Gilmore for U.S. Senate
By Examiner Editorial
- 10/27/08
Gilmore took tremendous political flak for keeping his promise to get rid of the hated car tax. The pledge was popular with voters but made him a pariah in Richmond. Fierce political opposition – even from big-spending members of his own party - kept Gilmore from eliminating the despised tax completely, but he managed to reduce it 70 percent – and cut 15 other taxes - before leaving office.
Gilmore’s successor, Democrat Mark Warner, on the other hand, has been basking in the media’s approval ever since he broke his campaign promise not to raise taxes. When Warner rammed his $1.4 billion tax hike – the largest in Virginia history- through the Republican-controlled legislature, the feat catapulted him onto the national stage. But his highly publicized warnings about a $6 billion budget shortfall that he supposedly inherited from Gilmore don’t stand up to scrutiny. The Virginia Constitution requires governors to balance the budget, and Gilmore did, leaving to Warner a record $1 billion in the commonwealth’s “Rainy Day Fund.”
By 2004, Warner was going around warning that Virginia was about to lose its AAA bond rating even though his own finance secretary was telling him that state revenue was higher than forecasted. Indeed, less than two months after Warner’s massive tax hike passed, Virginia posted a $324 million surplus. He declined The Examiner’s invitation to explain this discrepancy. Warner’s fabricated doomsday scenario gave him political cover to raise taxes and state spending - which grew almost 25 percent on his watch - while pretending to be a fiscal conservative who single-handedly saved the commonwealth from insolvency. It was a deft political sleight-of-hand, but as the Cato Institute has observed, “Mark Warner’s reputation as a fiscal moderate is entirely undeserved.”
Judging by Warner’s huge lead in the polls, few voters are aware of his history. But past is prologue. A politician who prospered politically by deliberately misleading the public is likely to do so again. Virginians can trust the battle-scarred Gilmore to keep his word about keeping the lid on taxes, avoiding earmarks, drilling for offshore oil, sealing the border, and voting against any more bailouts – no matter what.
3 Comments
Reader Comments:
POSTED Oct 27, 2008
You Can't Rewrite History - Gilmore Was a Disaster: "Gilmore as gov was irresponsible and drove Virginia into a severe fiscal crisis that Warner had to clean up. Sound familiar? Everyone expects the Examiner to spin and rewrite history. But unlike you guys, I actually have lived in Virginia for more than 50 years. You aren't fooling anyone. Warner is the much better choice for U.S. Senate -- by any conceivable yardstick. Your editorial page is a joke."POSTED Oct 29, 2008
Gerald: "So you lived in Virgina for more than 50 years. It doesn't mean you know what you're talking about. Warner lied about not increasing taxes and about the $6 billion deficit. He increased taxes in order to increase spending. Period. Those are the facts. If you displayed some familiarity with the facts maybe you could be taken seriously, but you don't. All you do is repeat the lie Warner told years ago."POSTED Oct 29, 2008
John: "Gerald: Haven't you ever noticed that when someone calls into question Mark Warner's reasons for lying to Virginian's, and disputing existence of any shortfall, all his supporters say is "There was one!" That's an eighth grade debating tactic. When someone makes a point, all you respond with is "nuh uh!" You're completely correct Gerald. Governor Gilmore has released finance records under Warner's administration, has pointed to Constitutional requirements for a balanced budget and has explained how he left $1 billion in the rainy day fund. All I'm here from Warner's camp is "nuh uh!" and ad hominem attacks. I would expect better from someone who's apparently over the age of 50."