again that Right to Work states like Virginia, where a relatively small share of employees are subject to “exclusive” union bargaining, enjoy a huge competitive advantage over non-Right to Work states where a higher share of workers are unionized. Low-union-density states like Virginia enjoy far faster growth in jobs, incomes, and opportunity for their working families.

As a former governor, Mark Warner knows that fact. But to obtain the support of the big labor unions, Mark Warner has now promised to work with Ted Kennedy and Barack Obama to undermine Virginia’s competitive advantage. And of course, the entire national economy would be seriously damaged by enactment of the Union Check Card bill.

Working with John McCain I can help stop this union power grab and this effort to undercut Virginia’s historic Right to Work Law. But I need your help! Under a President Obama, the last thing Virginia needs is another Senator who will kowtow to Big Labor. Mark Warner’s campaign is being flooded with union campaign cash and the big labor endorsements. I can combat his union support if I have your help!

Together we can stand up for Virginia. Please click on the link below and contribute to my campaign. Or, send your check today for $25, $50, $100 or even $500 if you can afford it. Helping save Virginia’s Right to Work Law and protecting our working families from harassment and intimidation is a very wise investment -- so please contribute to our campaign to stand up to Mark Warner and forced unionism today!

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Jim Gilmore in Harrisonburg today

2008-09-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, Virginia candidate for U.S. Senate for the seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner, will be the featured speaker at the weekly meeting of the Harrisonburg Rotary Club today.

The meeting will be held at 12:00 Noon at Spotswood Country Club, 1980 Country Club Road, Harrisonburg, VA.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Gilmore to Warner: "Be honest with Virginians"

2008-09-19T11:00:00.001-04:00

On Thursday former Gov. Jim Gilmore, candidate for the Virginia U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner took his opponent Mark Warner to task insisting it is time Mark Warner be honest with the people of Virginia.

"Bipartisanship is no substitute for honesty," repeated Gilmore, when Mark Warner addressed issues of taxes, drilling for oil, and Warner's support for undermining Virginia's Right To Work Law. "What the people want, --Republicans, Democrats and Independents, is a U.S. Senator who will keep his word."

Throughout the debate Gilmore called on Mark Warner to be honest with Virginians, reminding the audience and those watching at home on TV, that Mark Warner broke his promise to not raise taxes while governor, lied about there being a budget deficit in Virginia, and even hid a budget surplus to pass the highest tax increase in Virginia history.

"Be honest, Mark Warner, when you raised taxes in Virginia, not one dime went to Northern Virginia or transportation," responded Gilmore, when Mark Warner tried to give himself credit for transportation accomplishments in Virginia. "As U.S. Senator, I will make sure revenues collected for transportation through the gasoline tax will go to building more roads, not so-called ‘transportation enhancements', like lighthouses and critter underpasses."

The second Virginia U.S. Senate debate between former Gov. Jim Gilmore and Mark Warner took place in Northern Virginia. Sponsored by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, the debate was held at the Capital One Auditorium in McLean, VA, where Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace served as the moderator. The debate was broadcast live on News Channel 8.

Jim Gilmore for Senate 2008
Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Gilmore reaffirms support of VA's sheriffs & VA's right to work law

2008-09-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

Jim Gilmore addressed 75th Annual VA Sheriff's Association Conference Tuesday in Roanoke....

Gov. Jim Gilmore addressed the 75th Annual Virginia Sheriff's Association Conference in Roanoke, VA, on Tuesday. During the Conference, many sheriffs lauded Gov. Gilmore's public safety record and commitment to Virginia's law enforcement community while expressing support for his candidacy to the U.S. Senate.

During his remarks at the Conference, Gov. Gilmore reinforced his support for Virginia's right to work law and contrasted his position with his opponent, Mark Warner who will supports unionization of first-responders and has pledged support to the AFL-CIO for the union check card legislation, both of which will come before the Senate next year.

"We cannot have union bosses in charge of sheriff's departments," said Gilmore, during his remarks at the Conference. "My opponent is hiding his real position on unionization of first responders and will support the union check card proposal before the Senate next year - something that will completely undermine Virginia's right to work law."

In a show of support for Gov. Gilmore's Senate candidacy based on his results-driven record for law enforcement spanning back to his days as Commonwealth's Attorney for Henrico County and his expertise on national security, many sheriff's from across the Commonwealth expressed their support.

"As governor, both before and during the 9/11 attacks, Jim Gilmore provided law enforcement with the resources and tools needed to improve public safety across the Commonwealth. We need a Senator in Washington that understands firsthand what the needs of our law enforcement community are in order to maintain our country safe."

Sheriff Michael L. Wade, Henrico County....
"I have known Gov. Gilmore since he was Henrico County's Commonwealth Attorney, and his record dating back to those early days has always been one of great support for the law enforcement community. Furthermore, his public safety record has been one of great consistency and diligence. I am delighted to support him in his bid for U.S. Senate, because we are at a time where America needs consistent and diligent leaders in Washington.

Sheriff Mike Brown, Bedford County....
"As governor, Gov. Gilmore kept his promise to be a strong supporter of law enforcement at both the state and community level while remaining committed to Virginia's strong right to work laws. We need a U.S. Senator that understands the need for the federal government to respect the long-standing distinction between state and local responsibilities, and federal ones, in order to keep unnecessary federal regulations from being imposed on our communities."

Sheriff J.S. "Danny" Diggs, York County& Poquoson....
"I wholeheartedly support former Gov. Jim Gilmore in his run for the U.S. Senate. I believe at this point in our nation's history, our country needs strong conservative leadership in Washington. As former Chairman of the Gilmore Commission, Jim has the necessary national security experience our country needs and that Virginia will benefit from."

Sheriff Mark Armentrout, City of Radford....
While under Gov. Gilmore's leadership, violent crime in Virginia went down. Families, schools, businesses, neighborhoods, communities and Virginia as a whole became safer than they had been in a quarter-century or more. More law enforcement officers, educators and others were trained in preventing and responding to the threat of school violence, than ever before. Programs that specifically targeted gun-wielding criminals and high-level drug dealers posted notable successes. And drug treatment programs benefited from the largest infusion of money ever for drug-dependent offenders.

Jim Gilmore for Senate

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Where is GOP establishment to stump for Gilmore?

2008-09-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Chris at Mason Conservative asks some very salient questions about why the GOP establishment is not behind Jim Gilmore's campaign for U.S. Senate. While electeds have called for unity among the (oftentimes) fractured grassroots, they do not set the example by being united themselves. They are distancing themselves from our senatorial candidate, and the excuse I most often hear is that Gov. Gilmore is pulling down the ticket.

Where is everyone to stand up for Jim Gilmore? To campaign with him? To help raise money for him? Where is the GOP establishment?

A Senator with "sharp elbows," as Mason Conservative puts it, is exactly who I want in the Senate representing conservatives against the libs. When someone can explain this one to me, I will be listening.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Mark Warner Finally Agrees to Debate

2008-09-15T05:45:00.001-04:00

Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner has finally agreed to a statewide televised debate with former Gov. Jim Gilmore. Warner had previously refused to take part in the League of Women Voters debate.

The debate is to take place on October 3rd at 7PM in Roanoke.

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Jim Gilmore, VA's 9/11/01 Governor, remembers that day

2008-09-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

JIM GILMORE SALUTES FALLEN PATRIOTS OF 9/11 - “We must continue to do everything we can to keep America safe and free.”

In commemoration of the anniversary of September 11th, former Gov. Gilmore and his wife Roxane today attended the Pentagon Memorial dedication event held this morning, honoring the 184 patriots whose lives were lost at the Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77, during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Following the solemn event, Gov. Gilmore offered these moments of reflection from that day:

"Just like our parents and grandparents could vividly remember exactly what they were doing on December 7, 1941, current generations clearly remember where they were on 9/11 when the planes hijacked by terrorists were crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

"I found myself at the Governor's mansion in Richmond that morning preparing for a busy day of work at the State Capitol. While watching the morning’s news, Roxane and I became aware a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers in New York City and jointly watched as the second plane was deliberately flown into the second tower. As the chairman of a bipartisan commission on homeland security which had warned about the possibility of a terrorist attack on American soil, I immediately began the process of putting Virginia's emergency operations on alert. And, as I did so, the Pentagon was attacked killing 184 Americans right here in our Commonwealth of Virginia.

"As the day developed, I traveled to the Pentagon site to meet with the first responders working to help those hurt in the attack. Later, I visited the hospitals where survivors, and some of the firemen who had been injured as they worked to rescue the victims of this horrid attack, were being treated. The scenes of valor and heroism of that day are forever etched in my memory and continue to inspire me to this day. I hope this day reminds every American to stay vigilant against future terrorist attacks and that we continue to do everything we can to keep America safe and free."

May we never forget.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Drill Here, Drill Now... ~Buena Vista~

2008-09-09T20:34:00.001-04:00

Meet the challenge: Donate $10 to Jim Gilmore campaign

2008-09-09T12:30:00.002-04:00

Can you spare $10 to help Jim Gilmore? I know it is tough to contribute to political campaigns especially when you are a college student, young person just starting out, retired living on a fixed income, and parents who may be home educating their children in one-income families.

That's why I'm asking if you can spare $10. If many join in, it will add up fast to help buy TV ads and other necessary campaign materials in these final days fighting against Mark Warner.

I have made my donation.

Not surprisingly, the Mark Warner campaign has come out against the first Jim Gilmore television ad. Whaa, whaa, whaa. In a letter to supporters (how I got on the list is a mystery to me), the Mark Warner campaign whined that the ad was not truthful. Perhaps they should point that accusing finger back at themselves.

Please ... make a contribution to Jim Gilmore for Senate so we will not have two Democrat senators from Virginia.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl and SixtyFour81.com

Listen to the Mark Warner supporters cheer

2008-09-04T15:40:00.001-04:00

Pro-Tax, Anti-Energy, Anti-NRA, Anti-FreeSchool, Anti-Christian
That is a WARNER Supporter. Are you?

Mark Warner Chickens-Out Of Televised Debate

2008-08-28T16:52:00.001-04:00

Marky Mark does The Chicken Dance...

The League of Women Voters of Virginia says it won’t hold its customary senatorial debate because former Governor Mark Warner has opted not to participate.

“Exposing voters to a rigorous debate of the critical issues facing this nation today is a cornerstone of the democratic election process in America,” said Peter Maroney, vice president of WTVR, a CBS station that would have aired the debate. “It is regrettable that former Governor Warner has chosen to deny Virginians that opportunity by declining this statewide broadcast opportunity.”

Why has Mark Warner chickened-out of debating Jim Gilmore? Does he think he can't lie as well in 2008 as he could in 2001? Is he afraid that he's no match for Gilmore who won't roll over the way that Mark Earley did?

The people of Virginia expect and DESERVE to have their candidates for U.S. Senate engage in a full debate on the issues.

Why Won't Mark Warner Debate Jim Gilmore?

2008-08-28T16:30:00.000-04:00

Mark Warner must not be too proud of the things he, and the Democrat party, stand for. Why then has Warner not only refused to take part in the traditional League of Women Voters debate, but he has canceled a scheduled debate before federal retirees in Hampton?

Don't Virginians have the right to see the two major candidates to replace retiring Sen. John Warner (no relation) before choosing the best candidate? Perhaps that is why Mark Warner doesn't want the public to see him answer direct questions.

Mark Warner already fooled Virginians once by claiming that he wouldn't raise taxes. It will be a little difficult for him to try the same "trust me" routine again.

According to former Gov. Jim Gilmore:

“We debated Mark Warner at the Homestead and we talked about
how John McCain and Jim Gilmore are the candidates who want to drill
for oil and bring down gas prices – and that both Mark Warner and
Barack Obama have opposed drilling for oil offshore.

“Mark Warner apparently does not want the people of Virginia
to have an opportunity to understand clearly where he stands on the
issues, so he has declined the traditional League of Women Voters
Debate and just recently cancelled a debate before retired federal
employees in Hampton.

“I believe the people of Virginia have a right to see and hear
candidates for public office discuss the issues. I have agreed to more
than a dozen debates with Mark Warner all across the State. He
initially accepted three of those opportunities, but has cancelled one
of those – and now refuses the debate historically done by all
statewide candidates before the League of Women Voters.

“I think the people have a right to ask: What is Mark Warner
hiding? As for me, I will debate him any time and any place because I
believe the people of Virginia are entitled to that kind of public
discussion.”

If Mark Warner won't stand before Virginia voters and debate Gilmore, how can Virginians expect him to dutifully represent them in the US Senate?

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Virginia Chamber of Commerce Questions Mark Warner's Commitment To Business

2008-08-28T14:07:00.001-04:00

FROM THE VIRGINIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:

For starters, ask the Virginia congressional candidates, as they make their rounds this fall, where they stand on the EFCA.

Be especially attentive to candidates for the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by our good friend John Warner. Jim Gilmore has indicated he opposes the EFCA, but attempts to pin down candidate Mark Warner have not been successful.

At least one internet source indicates that Mark Warner “will support the EFCA...” Click here to read the blog post.

Here is a direct link for the AFL-CIO video featuring Mark Warner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmQuEMFCzeI

And, here's a another posting with -- from the AFL-CIO website -- that quotes Mark Warner saying basically the same thing he does in the above video -- Warner credits the union movement with electing him governor of Virginia in 2001 and says the energy and enthusiasm of union volunteers and voters will create great opportunities to pass legislation that will help working families. "We are going to do great things come January 2009, in terms of getting this country back on the right path and making sure that working families have the right to organize in a way that’s free and fair."

Check out the full post at this URL -- http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/07/15/candidates-in-key-races-pledge-to-support-employee-free-choice/print/

Gilmore Op-ed: "Card Check legislation would weaken VA's right to work laws"

2008-08-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

By Jim Gilmore

If Barack Obama is elected President this fall, and the Democrats get a filibuster proof Senate as they hope to do with the election of Democrat Mark Warner, one of the first causalities of the new Obama Administration may well be Virginia’s historic Right to Work law.

The AFL-CIO and liberal Democrats allied with Big Labor are making it known that one of their major goals following the 2008 election is the enactment of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act which would strip workers of the right to vote by secret ballot on whether or not to join a union. The legislation would also leave workers subject to threats and intimidation by union organizers.

If this legislation – which Mark Warner supports -- becomes law, workers in Virginia and across the nation will no longer have control over their employment. For one thing without a secret ballot they will lose control over whether they have to belong to a union. Under this legislation, many workers would not even know a union organizing campaign was underway -- something I do not believe can be tolerated.

The legislation would mandate compulsory binding arbitration, would provide excessively punitive penalties that apply only to employers and not to unions and would deny working Virginians and other workers across the country the opportunity to express their opinions about union recognition.

