Gilmore Stands Up For Us
By Greg L | 4 October 2008 | National Politics, US Senate | 29 Comments
At least there’s one candidate for office this election who grasps what representing the electorate is all about:
Gilmore came out strongly against the $700 billion plan, arguing in a concise way that it amounted to government run amok. Warner supported the bailout, saying it was needed to prevent economic turmoil. Warner tried to pin the need for Congressional intervention on lax oversight by the Bush administration and “greed” on Wall Street.
Warner noted that both Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama voted in favor of the plan, prompting Gilmore to say at one point, “I’m not in this for John McCain, I am in this for the people on the other side of this camera.”
After a couple dozen Republicans have come to the conclusion that an $850 billion pork-laden bailout is better than a simple $700 billion attempt to socialize the financial industry, at least there’s one candidate who understands that crap plus more crap still equals crap. Cantor, Davis and Wolf all voted for this atrocity despite hearing a lot from constituents who were completely disgusted by this and managed to shut down the House e-mail system in telling them so. Gilmore calls this out for the atrocity that it is.
A big kudos to Gilmore for taking the lead here and hopefully injecting some sanity into the remnants of the Republican Party before it completely implodes. If Republicans really stand for the idea that pork for wool producers and arrow manufacturers, tacked onto a bill mandating that our health insurance premiums go up, which is itself tacked onto a bill that rewards businesses for taking unconscionable risks with their money by rewarding them with billions of taxpayer dollars, then I doubt anyone will be able to differentiate them from self-avowed socialists and the Republican Party stands for nothing. This bill is infinitely less responsible than the version the House voted down previously
I expected McCain to violate his “no pork” pledge and vote for this, but he’s suppsed to be the “maverick” who demonstrates allegiance to no principles. For a sizable portion of the Republican party to merrily follow McCain off this cliff shows we need a new group of leaders. Maybe Gilmore is one of them.
Former Gov. Jim Gilmore, candidate for the Virginia U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Warner, said today in a debate with Mark Warner on statewide television the choice for Virginia voters in the November 4th election is clear — a U.S. Senator like Jim Gilmore who will fight for taxpayers and oppose federal government bailouts or a U.S. Senator like Mark Warner who will sell out the taxpayers for the high rollers on Wall Street.
“I am strongly opposed to asking America’s hard working families to cover the bets of the Wall Street high rollers and insiders who exploited flaws in government regulations to make personal fortunes and devastate our economy,” said Gilmore.
Throughout the debate Gilmore repeatedly pointed out how as a U.S. Senator he will stand up for regular Virginians who are struggling and how Mark Warner will instead protect the special interests on Wall Street, rather than the taxpayers.
“Requiring taxpayers to cough up $700 billion without providing them any additional assurances for their own financial security is wrong,” Gilmore added.
Gilmore said Mark Warner supported the costly bailout of Wall Street while simultaneously taking in almost $3 million in contributions from the Wall Street high rollers who benefit from the taxpayer bailout. (Click here to see)
“Maybe Mark Warner finds it easy to take more and more of the taxpayers’ money, but I do not,” Gilmore said. “We must restore accountability in Washington – and on Wall Street – so America’s taxpayers are protected and our economy prospers.”
This third Virginia U.S. Senate debate between former Gov. Jim Gilmore and Mark Warner took place in Roanoke, Virginia. Sponsored by NBC affiliate WSLS Channel 10, the debate was held at the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke and was moderated by WSLS news anchor and political reporter Jay Warren. The debate was broadcast live on television stations statewide.
The opinions expressed here are solely the views of the author, and not representative of the position of any organization, political party, doughnut shop, knitting guild, or waste recycling facility, but may be correctly attributed to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. If anything in the above article has offended you, please click here to receive an immediate apology.
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Finally someone who gets it that the bailout was a travesty for the American people.
This may actually bring some small bit of hope to the Gilmore campaign. He needs to spend every last cent promoting this.
Gilmore just got my vote. I’m still not wild about his chicanery with the car tax, but he’s better than Warner.
I just sent Gilmore’s campaign my first contribution ($150). Whether or not he wins, we need his voice heard by all Virginians.
I had to reluctantly admit to Mrs. Guapo this morning that I actually agreed with Gilmore on something. She told me that she didn’t know who I was anymore.
This is getting surreal, folks.
“Obama urges second stimulus after bailout passes.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096965/posts
“Gilmore also predicted that more bailouts are on the way.”
