Gilmore to hold conference call tonight
By JR Hoeft | Thursday, May 15th, 2008 | PoliticsFormer Gov. Jim Gilmore is calling delegates to the RPV Convention this evening at 7 p.m. for a tele Townhall. The Townhall will give delegates an opportunity to ask the governor questions in advance of the convention, which will be held in just over two weeks. Gilmore is a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate against Del. Bob Marshall and Mr. Bob Berry.
Is this good outreach by a confident candidate or a signal that he is concerned about his level of support?
Update: Approx. 400 delegates listened to Gilmore appeal for their votes and contributions in tonight’s conference call that claimed to be a Virginia first. In the call, Gilmore took several questions that related to national sovereignty, illegal immigration, economic independence, social security and the establishment of a “culture of savings”, national defense, the Supreme Court, and others.
What was the most obvious, yet still the most important points, for Gilmore to make, he made:
- Virginia must deliver its electoral votes for John McCain and
- Mark Warner must be defeated because he will caucus and vote with the Democrats, despite his “radical centrist” claim
Gilmore, of course, stated unequivocally that he was the best Republican to be on the ticket to ensure those two points come to fruition.
A few good policy points came out of the Q&A –
1) Formula standards across the U.S. for gasoline. For example, in Virginia, at the gas pump it’s 87, 89 and 93 octane, but other states mandate different octane levels. Will a federal standard create cost savings?
2) Improve refining capacity in the U.S.
3) Enforce existing illegal immigration laws, even if it means deportation, etc.
4) Gilmore will not vote for any legislation that is not consistent with life and will not vote for judges who are not pro-life.
5) “Culture of Savings” — Gilmore feels that developing a system that fosters savings and greater economic independence will eventually reduce the need or dependency on social security and government.
Finally, what was made abundantly clear during the call is that Gov. Gilmore, as the GOP U.S. Senate candidate, will paint a very clear contrast to former Gov. Warner. Warner will be held accountable by Gilmore.
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Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
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6 Responses to "Gilmore to hold conference call tonight"
Good post. Gilmore is zeroing in on the target on Warner’s back. I was also in on the call. Here are a few more points Gilmore made:
Re: ethanol, agriculture: we are a food-producing nation (the breadbasket of the world), and “that is a strategic asset that we must preserve.”
“Democrats believe in the dependency of people on government – that’s why they tax so much.” Definitely Obama does not want change but more of the same [i.e., dependency].
If you analyze the two Democratic presidential candidates: Hilary – in her agenda “she leaves nothing to the imagination. It’s the wrong program, but we know what it is.” Obama – “He has same program she has” but he’s trying to hide it. Warner – same thing. He is conventional Democrat and will vote that way.
“The convenient laziness of supporting Democratic programs is no longer available to us” as we see what’s at stake in this election. A loss to Warner in Virginia could also hurt McCain, and make things very easy for a Democratic president and legislature easily to ram through very bad legislation.
“Mark Warner has absolutely no connection with working people in our state.” That’s not true, Gov. Gilmore – he feels very connected – yea, even entitled, to their wallets, i.e., taxes.
The logistics of the call were interesting – those who did not get their questions answered during the call could leave their questions on voicemail. This will be a good tool for the Gilmore campaign to see what concerns people have, since all of the questions can be submitted that way, not limited by the length of a call or a public event.
[...] Gov. Jim Gilmore had a conference call with 400 or more delegates yesterday. Read about the Gilmore conference call at Bearing Drift. [...]
I am far more interested in any news about Bob Marshall, the nation’s rising star.
Sorry, Gilmore, you had your time in the sun and it is time for you to go into private industry.
Gilmore, I am sorry, but I want a representative in the U.S. Senate who has years of legislative experience and who has mastered parliamentary procedure. You have no experience in the legislative trenches.
I worked in the U.S. Senate and can tell you that former governors with no experience as legislators usually waste their first term figuring everything out.
Also, Gilmore, you do not have great oratory skills. And unfortunately, that is not something you can master in a short time.
But thank you so much for wanting to serve, but you have truly completed your service for Virginia and it is time for you to use the skills you have to plan for your retirement.
Please do not be offended. We know that as Governor you advocated a lot of very fine legislation and you are to be commended,
But you simply do not have the legislative experience to work in the U.S. Senate. Neither does Warner for that matter. That is why Bob Marshall will be a superior choice against Warner.
In addition Marshall’s experience and legislative record can smash Warner’s. Yours cannot.
Take care and thanks for your service as Governor, but please do not try to be a legislator — that is not where your strengths lie.
Kathleen Katz
Why did you delete my comment? Because I was more interested in what Bob Marshall has to say than Jim Gilmore?
I like Bob as well. Much more conservative, in my opinion.
Delete comment? Huh?
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