Like many long standing liberal ideas which have been offered by Barack Obama and Mark Warner, including the continued restriction of America’s domestic oil production, this idea is one whose time has passed. In fact, the card check idea was used for union organizing in the 1940s but was abandoned as a failure.

The Employee Free Choice Act, if enacted, would strip away workers’ privacy and workers’ rights and would undermine Virginia’s long standing tradition of Right to Work. That is unacceptable to me and certainly should be unacceptable to the vast majority of working Virginians.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

WARNER VOWS TO VOTE AGAIANST VIRGINIA

2008-08-28T10:59:00.001-04:00

The Union Campaign Against Secret Ballot Elections

MARK WARNER IS TRYING TO UNDERMINE FREEDOM

BY SUPPORTING BIG LABOR AND THE MISNAMED

Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)

From Unionfacts............
Facing declining membership, union officials have turned to a highly questionable practice of organizing new members through a process called "card check." With card checks, paid union organizers try to persuade workers to sign cards saying that they favor union representation. This persuasion is documented as frequently including deception, coercion, and harassing visits to workers' homes.
Under current law, as soon as more than 50 percent of the workers in an appropriate bargaining (work) unit sign a union authorization card, the employer can choose to recognize the union as the representative of 100 percent of the workers if the employer believes it reflects actual sentiment of the employees (even though not a single employee has actually been able to cast a personal, private vote). In those relatively rare instances in which an employer has agreed to card check, the employer has often been under pressure, which includes threats of a negative public relations campaign intended solely to injure a company's reputation until it capitulates to this recognition demand. Most often, when presented with these cards, employers have exercised their right to call for a representation election of employees using private ballots because (as even the AFL-CIO has acknowledged) cards are not a reliable signal of an individual's true interest in joining a union. (Often, individuals will sign cards under intentional or unintentional misunderstandings or to get the organizer to stop harassing them, even though the employee may have no desire to join a union.)
As an August 2006 Hartford Courant editorial explained, "[n]ot surprisingly, the card-check procedure almost always results in a union victory because the union controls the entire process." But the real cost is paid by working Americans: the card check process steals workers' rights to a personal, anonymous vote on whether or not they want to pay dues to a union, and all that unionization entails.
See some other Unionfact pieces here

From Wikipedia...........
The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is proposed legislation of the United States which aims to "amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts, and for other purposes."[1] Under current labor law, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board will certify a union as the exclusive representative of employees if it is elected by either a majority signature drive, the card check process, or by secret ballot NLRB election, which is held if more than 30% of employees in a bargaining unit sign statements asking for representation by a union. Under the EFCA, an employer would no longer have the opportunity to demand a secret ballot election when a majority of employees have signed union cards and there is no evidence of illegal coercion. In addition, if the union and employer cannot agree upon the terms of a first collective bargaining contract within 90 days, either party can request federal mediation, which could lead to binding arbitration if an agreement still cannot be reached after an additional 30 days.

H/T to VA Virtucon for clip

Jim Gilmore Supports Freedom ...

2008-08-27T18:56:00.002-04:00

...Mark Warner wants to strip workers of the secret ballot.

Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner has refused to publicly affirm his support of the so-called "Employee Free Choice Act". Fortunately for Virginians, Warner was caught on video affirming his support for a bill which would strip workers of their current right to have a secret ballot in elections to decide union representation.

Why won't Mark Warner simply confess that he supports forced unionization and the abolition of Virginia's Right to Work Law? His buddies in Big Labor aren't ashamed of his kowtowing to their every whim. If they are not telling their members the truth about Warner's stance on this key issue, why hasn't Warner denounced them?

It's all about simple economics. Mark Warner knows that many businesspersons who currently support him would run for the hills if he admitted the truth.

Jim Gilmore, on the other hand, supports the right of working Virginians to decide for themselves whether or not to have union representation AND whether or not to join a union. BIG LABOR doesn't want this. They want to strip hard working men and women of their money by FORCING them to join unions.

It's a simple matter of personal liberty... fairness if you like. The secret ballot is sacred in this country. Why should men and women be forced to choose for union representation with some union hack standing over their shoulder? If Mark Warner is elected to the US Senate, that is just what will happen.

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Warner stumbles ... to Gilmore's advantage?

2008-08-27T18:00:00.000-04:00

There have been many takes on Mark Warner's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention including this analysis out of the Shenandoah Valley coming from Craig Orndorff at Shenandoah GOP.

It sounds as if Mark Warner didn't seal the deal last night as evidenced by Craig's post as well as numerous others. Jim Gilmore has an opportunity to grasp the moment.

Jim Gilmore for Senate
Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Mark Warner Botches American History

2008-08-27T10:57:00.000-04:00

During his not ready for prime-time "keynote" address to the Dem convo last night, Marky Mark made the following remark:

Towards the end of his life, Thomas Jefferson - the founder of our party - wrote one of his frequent letters to his old rival, John Adams.

This fallacy that Thomas Jefferson founded the Democrat-ick Party, first perpetuated by FDR and continued by Democrat con-men and ignoramuses to this day (I'm still divided on which category Marky Mark falls into), needs to be corrected.

Here is a history lesson for you, Marky Mark. I can also suggest some excellent books that you can read that will clear up this confusion you suffer from on this subject -- American Creation by Joseph J. Ellis is but one of them.

Here is what I have previously written on the topic. And, while I approach any Wikipedia entry with skepticism, having actually studied the topic, researched it and read about it for enjoyment as well, I am comfortable with the portions that I excerpted below.

Wikipedia has a very interesting entry on this topic:

The Democratic-Republican Party evolved from the political factions that opposed Alexander Hamilton’s fiscal policies in the early 1790s; these factions are known variously as the Anti-Administration “Party” or the Anti-Federalists. In the mid-1790s, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison organized these factions into a party and helped define its ideology in favor of yeomen farmers, strict construction of the Constitution, and a weaker federal government. They named it the “Republican Party.” (The term “Democratic-Republican” was rarely used for the party before 1820.)

(Emphasis added.)

The modern-day Democrat Party doesn’t come into the picture until after Jefferson passed away. (Ironically, Jefferson died on July 4, 1826 — the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the same day that President John Adams died. John Adams’ last words were, “Jefferson lives,” however, Jefferson had passed away just hours before that.)

In the late 1820s, the party split into factions and dissolved. Along with some ex-Federalists, supporters of Andrew Jackson, led by Martin Van Buren, organized themselves into an off-shoot of the Democratic-Republican Party called the Democratic Party. This was the beginning of the modern-day Democratic Party. The link between today’s Democratic Party and the party founded by Jefferson was a theme emphasized by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s and other Democratic politicans throughout the years.

Well, based upon the ideology that Jefferson espoused, he wouldn’t be too keen on associating with the party that now claims him as its founder. Let the Democrats hold Jackson-Van Buren-FDR Day Dinners while the GOP honors its ideological father as well as its party founder in addition to its greatest modern president with Jefferson-Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinners.

U2 frontman Bono said of the song “Helter Skelter,” “This is a song Charles Manson stole from the Beatles. We’re stealing it back.” It’s time for us to do the same thing. “This is a great political philospher the Democrats stole from American history. We’re stealing him back.”

Mark Warner - Not Ready For Prime Time

2008-08-27T10:56:00.001-04:00

It seems that after deciding to offer the Dem convo keynote address to Marky Mark, Dems decided that maybe he wasn't really ready for prime time after all and pulled him from the broadcast networks' coverage.

Members of Team Clinton were out with their knives after Marky Mark's speech. You can tell there is no love lost between those two camps.

So, the Clinton folks, sensing that Obama prefers Warner as the future of the Democratic Party over them, are out for blood against Warner/Kaine/Obama. Some of it they have to keep low. Some of it they can deliver through their surrogates. With all of that in mind, read what Howard Wolfson (Hillary's campaign hit man and a Clinton loyalist from way back) said regarding Mark Warner's keynote speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention: "The best part about Mark Warner's speech was that is was short."

And then there's this from Paul Begala, a Clinton operative from Texas who was an integral player/operative on all of Bill Clinton's Presidential campaigns: "Mark Warner wasn't talking to the Chamber of Commerce in Richmond, VA."

But if you, like me, had better things to do than watch Marky Mark ramble on spouting meaningless gibberish about "radical centrism," you'll want to check out D.J. McGuire's Warnerese-to-English translator.

The translator is back

2008-08-26T23:47:00.001-04:00

The Warnerese-to-English translator has digested Marky Mark's keynote speech. Enjoy!

Get Your Car Tax Bill Yet?

2008-08-21T19:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I received an irate phone call from the wife today complaining about the car tax bills that had just arrived in our mail. Contrary to what Democrats contend, what we're paying is more than just "a night out on the town" -- unless you're talking about one of fmr. NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer's nights out. For a middle-class couple such as ourselves, a night out is dinner, a movie and the cost of a babysitter, so we could have quite a few nights out on the town for what we're paying. (Actually, we'd probably spend the money on clothes, books, etc. for our child.)

Right now, car tax relief has shrunk to 58.5 percent on the first $20K, down from 70 percent in 2005.

Why is it shrinking?

You can thank Mark Warner, Tim Kaine and their accomplices, both Democrat and Republican (you know, the same ones who have since endorsed Marky Mark for Senate) for their spendthrift ways.

So, once you get your car tax bill and start griping about it as you surely will, don't blame Jim Gilmore. You'd be paying the full amount if it weren't for him. But you CAN blame Mark Warner and Tim Kaine for what you still must pay and for the ever shrinking tax relief we're receiving.

Mark Warner broke his word on continuing the phaseout of the car tax. Mark Warner broke his word that he wouldn't raise taxes. What has he ever done to indicate that he is worthy of your trust? Nothing. There is only one clear choice when it comes to trust in the U.S. Senate race -- Jim Gilmore.

Mark Warner Dodges a Question on Forced Unionism

2008-08-21T10:01:00.001-04:00

"An unidentified man asked for Barack Obama's and Mark Warner's stands on the Employee Free Choice Act. Obama said he "strongly supports" the act that gives workers the right to join and organize unions. He added that unions have been responsible for many of the benefits all workers enjoy. But, he said, unions have to recognize that they can make a company less competitive. "They have to cooperate with management so they all grow," he added. Warner did not respond."

Message to the Democrats: Don't they realize that the unions are dying? They are killing themselves little by little. It goes to show that both Obama and Warner do not care about freedom and our economy's prosperity. They care about appeasing the union bosses, who continuously funnel thousands of forced-dues dollars into their campaigns.

At least, John McCain and Jim Gilmore care about freedom and our economy. They are against forced unionism and strongly support the employee's choice to decide whether or not to join a union. The workers in Virginia can be thankful to have both McCain and Gilmore on their side.

Virginia is a Right to Work state, and if the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill passed in Congress, this would threaten every state with a Right to Work law and help drive us into an economic depression.

**Cross Posted at Crystal Clear Conservative**

Jim Gilmore's "Working Families Tour" on Thursday

2008-08-21T08:00:00.002-04:00

Thursday's schedule for Jim Gilmore

9:00 am King George

10:30 am Montross
Rally at the Old Westmoreland County Courthouse
15803 Kings Highway
Montross, VA

12:00 pm Tappahannock Meet and Greet
Lowery’s Restaurant
528 Church Lane
Tappahannock, VA

2:00 pm Kilmarnock Walking Tour
Kilmarnock Inn (start location)
34 Church Street
Kilmarnock, VA

4:30 pm Gloucester Working Site
Peace Frogs Inc.
7546 John Clayton Memorial Highway
Gloucester, VA

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, Virginia candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner, will continue his Working Families Tour launched in early June by visiting more of Virginia’s towns and cities on Thursday, August 21, bringing his message of lower gas prices, lower taxes and trust to Virginia’s working people.

Gov. Gilmore will visit with working families in King George, Montross, Tappahannock, Kilmarnock and Gloucester.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Mason Conservative: Jim Gilmore was there to fight for the GOP

2008-08-20T13:30:00.001-04:00

Chris over at Mason Conservative directs a post at Tom Davis and his -- should we call it bitterness? -- at not being the candidate running for the U.S. Senate seat.

Chris nails it and says exactly what I have been feeling about this race with his response to a commenter who (typically) blames conservative Republicans for the woes of the Republican Party. Chris responds:

If Tom Davis is mad at conservatives, he's mad at the wrong people. There were plenty of us rearing to go for him at the Richmond convention this year, and as Jim Gilmore's close victory of a state delegate proves, he was vunerable.

Things are easy when you're running unopposed or win by 30 points. When things got tough, Tom Davis went home. Jim Gilmore didn't. And maybe Gilmore gets demolished in November, but he made a fight out of this race when not one major player in the state GOP would. Not Cantor, Forbes, Drake, Allen, Warner, Bolling, McDonnell - none of them took on this fight. Gilmore did. So if Tom Davis is angry, he should be angry at himself. [emphasis added]

I am disturbed at the lack of Republican leadership to step forward and campaign on Jim Gilmore's behalf. It is time to expose Mark Warner, much as the man before the curtain was exposed in The Wizard of Oz. I maintain that Warner is vulnerable especially if the entire Republican Party of Virginia stood in solidarity against him.

That lack of solidarity has not gone unnoticed to the grassroots volunteers.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Jim Gilmore ~Rockingham County Fair~

2008-08-16T21:25:00.005-04:00

Senate Candidate Jim Gilmore was at the Rockingham County Fair today and walked the entire fair grounds where he spent hours meeting and talking with Virginians about the upcoming elections...

Harrisonburg \ Rockingham Republican Party hosted the campaign booth and did an outstanding job representing the local, state, and national Republican Candidates running in the upcoming November elections...

Stopped at the Marine Corps League where he bought a ticket to support the league's "Toys for Tots" program...

Walked the majority of the fairgrounds with Lowell Barb who is running for the Commissioner of the Revenue for Rockingham County...

Chug, chug, chug, brrrrrrrr! The Warnerese-English translator is back!

2008-08-06T12:32:00.002-04:00

Mark Warner is not happy that Senate Republicans put the kibosh on $10 billion in wasteful government spending. So he decided to say so, but as always, he spoke in his own native tongue (Warnerese). Out comes the translator to put it in English for everyone!

The entire quote comes from Lowell over at RK. Most of it can be found on Renaissance Ruminations. For the uninitiated, the Warnerese is in regular type; the English version is in bold and italics.

