McAuliffe’s remarks on gubernatorial candidacy

Containing the first seeds of policy, candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe, had these remarks prepared for delivery to a series of Townhalls around the commonwealth today:

Terry McAuliffe – Announcement Tour Opening Remarks

I’m proud to have my family here today – Dorothy and our five great children. Nearly 20 years ago, Dorothy and I decided that Virginia was where we wanted to settle and raise our family.

We could have moved anywhere, but we chose Virginia. And we chose it for the same reasons a lot of you have chosen to move to Virginia and for the same reasons others of you are proud to have been born here. We love its diversity. Its great quality of life. Its beautiful natural resources and its business-friendly environment. Back then, Doug Wilder was serving Virginia as the nation’s first African-American governor since Reconstruction. What better place to teach our children that they could do or be whatever they want to be?

Over the past few months, I’ve traveled to every corner of the Commonwealth, and I feel lucky to have met so many people who love the same things about Virginia that I do. I did it because I wanted to have a real conversation with Virginians about our future. I wanted to talk about my ideas, but more importantly, I wanted to hear what’s concerning you.

I’ve talked to people from all walks of life – in our cities and suburbs and in our rural communities. I’ve talked to Democrats, Republicans and Independents. I’ve talked to business leaders, shift workers. Mothers, fathers, and college students. What I heard won’t surprise you.

People are anxious. Like everyone else in America, Virginians are nervous about the economy and about their future and their children’s future. They see major companies like Circuit City in Richmond declare bankruptcy, and they wonder, “What chance do I have?” They see the federal government giving a bailout to Wall Street and they say, “no one has ever bailed me out.”

I remember the small grocery store owner right here in Hampton Roads who told me he was worried that Virginia might lose an aircraft carrier to Florida. Worried that it would destroy his business. Or the woman I met in Danville who told me that it can take over six months to get a doctor’s appointment because so many local doctors have moved out of the area.

But I didn’t just hear uncertainty and concern, I also heard hope. Folks all across the Commonwealth understand that our best days are ahead of us. They’re ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work building a better future for their children.

They know that the next few years are going to be tough. Really tough. They want a governor who can bring an energetic, fresh, creative approach to solving problems and building a stronger economy… a governor who comes to the job with the right kind of experience to take on some very tough challenges. We’ve been lucky here in Virginia – our last two governors have had that kind of experience. They both brought a fresh approach to Richmond, and have been able to accomplish many great things.

As a businessman, Mark Warner was able to turn around years of mismanagement and fiscal irresponsibility to get the state back on the right track. As a former Mayor, Tim Kaine brought an executive background to the job, and despite one of the worst recessions in our nation’s history, he’s put Virginia in a place to weather the storm better than most other states.

And as a result of their leadership, look at Virginia today. The Best Managed State in the Nation… again. The best state for business… three years in a row. And the best state for a child to have lifetime success.

Now, with what we’re facing in the next few years, people want a governor with that same kind of experience and approach. A governor who, like Governors Warner and Kaine, brings the right kind of executive background to the job. Who, like Mark and Tim, understands that not all good ideas come from Richmond. Who, like Mark and Tim, knows that it’s not about politics – it’s about results. That’s what it’s going to take to get our economy moving forward again and to build on the progress we’ve made over the past seven years.

And that’s why, today, I’m announcing my candidacy for Governor of Virginia.

I believe we need to bring people together if we’re going to get things done and solve the problems that face us. We have to make sure people from all corners of the Commonwealth, and both sides of the aisle, are involved in turning this economy around. There’s no such thing as a Republican job or a Democratic job – it’s about bringing people together to create good jobs.

That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. I got my first start in business at age 14 when I started McAuliffe Driveway Maintenance – paving driveways and parking lots so I could save money to go to college. When I was 30, I was named the youngest chairman ever of a federally-chartered commercial bank that was struggling, and I worked hard with my board to turn it around. Later in life, I pulled together a team to turn around a large home building company that was on the verge of collapse.

In fact, throughout my career, I’ve worked hard and I’ve been blessed with success – learning firsthand what it takes to create good jobs, balance a budget, and work with others to get results. I’m also proud that I was able to bring that same approach to my work as a volunteer for Democratic candidates and causes. My father Jack taught me at a very young age the importance of getting involved in politics – he believed that it was a way to make a difference for the working men and women of our community.

So I’ve spent nearly the last 20 years as a full-time volunteer for the Democratic Party. When I took over as Chair of the Democratic National Committee, I helped bring together a team that increased grassroots outreach to Party supporters, got the Party out of debt for the first time in modern history, and invested in new technologies.

We knew that if the DNC was going to succeed, we needed a long-term strategic plan, just like any business would have. That’s the approach that Tim Kaine will bring to the DNC, and that’s the approach I want to bring with me to Richmond.

As Governor, I’ll make it my job to protect your job. Grow this economy. Make Virginia a leader in renewable energy. Give our kids the best education so they have a chance to pursue the American dream right here in Virginia. I believe that in government – like in business – you need a plan if you’re going to succeed.

So how are we going to get this done?

The state is facing some tough times. We’re in a national recession, and we have a huge budget shortfall. Governors Warner and Kaine have done the responsible thing. They have cut the fat out of the state budget. And I don’t believe you should raise taxes in a down economy.

Which leaves only one choice – create jobs and grow the economy.

Virginia needs an economic strategy, not just for the short-term demands of the current crisis, but for the next 10 to 20 years. Too many people in the legislature focus on how to get through only the next month, only the next year – or, sadly, only the next election.

