WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Jim Webb today announced that the Shenandoah Valley Workforce Investment Board (SVWIB) has received a $5 million investment from the economic stimulus package to fund a new program to train workers for jobs in the region’s emerging “green” technology manufacturing and renewable energy industries. The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Labor, will provide workforce training opportunities for an estimated 1,000 Virginians across 10 counties and six cities in the Shenandoah Valley.
When Republican Jim Gilmore ran for Virginia's governor in 1997, he rode the motto of "No Car Tax" all the way to Richmond. His problem was in actually delivering on his campaign promise to eliminate the tax on automobiles, which is a local tax.
In 1998, as Gilmore focused his attention on the car tax, the cost of eliminating it kept going up. Soon, the less than $1 billion that Gilmore had touted as the cost had grown to more than $2.8 billion. Plus, the cost would become an annual state obligation after a five-year phase-in of the tax reduction and planned elimination.
By the way, the rebate finally had to be capped at $950 million to avoid destroying the state's solvency. That amount used to cover 70% of the car tax, but it now only covers 50% because of increases in population and numbers of automobiles.
Gilmore's big plans for the elimination of the tax really hit the skids as the economy slid into recession in 2001. Meanwhile, Gilmore was named chair of the Republican National Committee by the newly-elected president George W. Bush. (Hmmm...That part sounds familiar, doesn't it? A new president names the Virginia governor as head of the national party.)
There are a couple of new initiatives percolating in the cauldron that is the Senate health insurance reform "slow cooker," ones that might actually be quite promising.
First, The New York Times has reported that liberal Democratic senators, in return for their acquiescence in dropping a government-run insurance option, are pushing for expansion of Medicare and Medicaid and more stringent federal regulation of the insurance industry.
Second, Virginia's Sen. Mark Warner has joined ten other freshmen senators to offer amendments to force health care toward a higher-value, lower-cost model. Warner and the others are hoping that their amendments to the Senate health insurance bill will turn our health system over time from a fee-for-service one to one that is paid for outcomes.
I wholeheartedly support the first idea. Warner's, while it sounds very intriguing, may or may not be good in the long run. It depends on just how it is designed.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Senate is not going to get the magic number of 60 votes to shut off debate and vote on a plan with even the weak public option that Sen. Reid included. So, I am glad to see that the liberal wing of the Democratic party in the Senate has a backup plan.
Yesterday, I tagged along with the Virginia Organizing Project (VOP) and residents from all over Virginia as they visited Capitol Hill to share their personal health care stories with their Senators and Representatives. As Kevin Simowitz, a VOP organizer, said to the group before their scheduled meetings:
"They [Congress] get lobbied all the time, right? Our estimates show that the insurance lobby spends about $641,000-a-day lobbying Congress. Now, we can pass a plate, but we're probably not gonna come up with that much money. The thing that we can do is you all can bring your personal stories about why we're here and why we need a public health insurance option as part of the bill. And if you're speaking out of your own experiences, speaking in non-partisan language, and speaking about what needs to happen... we're gonna walk out of this meeting a little bit further along the health care road than where we are."
We will have a video report for you on Monday, but for today I will share with you what these meetings were like and what was discussed.
Last week, the Virginia Organizing Project (VOP) and Democracy for America (DFA) took to the metro with Representative Gerry Connelly, well, a cutout of him anyway. Volunteers asked passing metro riders if they would like to take a picture with the cutout for fun, and make a call to Representative Connolly and Senator Warner in support of a public option and a health care reform bill. The event made for some great hangin-with-Connolly interviews (with some unexpected street-side musical accompaniment)...
I have a friend on the west coast who I enjoy debating politically, over Facebook. He takes umbrage at the possibility of a publicly funded and sponsored health insurance option that could compete within the private market, but have the weight and benefit of the government behind it. In his opinion, such an option in the market would crowd out private offerings, since who in their right mind (no pun intended) would pick a private option when a public option is available.
Leaving aside for the moment the question of whether private options in the marketplace have a right to exist without competition from public options, let's examine the fundamental criticism - The existence of a public option will crowd out private options.
The experience of the American economy proves the lie of this criticism. There are many examples of public options co-existing with, and competing with, private products and services. In most of these markets, the existence of the public option actually provides incentives for the private providers to do more and better. Follow me below the fold for the examples.
(Hat tip to Lowell for the Business Week article link which prompted this. But do not blame Lowell for these thoughts, which are my own.)