It seems like Washington politicians spend so much time keeping score they sometimes forget why they were sent there in the first place.
It seems like Washington politicians spend so much time keeping an eye on the budget that they don’t understand we should spend money like water as I did with Medicaid when I was Governor.
This session, one Senator used a procedural tactic to single-handedly block nearly
three dozen overwhelmingly popular bills - everything from protecting children from sexual predators to investigating unsolved civil rights murders.
This session, one Senator used a procedural tactic to single-handedly block nearly three dozen bills that spent over $10 billion for duplicative and unnecessary programs with nice sounding names because he wanted the costs offset or the duplicative programs eliminated. Doesn’t he know that efficient government means fewer mistakes that I can use as excuses for even more government programs?
The bills were bundled together for Senate authorization this week, and even though the legislation did not cost a dime, it was filibustered.
The bills were bundled together by Harry Reid in an omnibus, and because of the $10 billion price tag (and Reid’s refusal to take up oil drilling), it was filibustered. Where’s John Chichester when you need him?
This is a powerful reminder of how far we must go to get Washington functioning again.
This is a powerful reminder of how far we must go to get you rubes to hand us ever increasing amounts of your money again.
As governor, I worked across party lines to deliver results. And I need your help to bring that same approach to Washington. By investing in my campaign, you can send a message that we need to point our country in a new direction.
As governor, I broke the bank on Medicaid and convincec a few RINOs to raise your taxes to pay for it. You need to pay me now so you can pay me later, and I can send a message that we need to point our government budget back in the old direction - way up!

As always, I’m glad to be of service.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Time to Circle the Wagons…

2008-08-02T21:08:00.001-04:00

You know over the past few months something has been really bothering me and I had to get it off my chest…ever since I read about former state delegate Vince Callahan endorsing Warner for Senate. Delegate Callahan has been followed by former state senator John Chichester, former state delegate Preston Bryan, and I am sure more
so-called “Republicans for Warner” are to come. But there’s the rub for me…when do these guys shed the Republican label? Does being a Republican elected official mean anything anymore?

Back in the heady days of the late 1990’s when Governor Gilmore carried many of these “Republicans for Warner” into power they were all too eager to grab a share of the credit for cutting the car tax and balancing the budget and keeping the Commonwealth the most business friendly state in the nation – yet now when the going gets tough these “Republicans for Warner” abandon our candidate and Party when they’re needed most.

With Warner leading Governor Gilmore in cash on hand by a vast margin, with Warner vowing to keep us dependent on foreign oil and natural gas, with Warner telling half truths and outright lies about his record on the budget (see the $6 Billion canard) these “Republicans for Warner” are trying to hand a Senate seat over to what would become the most liberal occupant in the Commonwealth’s history.

Now some call these “Republicans for Warner” Republicans in Name Only…I’m not even that kind. Being a Republican in Virginia has got to mean something…at minimum you have to support the candidate who was duly nominated by our state party. If you can’t bring yourself to do that then have the decency to discard the Republican label and join the other party.

Today ... Jim Gilmore in Charlottesville

2008-07-30T07:30:00.001-04:00

U.S. Senate candidate Jim Gilmore will be in Charlottesville today, Wednesday, July 30, at 2:45 p.m. If you are in the area, be sure to stop by and welcome our Republican candidate.

Sam's Kitchen is located at 1403 Emmett Street (just south of the Rt. 250 bypass across from Bodo's). Drop by or, if you know you can make it, give a shout to Debbie.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

I Wish Mark Warner Had the Guts....

2008-07-28T19:24:00.003-04:00

To really let his inner Liberal come out. Back when he was the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia he was more honest about his true feelings, consider:

The Gilmore campaign distributed a quote Mark Warner made on May 25, 1994 attacking the NRA. In the quote, Mark Warner said: “One of the things you are going to see is a coalition that is just about completely taken over the Republican Party in this state and if they have their way it's going to take over state government. It is made up of the Christian Coalition, but not just them. It is made up of the right-to-lifers, but not just them. It's made up of the NRA, but not just them. It is made up of the home schoolers, but not just them. It's made up of a whole coalition of people that have all sorts of differing views that I think most of us in this room would find threatening to what it means to be an American.”

Now this is Mr. twenty (20) point lead in the polls. Why can't he be honest with us all, and just give these stump speeches again? Jeff Frederick the Republican Party Chairman has nothing to hide in his ideology. It must be good to go through life not knowing you are hoodwinking, deceiving and lying to every one at every opportunity.

Mark Warner has been contradicted by . . . Mark Warner

2008-07-24T17:14:00.002-04:00

Former Governor and current Senate candidate Mark Warner has been spouting for months that he had to raise taxes on Virginians in 2004 in order to balance the budget (perhaps you've seen him mention this on TV). Well, now we have found someone who can put that nonsense to rest.

His name? Why, it's Mark Warner! Here's what I mean (Heartland Institute, emphasis added):

The governor’s proposed biennial budget includes nearly an 8 percent increase in FY 2005 and nearly 4.5 percent increase in FY 2006. The governor has suggested the $1 billion tax package is needed to prevent cuts in the budget, fully fund Medicaid, re-fund the rainy day fund, and implement “standards of quality” (SOQ) improvements in education.

Now, "fully fund Medicaid" sounds innocent enough, but in reality it meant continuing Warner's policy of expanding socialized medicine, a plan that added over $1.5 billion in spending to the FY05-06 budget, more than Warner's entire tax increase.

Mark Warner knew even in 2004 that his tax increase was not necessary, but he hid the new spending behind the "fully fund Medicaid" phrase in the hope that voters, the press, and legislators wouldn't notice, and it worked - until last weekend.

I've asked before; I'll ask again. Do we really want a Senator who busted the state's finances in order to move Virginia closer to the "single payer" health nightmare? Wouldn't it be better to vote for the guy who refused to do this?

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Bloggers 4 Jim Gilmore adds 23rd, 24th & 25th bloggers

2008-07-24T14:08:00.001-04:00

Three new bloggers just joined Bloggers 4 Jim Gilmore. J.R. Hoeft from Bearing Drift, Jason Biebeau, of The Augusta Water Cooler, and Eric Martin's On The Spot.

Even though the MSM is trying it's best to convince Republicans that they just need to roll over and give this US Senate seat to Warner; reality is that Bloggers are the faithful. Bloggers care enough to get involved, and fight it out in primaries, because they care about the direction of their Party. Now it's becoming more and more evident that even though we had our differences; this US Senate race is ultimately about the direction of Virginia and this Nation!

Governor Gilmore was a solid Conservative who advanced smaller government, lower taxation, Pro-Gun, & Pro-Life legislation his entire career. He is reviled by the left, and RINO's in his own party for delivering the largest and longest lasting tax cut in Virginia's History.

He refused to socialize health care in the Old Dominion, and he will fight it in the US Senate. Mark Warner has proven he wants Hillary Care, is against off-shore Drilling (no matter what he says this week), and drilling in ANWR.

Governor Gilmore is second to none on National Security credentials, where Mark Warner was a cell phone salesman...

Thank You one and all Conservative Bloggers, and if there are more of you, again there's no secret handshake, get in touch with us, and if you truly support Governor Gilmore you're welcome under our tent.

Again this is a solid indicator, that the GOP base will come around and get behind Gilmore's candidacy. As for the RINO's who want to hold out, you better remember you're helping a Liberal in Conservative's clothing to raise personal income tax rates, capital gains, and corporate taxes, socialize healthcare, and continue the same energy policy that has given us $4 a gallon gasoline.

How is that going to help your big businesses? Keep pouring money into a guy who will take us that much closer to socialism... so your grand kids can look at you and say... Gee GrandDaddy, why did it all get so screwed up? What did you do grand daddy? Why did you support Warner? He was never a Conservative, he just played one on TV.... and with your donation money to boot!

Warner rock star treatment ... Staunton NL questions use of non-profit facilities

2008-07-22T17:30:00.000-04:00

"How come Gilmore wasn't invited for a celebrity jaunt in the famous limo? " -- Staunton News Leader, 7/22/08

I can't believe I'm going to say this but ... I agree with today's Staunton News Leader editorial. In fact, I wrote about this issue twice last week on this blog, questioning the use of tax-subsidized non-profit organizations and city resources to welcome a political candidate who, in this case, happened to be Mark Warner who is running against my candidate of choice, Jim Gilmore.

The NL editorial board also looked questioningly on the red carpet treatment that was afforded Mark Warner at the expense of taxpayers. They wrote:

... what looked out of place was Beverley Street closed down so Warner could use a microphone outside the Dixie Theatre and tell his supporters what he would do for Virginia if elected. He didn't seem like a politician stumping for support — he looked more like a celebrity offering his fans cherished face time.

Not only was Beverley Street closed down but the parking in that entire block of the Dixie Threater was blocked the day before which disrupted shopping at all the stores along that end of the street. The microphone set up on the stage on the street that Warner used to address 50-75 people made me wonder if Democrats thought more people would show up ... otherwise, that small group could fit inside the Dixie Theater.

Saying they have nothing against candidates campaigning through the Valley, the News Leader added:

But when the city and publicly funded entities like the Dixie Theatre and Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library roll out the red carpet for a campaigning politician, something is wrong.
...
The Staunton Performing Arts Center put in the request to have Beverley Street closed, and it was done. Then he was whisked away for a ride in President Wilson's Pierce-Arrow for a trip to the presidential library. The pomp and circumstance would be wonderful for an elected representative who has actually gotten something done for the library, but for a candidate? How come Gilmore wasn't invited for a celebrity jaunt in the famous limo?
...
When taxpayer money supports organizations, their respective boards need to be careful how they get played by political parties welcoming candidates.

Wonder how much taxpayer money was spent to have police on standby and the street closed down ... wonder how much revenue was lost by local businesses who suffered through blocked parking on Wednesday and a blocked street on Thursday ... wonder how much it cost the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Blackfriars to open their facilities and welcome Mark Warner? How much did it cost to have the Pierce-Arrow carry Mark Warner around town?

And, most of all, I wonder who made the decisions for all of this to take place.

See McCloskey's political cartoon.
See Chris' post here.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Hollywood liberals backing Mark Warner

2008-07-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

Mark Warner received financial donations from extreme Hollywood liberals such as Barbra Streisand, Norman Lear, and Bette Midler. Why, you may ask, are they interested in contributing to someone running for senator from Virginia? They want to see Virginia turn purple or even blue and are willing to put their $$ behind that to build a force nationwide.

When a conservative plunks down his/her hard-earned money to see one of these entertainers or their productions, Hollywood liberals are taking your money and using it against you in our senate race.

Hollywood liberals are backing Mark Warner who does not want to drill off-shore or in ANWR to relieve gasoline prices at the pump. Hollywood liberals are contributing to the stone-walling of preventing energy exploration in this country while foreign oil interests continue to rake in our fuel dollars and drill off our shores.

Do you want Mark Warner and his Hollywood liberal-backing friends to represent the people of Virginia? Or would you rather have Jim Gilmore from his blue-collar Henrico County, Virginia, background who has worked hard over the years to represent you while serving in the Army, while serving as a prosecutor in Henrico, while serving at Attorney General for Virginians, and then while serving as Governor where he campaigned on the "no car tax" promise ... and kept it?

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Who can Virginians trust?

2008-07-22T09:47:00.000-04:00

Mark Warner's Lack of Straight Talk during the Homestead Debate

The Jim Gilmore for Senate Campaign issued the following statement today citing the lack of straight talk from Mark Warner during the first Virginia U.S. Senate campaign debate held this past weekend at The Homestead in Hot Springs.

"During the debate, Mark Warner told us that while he was governor he "'leveled with the people of Virginia' about why he raised their taxes $1.4 billion in 2004," said Gilmore for Senate Communications Director Ana Gamonal.

"Yet the facts show that after having pledged repeatedly during his campaign for Governor that he would not raise taxes, Mark Warner did just that despite having received letters earlier in 2004 from his Secretary of Finance, John M. Bennett that showed state revenues were on the increase prior to passage of the largest tax increase in Virginia's history."

"Mark Warner also claimed during the debate that the tax hike he obtained, despite growing evidence of a state surplus, helped set the 'course straight for Virginia's future', yet as recently as last week current Gov. Tim Kaine announced the need to re-set the current budget due to an imminent budget shortfall," Gamonal said.

"What this shows is what Virginia's working families know all too well, Mark Warner is a typical ’say anything to get elected politician' who hasn’t been truthful with the people of Virginia," Gamonal said."

-- From the Jim Gilmore for Senate campaign

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Jim Gilmore bloggers conference today

2008-07-21T22:30:00.000-04:00

New Media Strategies sponsored a brick-and-mortar/phone press conference with Governor Jim Gilmore Monday afternoon. With 25 bloggers in the room and another half dozen on the phone, Jim Gilmore had the opportunity to address familiar issues and to address issues that were raised by those participating in the conference.

I would like to thank New Media Strategies for the invitation to sit in (by phone) on what I consider to be one of the better phone conferences I have participated in. It was, by no means, the first time Gov. Gilmore has met with the bloggers; in fact, this was probably the fourth or fifth time since the nomination process was decided. He has been very accessible.

The Governor has an understanding of the internet and bloggers, having chaired a committee that studied the possibility of internet taxation for three years. Not only did the committee debate the pros and cons of taxing the internet ... and, thankfully, they decided against doing that ... they created new policies on internet technology.

He also understands the importance of the internet in communication. Communication, he said, is everything ... especially in politics where it is essential to get the word out ... disseminate information ... be in touch with the citizens. Communication goes to the heart of it all. Bloggers are able to get the message to the people in a way the mainstream media cannot and often will not. Bloggers can begin a conversation and have ongoing debate while print media is limited in what it can do.

He reiterated his stand as he did at Saturday's debate at the Homestead ... trust and energy are his biggest concerns because the people of Virginia are in distress and expressed concern over high gas prices preventing home purchases and cutting deeply into their financial resources.

But the question that I found the most interesting was from a blogger who wanted to know what we should be doing for terrorism preparedness on the home front that we are not doing. Since Gov. Gilmore had chaired the Gilmore Commission on Terrorism prior to 9/11, he was very well-versed on what he felt we should be doing to be prepared for future attacks, and my interest is probably in the fact that homeland security is my number one issue.

Communication again came up ... he said the bloggers and the internet would be vital in disseminating information about a threat. He said people needed to be alerted to the nature of an attack, what to expect, and how to respond if there is an attack because it needed to be put it in the proper perspective to avoid panic. The internet could be essential to getting the word out.

Gilmore, who blogs at the Virginia Patriot and who was the only presidential candidate to have a blog last year, said he saw no reason to stop blogging if elected to the U.S. Senate because blogging offers a way to reach out and talk with people.

He talked a long while on energy and the need for the U.S. to become energy independent by drilling for oil and gas in ANWR and off-shore. The Chinese, after all, are drilling with the Cubans off our coast and, with 112 billion barrels of oil available in the U.S., drilling must be done. Other energy resources to be developed include conservation of energy, alternative resources such as wind power and solar, the use of coal and other natural resources, nuclear power, and building refineries. But the heart of the matter, he said, is to bring in that domestic oil that is available in the U.S.

Great phone conference, great opportunity to hear from Gov. Gilmore, and again I'd like to thank New Media Strategies for the invitation.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Energy, taxes, & trust dominate Homestead debate

2008-07-21T14:46:00.001-04:00

Update from Jim Gilmore for Senate campaign about Saturday's debate at the Homestead....

