A posh Alexandria town house must be a nice escape from the realities surrounding Sen. Mark Warner, Virginia's only self-proclaimed "radical centrist." His cowardly non-vote yesterday regarding the repeal of Obamacare got me thinking about the new realities in Virginia that I believe are haunting Warner through the halls of Congress.
2008 was the pinnacle year for everything Warner had been working for, going back to the years in the late 80s toiling as state party chairman while Gov. Wilder and Sen. Robb seemed contnet to tear each other apart. Twenty years later Democrats controlled the governorship, both Senate seats, the state Senate, and seven House seats out of 11. Gone were GOP stalwarts like George Allen, Tom Davis, Vance Wilkins, Virgil Goode, and Jerry Kilgore. The GOP leadership fell to a Speaker, four congressman, a lieutenant govenror, and an attorney general - the last two seemingly circling each other ready to continue the war within the party for the gubernatorial nomination. But most impressively, Virginia went Democrat in a presidential election for the first time since 1964 - Lyndon B. Johnson.
But in that victory were the seeds of defeat sowed. Barack Obama was not a president who understood southern Democrats, who knew - as Bill Clinton did - there were just some votes you couldn't make them take. You can't ask Rick Boucher to vote for cap and trade, you can't ask Glen Nye and Tom Perriello to vote for nationalized health care. Democrats of the past knew this - but Barack Obama isn't Democrats of the past. He's an leftist ideologue who can hide his ideoligy behind the platitudes of a well-reheresed reading of a Teleprompter.
Then the Republicans came back. Like two edges of the same blade, Bob McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli arrived in Richmond and have together disproven every single mantra and rolled back all the work left behind by then-Gov. Warner. Where Warner said he had to raise taxes to save the state, McDonnell has proven revenue is driven by lower taxes and less regulation. And its AG Cuccinelli who has, through his office, forced every single Virginia Democrat reckon with Obamacare and take a stand on it. McDonnell and Cuccinelli have, in my opinion, together disproven the entire legitimacy and legacy of Mark Warner's Richmond tenure.
In the ashes of 2010, every single Democrat gain in the House of Representatives was lost - though the 11th stayed blue, the 9th finally went red - 20 years of work now nearly gone. Should Republicans win the state senate, Warner's legacy would further be demolished. Then comes Sen. James Webb, the accidental senator, who looks to either not care about reeelection or really waiting to raise money. By 2014, Mark Warner could be all alone staring at Bob McDonnell across the ring from him all alone.
I have a feeling this fear could explain Warner's rather odd behavior and statements as a senator. The "radical centrist" moniker has been widely panned, this vote won't help him with anyone, and when Democrats both in Virginia and DC are looking for fighters against the tea party-fueld GOP onslaught, Warner is nowhere near the battlefield, instead working with Saxby Chambliss on something nobody but the No Labels crowd is interested in. He has shown no leadership, no new ideas, nothing. Instead, as the kitchen has gotten hotter, Sen. Warner has made his way to the back porch. Where ten years ago Warner was a titan, today he has shrunk to a man watching his legacy wither away in Richmond and his clount and voice shrinking in Washington, DC.
No wonder he doesn't want to take votes on tough issues.
Mark's best moments are yet to come. Should be a hoot to watch. Better than a slow motion train wreck.
Posted by: Marty Mengeles | February 04, 2011 at 12:53 AM
Look up penultimate in a dictionary. Then read how you used it.
Posted by: Englishspeaker | February 04, 2011 at 12:54 AM
noted and fixed. :-)
Posted by: Chris | February 04, 2011 at 10:16 AM
Actually I disagree that McDonnell disproved Warner theory. Two reasons:
1. THe triple A bond rating was never at risk this time. We were never put on notice (under Kaine or McDonnell) by the rating agencies. Last time we were put on notice and even after the tax increase Warner had to lobby the rating agencies. IMHO, capping car tax reimbursements probably helped us more in that regard than the sales tax increase.
2. McDonnell's revenues would be lower still had we not had the Warner tax increase. Take away that revenue and where does he cut.
On the other hand I agree that Obama's election was the victory that sowed the seed of defeat. Presidential victories tend to do that in VA
Posted by: SE VA MWC Alum | February 04, 2011 at 12:25 PM
Chris - I would much rather someone more Conservative than McDonnell run against Warner. However, McDonnell would be a definite improvement, and that is probably who we will get.
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Posted by: chloe | February 16, 2011 at 05:43 AM
It's about time for him to rest and resign.
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