Gilmore and Warner debate for the last time

Jim Gilmore and Mark Warner appeared in their one and only televised state-wide debate last night. The one hour debate featured plenty of quips from both candidates, as Gilmore attempted to paint a clear picture that he is on the side of the taxpayer.

Gilmore, who has a lot of ground to make up (if you believe the polls), had this to say about the recent economic bailout plan and Mark Warner’s support for it:

“I am strongly opposed to asking America’s hard working families to cover the bets of the Wall Street high rollers and insiders who exploited flaws in government regulations to make personal fortunes and devastate our economy,” said Gilmore.

“Requiring taxpayers to cough up $700 billion without providing them any additional assurances for their own financial security is wrong,” Gilmore added.

Gilmore said Mark Warner supported the costly bailout of Wall Street while simultaneously taking in almost $3 million in contributions from the Wall Street high rollers who benefit from the taxpayer bailout. (Click here to see)

“Maybe Mark Warner finds it easy to take more and more of the taxpayers’ money, but I do not,” Gilmore said. “We must restore accountability in Washington – and on Wall Street – so America’s taxpayers are protected and our economy prospers.”

However, Democrats are looking for Gilmore to be a little bit more substantive with his economic plans:

“Jim Gilmore had plenty of desperate partisan attacks tonight, but he failed to offer any alternative to fix the economic mess that is hurting Virginia’s families,” said Jared Leopold, Communications Director for the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Coordinated Campaign. “If Jim Gilmore has a secret plan to save the economy, now’s the time for him to share it.”

“All we heard from Jim Gilmore tonight was more Washington-style attacks and name calling, but no viable answers to the challenges facing America,” Leopold said. “We need a Senator who will work across party lines for common-sense solutions, instead of being yet another hyper-partisan in Washington.

“The financial crisis of the past few weeks and Washington’s struggle to address these serious problems demonstrate why Mark Warner is the best choice for Virginia voters this November 4. We need a Senator who actually knows how to read a balance sheet and can bring Republicans and Democrats together to balance a budget in a fiscally responsible manner. That’s why Democrats, Republicans and Independents are lining up behind Mark Warner’s common-sense solutions.”

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has the full replay of the debate. Here is Bob Lewis’ recap from AP. And, Warren Fiske’s coverage from the Pilot.

Also check out this post by Mason Conservative.

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JR Hoeft

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.