MARK VERSUS Mark: the battle begins. Yes, it's time for the gubernatorial race to grind back into gear, and Mark Warner is clearly the best choice for governor.
Though Earley has tried to portray him as a liberal extremist, in reality Warner's stances on social issues and fiscal conservatism make him appealing for hard-core Democrats and moderate Republicans alike. In the end, Earley's promises to continue in the footsteps of the Republican governors that held office in the '90s are not too appealing, considering that the past few years of Republican Gov. James S. Gilmore III's reign have been less than kind to the Commonwealth.
In an attempt to scare more conservative Virginians away from Warner, Virginia Republicans are trying to paint Warner as some kind of uber-liberal. Gary Thomson, chairman of the state GOP, said that the ticket nominated by the Virginia Democrats this year is "the most extreme, radical, left-wing ticket in history" ("Warner is More than the Sum of Labels Thrown at Him by Republicans," The Washington Post, Sept. 4).
Warner is far from a radical leftist, however. Actually, he's pretty far from a liberal Democrat's dream, due to his conservative stances on some divisive social issues. He supports the death penalty and gun rights and opposes gay marriages. He is, however, pro-choice and puts emphasis on improving education and programs like providing children with medical care. He is a good choice for voters across the spectrum.
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Apparently, voters agree: A Washington Post poll showed that three in 10 GOP-leaning independents said they plan to vote for Warner ("Va. GOP Scrambles to Retain Top Post," Washington Post, Sept. 1). Contrast that to Gilmore's situation when he ran four years ago and only lost one in 10 of those voters to the Democratic candidate.
Earley's lack of an inspiring - or even interesting - campaign theme may be what is making him fall behind in the polls. He has been stressing his 14 years of experience in Virginia politics as part of the Republican party and has said that he will attempt to make the election a referendum on the performance of the Republican governorships of Gilmore and his predecessor, George Allen. Essentially, his message is that he wants to keep a good thing going.
However, it is questionable that Republican leadership has been such a good thing lately. There have been some rough spots, most notably the inability of a Republican-dominated executive and state legislator to pass a budget last spring. The disagreement centered around the affordability of Gilmore's big campaign promise, car tax relief, and froze teachers' salaries as well as funding for construction at cultural institutions and colleges, including the University.
The budget impasse isn't all that's been amiss in Richmond. Economic stagnation has resulted from increased spending and lack of revenues. The double-digit annual growth Virginia was enjoying a few years ago is a distant memory. Virginia's economy has gone from rosy to the brink of being in the red, and a large part of the problem can be placed on the shoulders of Republican leadership.
Since the beginning of Gilmore's term in early 1998, state general fund spending has grown 43 percent ("Gilmore's Successor Faces Mounting Budget Shortfall," The Washington Post, Sept. 11). The jump in spending, coupled with Gilmore's determination to remain on schedule with his car tax repeal, has prompted two national think tanks, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Cato Institute, to criticize Gilmore for his management of Virginia's finances.
It may be less than wise for Earley to stress his role as part of the Republican team that had a major problem with a budget impasse and whose administrations have brought on dire economic projections. In circumstances such as these, Virginians have little reason to be enthusiastic that Earley will keep the Commonwealth moving in the same direction as it has been in the past few years.
The message, "let's continue down the road we're on" just isn't that powerful or comforting, especially in the face of Warner's business experience and focus on fiscal conservatism.
In a time of national upheaval, when the majority of Virginians are concerned more about a war on terrorism than the car tax, the gubernatorial race may be the last thing anyone wants - or cares - to think about. But it is important that Virginians turn out at the polls if we are all indeed serious about democracy. In the past few weeks there's been a lot of talk about freedom and liberty being what makes America great. Walk the walk and exercise your freedom by voting.
Life, strangely enough, goes on. As Americans, we have to exercise our rights to choose who will lead us through it for the next four years.
(Laura Sahramaa is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at lsahramaa@cavalierdaily.com.)
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