Ben and I just got off an exclusive (e.g., just "His Excellency," Ben and me) 25-minute phone with Mark Warner. Overall, I'd say Warner sounds great and is "tanned, rested and ready" to go. Here are some highlights of what he had to say:*He had two great options, run for Governor or Senate. He took a lot of time weighing his options. It was a tough choice, but he's comfortable and "at peace" with the decision he made.
*What drove his decision to run for Senate was "policy issues." The more he talked to people, he kept hearing "it's worse than you think" on fiscal policy, energy policy, foreign policy...not to mention the Iraq fiasco.
*If we accept the notion that the "business as usual" scenario is all we can aspire to, "that's pretty bleak." In contrast, Warner says he's "always been a risk taker" and wants to work for "transformstive change" in this country.
*As Senator, Warner's going to bring an "independent voice" and possibly make "both parties equally mad."
*If there's one lesson from the Bush administration, it's that even if you control "all the marbles," if you can't get consensus, you still won't get transformative change.
*On Bill Howell's comments the other day about immigrants not sharing "Virginia's values," Warner says "I do not accept [them]." The fact is that NOVA is the economic engine driving the state, and many of the people doing that driving have been "new Americans."
*Warner said that, of course, we have to acknowledge the frustration of communities dealing with change. We need to secure our borders and enforce our current immigration laws. We need to strengthen enforcement against employers who are breaking the immigration law. Overall, we need a "more thoughtful approach" and "less heated discussion" on this issue.
*In the Senate, Warner would hope to focus on the military, clean energy technology, underlying financial issues (he says he has some expertise in that area).
*He looks forward to talking about how his administration turned Virginia's fiscal situation around and keep it the best place in the nation to do business. He is not afraid to talk about his tax reform, in which he "lowered some taxes and raised others."
*Overall, he's "looking forward to the campaign." He's also looking forward to helping out over the next 50+ days to get Tim Kaine the allies he needs in the General Assembly.
In conclusion, thanks to Governor Warner for speaking with us today, and I'd just like to say:
Warner's a centrist, not a partisan, and my guess is that this will turn a lot of people off who had previously 'loved' Mark Warner. If the Republicans can find a candidate, I think he's going to have a bumpier ride than expected. He'll still win, in all likelihood, but he's going to be a bad Senator.But those were delicious chocolate fountains.
I semi-politely told him where he could stick his opinion, including an impassioned defense of Warner's record as governor which upholds liberal/progressive values.
Thanks for the roundup of the conversation, Lowell.
In case you missed it (and I'm guessing it didn't come up on the call this morning) Gov. Warner has kept the door slightly ajar for him to run for Governor not Senator. As I see it, if the DPVA doesn't control at least the State Senate, Mark Warner might run for Governor again, just to be sure the Dems have a piece of power to play during the 2011 redistricting.
At the end of he day, Mark is a Virginian, and I think he cares to make sure that the Democratic Party of Virginia is thriving before departing for DC.
But of course if he really hates the Senate he can always run again in 2013, 2017, etc. because the election cycles don't match up.
In September of 2005, we didn't have Webb and Ned Lamont was just a Mayor, George Allen was going to be our next President and Mark Foley was still the head of the Protect Our Children Caucus in Congress.
Look, I hope I'm wrong, I want to be wrong, I believe I'm wrong, but there's that nagging piece of my political brain that says "that sentence about November only makes sense if he might not run," after all, he's going to work for us to win in November anyway, we all know that, but by putting it in there, there's wiggle room if he has to get out.
Here's to my being wrong, but cautious!
;-)
Glad to hear he's going to work some magic for the legislative races. Can't wait for the senate 2008 race to develope.