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Have
you heard about the series of mysterious loud booms that
began in Richmond Election Day, Nov. 2, and have
continued since?
There
are a lot of theories for the booms, such as the
military, mischief and mollycoddle ...
Yes, Governor
Mollycoddle.
Here's
my Blue Dog big boom theory. After reading those Mark
Warner for president in '08 news articles and seeing the
Warner presidential Web sites blossom in the wake
of John Kerry's defeat at the polls, our boyish-acting
governor has been experiencing a run of head explosions
due to his somewhat over-inflated political ego.
The
idea of Warner for prez.... Come on folks, are you
kidding me?
But
within the pages of Richmond and Washington newspapers
for the past month, I've been reading more and more
opinion editorials suggesting Mark Warner as the
possible Democratic candidate for president in 2008. There
is a mathematical buzz surrounding him: Blue
Governor + Red State = White House.
Wishful-thinking
citizens of the Commonwealth are predicting that two
Virginians might battle for the presidency in 2008, with
George Allen as the eventual GOP nominee pitted against
possible Democratic nominee Mark Warner.
It's
"The Mouthpiece" vs. "The
Mollycoddle."
But
the Blue Dog believes "The Mouthpiece" is
better positioned for that presidential role.
On
Mark Warner's behalf, there have been Democratic
testimonials by well-wishers and promised assistance
from supporters across the Commonwealth. These twisted
Democrats are pretty doggone serious about backing
Warner for president in 2008. Warner
is being promoted as a potential Democratic candidate to
bring back fiscal conservative and effectively melded
liberal to moderate social values with our party.
But
the Blue Dog thought Warner called Kerry the best
candidate to bring back "fiscal sanity to our
nation's capital."
Hey
folks! There's this even this guy named Steve (not to be
confused with Steven, the AFP Valley Blue
Dog) who has created a fan club-like Internet journal.
It's a growing
blogger Web site to promote and draft Mark Warner for
president in 2008
. Not to mention
that it's a rather sickening, puppy-love display of
Democratic affection.
There
are actually two Web sites dedicated to the Warner for
prez love-fest:
Mark
Warner in 2008!
Mark
Warner for President 2008
The
marketing of Warner for president has appeared on
Internet pages with buttons, signs and bumper stickers.
Expect
Warner to take the reins of the Democratic National
Committee or Democratic Leadership Council in the
interim period and employ the same strategic formula he
did in the Commonwealth as the state chairman of the
Democratic Party.
Soon
after the just-completed election coverage, Mark
Warner's name, to some degree, had been spread through
the major media outlets as a possible presidential
candidate. The
message is ... Gov. Warner is the salvation for the
Democratic Party because he has connected with rural
Virginia voters and can do it for the rest of the
nation.
The
mission of the Internet blogs is to promote a future
President Warner - as the last fiscally conservative and
social moderate existing in the Democratic Party today.
A
Warner blogger writes, "Overall, in my opinion,
Governor Mark Warner has the potential to be the Ronald
Reagan of the Democratic Party and bring the Democratic
Party from its near-death status."
There
was a time in the 1990s, when the Blue Dog would have
been saying "heck yeah" and "yee
haw" to that exaggerated statement.
In
2004, the Blue Dog would say that political spin is
simply nothing more than a cow producing methane gas.
Warner
likened to Ronald Wilson Reagan ... now that's
preposterous to say the least.
But
as for the Democratic near-death status scenario that
our party leadership tiptoes around and never addresses
- that's right on the money.
In
2001, the Blue Dog had that ugly orange Sportsmen for
Warner billboard sign posted in the front lawn of his
yard, and I will admit to working hard for Warner's
campaigns to the U.S. Senate and Virginia governor's
office, just like any good Virginia Democrat would have.
And
I probably would have argued the merits of Mark Warner's
vast cellular empire if called upon to do so. As a loyal
Democrat, I couldn't blame him for being rich.
