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Here in Virginia, we all know Mark Warner is extremely impressive. But how about now that he's taking his "AAA" show on the road? Does the Mark Warner for President show play as well nationally as the Governor Mark Warner show played in Virginia? Well, it's sure lookin' good so far, that's for sure! First, Warner got rave reviews in New Hampshire a few weeks ago at Harvard and in New Hampshire immediately following. Then, he was named one of the five best governors in the country by Time Magazine. Just two days ago, Warner raised $2.5 million in a single event - a record for Virginia politics -- for his "Forward Together" PAC. And now, Warner's wowing 'em in South Carolina. Check this out, from today's Charleston Post and Courier:
Virginia Gov. Mark Warner appears to have wrapped up South Carolina's 2008 Democratic presidential primary more than two years before voters will go to the polls and after only his second visit.[...]
"You are going to be one heck of a president," said former Gov. Jim Hodges, who lost his re-election bid to Republican Mark Sanford in 2002.
"I believe like the rest of you that we have a real winner here tonight," added former Democratic Gov. and U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings.
Dick Harpootlian, a former state party chairman and vocal Warner supporter, took one step further: "I think the people in this room heard the next president of the United States. He was inspiring."
This led political pundit Tom Schaller, who was on hand for the event, to one conclusion: "He just won the South Carolina primary."
Amazing, truly amazing. Oh yeah, and Warner also helped elect his loyal lieutenant, Tim Kaine, as our next Governor. Now, the only question is whether the Democratic Party will be savvy enough to grab this smart, capable, competent, charismatic, "sensible centrist" Southern governor and fight for him all the way to the White House in 2008.
Just to put Mark Warner's budding Presidential campaign in a bit of perspective, here's a a little factoid. During the 40 years ending in 2008, only two Democrats will have been elected President, and both of them were Southern, centrist governors: 1) Jimmy Carter, Governor of Georgia, in 1976; and 2) Bill Clinton, Governor of Arkansas, in 1992 and 1996. Not that I'm trying to suggest anything here, but I don't see any Senators or non-Southerners on that (all-too-short) list. Hmmm...