Energy, taxes dominate first debate ... The News Leader:
HOT SPRINGS — Who do you trust, Virginia? That was the central theme Saturday as former Virginia governors Jim Gilmore and Mark Warner squared off in their first senatorial debate as they battle to succeed retiring Republican Sen. John Warner. Energy policy and taxes dominated the hour-long debate at the Homestead resort. Gilmore, the Republican candidate, repeatedly touted his plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and hammered Warner over tax increases during his term as governor, while Warner emphasized his opposition to drilling in ANWR and attacked Gilmore for his "Drill Now, Drill Here" approach.

"We have to have a United States that has a decisive energy policy," Gilmore said, which, he added, includes more domestic oil production by drilling in ANWR and starting increased offshore oil exploration.

Read more from The News Leader.

Who do you trust? Jim Gilmore kept his promise to reduce taxes. Mark Warner promised to not raise taxes and then broke his word. See Mark Warner's 2001 promise here.

Gilmore, Warner clash over tax plans, energy ... The Washington Times
Mr. Gilmore cited publicly available letters from 2004 from Virginia Secretary of Finance John M. Bennett showing that state revenues were on the increase prior to passage of Mr. Warner's landmark tax package - an initiative that contradicted Mr. Warner's campaign pledge. He also accused Mr. Warner of changing his stance on drilling to help reduce gas prices, saying the Democrat has only recently included offshore oil exploration in his energy plan.

Read more from The Washington Times.

Just like 2001, Mark Warner is changing his positions. See footage of Mark Warner shifting positions here. On the flip side, Jim Gilmore is a straight forward leader who does what he says he is going to do.

Gilmore, Warner mix it up at debate ... The Daily Press
Gilmore sought to pin down his opponent on offshore drilling, where the two men have fundamentally different views. Given voter outrage over high gas prices, it has emerged as the top policy issue and will likely continue to grab headlines as the campaign heads to the fall. Gilmore favors drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off the U.S. coast. He says increased domestic oil production is the quickest route to reducing the cost of gas because it will send a message to oil markets that the U.S. is serious about energy independence. Warner is against drilling in the Arctic because Congress set aside that area as a refuge and because of security concerns over the required pipeline. He favors lifting the federal moratorium on offshore drilling and allowing individual states to decide the matter. Gilmore said the Democrat's position on offshore drilling was "all fuzzed up."

Read more from the Daily Press.

Round 1: Gilmore scores one on Warner at Homestead debate ... SWAC Girl
Gilmore, in my opinion, hit the ball out of the park when he reiterated the 2004 tax issue. Gilmore said that in 2004 Warner pushed for a $4 billion tax increase that he had told Virginians he would not ask for and, while the issue was being debated in the General Assembly, his own secretary of finance notified him that state revenues were growing at an amazing rate ... 22.5% in March and another 22.5% in April ... but Warner kept that information to himself and did not tell the people of Virginia.

Read more of SWAC Girl's debate coverage here.

Jim Gilmore is a candidate you can trust to keep his promises to the people of Virginia. Mark Warner has a history of making promises and breaking them once elected. Let's elect a prinicpled leader who does what he says he is going to do.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Round 1: Gilmore scores one on Warner at Homestead debate

2008-07-20T15:35:00.004-04:00

The mainstream media have turned in their reports on Saturday's debate at the Homestead between Republican Jim Gilmore and Democrat Mark Warner, and the general consensus was the debate was a draw.

Think about it. The MSM cannot bring themselves to say that Jim Gilmore scored more points and won that debate. The media's "protective bubble" around Mark Warner continues ... but Jim Gilmore is ready to pop that bubble with hard-hitting facts that, until now, have been mainly ignored by many in the press.

Gov. Gilmore punched hard at energy issues and the need for Virginians to be able to trust their leaders. At times he left Warner looking uncomfortable as the verbal barbs went back and forth between these two former Virginia governors ... one who has been scrutinized to the nth degree by the media ... the other who has been largely given a pass.

This debate was reminiscent of two years ago when the Virginia Bar Association hosted the Allen-Webb debate in the same room. Refreshments were set up outside the room so folks were able to mingle and talk while sipping a last cup of coffee or other caffeinated beverage ... and snacking on a large Homestead cookie ... call it "breakfast dessert."

The actual debate set-up was different ... stage was at opposite end of the room than it was in 2006. While Allen stood on the left and Webb on the right sides of the stage that year, this time it was the way it should be for a Republican ... Jim Gilmore was on the right side and Warner was on the left. It was a good crowd and much media coverage.

The introduction:
Shortly after 11:00 the announcer welcomed everyone for being there and then, to introduce the candidates who were waiting out-of-sight, he first called Gov. Jim Gilmore's name. Applause, applause, applause ... but no Jim Gilmore. I was looking in the direction the media had their platoon of cameras pointed because I figured they knew something I didn't but after about 15 seconds or so and no sighting of Gov. Gilmore, I looked to the left -- nothing. Then back to the right, then scanned the doors to see if he was coming in from the back of the room and maybe shaking hands along the way. The applause died down ... still no governor. I laughed and thought to myself, "I've seen this in the movies!" The announcer told the crowd there was an audio problem so everyone talked amongst themselves as they waited. Shad Plank has the explanation of the audio issue that caused the delay.

The second introduction:
When everything was ready to go, the announcer again introduced, first, Gov. Gilmore and then Gov. Warner. They both came out to applause, waved at the audience, and took their places on stage. After a few instructions from the moderator, David Broder of the Washington Post, we were ready to go.

What stood out about Governor Gilmore's message?
I heard two themes from Jim Gilmore: who do you trust to keep his word, and energy.

Do you trust the man who told you 20 times to your face that he would not raise taxes, and then pushed through the largest tax increase in Virginia history (while the state was enjoying a substantial surplus), or the guy who said he would cut the odious car tax, and followed through by doing it?

Gilmore believes in tapping into domestic energy sources in ANWR and off-shore as well as renewable resources such as wind power and solar to ease the burden on Virginia's citizens.

What stood out about Governor Warner's message?
Mark Warner is lining himself up with McCain and John Warner. He mentioned their names throughout the debate while, interestingly, no Democrat names were mentioned except while answering the question about Al Gore's demands for climate change.

Warner had gimmicky words such as calling Gilmore's visions "gimmicks." When Gilmore held him to answering questions, Warner on several occasions resorted to saying Gilmore was "name-calling" to which Gilmore finally looked at him and said, " Saying you're a 'name-caller' is a way of calling names." Zing. The first question out of the box basically asked Mark Warner what made him think, after being defeated while running against Sen. John Warner before, that the citizens of Virginia wanted him now? The first thing out of Warner's mouth was, "John Warner is a great friend."

Mark Warner is definitely hoping to ride on those John Warner coat tails.

Largest tax increase in Virginia history:
Back to the largest tax increase in Virginia history, I am shocked the MSM hasn't picked up more on this subject. As I said before, many of them have kept Warner in a protective bubble since he was governor, not asking the hard questions or following through with research. Bob Stuart at the Waynesboro News Virginian has a good article in today's paper about the debate with equal scrutiny of each candidate.

When the candidates could ask each other a question, Gilmore, in my opinion, hit the ball out of the park when he reiterated the 2004 tax issue.

Gilmore said that in 2004 Warner pushed for a $4 billion tax increase that he had told Virginians he would not ask for and, while the issue was being debated in the General Assembly, his own secretary of finance notified him that state revenues were growing at an amazing rate ... 22.5% in March and another 22.5% in April ... but Warner kept that information to himself and did not tell the people of Virginia. He allowed the largest tax increase in Virginia history to go through even while he knew we were in a surplus. Why, Gilmore asked, didn't Mark Warner tell Virginians the state was doing well financially instead of digging deeper into their pockets for more taxes?

Warner's face turned red and little white splotches popped out on his jaw. His response? The legislature had the same access to those reports and numbers that he did, and then talked out his two-minute time limit with filler. Then Jim Gilmore looked at him and smiled, looked at the audience and said, "He didn't answer why he kept the citizens in the dark. It was a $3 billion surplus" (paraphrasing). I wrote in my notes at this point, "Warner looked uncomfortable." Jim Gilmore reiterated that need for trust between Virginia's elected officials and citizens.

Energy was another subject Gilmore was able to pound on because Mark Warner is vulnerable due to that 2005 veto of an off-shore drilling bill that passed the General Assembly and landed on his desk ... only to be deep-sixed by Warner. If that bill had passed, we would not be hearing that it will be another 10 years before we see any results from drilling; instead, we could now be down to six years or five years or less ... if Mark Warner had been proactive on the energy issue. But he wasn't, and Virginians are now suffering with $4-a-gallon gasoline.

Duck-and-weave: Warner would not give a straight-forward answer to whether he agreed with drilling off-shore. His answers were so vague that it was difficult to follow his thought process, and impossible to come to a definite conclusion. Is he ... or isn't he for drilling off-shore? He won't say "yes" or "no." Remember ... his reason for the 2005 veto for off-shore drilling was reportedly to keep the Sierra Club happy.

ANWR: Gilmore then reiterated his belief in drilling in ANWR which Warner is against. Did Warner explain why? No, but he said he was in agreement with John McCain on that issue. Riding coat tails again....

Is Mark Warner vulnerable? I believe he is for a number of reasons including his broken promises about taxes in 2004, his veto of the off-shore drilling bill in 2005, and other facts that will come out in the weeks ahead.

I have heard that Mark Warner is personable. That's wonderful ... but I am not voting for personality. I am voting for leadership ... and Jim Gilmore has that proven leadership. If we have bombs exploding in this country, I want Jim Gilmore's experience as governor of Virginia during the tragedy of 9/11 and his experience on the 9/11 Commission and in Army intelligence to help keep Americans safe. If we have terrorists exploding dirty bombs and flying airplanes into buildings here at home, nothing -- nothing -- else will matter because we will be dead.

Jim Gilmore won Saturday's debate on facts and issues.

The press crushed around Jim Gilmore for 30 minutes or more after the debate. I finally got this photo after seeing only the backs of media heads for a long while.

The media asked questions of Mark Warner, too, and then he left the room while Jim Gilmore was still surrounded and responding to media questions. Gilmore stayed and answered them all.

Previous article ... Busy Blogging Day ... Homestead debate and Churchville parade

Lunch....

What is not to love about the Homestead. The historic beauty of the resort that was begun in 1766 ... the beauty of the surrounding mountains (seen reflected in the windows) ... the coolness of the mountain air (although one thermometer read 94 degrees on Saturday) ... the slowed-down pace of relaxing and rocking on the huge front porch.... The Republican Advance will be held there in December ... the 25th anniversary ... and we will be back.

Photos by SWAC Girl & SWAC Daughter

Cross posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

So THAT'S where all the money went in Virginia

2008-07-19T23:17:00.005-04:00

The Gilmore-Warner Senate debate this morning will certainly have plenty of material for the Warnerese-English translator, but there was one point of disagreement that piqued my curiosity (excerpt from Vivian Paige, emphasis added):

Warner: Let’s revisit one of the issues that was one of the ideological hot buttons for you, Jim. It was your reluctance to support any kind of children’s health insurance program. Even though the legislature said please let’s put in place this children’s health insurance program you said it offended your philosophical positions. Instead Virginia during your term sent back 56 million in federal dollars that were supposed to come into Virginia that instead got spent in other states to sign up kids for children’s health insurance. Jim was that the right decision, to not sign up those kids for children’s health insurance?
Gilmore: Here’s the answer, Mark. We established that FAMIS program and started it, and we actually created a program that was correct philosophically and in terms of what was best for families. It was a private health insurance, families had to have some responsibility of their own and pay a co-payment. It was not a welfare program, and gave people the dignity to know that they were taking care of themselves with the assistance of a state program like FAMIS. But when Mark Warner came in he concluded that the measure of success was simply putting people on a government welfare program and as a result he lowered the thresholds and then signed everybody up into Medicaid. And what happened was this program went up because everybody went on Medicaid the numbers on Medicaid went up. And that’s what the difference is that he hasn’t told you today. But it reflective of something. And the question is, what are the health care policies that we’re going to face in the United States Senate. Barack Obama has come forward with a health care plan that is gonna say that employers have to pay to play and that in fact they have to offer a certain type of program or they will be taxed if they are an employer, and government will impose that on you. It says that insurance companies have to offer particular kinds of benefits and control certain types of programs. And then for extra measure he puts in a government-controlled program which will squeeze out private insurance. And in fact the more Medicaid goes up like Mark’s type of program, the harder it is on private insurance options. And so the question I’ve got for you Mark, when you get to the United States Senate are you going to be supporting Barack Obama’s health care program, or will you be supporting John McCain and myself, who want to put in place a more private kind of program, a private program that creates associations and more opportunities for private care, and more opportunities for guaranteed admission into private programs, so that in fact you can utilize the private sector, or you gonna go to in fact this type of government control that Barack Obama would like to do? And I think
that’s the fundamental question that we have to ask and I think we already know the answer, because when the time came on SCHIP and FAMIS, you put ‘em in a government program.

Now, as you can see, this is a serious ideological difference, but after noticing that, another thought quickly came into my head - if Warner expanded Medicaid like that, it should show up in budget numbers. So, after doing some digging, I found out where Medicaid spending shows up in the budget (Department of Medical Assistance Services), and started looking at the changes from budget to budget. Here's what I found (Dept. of Planning and Budget):

Fiscal Year DMAS Spending Increase
2003 $3,719,897,469 13.7%
2004 $4,030,280,698 8.3%
2005 $4,563,474,648 13.2%
2006 $4,921,099,602 7.8%
2007 $5,320,510,865 8.1%
2008 $5,662,663,577 6.4%
2009 (Projected) $5,841,781,048 3.2%
2010 (Projected) $6,165,171,257 5.5%

As you can see, the increases were quite dramatic during Warner's term (FY2003-FY2006). Certainly, Warner's decision to turn Gilmore's private-insurance plan into another part Medicaid had something to do with that. The question is, how much?

Well, while it's impossible to know the exact budgetary numbers if Gilmore's plan had been maintained, I calculated what the increases would have been if the numbers were just held to population growth (averaged at 1.2% a year) and inflation. I should note that I did not use the regular CPI, but the health care CPI as calculated by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The resulting numbers were as follows:

Fiscal Year Health Care Inf. Pop. Growth Spending growth Proj. Spending Diff. from Actual
2003 4.6% 1.2% 5.9% $3,463,755,841 $256,141,628
2004 4.6% 1.2% 5.9% $3,666,565,673 $363,715,025
2005 4.0% 1.2% 5.2% $3,858,987,039 $704,487,609
2006 4.4% 1.2% 5.7% $4,077,127,859 $843,971,743
2007 4.2% 1.2% 5.5% $4,299,347,635 $1,021,163,230
2008 4.0% 1.2% 5.2% $4,524,977,399 $1,137,686,178
2009 Budget # used 3.2% $4,668,108,365 $1,173,672,683
2010 Budget # used 5.5% $4,926,526,222 $1,238,645,035

The numbers are mind-boggling. The extra $1.55 billion for FY05-06 is more than Warner's entire tax hike. Over the entire eight years, the difference is $6.74 billion - $2.2B more than raised by Warner's tax hike over that six year period. Imagine how that $2.2 million could have been improved, say, our transportation network.

