Free Republic

He Won't Say 'Yes' Or 'No' As the polls repeatedly tell us, former Gov. Mark Warner makes an appealing candidate for U.S. Senate. But a recent refusal to commit, up or down, on an issue critical to many Virginia voters, in our mind, diminishes this appeal. The issue to which we refer is the proposed Employee Free Choice Act, which would, in essence, replace the secret ballot in the decision to organize a union with a “card check” system. The system would allow union organizers to place pressure — at times, undue pressure — on individual workers to “check” that...

I am not a party voter. I have voted for Democrats, Republicans and even 'third party' candidates like Ross Perot. The way I roll is to vote for the person that I think will do the best job. For instance, I am voting for John McCain and Sarah Palin. I don't think Obama has the country's best interests at heart. I think he is naive and is likely to make some very costly mistakes because of it. I would love to have a national health care plan, but that is not enough to make me vote for a man I...

WASHINGTON, Oct 09, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Today, FRC Action decried comments made by Democrat Party Senate candidate Mark Warner. Warner, who served formerly as Governor of Virginia, was recently recorded speaking at a Democratic Party event. In his speech, Warner accused pro-lifers, homeschoolers, and members of the National Rifle Association, as threatening to "what it means to be an American." Warner said that "one of the things you're going to see is a coalition that has just about completely taken over the Republican Party in the state [Virginia] and if they have their way, it's going to take...

Warner: Scalia Thomas Not Mainstream Jim Gilmore supports constitutionalist judges and supports the overturn of Roe v Wade calling it a bad decision. Mark Warner says justices Scalia and Thomas are outside the mainstream when asked about Roe v Wade and the justices he would support. Roanoke VA Senate Debate Friday October 3, 2008 Warner: Scalia Thomas Not Mainstream  

This audio clip shows just how intolerant Mark Warner is. "...one of the things you're going to see is a coalition that has just about completely taken over the Republican Party in this State; and if they have their way, they're going to take over the State Government. It's made up of the Christian Coalition. It's made up of the right to lifers. It's made up of the NRA. It's made up of the home schoolers. It's made up of a whole coalition of people that all sorts of different views that I think most of us in this room...

WRVA VA DOES MARK WARNER'S COMMENTS FROM SEVERAL YEARS AGO CHANGE YOUR MIND IN THE SENATE RACE? Yes. It's his "macaca" moment. 24.09 % No. It was years ago and it's old news. 10.22 % No. And Warner's right. 5.84 %

Earmark Mark Roanoke Debate Friday October 3, 2008 Mark Warner says he will accept Earmarks. Jim Gilmore says he will not. Jim discusses Earmarks in the bailout bill and says it was wrong.  

WINCHESTER — Taxpayers will pay now or later for the $700 billion financial bailout signed into law by President Bush last Friday. Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, a candidate for the Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican John Warner, talks about the financial bailout package approved last week. He was interviewed Tuesday at The Winchester Star. (Photo by Jeff Taylor) That glum perspective was offered Tuesday by former Gov. Jim Gilmore, campaigning in Winchester for the Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican John Warner, who is retiring after 30 years. Gilmore is running against his successor as governor, Democrat...

Senate Candidate: Homeschoolers, Pro-Lifers, Gun Owners Threaten American Values   I haven't been following closely the Virginia senate race between Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Jim Gilmore (to replace the retiring Senator John Warner). But I came across this clip this morning and found it startling. I found it startling not for what was said--because I hear Democrats saying things like this every day, just not ones running for office--but because someone was actually able to record it. Democrats--at least ones running for public office--are usually more circumspect about their true feelings like this. In this clip, you'll hear...

According to U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner (Democrat), there's a coalition of people that have "all sorts of different views that I think most of us in this room would find threatening to what it means to be an American."  This "coalition" includes pro-lifers and homeschoolers.  Listen ... Warner attacks the NRA and other Ouch!  What makes this disdain of traditional American values worse is that Warner "angrily denied" the contents this sound clip, calling them "inaccurate".Warner's challenger is none other than Jim Gilmore, a conservative Republican who actually stands for the sanctity of life and the preservation of...

