From the DPVA truth squad:
UNHAPPY GILMORE
Tone-deaf Shad Planking AnticsOnce again we are reminded of why Mark Warner is the best candidate to represent Virginia in the U.S. Senate.
During the annual Shad Planking in Wakefield, Mark Warner honored the spirit of the traditionally bipartisan festival and talked about his goal of going to the U.S. Senate to build a coalition of centrist problem-solvers. That's the way Warner served as Governor, and that's why we need to elect him to the Senate this November.
Jim Gilmore, on the other hand, made a choice to display the failed, desperation politics of the past. Gilmore was hyper-partisan, mean-spirited and factually dishonest (see fact check talking points below and use them to write a letter-to-the-editor and blog posts).
Jim Gilmore - failed Governor, failed Republican National Committee chairman, failed presidential wannabe, and a floundering candidate today.
Gilmore has proven he can't generate any excitement among members of his own party, he can't raise any money, and he even faces a strong challenge for the GOP nomination.That must be why he resorts to the failed style of politics Virginia voters have been rejecting.
The contrast was so obvious that newspapers from across the state picked up on it. Here's what they said:
Associated Press
"Warner spoke of bipartisan cooperation during remarks at the annual Shad Planking, a unique Virginia Tidewater spring political festival. He pledged to become a "radical centrist" if elected to fill Republican John W. Warner's seat. Gilmore didn't trifle with such bipartisan pleasantries. He ripped into Warner describing him as an untrustworthy and tax-happy opportunist.... Combative from the start, Gilmore sought to weld his fortunes to those of presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain and his supporters brandished McCain-Gilmore yard signs, even though McCain has made no endorsement in the Virginia race."Richmond Times Dispatch
"Minutes yesterday after Democrat Mark R. Warner called for a bipartisan approach to governing, Republican Jim Gilmore accused him of going back on the promises he made when he ran for governor in 2001. The normally light-hearted mood of the annual Shad Planking quickly evaporated..."Daily Press
"Republican Jim Gilmore attacked Democrat Mark R. Warner on Wednesday on everything from the war in Iraq to the war on taxes, further signaling that the upcoming Senate race could be full of sparks. Against the backdrop of the unique Virginia political festival known as the Shad Planking, Gilmore was in full campaign mode in addressing the crowd and delivering a stump speech heavy on policy. Warner took a less confrontational approach in his speech, as did the other Republican in the race, Del. Bob Marshall of Prince William County."Free Lance Star
"Warner, the only Democrat running for the seat, talked about bipartisan cooperation, vowing to create a "radical centrist" group of 10-12 senators from both parties if he's elected... Gilmore made a serious speech focused almost entirely on Warner,"FACT CHECK (KEEPING FOLKS HONEST):
1. Governor Warner has never supported a date certain for withdrawal from Iraq. He has said we should begin to bring them home -- no timeline, no date certain -- "so that the Iraqis will step-up and take more responsibility for their own nation."
2. Governor Warner speaks frequently about a "portfolio approach" to energy that decreases our oil dependency while promoting alternative/renewable energy sources. He sees our reliance on foreign oil as a national security and a climate change issue, and wants this nation to take a leadership role in developing clean energy.
3. Governor Warner's 2004 tax reform proposal would have finished the car tax repeal. The Republican-led legislature refused to go along with that, and instead capped the annual financial car tax obligation to $900 million dollars - an action singled-out by Wall Street as one of the reasons they took Virginia's Triple-A bond rating off the CreditWatch list.
Gilmore, who like Mark Warner is a former governor, tried to link Warner to the Democratic presidential candidates. "I can assure you the people of Virginia have . . . a choice between Obama and Clinton and Mark Warner or John McCain and Jim Gilmore," he said. He also accused Warner of favoring a rollback of President Bush's tax cuts.Mark Warner largely avoided Gilmore in his remarks but said later that Gilmore brought a nasty tinge to an event whose tone generally is lighthearted.
"I'm not surprised by the tenor of Mr. Gilmore's comments. It was the way he governed," said Warner, who said he has not given a specific date for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.
With uninspiring folks like this it must be tough getting up each day and pulling on your socks.
Ignorance is bliss.