So, if you want to know why your taxes went up, and (for Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads) why you're snarled in traffic, today's debate gave the answer: it was so Mark Warner could knock out low-income private health insurance and expand government controlled health care.

Do we really want to reward the author of this costly and ideological mistake with a seat in the U.S. Senate? Shouldn't we instead choose the fellow who tried to prevent this budget-buster?

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Will the Real Mark Warner PLEASE Stand Up

2008-07-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

As we await today's debate between former Virginia Governors Mark Warner and Jim Gilmore, we have to ask - Which Mark Warner will we see today?

Virginia's media loves this guy almost as much as Barack Obama.

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Mark Warner -- Two Lies in 16 Seconds

2008-07-19T09:17:00.000-04:00

Marky Mark from his 2001 gubernatorial debate with Mark Earley:

First lie, "I will finish the repeal of the car tax."

Second lie, "I will not raise taxes."

Will he be able to beat this record in Saturday's debate with Jim Gilmore? I wouldn't bet against it!

Mark Warner Campaign Admits It Is Devoid Of Substance

2008-07-19T09:13:00.000-04:00

From yesterday's WashTimes:

Warner spokesman Kevin Hall -- "Governor Warner also is eager to offer the contrast with his opponent in leadership style."

There you have it. We've been saying all along that Marky Mark is all style and no substance. Now we have the admission from his own campaign that they are completely devoid of meaning.

We've been hammering this home for months, going back to January when Marky Mark's campaign website had NO issues listed on it at all and merely had holiday greetings and "Go Hokies!" on it. In fact, Mark Warner's campaigns remind me of a scene from the movie "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." Just before Bill and Ted appear in the auditorium in front of their classmates from San Dimis High to give their history presentation, there is a jock giving his. It is obvious that his presentation is completely vapid and everyone is starting to snooze. Then, at the very end, he adds, "San Dimis football RULES!" and the whole place errupts in applause. THAT is the model for Warner's campaigns.

The only way Marky Mark can win an election (and don't forget, he is only 1 for 3 -- lost '96 senate race, won '01 gov. race, dropped out of '08 presidential before any votes were even cast but after opening offices) is if can get away without having to address substantive issues. When forced to deal with them, he lies.

Someone needs to put the question to Marky Mark that the media put to Ted Kennedy in 1980 when he was running for president -- Exactly why DO you want to be elected to this position?

My hunch is, given that Marky Mark is running for this position in order to BE a senator, not to DO anything specific, his answer will be as vapid as that jock's presentation in "Bill and Ted."

Gone to the debate....

2008-07-19T09:10:00.001-04:00

I'm heading out this morning to the Jim Gilmore-Mark Warner debate at the Homestead. Set to begin at 11:00 a.m., it is a short drive west from my front door to the resort through the beautiful Alleghany Mountains. Since internet connections may be spotty, not sure if I'll be able to blog from there but will have updates later today.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Let the games begin! Gilmore-Warner debate Saturday at Homestead

2008-07-18T22:23:00.000-04:00

Let the games begin! Saturday is the first debate between Republican Jim Gimore and Democrat Mark Warner for the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. John Warner (R).

While polling numbers show former Gov. Gilmore trailing by double digits, no one should count him out of this game. Besides being a fighter, he has many facts on his side that have been conveniently ignored by many in the media ... and I am sure he will be pulling them out when he goes face-to-face with his opponent.

And before becomes too cocky about Mark Warner running away with this contest ... a reminder that almost exactly two years ago Sen. George Allen faced newcomer Jim Webb in the same ballroom at the Homestead. George Allen was the redwood of the Virginia Republican forest and everyone assumed he would win.

A few weeks after that debate history was rewritten, proving that even perceived giants can be toppled. We never know what information, tidbit, sighting, even some unknown word can bring a candidate to his knees.

So don't write off Jim Gilmore yet. We still have four months to go and, as proven in 2006, a lot can happen in four months.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Stuarts Draft Fireman's Parade ~2008~

2008-07-18T21:14:00.003-04:00

Augusta County GOP activist Chris Green and I decided to work the crowd at the Stuarts Draft Fireman's Parade and found many voters interested in talking about Jim Gilmore and his history regarding the car tax issue and drilling for known oil reserves off the virginia coast.

Stuarts Draft is part of the South River District which also includes Sherando and Lyndhurst and historically is a very strong conservative Republican area.

Even with getting to the parade early to work the parade lines we found that we became engaged with numerous people who wanted to talk issues about the upcoming Senate race in Virginia. Many times the conversation turned towards the energy issue and these voters noted that then Democratic Governor Mark Warner pulled out the "Veto-Pen" in 2005 when there was a bill on his desk to drill for known oil reserves off of the coast of Virginia...

Gilmore Brings Working Families Tour to Arlington on Monday

2008-07-18T16:32:00.001-04:00

Alexandria – Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, Virginia candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner, will be taking his Working Families Tour to New Media Strategies, Inc. in Arlington. In addition to touring the New Media Strategies facility, Gov. Gilmore will take part in a digital press conference for bloggers.

All credentialed media are invited to attend.

WHO: Former Governor Jim Gilmore, U.S. Senate candidate

WHAT: Jim Gilmore Working Family Tour of New Media Strategies, Inc.
and Digital Press Conference for Bloggers

WHEN: Monday, July 21, 2008
Working Tour at 3:00 P.M.
Digital Press Conference at 3:15 P.M.

WHERE: 1100 Wilson Blvd, Suite 1400, Arlington, VA 22209

New Media Strategies pioneered the Online Intelligence, Brand Promotion and Brand Protection industry over nine years ago. Paving the way since 1999, NMS provides leading corporations and brands with “eyes, ears and a voice” online in over forty of the top industries. NMS has been named one of the fastest growing companies in America by “Inc.” magazine for three years in a row and has been recognized as one of the “best places to work” in Virginia. NMS employs over 85 employees in the Northern Virginia area and is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

Is Mark Warner vulnerable?

2008-07-18T16:30:00.000-04:00

Is Mark Warner vulnerable in his bid for the U.S. Senate seat?

The press build-up of Warner has provided a protective bubble around him since his days as governor of Virginia.

After all, how else could he have gotten away with saying he would not raise our taxes, even going so far as to say, "You can ask me 20 more times and I will still say I won't raise taxes," and not be held accountable by the press when he pushed through the largest tax increase in Virginia history? How did he live to see another political day?

Without the press protecting him, how else was he able to veto an off-shore oil drilling bill for Virginia while Governor ... but not be held accountable for it now that he is running for higher office? At a time when gas prices are at an all-time high, he is now trying to suggest that he is for off-shore drilling. Read the fine print ... no, he's not ... but the press does not hold him accountable for it.

How else has Mark Warner been successful in spinning his record in the Governor's Mansion without being questioned by sharp-eyed reporters? While Jim Gilmore tries to set the record straight, the media turn a blind eye to it and continue to build up Warner.

But even with the media's help ... is Mark Warner vulnerable? Could he be defeated in November by Jim Gilmore, whom many have written off?

After seeing Warner in Staunton on Thursday, I believe the answer is "yes."

First, the newspapers built up Warner's appearance in Staunton as if the queen herself was arriving. Twenty-four hours in advance, they blocked off parking on the street where the event was to take place. The day of the event they closed the entire block to traffic. Why block parking the day before, which was a huge disruption to downtown shoppers because I was there and heard the grumbling, when the entire street was going to blocked off anyway? And by blocking parking one day and then the entire street the next, traffic to those local shops was disrupted.

Second, the turnout was low after such a build-up. When I saw the entire street blocked off, I was expecting a hoard of people, figuring the Democrat phone banks had been working overtime to turn out supporters for this all-important event. Only about 50-75 people showed up, and some of those were curious on-lookers and others were the local Democrat activists including Unit chairs who show up at everything. After the build-up in the newspaper, to have so few show up was interesting. If Warner is so popular, why didn't more ordinary citizens turn out?

The city of Staunton seemed to roll out the red carpet for this guy -- street blocked off, police officers on standby, Woodrow Wilson Pierce-Arrow taken out of mothballs to drive the man around town, Blackfriars' actors dressed in costume to welcome him to the theater, musicians on the street entertaining supporters before his arrival. Why? And should we expect equal treatment when our Republican candidates come to town? After all, Jim Gilmore is a former governor of Virginia, too.

Reports from Warner's Rockbridge Fair appearance were the same ... only a dozen or so supporters turned out to greet him. Even though Jim Gilmore was not there, his supporters equaled those for Warner.

Woodrow Wilson Birthplace is a tax-payer entity and, yet, they allowed a political event to take place in their ranks. As a taxpayer who supports the Republican candidate and whose tax money is used to support that tourist attraction, I want to know why they allowed a political event to take place on their grounds. (Warner went there after his speech on Beverley Street.)

So my question would be ... is the Virginia press corps building up Mark Warner to keep him in that protective bubble of illusion to the public causing a perception that he is bigger and better than he really is?

The Waynesboro News-Virginian had a front page story complete with two photos -- one large, one small -- both in color. I feel certain Staunton was equally favorable toward the Democrat nominee.

Since many in the mainstream media are not interested in exposing Mark Warner for his dismal record on taxes and his veto of off-shore drilling, it will be up to the Virginia bloggers and citizens to get the word out to voters.

The citizens of Virginia cannot afford to have Mark Warner representing us in Washington. We are in an uphill battle against the media and money. However, in the words of Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, we can be outspent ... but not out-worked.

Jim Gilmore for U.S. Senate 2008
Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Gilmore supporters greet Mark Warner in Staunton

2008-07-18T13:00:00.001-04:00

Gilmore supporter stands on Staunton's Beverley Street while Mark Warner (background) talks with media on Thursday.

Mark Warner arrived 30 minutes late, walking right by the Gilmore supporters.

Gilmore supporters were standing in front of Zelma's Vintage Clothing store. The front window was decked out with Gilmore and "Win the War" signs. Located on Beverley Street, it was several doors down from the Dixie Theater, site of the Warner happening.

Mark Warner greeting supporters in Staunton.

The entire block of Beverley Street was closed off. The old restored Pierce-Arrow from the Woodrow Wilson Library and Birthplace was parked in front of the Dixie Theater with a make-shift stage on the street in front of it. When I first saw the entire block reserved I thought they were expecting hoards of people. Accoustic musicians were playing music as folks showed up but the crowd only materialized to between 50-75 people ... and a few bewildered tourists who asked, "What is going on?" Out-of-towners had no idea who the political players were and just smiled and moved on to shop.

Mark Warner addressed supporters. It was 3:30 and hot ... temps in Staunton were around 90 degrees ... and there was no shade in the street so I hope he didn't talk too long. We left right after I took this photo.

Next time Jim Gilmore is in town, we will have to ask the city of Staunton if they will block off the street, put bicycle police on duty, and let us have the Pierce-Arrow for a spin around the block just as they did today for Mark Warner. Do you think they will do it?

Thanks to Gilmore supporters for helping out with the last-minute plans to "greet" Mark Warner, and to Staunton Gilmore coordinator Alex Davis for his help.

Photos by SWAC Girl

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate 2008

Not even Warner's 2001 comments are immune from the translator

2008-07-18T00:34:00.002-04:00

Sixteen seconds were more than enough for the then-would-be-Governor to slip into Warnerese. Write Side goes to the videotape (well, sort of). As usual, the English is bold and in italics:

I will finish the repeal of the car tax . . .
Oh, the car tax repeal will be finished, alright. "Completed" is a whole different story . . .
. . . and Mark, I think I've counted - you've now said thirteen times that I'm going to raise taxes.
. . . and Mark, I think it's been thirteen times you've made me lie to the voters.
You've got that one-trick pony; it's just not going to work.
You ought to know by now that I'm a pro at lying through my teeth. Do you really think I'm going to crack now?
The fact is, I will not raise taxes.
The fact is, I will say over and over again that I will not raise taxes until the rubes vote me in.

The rest, of course, is history.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Jim Gilmore was Exactly Right on Oil Futures!

2008-07-17T19:00:00.006-04:00

Please note this post here on B4G "Oil Prices Will Drop Immediately", posted July 9th, 2008. Pretty Bold statement huh? That statement as reported in the press:

“Oil prices will drop immediately if they know we’re going to bring in more oil,” Gilmore said. “We’ve got to drill in ANWR, and we’ve got to do it now.”

Well this happens on July 15th "Bush Says Drill - Oil Drops $9 a barrel?".

and today July 17th, let's check out the price of oil:

Price Change % Change Time

NyMex Crude Future $130.98 -$3.62 - 2.69 13:23

Folks, Governor Gilmore understands the economic theory of supply and demand. These traders are working on contracts 10 years out! It is only elementary that increasing supply, especially one that is only restricted by what used to be the President, but now only Congress; and Governor's like Mark Warner, who veto legislation to allow off-shore drilling in Virginia!

The market is reacting to exactly what Governor Gilmore said would happen, the first hurdle falling to drilling off-shore in the USA. This along with Congressional Democrats mumbling the same, and even weak kneed Liberals such as Mark Warner saying he is now for 'exploring' off shore drilling. We all know however, this is just a deception on his part to try and fool the voters until November, and keep his Sierra Club supporters/donors happy.

I see it as lack of any kind of courage, character, or leadership on Warner's part. He has no political underpinnings, just tell the people what they want to hear. (I will finish eliminating the Car Tax),(I will not raise taxes), (I will explore off-shore drilling).

Now the price of oil can spike again, when the Prime Minister of Iran 'Farts' that he is going to close the straits of Hormuz, but traders again know that is just a threat, and that is why we have a Carrier Battle Group in the Gulf at all times. But Governor Gilmore is exactly right about these contracts. Who wants to get stuck with a contract for $140 for a barrel of crude, when even they know that is inflated over actual market conditions?

It's like buying a stock at $20, and it takes off to $39 in a matter of months... that kind of pricing may not last long, and most traders are likely to cash in if they see something else influencing the value of that stock. The smart ones bail, and hand it to some sucker! That is the markets folks, and commodities are not an easy play.

Listen to the full interview here of Governor Gilmore's explanation of the market and oil pricing.

The bottom line folks, is this is a National security issue to me... if we do not expand domestic production our economy is hostage to foreign energy supplies... yes, go to Norfolk, VA and Thank a soldier, sailor, Marine and Airman. The Strategic Oil Reserve is really for them. Our planes need to fly, our tanks, and vehicles need to roll, and our conventional powered ships need to sail. It's not just about our economy, it's about National Security.