After the votes were taken, The Washington Post expressed shock that some 83 percent of retiring Republicans voted for the bailout while no GOP freshmen did so. To the Post this was evidence not that elected representatives sometimes actually listen to their constituents, but that the Republican freshmen are too ideologically oriented to deal with reality. It never even occurred to the Post writer that perhaps the retiring members have as a group been in Washington so long that even had they been facing reelection the voters mattered less to them than the demands of the Washington establishment. Establishment praise...

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. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpicD6UIq8A

There is no telling if Warner's margin can hold up. Gilmore is campaigning hard, and Friday's poll suggests he is whittling away at Warner's lead. But if the numbers don't change, it could suggest what political wonks call "reverse coattails" — a down-ticket candidate like Warner using his in-state popularity to generate votes for Obama, a virtual unknown in Virginia just a few years ago. That could pay dividends for Democrats in Hampton Roads, where McCain is seen to have an edge because of his popularity with the military.

Retiring U.S. Sen. John Warner on Saturday voiced disappointment in fellow Republican Jim Gilmore's efforts to succeed him this fall and declined to endorse him. Instead, Warner suggested that he may wind up backing Democrat Mark Warner in the race. The two Warners are not related. John Warner took exception to Gilmore's strong condemnation of a $700 billion Wall Street rescue package that was passed by the House of Representatives on Friday and signed by President Bush. "I'm disappointed that he spoke against the rescue package that's vital to Virginia and vital to the nation," John Warner said during a...

If you have time this is worth watching. The fireworks really flew, Jim Gilmore took the bailout and beat Warner to a pulp with it. http://jimgilmoreforsenate.com/?q=node/541

RICHMOND, Oct. 4 -- Retiring Sen. John W. Warner said Saturday that he has not decided whether to vote for the Republican seeking to replace him, citing James S. Gilmore III's opposition to the $700 billion federal bailout of the credit markets. In a conference call with reporters, Warner (R-Va.) held out the possibility that he will vote for Democrat Mark R. Warner. The two Warners, who are unrelated, ran against each other in a 1996 Senate campaign but have since become friends. "I'm watching that race, following the positions of the two candidates," John Warner said. "There are cases...

In their most aggressive encounter yet, the two former governors disagreed sharply over the need for the $700 billion rescue that comes at taxpayers' expense. Warner said he would have voted for it, although the plan had flaws. Gilmore was flatly against it. "Too often in politics, the perfect can be the enemy of the good," said Warner. Failing to act would have created "economic turmoil across our whole nation," from the small business owner trying to meet payroll to the college student vying for a loan. "We didn't have the luxury of waiting," he said. Gilmore characterized the plan...

Warner came to be Virginia’s governor by a path that was purposely political, including the decade he spent becoming a high-tech venture capitalist. Along the way, his four years at GW (1973 to 1977) were crucial in his political development. When he got to D.C. in 1973, Warner immediately started working in the office of Sen. Abe Ribicoff (D-Conn.). “I’ll always remember my first job on Capitol Hill. I would ride my bike every day—I had to be there at 7:15 to open the mail. Here I was, a freshman in college, I thought it was pretty cool.” From that...

Gilmore repeatedly steered the debate back to the bailout, replying to a question about Congressional earmark funding by listing interest groups that get tax breaks in the financial rescue package. “Listen to some of them — Puerto Rican rum producers, wooden-arrow producers, Hollywood — everything was put in this bill to buy votes to get it passed,” Gilmore said. Warner compared the bailout to the budget Gilmore left for him. “You pushed off the budget shortfalls” on his new administration, Warner said. Warner, who earned a fortune in early days of the cell phone business, said he has the business...

Under the scenic roof of the Star City’s soon to be opened Taubman Museum of Art, the Senate candidates came out swinging --especially Jim Gilmore. Gilmore: “Mark, don’t talk down to me about how I don’t understand… You don’t understand. Warner: “Even though Governor Gilmore says he didn’t leave us with a budget shortfall, we all know that’s not true.” One issue dominated the debate tonight. “700-Billion dollars going to the high rollers on Wall Street,” said Gilmore time and time again. He segued from nearly every topic back to the bail out and his opposition to it. Gilmore rode...