The Sunday Times November 13, 2005
‘New Bill’ emerges to thwart Hillary
Sarah Baxter, Washington
THE God-fearing governor of a southern state who has been described as America’s “new Bill Clinton” could end up fighting Hillary for the Democrat presidential nomination.
Mark Warner, who is compared to the former president for his “crossover” appeal to voters, is emerging as a top contender to stop Clinton’s wife from winning the Democrat ticket in 2008.
Democrats were this weekend savouring victories in elections for governor of Virginia and New Jersey and a drubbing given to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s reform package in California. But the real victor last week was Warner, a multi-millionaire and motor racing fan.
The 51-year-old outgoing governor of Virginia is basking in sky-high approval ratings of 74% in a state that voted for George W Bush as president by a wide margin and has a Republican-dominated legislature.
He is on his way to New Hampshire this week, a key battleground state in the presidential primary elections, to woo Democrats after helping to deliver victory in Virginia to Tim Kaine, his successor.
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Many Democrats now believe Clinton is not a shoo-in for the 2008 nomination. Despite her move to the political centre she still has to shake off her reputation as a divisive east coast liberal with little connection to the “values” voters of middle America who helped win Bush a second term.
Husband Bill had all the virtues necessary to woo voters in the South and Midwest, as well as some undesirable vices. Those who want “Bubba” without his downside are looking with fresh eyes at Warner.
“He is the hot candidate at the moment. He offers many of the same advantages to the Democrats in 2008 as Bill Clinton did in 1992,” said Larry Sabato, a polling analyst at the University of Virginia. “A lot of the Democrat elite realise that Hillary Clinton is an enormous risk.”
I'm from the great state of Virginia, the Old Dominion, and Gov. Warner suggested our taxes be raised to erase a deficit. Well, they were raised with the help of the media and our legislature. Now, we have a surplus, and that means we are paying too much taxes.
BTW, a gallon of regular gasoline can be bought down the street from me for $1.899.
Larry Sabato used to be good at things like this, but he has not had a good track record lately, and does not seem to know the electorate anymore. He smiles a lot, but it belies his poor record of late.