A subject Governor Warner has about as much experience with as his running partner, Hussein Obama.
cross posted to STD.

Mark Warner must be stopped

2008-07-16T15:20:00.001-04:00

Not only will he vote with Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Bob Byrd, but I can already see the excuse-making, the talking past people's objections, and the outright lying in his campaign, particularly about the massive tax increases and unrestrained spending increases during his term as Governor. This is not a man we need representing our state. Say what you will about Jim Webb, but at least you know exactly where he stands. Not the case with Mark Warner. It is absolutely vital to make Jim Gilmore our next U.S. Senator.

Cross-posted at The Northern Virginia Conservative

Busting the Mark Warner Myth

2008-07-16T10:03:00.000-04:00

Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner has convinced many across the Commonwealth that he's a self-made man with the Midas touch; a man of honesty and honor. Unfortunately, this "pillar" of the community seems to have built this reputation on some pretty soft bottom.

Warner built his initial fortune on some questionable, if not illegal, practices. Trading on what seems to be insider information, he amassed a fortune in the then-burgeoning wireless communications arena. Attempting to buy the favors of working class Virginians, Warner then set-up a series of venture funds which were supposed to create jobs and build the economies of less wealthy portions of Virginia.

What has been the result? These venture funds have failed.

Running for Governor, Warner promised to not raise taxes. Upon entering office Warner claimed that his predecessor, former Gov. Jim Gilmore had left him with a deficit.

In a recent op-ed, Del. Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) busts one more myth of the Mark Warner success story. We all know that Virginia is a state that requires a balanced budget. Warner just couldn't spend all of the money he wanted to without raising the taxes of hard working Virginians - so he did.

Now Mark Warner wants to be Virginia's next Senator. If twisting the truth got him elected Governor, why won't it work now? Or at least Warner hopes so.

In a recent television commercial, Warner claims that he has a plan for making American energy independent - including the expansion of oil and gas production at home. How can that be when former Gov. Warner has repeatedly and consistently opposed drilling in ANWR and offshore?

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Jim Gilmore & Mark Warner ... a tale of two taxes

2008-07-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

RPV release....

No story is more emblematic of the mainstream media’s love affair for higher taxes than the manner in which Virginia’s two U.S. Senate candidates are portrayed.

On the one hand you have Jim Gilmore, who promised to cut taxes for Virginians, and did so with a vengeance. Jim Gilmore fought for and won the largest tax cut in Virginia history, and was still able to oversee a booming Virginia economy, an improvement in public safety, and a balanced budget.

Democrat Mark Warner promised to not raise taxes, but after he was elected, well… who keeps promises anyway? Mark Warner pushed through the largest tax increase in Virginia history – breaking his promise, soaking Virginians to the tune of over $1.3 billion in higher taxes, and winning the love of many in the press to boot.

There is no getting around it; Mark Warner did not tell the voters of Virginia the truth, either before or after his huge tax increase. Yet he gets the kind of favorable press you’d normally see for a politician in the old Soviet Union. Why?

The fact is, the mainstream media (most, not all) love higher taxes and more government. But the people of Virginia are not going to get the truth from most news outlets, which is why it is so important for you – the GOP grassroots – to tell people the truth about the candidates at every opportunity. If we help get Jim Gilmore’s message out and explain the truth to people, this campaign could turn around very quickly!

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Bush Says Drill - Oil Drops $9 a Barrel?

2008-07-15T23:29:00.003-04:00

Wait a minute... this can't be.. Everyone who would be having us eat their baloney about drilling off shore and in ANWR won't effect the price of oil, must have missed this?

Traders took a look at a feisty and aggressive George Bush and started selling the market well before a single new drop of oil has been lifted. What does this tell us? Well, if Congress moves to seal the deal, oil prices will probably keep on falling. That’s the way traders work. They discount the future. Psychology and expectations can turn on a dime.

Well, I'll be?

More economic illiteracy from Mark Warner

2008-07-15T15:43:00.002-04:00

As the question of oil supply continues to dominate the U.S. Senate campaign here, Mark Warner expressed his skepticism on Jim Gilmore's assertion that drilling for oil - even if it would take years for the oil to get to market, would reduce its current price (Daily Press):

"There's no serious policymaker or economist who predicts that," Warner said. "I
know it's political season, but some of this is basic math."

Actually, Mark, it's about economics, but you've already proven you know nothing about that, so you might want to pay attention.

Like most commodities, oil not only has a current price, it also has future prices. One of the biggest drivers in the current price of oil has been the surge in its future price (if a gap is created between the two, an investors can sell the higher and buy the lower, ensuring a nice profit until everyone else catches on and the two prices return to rough equal). The future price of oil is driven by several factors - turbulence in the Middle East, the rise in demand from Communist China and India, and no major exploration moves by the United States.

So the idea that a decision to drill more now would have no effect on oil prices is based on pure economic ignorance. How can I say that? Take a look at this (Larry Kudlow, NRO - The Corner):

In a dramatic move yesterday President Bush removed the executive-branch
moratorium on offshore drilling. Today, at a news conference, Bush repeated his
new position, and slammed the Democratic Congress for not removing the
congressional moratorium on the Outer Continental Shelf and elsewhere. Crude-oil
futures for August delivery plunged $9.26, or 6.3 percent, almost immediately as
Bush was speaking, bringing the barrel price down to $136.
. . .
Traders
took a look at a feisty and aggressive George Bush and started selling the
market well before a single new drop of oil has been lifted. What does this tell
us? Well, if Congress moves to seal the deal, oil prices will probably keep on
falling. That’s the way traders work. They discount the future. Psychology and
expectations can turn on a dime. The congressional ban on offshore drilling
expires September 30, so that becomes a key date.

Indeed.

President Bush's lifting of the ban does two things: removes a barrier to future drilling, and all but ensure the Congressional barrier is gone as of October 1 (unless Congress can override a Presidential veto on maintaining the ban - highly unlikely now).

So, not only did the market react to future drilling (contrary to Warner's claim), it actually reacted to expected future drilling. Not only has this happened "before a single new drop of oil," it happened before anyone could even begin drilling by law.

Imagine how far it would fall if, say, the candidate in Virginia who made support for oil drilling his signature issue was elected to the U.S. Senate!

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Gilmore to debate Warner Saturday at Homestead

2008-07-15T15:30:00.000-04:00

First Virginia U.S. Senate Candidate Debate to Talk Place At The Homestead

Alexandria – Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, Virginia candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner, will debate his opponent Mark Warner at the first debate of the campaign, this Saturday, July 19th at 11:00 a.m.

The debate which is hosted by the Virginia Bar Association will take place during their annual meeting at the Homestead in Hot Springs, VA. Political columnist, David Broder, will serve as the debate moderator.

All credentialed media are welcome to attend.

WHO: Former Governor Jim Gilmore, U.S. Senate candidate
WHAT: First Virginia U.S. Senate Campaign Debate
WHEN: Saturday, July 19, 2008
TIME: 11:00 am -12:15pm

WHERE: The Homestead –Grand Ballroom
1766 Homestead Drive, Hot Springs, VA 24445

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Gilmore has the facts ... M. Warner can't rewrite history

2008-07-14T15:00:00.000-04:00

Money can’t change the facts about Warner’s record
By Delegate Kirk Cox

Mark Warner has raised a lot of money and is using it to bombard TV screens trying to rewrite history. His message – you can depend on him for good fiscal management because I turned a budget deficit I inherited from my predecessor into a budget surplus and saved Virginia! Send me to Washington, where I will do the same! – doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.

I served on the House Appropriations Committee during Mark Warner’s term as governor. Here are the facts he would like you to forget.

Virginia is a balanced budget state. The General Assembly must pass and the governor must sign a balanced budget. Warner’s predecessor, Gov. Jim Gilmore, submitted a final budget that was balanced as required by Virginia’s Constitution.

It was only two years later that Mark Warner decided he needed to raise taxes because he did not have enough taxpayers’ money to spend.

A recent Warner TV commercial claims he cut spending, but state budgets rose 24.7 percent during his term. State spending in the Gilmore years rose at a much slower pace.

Mark Warner was able to manage spending increases by raising taxes, while Gov. Gilmore worked to reduce your car tax by 70 percent. Mark Warner actually promised to get rid of the car tax completely while governor. Just another fact he tries to keep from voters.

Mark Warner does have one true claim to fame – he raised our taxes $1.3 billion, the largest tax increase in Virginia history.

While running for governor, Mark Warner repeatedly promised Virginians there would be NO tax increases. Many times he said, “I will not raise taxes; I will not raise taxes!”

Based on his record in Richmond, Virginians now know we can depend on Mark Warner to help raise taxes if he gets to Washington.

Mark Warner also talks a lot about his ability to manage Virginia’s finances. He “managed” by raising our taxes and spending more. The facts show that administrative inaccuracies and misrepresentations by his administration went hand-in hand with his tax hikes.

In early 2004, he claimed there was a huge budget shortfall – as much as $1 billion. But by May, it was obvious Gov. Warner was rushing the General Assembly to enact his tax hike before his administration released new numbers showing large state revenue increases. Less than two months after his tax increase budget passed, Virginia ended fiscal year 2004 with a $324 million surplus!

Facts don’t lie.

By June 2005, the Commonwealth finished fiscal year 2005 with another surplus of $545 million. In December 2005, Gov. Warner yet again revised the 2004-2006 revenue forecast by adding another $1.4 billion.

The cumulative increase over Warner’s original budget forecast (excluding his $1.3 billion tax increase) was $2.8 billion in revenue growth.

In June 2006, the Commonwealth completed fiscal year 2006 with another surplus of $147 million.

In total, between 2004 and 2006 state revenues grew by $3.8 billion – or 211% over the original Warner (mis)forecast of December 2003.

His “good” management forecast – being off by a whopping 211 percent – laid the foundation for his $1.3 billion tax increase so he could increase spending by 24.7 percent during his term as Governor.

Because of this “inconvenient truth,” Mark Warner has raised lots of money from those who benefited from tax increases and is now investing those dollars in TV ads that try to change the facts. His pledge to go to Washington to work in a bipartisan manner will likely be as valid as his broken promise, “I will not raise taxes!”

No matter his claims, he will have constant pressure from the far left to do away with the Bush tax cuts and support government-run universal health care. The first vote Mark Warner would cast as a senator would be for Harry Reid or worse as Senate Majority Leader. He also would support every big-government, high-spending Democrat chairman from Barbara Boxer and Robert Byrd on down.

Jim Gilmore kept his word as governor as he fought to reduce our taxes. Jim Gilmore will do what he promises.

Send Jim Gilmore to Washington to put his tax cutting and strong national security background to work for the people of Virginia.

Kirk Cox is a Virginia Delegate from the 66th District, which includes Colonial Heights. He is also a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Stupid Is as Stupid Does: Democrats Prop Up the Price of Oil

2008-07-11T21:15:00.004-04:00

It can not get any clearer than this post by RK, "Thank You for Voting No to Off-Shore Drilling", to display exactly why Virginian's are paying $4 a gallon for gasoline! The Liberals are thanking anyone inclined to vote against increasing domestic production; ala Governor Mark Warner, who vetoed off-shore drilling, and continuing to shackle the United States to foreign oil.

You have folks who decry the speculators for raising the price of oil on Wall Street, but at the same time give them all the comfort they need, by insuring that the world's oil supply will remain constricted, by not allowing off-shore drilling in the USA, or in ANWR.

Governor Jim Gilmore skewers this exact subject here.

He is exactly right, that if the Greatest Industrial Nation on earth is serious about increasing domestic supply; the markets will cave tomorrow! Governor Gilmore is right, the speculators have driven up the price of oil, because they know they have democrats willing to constrict supply.

Right now the Iranian Prime Minister can 'Fart' that they are going to close the Gulf of Hormuz, and the price of a barrel of oil goes up $5 in a day, because he may, or may not be serious. Yet if Virginia, and Congress gave the green light next week to open up all of our coast lines and ANWR to drilling immediately, you don't think that will have an effect on the oil futures market?

Supply and Demand folks... Those who choke supply:

Besides Delegates Bouchard and Moran, the others who voted against drilling off Virginia's coast are listed on the "flip." Next time you see them, tell them "thanks for protecting our environment."

Lowell :: Thank You for Voting "No" on Offshore Drilling
Del. Ken Alexander
Del. Kristen Amundson
Del. Ward Armstrong
Del. Clay Athey
Del. Mamye BaCote
Del. William Barlow
Del. Bob Brink
Del. David Bulova
Del. Rosalyn Dance
Del. Adam Ebbin
Del. David Englin
Del. Algie Howell
Del. Bob Hull
Del. Dwight Jones
Del. Lynwood Lewis
Del. Dave Marsden
Del. Bobby Mathieson
Del. Jennifer McClellan
Del. Ken Melvin
Del. Paula Miller
Del. Harvey Morgan
Del. Joe Morrissey
Del. Ken Plum
Del. Dave Poisson
Del. Albert Pollard
Del. Jim Scott
Del. Steve Shannon
Del. Jim Shuler
Del. Mark Sickles
Del. Lionell Spruill
Del. David Toscano
Del. Roslyn Tyler
Del. Shannon Valentine
Del. Margi Vanderhye
Del. Jeion Ward
Del. Onzlee Ware
Del. Vivian Watts

Will drive up the cost of the product. Now let's look at who in the Senate is paying the same courtesy:

Wow - Actually a close vote in the Senate to kill this thing (0.00 / 0)
YEAS--Blevins, Colgan, Cuccinelli, Hanger, Hurt, McDougle, Norment, Obenshain, Ruff, Smith, Stolle, Stosch, Stuart, Vogel, Wampler, Watkins--16.
NAYS--Barker, Deeds, Herring, Houck, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsh, McEachin, Miller, J.C., Northam, Petersen, Puckett, Puller, Reynolds, Saslaw, Ticer, Whipple--18.

NOT VOTING--Edwards, Martin, Miller, Y.B., Newman, Quayle, Wagner--6.

Thanks RK! I gladly give you all the credit on getting those votes out there! Love Ya, Mean It!

cross posted at STD.