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-now-warnergilmore-1004,0,2136219.story
Maybe Obama’s proposal is what the first bailout should have been - to help people in need, rather than Wall Street’s perceived need. When every last executive gives up their cash bonuses for the sake of the economic health of their company’s, then they are in need. Until they do, they shouldn’t have gotten a dime from us.
Folks, lets not kid ourselves. Gilmore is just going to get smashed. No one pays any attention to these debates and Gilmore is now just being seen as an opportunist. Why was he not speaking about this all week? Where was he the past two weeks? This is just a ploy in an attempt to get the based fired up to cut this maybe less than twenty percent. Its not hard to jump on the bandwagon AFTER the vote. Lets not be fooled. This race is not pretty. Gilmore is not standing up by taking a popular position AFTER the vote. He should have been talking about this all week if he were truly concerned. Just another in a long line of gimmicks. Hopefully next time we can get a legitimate candidate that can raise money and WIN or at least be competitive.
James Gimore was one of the best governors Virginia has ever had. Mark Warner left this state in shambles! I urge everyone to vote for John McCain, Sarah Palin and James Gilmore this fall.
GOP dread: Dems could hit 60 Senate seats
By JIM VANDEHEI & MIKE ALLEN | 10/4/08 5:18 PM EDT
The possibility that Democrats will build a muscular, 60-seat Senate majority is looking increasing plausible, with new polls showing a powerful surge for the party’s candidates in Minnesota, Kentucky and other states.
A poll out Friday shows Sen. Norm Coleman could now easily lose his Minnesota seat to comedian-turned-candidate Al Franken. A Colorado race that initially looked like a nail-biter has now broken decisively for the Democrats. A top official in the McCain camp told us Sen. Elizabeth Dole is virtually certain to lose in conservative North Carolina.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14280.html
VIRGINIA
The Profit of Detention
Private $21 Million Facility Would Speed Process, Investor Says
By Josh White and Nick Miroff
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, October 5, 2008; Page C08
FARMVILLE, Va. — A clearing in the woods between this small town’s water treatment plant and a metal salvage yard soon will be transformed into what could become the largest immigration detention facility in the mid-Atlantic region, a $21 million project fueled by the aggressive policies some Virginia localities have adopted toward identifying illegal immigrants and handing them over to the federal government.
The 1,040-bed facility will be unique not only because it will dwarf many of Virginia’s jails but also because it is a private venture aimed at capitalizing on the massive influx of detainees into the Immigration and Customs Enforcement system over the past year. A small group of Richmond investors looks to reap millions of dollars in profit by building what has been described as the “mid-Atlantic hub” for ICE operations in a town just three hours south of the nation’s capital.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/04/AR2008100402434.html?sid=ST2008100402454&s_pos=list
Sounds like a good money-making opportunity!
It’s going to make me physically ill to vote in this election. But, vote I will. McCain, Palin and Gilmore. Webb is toast, I don’t care if Obama runs against him.
Unfortunately, Webb will be with us for another six years. Can we say TERM LIMITS? Can we say RECALL?
There can be no doubt that Jim Gilmore was a far better governor in terms of what he did (and didn’t do) for (to) Northern Virginia. Yet the Virginia Republican Party is so hopelessy inept that it cannot get the word out to the residents of NoVA who will overwhelmingly vote for Warner. Right now, Gilmore is trailing by 20 - 30 points. 20 - 30 points. Judy Feder has a better chance of getting elected. Yet where are Gilmore’s campaign ads? Where are the TV commercials? Where are the letters to the editor in the MSM? Where are the web sites? Where are the direct mailings?
The Virginia Republican Party is hopelessy incompetent. Hopeless.
Its not up to the Virginia Republican Party to help Gilmore. Gilmore like all other candidates has to raise his own money and he has not done so.
FYI - Even Senator John Warner won’t endorse Gilmore.
You can stick a fork in Jimmy G.
…AND a fork in John Warner too, as far as I’m concerned!!
An “immigration” survey. McCain hasn’t responded and Obama want’s to change his answers. Here’s a sample…………..
35. What leadership have you taken on immigration issues, including but not limited to the issues addressed in this questionnaire?
I participated in the immigrant marches, have attended naturalization workshops, introduced legislation to make the naturalization process more affordable and accessible, and worked with a bipartisan group of Senators to support comprehensive reform in the Senate.