We owe it to ourselves to think bigger and use more imagination. What do we want Virginia to be? How do we want to live? What opportunities do we want for our children? If we ask those questions, we immediately see the need to start doing things differently. Let me give you a few examples.

Virginia’s entrepreneurial spirit is as old as its history. From Thomas Jefferson to the tech boom of recent decades, Virginia has been a leader in business. It’s one of the things I love the most about this state.

So, we need to do more to help attract large employers to Virginia. Right now, Virginia isn’t even on the list of states these companies look at when they are thinking about relocating or opening a new plant. Unlike a lot of our neighboring states, Virginia doesn’t have a streamlined process to put together incentives for them. We need to do so much more.

But we also need to realize where the jobs of the future are, and make Virginia the leader in creating them. And I believe that those jobs are renewable energy jobs. We ought to be increasing state support for the development of renewable energy sources – like wind and solar – as part of our strategy to increase the state’s use of renewable energy.

That will not only reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but also create thousands of new jobs across Virginia.

We can take some simple steps towards getting this done.

For example, right now Virginia has a voluntary standard for power companies to produce 12% of their power from renewable energy sources by 2022.

Why don’t we make it mandatory, like 26 other states already have done? We create renewable energy jobs, it’s good for our environment, and it helps the energy companies make money in the end. That is a win-win solution.

Or how about this – did you know Virginia produces about half a million tons of chicken waste each year? Right now, some poultry farmers actually pay to have it hauled away. Too often it ends up in our waterways.

Instead, we could convert that chicken waste into energy. That much chicken litter would translate into about 40 megawatts of power – enough to light up about 40,000 homes in Virginia.

That way, our farmers would make money. And, it would create a clean and affordable Virginia-based energy for consumers, while helping to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and other Virginia watersheds. Another win-win solution.

We also need to figure out a way to give local governments more flexibility in Virginia.

Right now, if your local community wants to solve local problems, more often than not it has to go ask the legislature to ask for permission. I think we could get so much more done if more of the politicians in Richmond realized that good ideas can come from every corner of the Commonwealth.

On transportation, we need to think long-term. Yes, we do need to have an honest discussion about revenue. But we also need to figure out where we want to be 10, 20, or 30 years down the line and start to lay the groundwork, even if we can’t do it all today.

We need a high-speed rail line that would connect the major urban areas of Virginia with one another. And we need to start talking about it now. We can team up with Virginia corporations through public-private partnerships to get this done. It’s a smart investment for them, would create jobs, and get more people off the roads.

But there are things we can fix right now, that don’t require a lot of money, but will make everyone’s lives just a little bit easier on our roads.

You know all those warning signs on I-95 and I-64? How many times have you seen the lights out – so you know it’s trying to warn you of something, but you have no idea what? Let’s get those fixed!

Or if you’ve ever driven on I-81, you’ve probably found yourself stuck behind two trucks driving side-by-side, backing up traffic for miles. How about we make all trucks drive in the right hand lane so people can actually get around them?

I hear suggestions like that every day as I travel around Virginia. Unfortunately, not enough people in the legislature are actually listening.

These are just a few ideas – and there’s more we need to do – like making college more affordable and pre-k more accessible. And how about paying our teachers the national average so we don’t lose 50% of them to other states every five years. That’s got to change.

These are the kind of ideas that too many people in our legislature ignore because they are too caught up in partisan bickering, and focusing on what we can’t do. I want to focus on what we can do, and what we have to do.

So in the coming weeks and months, I’m going to lay out my ideas in detail. I’ll unveil an economic strategy – a “business plan” – for Virginia that will lay out details on what we need to do both in the short term, and in the long term.

And I’d like to hear some of your ideas today.

Now, let me say a word about the other candidates in this race. First, my Democratic friends.

Creigh Deeds and Brian Moran are good, honorable men. They’ve spent a long time fighting the good fight in the legislature, and they have records to be proud of. If you want someone who comes at problems from a different background, then I think I have something to offer.

But I’m not going to attack either one of them – I’m going to save my criticism for our Republican opponent!

I think Bob McDonnell is a good man. But he’s spent the last seven years working to undermine the progress of the Warner and Kaine Administrations.

He said “no” to the budget reform of Mark Warner.

He said “no” to the transportation reform of Tim Kaine.

Instead, he said “yes” to an ideological agenda focused on dividing Virginia, not uniting it.

I think those are the wrong priorities, and the wrong kind of leadership.

Now, the state and national Republican Party will run a tough, well-funded campaign. I read in the newspaper the other day that have said they will throw the “kitchen sink” into Virginia.

Well, they can go ahead and focus on the kitchen sink – I’m going to focus on your kitchen table, and the issues that you talk about every single night as you sit around it. Am I going to lose my job? Will I have health care? Can I afford to send my kids to college?

So – that’s what I want to do.

But I can’t do it alone. I’m hoping you’ll join me.

If we spend the next year creating a real grassroots campaign, we can send a strong message that Virginians don’t want to turn their back on the progress of the past seven years. And maybe we can even elect a few more like-minded people to the House of Delegates to help us get it all done.

And that’s why I’m here today – skipping the traditional campaign rally – and hosting town hall meetings in communities across Virginia.

And that’s why I’m asking people to go to my website – TerryMcAuliffe.com – sign up and leave me their thoughts about what Virginia ought to be doing.

Because I don’t just want to tell you what I think – I want to hear your thoughts, your ideas, your vision for our future. And if enough people across Virginia speak up, we can make a real difference. We can not only get our economy back on track, we can get our future back on track.

Who’s got the first question or idea?

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