More from the Warnerese-to-English translator

2008-07-09T14:17:00.002-04:00

The following is a Mark Warner fundraising letter that mysteriously landed in my Inbox. As usual, the English translation is bold and italicized:

The rising cost of health care is one of the most urgent problems facing our country, but Congress is struggling to pass even the most modest legislation to deal with it.
The rising cost of health care is as bad as the transportation crisis, and since I did nothing but blame other people for it and you clods still love me, I'm guessing it will work on this one, too.
Last week, I told you how the U.S. Senate jeopardized health care coverage for countless seniors,
disabled citizens, and military families when it failed to pass bipartisan legislation preventing pay cuts to doctors who accept Medicare patients.
Last week, the U.S. Senate jeopardized health care coverage for countless seniors, disabled citizens, and military families by nearly passing legislation that would have crippled private supplemental coverage, but since all my Democratic buds voted for it, I have to spin and spin fast.
And for the past week, newspapers have been filled with stories of doctors who feel compelled to turn away patients urgently needing care because of these cuts.
Lucky for me, newspaper editors love me and my party so much they're willing to ignore all that and focus on something the bill won't really solve - much like they highlighted all the things I promised to fix in 2001 but didn't. Then again, no one seems to remember that seven years later, which will be enough to get me elected and re-elected before you rubes get wise.
Despite having the support of the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans in Congress, a small group of Senators used a procedural technique to block this important bill by a margin of just one vote.
Despite the whining of all the Democratic Senators and John Chich-whoops! Sorry, force of habit. Um, where was I?
Well, this week they have a chance to set things right. But I need your help to put the pressure on them.
Well, this week I'm looking to stay relevant and get a bunch more volunteers; but I need a hook to bring you in, and here it is.
Let's send a message that we're sick and tired of political games getting in the way of real solutions. We only need to swing one vote in order to move this bill through Congress. So please, tell the Senate to stop these draconian cuts and pass the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act. With your help, we can ensure that we fund Medicare services that so many of our seniors, disabled citizens, and military families need.
Let's send a message that the only people who can play political games are Virginia Democrats. We only need one more to force this bill through, wipe out private supplement programs, and create another crisis I can pretend to solve. With your help, I and my fellow Democrats will have
another excuse to expand government.
The legislation includes off-setting cuts to the least competitive insurance plans that are driving up health care costs.
The legislation includes cuts to the private programs that supplement Medicare for millions of Americans, but I can just say they "drive up health care costs" and no one who pays any attention to economics will notice I'm talking through my hat (and they're all Republicans anyway).
This isn't an issue of Republican vs. Democrat, right vs. left, or red vs. blue. More than 350 members of the House of Representatives came together across party lines in support of this pragmatic, common-sense effort to provide needed health care. Now I ask you, the people of Virginia, to do the same.
Over 100 House Republicans voted for this after being told that the Senate would improve the bill. Fooling Republican legislators like this is my stock and trade, so you can see I'll fit right in so long as you're willing to be just as naive as they are.
Please sign the petition. Then ask your friends and family to do the same.
Please sign the petition; ask your friends and family to do the same; and remember that you did when you wonder why all my flyers and fundraising letters made your mailbox explode.

That's all - for now. :)

Oil Prices Will Drop Immediately!

2008-07-09T13:59:00.002-04:00

That was the message from Jim Gilmore to Virginia voters as per Spark It Up

Kilo has got some awesome graphics to show the relative size of the ANWR where drilling would occur, check em out.

Cool New Gilmore 4 US Senate Tool Bar

2008-07-08T16:04:00.002-04:00

Now this is pretty cool! I just downloaded a tool bar from Gilmore 4 Senate Blogger resources

It's pretty neat and has all the latest campaign news scrolling across the top.

Storm Clouds On Horizon for Mark Warner

2008-07-08T09:45:00.001-04:00

We've been hearing that something big was going to drop ever since Marky Mark declared for U.S. Senate after suddenly and mysteriously dropping out of the presidential race only months earlier for "family reasons" after having, in his own words, made:

67 trips to 28 states and five foreign countries;

headlined 86 events in 25 states to help raise or directly donate $7.3 million to Democrats this cycle;

Forward Together [Marky Mark's Leadership PAC] has contributed more money this year to Democratic candidates and party organizations than any other federal leadership PAC.

Most notably, Virtucon contributor Rittinger uncovered the role that Team Clinton political hitman Howard Wolfson played in Marky Mark's withdrawl from the presidential race.

As Rittinger put it:

The message went out among some of Warner’s people that this was war and that while Clinton had won this battle, it would be at a significant cost.

Well, you don't go to war with the Clintons if you're not fully prepared and frankly, Marky Mark and his Flunky Bunch are nowhere near being in the same league as the Clintons when it comes to political skullduggery. Did he honestly think that members of Team Clinton wouldn't seek revenge and retribution? Is Mark Warner really that dumb to think that they wouldn't pull out their dossier on him to do so once they had nothing left to lose? Apparently so.

Now the storm clouds are on the horizon for Warner. Wolfson has joined FOX News Channel as a contributor. Hillary won't be Barry's running mate, so her crew will be free to go about behind the scenes exacting vengence wherever they see fit. Mark Warner is very high on that list.

Jim Gilmore in Staunton

2008-07-07T22:00:00.000-04:00

Photos by SWAC Girl

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Jim Gilmore for Senate

Mark Warner - Failed Venture Capitalist

2008-07-06T19:46:00.000-04:00

Remember back when Marky Mark was preparing to run for Gov. in 2001 and he went around the state setting up the various venture capital firms to help businesses in Virginia? Well, the WashTimes decided to check up on how that all worked out. As it turns out, 4 out of the 5 funds have failed and closed their doors with the fifth one only investing half of its worth in Virginia.

See what happens when Marky Mark doesn't have inside information to rely upon. More proof that the man is nothing more than a scam artist who doesn't have a lick of business sense for himself.

Jim Gilmore in Staunton on Monday

2008-07-02T19:53:00.000-04:00

Former Governor Jim Gilmore, who is challenging Mark Warner for the U.S. Senate seat, will be in Staunton on Monday, July 7, for a fundraiser reception to meet and greet with local supporters.

Arriving at Rowe's Restaurant at 3:15 pm, Gov. Gilmore will spend time talking with supporters about the next few months and how we will win over Warner.

These are challenging times for our country. We are threatened by terrorism, concerned about a difficult war, stuck in traffic, dissatisfied with how our children are educated; and too often our culture seems more interested in the latest doings of tabloid celebrities than the debates that could decide our country's future.

Jim Gilmore understands that it's time for a change! We can do better, and we have to.

Virginia's legacy of solid principles and values are ingrained in the former Governor: family, patriotism, justice, free enterprise, defense of our nation.

These are Virginia values: the ideals of his youth, and the hope of our future. Jim Gilmore is not going to be about labels, and "us against them." He's about applying these great principles for the good of Virginia, and the good of the nation. That's who he is, and that's why he's running to represent Virginians, all of them, in the United States Senate.

This stop is one of a number planned along the I-81 corridor on Monday and Tuesday as the Governor connects up with Western Virginia.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Blue Dog Dem Proves My Point About Mark Warner's Incompetence

2008-07-01T11:57:00.001-04:00

From today's WashTimes:

Rep. Jim Cooper, the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrat from Tennessee, doesn't mince words when describing his reaction to official government budget figures.

Federal government accounting "would be a criminal offense in the private sector," Mr. Cooper declared June 18 at a Capitol Hill budget seminar sponsored by the Brookings Institution.

"The federal government is the only large entity in America allowed to use simplistic 'cash' accounting," he said. In his PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Cooper included an image of a McDonald's restaurant and the Pentagon.

"Which should have stricter accounting standards?" the slide asked, eliciting laughter from the audience.

I could not agree more. And this proves the point that I have been saying all along about former VA Gov. Mark Warner and his $1.537 billion in accounting errors as compared with Enron's $1.568 billion in accounting errors. If Marky Mark had committed such gross accounting malpractice in the private sector as he committed while Virginia’s governor, he’d be cell mates at a country club prison with Enron’s Jeffrey Skilling instead of running for the U.S. Senate.

(Crossposted at Virginia Virtucon)

Welcome Leslie Carbone to B4G

2008-06-30T13:24:00.003-04:00

The talent on our blogging bench is getting deep over here at B4G! I would argue Leslie is the best writer among us in the VA Blogosphere. I have no clue where commas, and semi-colons etc go... I use the method of "does that look like a completely new sentence"? It probably should be, but I throw a semi-colon in there anyhow and let er' rip.

Thanks Leslie, and I'm sure the Warner campaign is not looking forward to your posts...

Welcome Rightside VA

2008-06-28T00:08:00.003-04:00

(Some of Rightside's Past Handiwork)
Rightside has been punching the left for years with his blog, and in the editorial sections of the Staunton News Leader, and the News Virginian.

I first met this grassroots volunteer during the 2004 Bush campaign, and rumor has it the only way to sidetrack him from campaigning is to get him a tee time at the local course...

Where he has been known to affix bumper stickers to the carts...

Welcome Aboard Steve!

This is why Jim Gilmore will win in November....

2008-06-27T16:43:00.002-04:00

"Mark Warner is facing one of the fiercest, most aggressive campaigners in our state's history." --Gov. Tim Kaine talking about former Gov. Jim Gilmore

Yes! That is the Jim Gilmore I saw last summer when he said he wanted to run for the U.S. Senate seat ... and that is why I think Jim Gilmore will win in November.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Sunday ... Jim Gilmore to attend Celebrate America in Lynchburg

2008-06-27T15:24:00.000-04:00

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, Virginia candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner, will be attending the Celebrate America 2008 event in Lynchburg this Sunday, June 29th.

Hosted by Thomas Road Baptist Church, Celebrate America is an annual event held at Liberty University’s Football Stadium.

Gov. Gilmore will arrive at 5:30 pm to tour the event and greet attendees. At 7:00 pm the “God and Country” speakers portion of the event will commence. Gov. Gilmore will be delivering remarks during that portion of the program. Also in attendance will be Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, Atty.Gen. Bob McDonnell, Rep. Bob Goodlatte and Rep. Virgil Goode.

WHERE: Liberty University’s Williams Football Stadium, 1910 University Boulevard, Lynchburg, VA 24502

Celebrate America 2008 is an annual extravaganza hosted by Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA. The actual event begins at 1:00 pm and ends at 10 pm with the largest fireworks display in Central Virginia.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Jim Gilmore to visit SWAC area on July 7

2008-06-27T15:13:00.001-04:00

Mark your calendars! Final details are still being ironed out but advance word is former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore will be in the SWAC area on Monday, July 7. He is expected to visit area businesses as well as meet with supporters and local Republicans. More information will be available soon.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

What Kind of Judges Would Mark Warner Vote to Confirm?

2008-06-27T10:03:00.000-04:00

As we noted earlier, yesterday's 5-4 Heller decision is as frightening as it is uplifting. Virginia's voters should be particularly concerned.

What if Barack Obama is elected President? What kind of judges would he appoint to the federal bench?

Virginians can rest easy that former Gov. Jim Gilmore would only vote for strict constructionist judges. Would Mark Warner?

Warner is an expert at pandering to a basically conservative electorate. I doubt that he would be so bold as to ever vote for an overtly anti-gun rights bill. That's not the problem.

I seriously doubt that Warner would hesitate to vote for a liberal, activist judicial nominee who wouldn't hesitate to strip Virginians (and Americans in general) of their 2nd Amendment rights.

Is Mark Warner too dangerous for the Commonwealth and America?

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

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Technorati Tags: 2008, Virginia, politics, Virginia politics, Jim Gilmore, Mark Warner, 2nd Amendment, courts, GOP, Democrat, campaign

Bragging on my New Widget !

2008-06-26T23:29:00.002-04:00

That's right, STD is sporting the new Veterans For Gilmore widget!

I am proud to be a veteran, and proud to support THE VETERAN in this US Senate race!

Get yours here, and Thank You for Your Service!

Jim Gilmore: Supreme Court decision is victory for 2nd Amendment

2008-06-26T16:36:00.001-04:00

Former Governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Jim Gilmore hailed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the District of Columbia’s ban on possessing a firearm as a victory for the Second Amendment.

“Like all Virginia gun owners, sportsmen and hunters I am pleased by the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the unconstitutional ban on possessing a firearm.”

Gilmore, a member of the Board of Directors for the National Rifle Association, has been an outspoken advocate for the Second Amendment.

“I have always believed that personal and responsible firearm ownership is a fundamental right guaranteed to us by the Constitution and we must only punish those who use firearms illegally to commit crimes. As Virginia’s U.S. Senator I will vote to ensure the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens are never infringed upon by the Federal government.”

Gilmore noted “Today is another reminder of the necessity of appointing strict constructionist judges who properly interpret the Constitution.”

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Welcome BVBL to B4G

2008-06-25T20:17:00.002-04:00

Mark Warner doesn't want any of that Blogfu!

Welcome aboard Greg.

Jim Gilmore: "It's common sense ... drill here, drill now, pay less"

2008-06-25T18:38:00.000-04:00

Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore is challenging Mark Warner in his energy proposals. Warner, like most Democrats, refuses to accept that American can drill for oil without causing environmental damage.

The Jim Gilmore for U.S. Senate campaign released the following press release:

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, a candidate for the Virginia U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner, issued a statement today responding to Mark Warner’s proposed solutions for the on-going national energy crisis:
“Mark Warner is saying the same things that everyone else in Washington has said for the last 20 years. That is how we got where we are.

“We need to drill here and drill now. When the oil speculators know the United States is serious about drilling here and taking real conservation measures the price of gasoline will start going down.

“Mark Warner says he wants to “wean” Americans off of oil. He agrees with the liberal special interest groups that want to drive up gasoline prices and force Americans out of their cars.

“Alternative sources of energy are important and we must push them aggressively but they are not going to solve the problems of the average Virginia worker who has to drive 20 or 30 miles every day to work.

“Working families are hurting now and it is time for a commonsense solution to the problems of supply and demand -- not the same liberal theories that have restricted America’s energy supplies for decades.

“Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less.”

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

... and then there were 23 Bloggers 4 Jim Gilmore

2008-06-25T18:30:00.000-04:00

There are definitive reasons why Jim Gilmore can and will win the U.S. Senate seat in November. Those who will be helping to get his message out are the 23 bloggers who make up Bloggers 4 Jim Gilmore, a dedicated group who research, coordinate, and amplify the message.

That is important because the mainstream media love Mark Warner and will not point out his flaws. Neither will they point out the extreme positives of Jim Gilmore ... and that is where the Bloggers 4 Jim Gilmore come in. We go where the mainstream media fail to tread.

November ... 2008. Jim Gilmore for U.S. Senate.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl

Promises, Promises

2008-06-25T11:47:00.000-04:00

Sidebar Filling Up @ B4G

2008-06-25T11:33:00.001-04:00

I'd like to Thank the newest members of B4G, Conervative Viewpoints, Jim Riley, Nick Howard - Jefferson Mammouth, & the Northern Virginia Conservative for signing up.

This isn't some exclusive club that requires knowledge of the secret handshake to join. If you support Governor Gilmore, legitimately blog, and want to join up please email me here, and we can make something happen.

I'd like to Thank our most active aggravator of the Warnerphiles, DJ McGuire for taking Warner & co, to task for the past weeks with great posts, especially, Mark Warner is Economically Illiterate and Dangerous.

SWAC GIRL has posted on Energy.