36. On what immigration issues will you take leadership?
As president, I am committed to passing comprehensive reform and fixing our immigration system to ensure that both immigration enforcement and immigration services are better executed.
Here’s the link for the rest of the answers.
http://www.promigrant.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=422
Obama– Continued from above post
17. Do you support the Uniting American Families Act, the bill that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow permanent partners of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, including same-sex partners, to obtain permanent residency?
Yes.
So much for the great Karl Rove and his forty years of republican rule.
The GOP thought they would have majority rule for decades to come. Instead Rove and Bush have destroyed the Republican party.
I wrote on this website back in the spring when Gilmore got the nomination that he would get smashed by Warner - and I am a Republican. We keep trotting out these same old tired candidates instead of fresh new faces.
Ducky, Gilmore was a an absolute disaster as a Governor. An absolute disaster. He ran on eliminating the car tax, well I am still paying it. I didn’t vote for him to REDUCE it, I voted for him to ELIMINATE it. Yet he blames others for this failure.
He was reckless in a fiscal sense and left this State in hard financial times.
He also had absolutely no business butting into the Hugh Finn case. Aren’t we Republicans for less government in our lives?
Gilmore was a loser and he’ll still be a loser (again) in November.
Time for the Republican party to change directions or we’ll be insignificant for years to come.
From the Rasmussen Report - “If people could vote on whether to keep or replace the entire Congress, just 17% would vote to keep them and 59% would replace the entire Congress and start over again. ”
It would be wonderful if people would manifest their will and unseat all or most incumbents in a bloodbath. I wish some public figure would lead people in making a bipartisan pledge to just vote against your incumbent if they voted for the bailout.
Unfortunately people are sheep and they’ll wait for someone to pretend to be Moses talking to God before they’ll get on board with anything like that.
Where’s Ross Perot when you need him.
Rick - I must admit that I voted for Ross Perot when he ran!
If you have a plan to vote against all of the incumbents who supported the bail out, bring it on! I am behind that idea 100%
To Anon 10:06 am:
“Ducky, Gilmore was a an absolute disaster as a Governor. An absolute disaster. He ran on eliminating the car tax, well I am still paying it. I didn’t vote for him to REDUCE it, I voted for him to ELIMINATE it. Yet he blames others for this failure.”
The car tax was intended to be a plan to be carried over into the next administration. As Mark Warner promised in his debates against Mark Earley, he would finish the repeal of the car tax. What do you think Mark Earley would have done? I get the feeling he would have finished the car tax.
The plan was to phase the car tax over several years, and would have been finished if Mark Warner had kept his promise.
I’m sorry you feel so strongly, but hopefully you will look at the history and re-evaluate your comment on the car tax rather than resorting to ad hominem attacks that advance no conversation.
Gilmore was right. Looks like the Fed is now proposing that we buy up short-term debt in order to loosen up the credit crunch. Beginning to look like there is no end in sight. It won’t be long before none of us even recognize the U.S. economic structure.
Voter Fraud Raid
Nevada state authorities seized records and computers Tuesday from the Las Vegas office of an organization that tries to get low-income people registered to vote, after fielding complaints of voter fraud.
Bob Walsh, spokesman for the Nevada secretary of state’s office, told FOXNews.com the raid was prompted by ongoing complaints about “erroneous” registration information being submitted by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, also called ACORN.
The group was submitting the information through a voter sign-up drive known as Project Vote.
“Some of them used nonexistent names, some of them used false addresses and some of them were duplicates of previously filed applications,” Walsh said, describing the complaints, which largely came from the registrar in Clark County, Nev. He said some registrations used the names of Dallas Cowboys football players.
Walsh said agents from both the secretary of state’s office and Nevada attorney general’s office conducted the raid, and “took a bunch of stuff.”
ACORN spokesman Charles Jackson confirmed the group’s Nevada office was raided.
It’s not the first time ACORN’s been under investigation for irregularities in registration records.
In 2006, ACORN committed what Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed called the “worse case of election fraud” in the state’s history.
In the case, ACORN submitted just over 1,800 new voter registration forms, and all but six of the 1,800 names were fake.
Want to see where the Virginia candadates for office stand on immigration and immigration reform? Sorry, but Frank Wolf is not making a good showing re his stance on anchor babies and raising quotas for immigrant workers. Come on Frank!!!!!!!
http://www.betterimmigration.com/candidates/2008/va.html