In
the 1980s, Mark Warner worked as a U.S. Senate staff
member for Connecticut's Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd, and
gained knowledge of federal telecommunications policies,
which later morphed into an impressive $200 million
fortune. Yes, most
Democrats would have said once upon a time that
Democratic-staff-member Warner was nothing more than the
kid next door who got extremely lucky with a regional
bid for cellular phone franchise licenses.
He low-balled the regional bid, and got rich on a
random, politically motivated hunch.
Umm
... (clear throat) ... that's the America way?
Millionaire
venture capitalist Mark Warner has more than proved he
is willing to throw his money around to become an
elected official in Virginia. In 1996, he invested $4.7
million of his cellular fortune into the U.S. Senate
campaign against moderate Republic John Warner.
For
several years, Warner barnstormed the high-tech, urban
regions of the state promoting the development of
technological skills to cope in the computer age
Using
his outsized bank account, he campaigned across
Virginia's rural landscape (twice in less than five
years) visiting NASCAR races, passing out blaze orange
Sportsman For Warner bumper stickers and tapping his
foot to country music while eating corn dogs, fried
chicken and apple fritters.
He
was a regular speaker at the annual Rockingham-
Harrisonburg
Labor Day dinners. The
fact that the Northern Virginia millionaire, who dressed
in fancy designer suits, didn't arrive in a pickup truck
with a gun rack in the window accompanied by bumper
stickers such as Jesus Saves, the National Rifle
Association emblem or racing legend Dale Earnhardt's No.
3, didn't seem to bother me at the time.
In
spite of everything perceived as logical political
thinking, Democrats say in the past 30-years America has
only elected two Democratic presidents--Jimmy Carter of
Georgia and Bill Clinton of Arkansas--and those fellows
were past governors of Southern states. And now, the
Virginia governor, Mr. Mark Warner, is the next Southern
Democratic Moses.
Three
years after being elected, Warner and his staff are
thoroughly convinced they have befuddled us dumb ol'
rednecks (including myself) in rural Virginia and the
rest of the nation.
Warner's
sycophants say he's not a tax-and-spend Democrat--and
claim he is a fiscal conservative even though he
historically increased taxes.
In an extreme makeover, Warner is the new and improved
Southern version of Bubba--aka Clinton--but without all
that moral baggage.
That
worked for a while ... but with age, also comes wisdom.
Mostly poorer, rural Virginians are paying higher taxes
thanks to Mr. Warner, and, don't forget, pro-tax
Republican members of the General Assembly.
The
current campaign to promote Warner as the next
presidential wannabe is nothing more than a calculated,
coordinated effort to fool us again, don't y'all agree?
The
Blue Dog wouldn't put that past him.
After
all, the governor has played the public-relations game
before--and has mastered the art of deception with the
liberal media as his ally.
Recently, the Chris Matthews "Hardball"
program discussed possible Democratic candidates. One
name tossed out was brought up in the manner of
"and then there's Mark Warner of Virginia, a red
state."
Whoa,
Nelly! Has Warner convinced (and conned) the nation that
his agenda is tailor-made, red state conservatism in
nature?
Somewhat, but folks
are learning that a fiscally conservative U.S. Senate
campaign and later as a no-tax-increase Democratic
gubernatorial candidate was nothing more than smoke and
mirrors.
While
in his first year in office, Warner mustered and
encouraged the political spin-meisters around the
Commonwealth to promote the Northern Virginia and
Hampton Roads tax-increase referendums.
With
a little assistance from pro-tax Republicans in 2003 and
2004, Warner morphed last year's tax-reform debate into
the single largest tax increase in Virginia's history.
Mostly
with a regressive sales tax that hurt rural Virginians--but
after all, Warner enjoys spreading his joy to other core
Democratic constituents throughout the state.
The
true Warner legislative agenda is to increase taxes
because his previous state budgets said plain as
day--spend more and more and more.
Tax
and spend is his mantra.
--
December 13, 2004
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