Crystal Clear Conservative had some thoughts on Chi-Chingchester.

Delmarva Dealings, wonders about resume enhancement.

and Kilo is talking about an issue near and dear to SWVA,
"Jim Gilmore Attends 29th annual Eastern Coal Council Conference and Exposition - Marshall & Warner no shows"

I think Alton has the best yet with Football in ANWR
The floor is open folks, Let's Get Jim Gilmore elected to the US Senate!

What Mark Warner Says...

2008-06-25T01:23:00.002-04:00

Before he is elected:

When asked last week whether he would support an increase in the federal gas tax, Warner said, "Obviously, I don't support raising the gas tax when its at $4 a gallon."

Yeah, Right Governor Warner, we've heard you wouldn't raise taxes before....

Monday ... Jim Gilmore campaigns in Lynchburg

2008-06-22T14:20:00.000-04:00

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, Virginia candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner, will be taking his Working Families Tour to Delta Star, Inc. in Lynchburg on Monday, June 23, 2008, at 2:00 pm. Delta Star is located at 3550 Mayflower Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24501.

Delta Star is a leading manufacturer of quality electrical products and has been in operation since 1908. Delta Star is a major employer in the Lynchburg area and ships products to customers around the world. It is an example of the kind of Virginia companies that have continued to provide good jobs and opportunity to working families during this time of economic stress.

In addition to touring Delta Star, Gov. Gilmore will be visit with a number of Lynchburg area leaders to discuss his efforts to help reduce the price of gasoline by increasing America's domestic oil production.

Cross-posted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Jim Gilmore: "Drill here. Drill now. Pay less."

2008-06-22T12:54:00.000-04:00

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, a candidate for the Virginia U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner, issued a statement today commending Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain for favoring the lifting of the federal offshore drilling ban:

"As working families across the Commonwealth of Virginia and across our country face financial hardship due to soaring gasoline prices, I commend Senator John McCain for speaking out on the need to decisively begin to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and increase American oil production. As President and U.S. Senator respectively, we will work together to lift the federal ban on offshore drilling that has kept us from tapping into this vast resource of American oil.

"Drill here, drill now, and pay less. This is our path to quickly reduce our dependence on foreign oil and lower prices.

"We are a nation of almost 200 million automobiles, and although conservation and alternative energy sources such as wind and solar should be part of a comprehensive plan, we must find immediate solutions that will allow us to increase production of American oil. Increased exploration and drilling for gas and oil off our coasts would make a dramatic difference in the price of gas and the price of everything else that is being driven upward by skyrocketing energy costs, from a gallon of milk to the food on our dinner table.

"We currently only explore about 15 percent of our nation's coastline for oil and gas. Recent studies estimate that about 86 billion barrels of untapped oil exist in federally restricted areas, Virginia's coastline being one of them. Yet, when Mark Warner was governor of Virginia, he vetoed legislation in support of lifting the federal moratorium on offshore drilling.

"The issue of energy independence is becoming more and more pressing as its effect on our economy and national security increases. Now is the time to take action. We can no longer allow America's working people to financially struggle to purchase an indispensable commodity from foreign enemies such as Iran and Venezuela when our own country has vast untapped amounts of it as well."

Drill here. Drill now. Pay less. Jim Gilmore gets it unlike Mark Warner who is against domestic oil exploration.

Cross-psoted at SWAC Girl
Jim Gilmore for Senate

Webb Wants No Part of Democrat/ic Energy Debacle

2008-06-20T15:43:00.002-04:00

Oh this is precious... too precious:

Sen. Webb has joined with Sen. Warner to cosponsor a bill that would open Virginia's coast to drilling for natural gas. John McCain's allies couldn't be more pleased, using Sen. Webb's support to paint McCain as a moderate and Barack Obama as an out-of-touch liberal:

Actually every one with a brain knows that Hussein is an out of touch liberal, it's the fact their eyes haven't opened just yet to another out of touch limousine liberal. It gets better:

The Hill points out Sen. Webb is "picking a curious time to exercise his well-known independence." Considering Sen. Webb hasn't made a Sherman statement against the VP spot, why would he hang Barack Obama out to dry on offshore drilling at this critical moment?

TheGreenMiles :: Webb's Drilling Stance Delights McCain's Allies

Now they are insinuating that Webb is feeling jilted by Obama. I think that is hardly the case. Webb was a Republican remember? He saw his political opportunity and he took it, now you're stuck with him folks...

The Va Dems are stuck with Webb, and we're stuck with McCain..

Now I'll take a bet with you, Webb's reasoning when you get right down to it will be National Security. Remember the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was originally started in WW1 to insure the US Navy would never be short of fuel to defend our nation....

This concept is completely lost upon Warner and Hussein.

Mark Warner is economically illiterate, and dangerous

2008-06-20T14:48:00.002-04:00

I was looking forward to firing up the Warnerese-English translator for Mark's recent statement on energy, until I realized he may actually mean what he says. It just goes to show you, just because a guy can make millions via insider trading on cell-phone licenses (Riley) doesn't mean he actually knows how an economy works (Washington Times):

Make no mistake about it: what has happened over the past few months has not been the result of the market. Actually, driving demand in the United States and consumption have fallen and we've seen record increases in the price of gas.

Why yes, Mark, the price has risen and demand has fallen here in the United States, but that did not mean demand has fallen worldwide. We can't simply control the price of oil by fiat here.

So why would I simply analyze something so ridiculous without breaking out the translator? The answer is his audience - "a group of technology investors" - in other words, folks that Warner likes to think are "his people," as opposed to the mountain folks he's managed to hoodwink into voting for him all these years. He's not likely to go into Warnerese with that crowd.

In other words, Warner really doesn't understand how international markets work. He thinks the United States can just close itself off from the rest of the world.

Even worse, he sees millions of ordinary investors and mutual fund managers looking for long-term gains in the commodities markets as "predatory speculators." The last time I heard that kind of talk was when the market destroyed Great Britain's attempt to join the pre-euro Exchange Rate Mechanism at a badly overvalued currency rate. The Tory government (led by John Major) had the same hysterical reaction to "speculators." Voters knew better, and the Conservative Party hasn't been elected to power since.

So what would Warner do? Take a look at this nonsense:

Quicker relief, he said, would result from federal action against speculators who have made billions by inflating crude oil prices on overseas markets, from aggressively using U.S. trade leverage to pressure oil cartel nations to increase production, and from "enforcement action" against nations and corporations that collude to drive up oil prices.

In other words: locking up every individual investor who decides to put their money in oil or oil companies, repeatedly begging Saudi Arabia to increase production, and retaliatory trade tariffs that could spread the fuel inflation to every sector of the economy and bring back the Smoot-Hawley Great Depression days of old.

Again - and I can't emphasize this enough - Warner really believes this stuff. That's why he cannot be elected Senator. Nonsense like this is merely a hop, skip, and a jump away from Maurice Hinchey's demand to "nationalize" oil production.

I only wish I had paid more attention to this when it first came out three days ago. Mark Warner is no longer just a shifty politician who plays fast and loose with the truth. The man is actually dangerous.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

The Washington Post rewrites Virginia history

2008-06-16T12:05:00.004-04:00

It's not easy being the editorial staff of the Washington Post. As the only MSM newspaper that continues to support the liberation of Iraq, the Post takes it on the chin from the left in ways we on the rightosphere can't even contemplate. Not even the paper's ridiculous and shameful takedown of George Allen (which actually spawned a need for political cover that led to the hilarious endorsement of Bob Ehrlich) has spared it.

Usually, the Post tries to rebuild its left-wing credibility by whacking Virginia Republicans (the Maryland GOP will be off-limits for a while in light of the Ehrlich incident), and over the weekend, they went after Jim Gilmore. Ostensibly the Post's editorial-page hit-job was for "those many thousands of Virginia residents who are new to the state or are newly of voting age" who are not aware of Gilmore's record. Unfortunately, they won't be any better informed after reading the editorial than they were before.

The errors in the Post piece are numerous and far-reaching, beginning with the initial paragraph:

It may seem odder still to watch prominent fellow Republicans either endorse Mr. Gilmore's Democratic opponent in the Senate race, former governor Mark R. Warner go mute when asked whom they support.

Actually, newer Virginians might understand this better than the editors. Given the history of Gilmore's "prominent fellow Republicans" (State Senate GOP: four tax increases proposed in five years; House of Delegates GOP: two tax increases enacted in five years), they're probably more likely to find favor with a GOP nominee that this crowd does not like.

The next paragraph has plenty of vituperative language, but no actual facts, so it's better skipped, especially since the "evidence" in the later paragraphs are also miles from reality, such as:

In Mr. Gilmore, Virginia had its very own Herbert Hoover. "State government is in sound financial shape," he declared sunnily in August 2001, even as state lawmakers from both parties predicted a $500 million revenue shortfall in the commonwealth's $25 billion budget . . .

For starters, Virginia's budget was not $25 billion when Gilmore left office; it was nearly $47 billion. In fact, the shortfall the Post cites was just over 1% of the budget, hardly a cataclysmic event. In fact, even the Post admits that the state was well-equipped to handle the problem:

Today, Mr. Gilmore innocently states that on leaving office in 2002 he bequeathed a balanced budget and $1 billion in reserves.

So, Gilmore's successor, even with a shortfall of $500 million, could have kept the state on sound fiscal footing.

What happened between August of 2001 and January of 2002? You guessed it, 9/11, not that the Post thinks that's important:

Mr. Gilmore's allies sometimes argue that no one could have foreseen the economic effects of the Sept. 11 attacks, which occurred four months before he left office. True enough, but also irrelevant: The problem had swollen to major proportions well before the attacks, and Mr. Gilmore ignored it.

Gilmore ignored the problem? With a reserve twice the size of what the perceived shortfall was?

Now the Post is now willing to credit Gilmore with the reserve, which was "statutorily required." Indeed it was, but that doesn't make the money go away, nor doe the funds magically become useless against a shortfall half the reserve's size - no matter how hard the editors assert otherwise:

And the reserves, for which Mr. Gilmore bears no responsibility -- they were
statutorily required -- did nothing to forestall the state's fiscal crisis.

Really? If the reserve "did nothing to forestall the state's fiscal crisis," why did Warner bleed it dry during his four years as Governor?

Then comes the supposed coup de grace, which to me looks like a serious potential for blowback:

It fell to Mr. Warner, who succeeded Mr. Gilmore as governor, to fix what
quickly mushroomed to a nearly $4 billion problem.

Wait a minute. What was that number? $4 billion, you say? I thought it was $6 billion! If the situation was actually $2 billion better than Warner claims, why did he need $1.6 billion in new taxes? While the Post aimed at Gilmore with this editorial, this sentence actually hits and destroys Warner's record. Whoopsie!

As for the rest of Gilmore's record, the Post continued getting things wrong:

Mr. Gilmore's term was marked not only by bad management but also by a
stiff-necked, belligerent political style that left him with few allies. In
Richmond, he shunned Democrats, disdained doubting Republicans and listened
mainly to a closed cabal of hard-line aides.

Gilmore "shunned Democrats"? That would come as a surprise to Charles Waddell, the longtime Democratic State Senator that Gilmore appointed to the Cabinet, or David Brickley, a Prince William Democratic Delegate who also found a job in the Gilmore Administration.

Moreover, there is one piece of Gilmore's record the Post completely missed: the food tax cut. In 1999, the Democrats proposed a two-point reduction in the sales tax on food. Many Democrats were genuinely concerned for less fortunate Virginians; more than a few were hoping to corner Gilmore into opposing a tax cut. Gilmore embraced the food-tax cut and enacted it on the first opportunity, shocking official Richmond and making him a bipartisan hero.

Oh, and as for the "toxic relationship with his opposite number in Maryland, then-Gov. Parris N. Glendening, a Democrat," the Post should know that Gilmore was hardly alone. Governor Glendening was one of the most loathed politicians in Maryland history - in fact, as I recall, even the Post found many reasons to rip him to shreds.

One final note, the editors promise to "review Mr. Warner's record as governor at a later date." Perhaps they will notice that Warner's last budget included an increase of $10.5 billion - $9 billion before the 2004 tax increase. If we're really luck, the editors will think to ask Warner: Where did the $9 billion go?

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Don't you believe it!

2008-06-15T04:36:00.003-04:00

So Mark Warner is insisting to anyone who will listen that he will not be Barack Obama's running mate. I've read the words (Bearing Drift) just like everyone else. I just don't believe them.

I have two reasons.

Warner's history with the truth: Mark Warner said he would cut spending as Governor. State spending rose more than 30.8% during his four years (and General Fund spending rose more than 18.9%). Mark Warner said he would not raise taxes; less than one year later he was demanding the people of Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia increase their own taxes, and in 2004 he proposed and imposed the largest tax increase in Virginia history. Now he wants us to believe he would not accept the Vice Presidential nomination. Sorry, no dice.

Read more at the right-wing liberal

Raising Kaine? More like Razing Truth

2008-06-13T16:04:00.002-04:00

Three Green Miles over at RK put words in Senator John Ensign's mouth about the Virginia Senate race. Here's what Ensign - head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee - actually said (Wall Street Journal):

Ensign identified the 10 most competitive races in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Alaska, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Virginia. Two — Virginia and New Mexico — are heavily favored at this point to flip to Democratic control. Asked if the NRSC was mulling walking away from these two races to focus resources elsewhere, Ensign was non-committal, but added, “You don’t waste money on races that don’t need it or
you can’t win.”

Now, just to recap, Ensign includes Virginia as one of the "most competitive races" in the country. Then, while making a very rational assessment about where you put your financial resources, he refuses to say Virginia is a state where the party "can't win."

Yet TGM magically transformed the above into this (you can find the link yourself):

Even the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee thinks November is going to be a Reservoir Dogs-level bloodbath. Which we all know to be true. But amazing that Ensign is willing to torpedo Jim Gilmore's candidacy so publicly.

Perhaps TGM didn't realize that Ensign was speaking English, rather than Warnerese.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal

Warner's aide spills the beans: he's for defeat in Iraq

2008-06-12T13:47:00.003-04:00

The Washington Post had an extensive interview with Jim Gilmore on several subjects, but it was what the Warner camp said that caught my attention (emphasis added):

Warner has called for an end to the war in Iraq, but he has been vague about a timetable. Kevin Hall, Warner's spokesman, said, "we need to begin a process (for withdrawl (sic)) in consultation with military commanders on the ground but you can't set timelines or dealines."(sic) Hall estimates the U.S. will be able to remove a brigade a month.

Now where have I heard that before? Oh, that's right, from the Audacity of Hype:

Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months.

Mark Warner has been trying to hide his position on Iraq for years. Well, we now know that Warner is just as committed to handing Iraq to the terrorists as Obama is.

So remember, when it comes to the WBK War (a.k.a. the War on Terror): Warner won't win.

Cross-posted to the right-wing liberal