Is Mark Warner Bored with the Senate?
By Michael Fletcher | Monday, June 27th, 2011 | Politics
Rumor has it that the Democratic Leadership in Virginia (stop laughing, we’re serious) says that Mark Warner is all but certain to make another run at the Executive Mansion in 2013.
Seems he’s bored with the Senate and misses his old job of raising taxes. Maybe he also realizes that he’s not going to be in the Senate majority much longer.
Whatever the reason, we look forward to Mark Warner and Terry McAuliffe spending their millions in a long drawn-out Democratic primary, and then losing to Bill Bolling.
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Michael Fletcher
Michael Fletcher works as a freelance writer and consultant in Richmond, Virginia. He blogs regularly at http://www.thewritesideofmybrain.com, http://www.richmondvabusiness.com and http://365thingsibelieve.wordpress.com
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25 Responses to "Is Mark Warner Bored with the Senate?"
LOL! Yes, a little-known but enjoyable Virginia sport: watching people underestimate Bill Bolling.
It would be an interesting race with him running against Cooch.
…”we look forward to Mark Warner and Terry McAuliffe spending their millions in a long drawn-out Democratic primary, and then losing to Bill Bolling.”
You might look forward to it but ain’t gonna happen. The Dems are quite the machine nowadays and the capo sorts things out. McAuliffe would run for the Senate seat in that case, no?
And Warner may be a deceitful wonk to us but Repubs have never mentioned this to the public. I bet his approval numbers are quite high. The Dems know how to trash Repubs ahead of time. Repubs stand around waiting for the Dem to self destruct or get serious in the last month. It works now and then but not often enough and Warner won’t cooperate.
@valentinus,
Would that be the Dem machine that preserved their majority in the Virginia congressional delegation last year? Or the one poised to hold their state senate majority and retake the house of delegates this year?
Or the one that swept all three statewide state offices in 2009?
Clearly, the biggest sport on this forum is patting the republican party on the back. However, Virginians have shown on more than one occasion that they tire of rhetoric at the expense of progress. Despite McDonnell’s incredible public relations machine, which always makes his failure to achieve a policy objective sound like a victory, most citizens realize that borrowing, ignoring repair and maintenance, transferring funding obligations to local government, and accepting praise for new jobs while ignoring the jobs lost, is not really a record that Bolling will be able to extol on the campaign trail. First, he lacks McDonnell’s verbosity and quick delivery that glosses over the facts, and second, his actual role in the creation of jobs is so limited as to be a hindrance, not a help.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has recently released a report ranking each state in 15 economic categories. When ranked based on “economic outlook”, VA was ranked 3rd. The report directly credits Gov. McDonnell. We are, in fact, only beat by Utah and South Dakota.
Why do we pat Republicans on the back? Because they’re leading our state away from the mess that the “Warner/Kaine Machine” created. I think Bolling is pretty pleased at the record he can extol on the campaign trail.
Source: http://www.alec.org/AM/pdf/tax/11rsps/RSPS_4thEdition1.pdf
Mark Warner would beat Bill Bolling like a drum. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t like the Senate. Warner, like Allen ..or Webb too I guess….is more of an executive personality. He likes to be the boss. As a junior senator, you ain’t the boss.
I never understand why these Governors always run for Senate. They all wind up hating it.
SV-agreed. Always kind of wondered why he ran for Senate in 08 instead of gov in 09. The slow pace of the Senate doesn’t seem to fit his personality.
Well Ben, that would ignore the fact that at times during the Warner and Kaine administration, Virginia was ranked first as the best place to do business. Fact is, those rankings reflect both parties’s prioritization of actions to attract businesses and jobs.
How ironic would it be if Mark Warner runs vowing to continue Bob McDonnell’s legacy of economic growth and job creation?
JJ, unfortunately for Warner there would be a heckler at every campaign event jumping up and shouting “You Lie!”. Obama probably has a couple of warehouses that Mike Barrett owns which are full of 2008 “Hope and Change” signs which can be recycled through Warner’s campaign.
Well Mike, you seem to ignore the fact that my argument wasn’t based on past economic performance, but rather, future “economic outlook”.
No Ben, I don’t ignore that fact. But every year, there must be 50 different rankings put out by credible organizations ranking states on their business climate and their economies. Virginia always ranks very high. My point is, that has been the result of many years and much development, and the impact of federal expansion in NoVa and Hampton Roads has had a lot to do with it. Since we don’t offer much in the way of incentives, our rankings are the result of the port, our right to work status, our low tax rates, and the aggressive recruit programs of the private sector, the state, the regions, and local governments. Frankly, the Governor is a player, and can be helpful, but this is a team sport, not the result of one administration.
