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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us March 17, 2005 Downtown Warner's the man to watch for in 2008 presidential race Andrew Scot Bolsinger Today's column is going deep in the heart of downtown ... downtown Richmond, Virginia that is. True, it's a bit more than a stone's throw away from the Plaza, but a certain guy there is starting to make a name for himself. Blue staters everywhere need to wake up and take notice. There in Richmond is the one man who can save the Democratic Party in 2008. True, its a bit early to be talking presidential elections. But that hasn't stopped many, including syndicated columnist and Democratic political insider Susan Estrich, from touting Hillary Clinton as the only logical choice. But, there is only one Clinton who can win in 2008, and he can't run. Serious Democrats have to look elsewhere for a new plan that will erode the vast expanse of red that covers our nation from sea to shining sea. Look no further than Virginia Gov. Mark Warner. Breaking in Warner knows what it's like to save the Democratic party. He's done it once before. In just 10 short years, Democrats had gone from a virtually unanimous choke hold on the state to a minority in both state houses, losing every statewide office during that span. The final blow fell on Sen. Chuck Robb, D-Va., who was trounced by George Allen, becoming the first sitting Virginia senator to ever lose for re-election. After being crushed as a no-name opponent against Sen. John Warner, R-Va. (no relation), Warner came back to launch a massive campaign in the 2001 gubernatorial race. Warner led a demoralized party against a popular Republican lieutenant governor. His huge smile, eye-to-eye greeting and endless enthusiasm won people to his cause. But all of that, including a smart, attractive wife, three young beautiful girls each with smiles to match Dad and enormous wealth, still left him a considerable underdog. Warner won because he "interviewed" for the job and was hired. At least that's how he framed it hundreds of times, in hundreds of different hamlets across the state. "If you hire me for this job," he said more times than he could count, and then broke into yet another innovative plan for government. The two-year campaign was a "long job interview," he would say just as often. Moderate voters, especially the small-business community, loved him, defecting from their party in support. These people never considered leaving the Republican party. They just knew a leader when they saw one. Taking notice To insiders and East Coast Democrats, Warner is no longer a surprise. Shortly after John Kerry was defeated in 2004, Warner was quickly thrust onto the national scene, being interviewed as Blue Stater who could win in the deep red of the commonwealth of Virginia. The stories have continued to grow as has Warner's profile. On Feb. 27 the Wall Street Journal again sourced Warner as a leader in the party: "Democrats 'have to build the case that the country's in need of a serious dose of reality,' says Mr. Warner, who was at the governors' White House session with Mr. Bush yesterday. As one of several Democrats contemplating a 2008 presidential bid, Mr. Warner may try to build that case himself." You can count on it. Warner is confident in himself to be sure, but I'd be willing to bet he is even more confident in the task that lies ahead. The race in 2008 will be virtually the same race he ran in 2001. The issue: the economy. "Mr. Bush's fiscal 2006 budget aims to save $60 billion over 10 years in the federal-state health-care program for the poor," the WSJ story reported, "in part by cracking down on state accounting procedures that he contends improperly inflate the federal share. But governors in both parties reiterated their opposition to parts of the proposal at the association's meeting in Washington. "Mr. Warner may be better positioned than most to make the argument. His Republican predecessor, James Gilmore, was elected on a promise to cut a Virginia automobile tax. But amid the 2001 recession, Virginia faced a budget gap exceeding $1 billion. Last year, some Republican legislators joined Mr. Warner in backing a 'tax reform' plan to shore up state finances by raising about $1.5 billion in additional revenue. "The deal preserved the state's triple-A credit rating without wrecking the popularity of Mr. Warner, a former executive in the cellular-telephone industry. With Virginia the only state that still prohibits governors from seeking re-election, the end of Mr. Warner's tenure next year has him looking toward a broader audience. "It's time for somebody to be straight," the governor says. "You can't have it all for nothing." The magic If anyone knows how to do "straight," it's Warner. In a short period of time - probably somewhere mid-2006 - Warner will become increasingly more vocal in the national media. He will talk about the now-record $665 billion trade deficit and how the financial responsibility of the country has been tossed away. He will talk of the tough medicine that lies ahead, pointing a finger at the White House for all its borrowed funds, stealing from Social Security and lack of financial restraint. It won't sound sexy, but men and women across the country will hear thoughts they have themselves or heard from their friends and they will think, finally, someone is ready to be president in a common sense way. Rest assured, Warner will not be facing the likes of a Bob Dole or even George the First as an opponent in '08. He won't have the luxury of running against Dick Cheney. The GOP will have handpicked a Bush successor who will be younger, hipper and just as appealing as Warner. My bet is the GOP will tap a Virginian of their own: Sen. George Allen just to beat Warner. And trust me, Allen will be one of the most formidble Republican candidates to hit the scene in a long time. Even Mark Warner couldn't beat Allen in Virginia, but I'd bet he's the only one who could beat him if when the entire nation votes. So brace yourself for a 2008 election like no other. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Democratic Party, if you want to win back the White House, get to know the one man who can do it. Mark Warner will make Red and Blue seem irrelevant. He will make the election about green, the true color that touches the heart of Americans from sea to shining sea. 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