Micheal,
I was referring to Mark Warner. I said specifically Repubs wait around for Dems and their candidates to self destruct which they are quite able to do. However it is a mostly reactive stance. It is not likely to work with a seasoned candidate like Warner who on top of it left the Gov office with high approval numbers. He probably is not even negatively rated for his atrocious Senate term. Repubs haven’t uttered a peep. The Repubs haven’t proactively gone after these folks on their votes and policies. For that reason I agree with SV. Warner would probably win easily even if Dems as a whole didn’t.
If the Republicans take the state Senate and maintain the House, Warner pulling off a “Jerry Brown” in Virginia won’t be easy due to his recent and partisan record in the US Senate.
Tim J: If who controlled the legislature had anything to do with who was elected governor, we’d have never had a Republican governor.
SV, I didn’t say anything about the election, but that if Warner were elected, he would have some problems getting a progressive spending and taxing agenda through the legislature in this economic climate. Gov. McDonnell has had his share of problems with the Democratic controlled Senate.
Update: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41665883/pgn/1/
TimJ: Oh, okay, I thought you meant a “Jerry Brown” as in winning non-consecutive gubernatorial terms. I’d agree that who controls the legislature has a great deal to do with what any given governor can get done. Oh, and McDonnell’s had a few problems with House Republicans as well, privatizing ABC being one shining example.
@valentinus, you said “The Dems are quite the machine nowadays” so I obviously took that to mean that you were ignoring the last three years. 2008 is not “nowadays.”
You’re right that the GOP let the Dems control the narrative in 2008. You’re right that Gilmore’s candidacy was flawed (I supported Marshall). Gilmore would’ve been stronger going in had he not attempted to run for the White House. And you’re right that back then the GOP really didn’t take Warner and Kaine to task for the biggest tax increase in the history of the Commonwealth.
But this is not 2008 and to tout the “Dem machine” ignores the GOP sweeps in 2009 and the massive gains in 2010. It ignores the strength of what will be a Republican controlled General Assembly. And it ignores the fact that RPV is not your Daddy’s, or even Jeff Fredericks’, RPV.
If you want to throw in the towel two years in advance based on an undocumented rumor, go ahead.
Just don’t be offended when we ignore your message of gloom and doom.
Dear Michael,
It’s tough to footnote everything in these posts. I was referring to Dems nationally being a machine as transplanted from Chicago. (Will Rogers’ Dem description as unorganized is dead as a dodo.) Witness all their candidate string pulling over the past 3 years in NY, FL, CO etc etc. That would impact the primary battle you posited in your post.
Thank you for acknowledging one GOP failure to get serious about a campaign. You could have included 2005 as well. You could have included the loss of Cuccinelli’s Sen seat right after the sweep you (and I) celebrate.
My pointing out the continuing failure of VA Repubs to go after the policies and votes not only of the Dem Govs but also of Senators Webb and Warner is not gloom and doom from me. It’s frustration because this is how the leftists win. (Since VA is fairly conservative still, the greater danger lies in leftists inhabiting the Senate seats as we saw in 2009/10.) Fortunately Webb got personally fed up and quit because Repubs never laid a hand on him. I do not think Allen would have won a rematch. Warner has been an atrocious Senator hiding from the voters and consistently duplicitous in his statements. Again nothing from the Repubs. How do Repubs expect to take on these folks who are known quantities with widespread media shielding when they just mutter under their breath until the last minute? They are not Deeds.
Dems go after Repubs every day every month every year just making stuff up. Don’t think that the Dems can’t bounce back in 2013 and 14 with the kind of strategic and tactical passivity hitherto displayed by Repubs. Ignore me; just don’t ignore them.
Again, this is not 2008, nor is it 2005.
And, right now, Mark Warner is not a candidate. He and Webb have both been challenged by the GOP on multiple issues. Surely you’ve seen that.
But they’re not the focus now. 2013 is not the focus now. And, as much as the abundance of stories and speculation want to convince us otherwise, in Virginia, 2012 is not the issue now.
We have every seat in the General Assembly up for election this fall. That’s the focus.
Will the Dems be out in full force in 2012 and 2013? Probably, especially since Tim Kaine is Obama’s handpicked choice. But, right now, that machine is not operating in Virginia, at least not with any visible strength in the legislative lessons.
As for Republicans being “passive?”
I’m just not seeing it.
“visible strength in the legislative lessons.”
s/b “legislative elections”
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