Town Halls on Health Insurance for All erupt in threats, intimidation, and even violence. What passes for democracy lies in tatters, and all because giant corporations (oil, insurance, and more) have well-funded front groups, "AstorTurfs", pumping up the mob scenes around the country. In joint chorus, Congressional Republicans (John Cornyn, for example) and talking heads (Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh) chime in, pretend to the senseless mobs that the House health care plan is a number of things it isn't'. For example, it's not socialized medicine, not government operated health care (just optional government insurance, if people chose it). There are a number of other lies spun to these mobsters that I'll spare you from in this post.
Blue Dogs pretend that they care about competition, when all they really care about is protecting the fat profits, salaries and fraudulent practices of insurers. They use the same lies the Republicans do, the same talking points. Why is that? I'll tell you why. It's because some Democrats aren't Democrats at all. They ran that way, passed for them full of promises, or in some cases deceptive silence). Then they get elected only to serve their corporatist buddies. The good old revolving door. Senator Mark Warner gives new direction to the revolving door. He's all but installed one right in his own office.
Business Week published this amazing article declaring the battle already won (by United Health Care, and by extension, its ally Mark Warner.) You really should read it. Here's a sampler:
(This article is cross-posted at BlueVirginia.. - promoted by KathyinBlacksburg)
Senator Mark Warner was joined by Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Poneman to lead off what started as a conference and grew to a summit attended by a wide consortium of constituencies. Poneman stole the day early by announcing Virginia will immediately receive $37 million in funding for weatherization (some 8600 homes) under the stimulus plan. Some 500 attendees crowded into the Hampton University venue, far exceeding the anticipated seating requirements. In addition, hundreds more participated online. Dr. William Harvey, President of the University introduced the conference and welcomed the summit participants.
The summit featured three sessions: stimulus funding for low income household weatherization; stimulus funding for state and local governments; and funding for innovative projects such as smart grid. Senator Warner emphasized his role as a self proclaimed bipartisan radical centrist member of the Congress, pointing out that energy does not have not a Democratic or Republican solution, there is an American solution. He called for innovation and cooperation.
The Deeds campaign is letting no moss grow under their feet in these lazy days of summer...
At a mid-day media event, earlier today in NoVa, US Senator Mark Warner pulled out some big guns from the Virginia business community, in a powerful show of support for Creigh Deeds, from a sector that has traditionally been seen as a solidly Republican base. Not so much anymore. After successive pro-biz Warner and Kaine administrations, Warner's popularity is clearly evident in his sustained clout with many in the commercial and industrial business sectors. The Warner pro-biz coat-tails are now carrying over to Deeds. Chris Graham at the Augusta Free Press covered the subsequent tele-conference.
Graham's commentary and audio recording of the presser can be found here at the Augusta Free Press
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DEEDS PRESS RELEASE
DEEDS ANNOUNCES “BUSINESS LEADERS FOR DEEDS”
~ U.S. Senator Mark Warner helps launch bipartisan group ~
~ To be led by Caps owner, ex-AOL executive Ted Leonsis ~
ARLINGTON -- Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds today announced the formation and leadership of “Business Leaders for Deeds,” a broad-based group of bipartisan, statewide business leaders who have agreed to advise and promote Deeds’ candidacy. “Business Leaders for Deeds” will be led by Ted Leonsis of McLean, the majority owner of the Washington Capitals and Washington Mystics. Leonsis also is a former AOL vice chairman, a venture capitalist and philanthropist. U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner joined Deeds and Leonsis at today’s announcement. Warner is a former telecom executive who’s pragmatic approach during his term as Virginia Governor (2002-06) resulted in Virginia’s designation as the nation’s “best managed state” and “best state for business.”
We need a strong public option, not a co-op or any other watered down compromise. A strong public option will cause the health insurance market to compete on outcomes and coverage, not lack of those things.
This is why progressive organizations are asking for us to call our Senators and keep them focused on a public option, not any kind of alternative compromise.
Can you call Sens. Warner and Webb? Tell them that anything other than a strong public health insurance option is unacceptable-including the weak co-op proposal.
Our next governor tweeted that he, along with Senator Mark Warner, will be at the Silver Diner in the Clarendon section of Arlington at 2:345 this afternoon, and invited people to join them. I unfortunately will still be at school correcting papers and projects, but I strongly encourage anyone who can to join our two outstanding Dems at this event.
UPDATE gonna try to make it, leaving school just after 2:15, s/be there by 3 PM!
UPDATE 2 - I got there at 2:47, before Warner and Deeds. It was a good event. Read more about it, and watch some video from it, over at Blue Virginia
Deeds is upset at Terry's new ad on the 2002 vote on payday lending and saying that only Terry is for ending payday lending. Deeds spokesman Brooke Borkenhagen notes that the 2002 bill was intended to regulate payday lending and was supported by Mark Warner, which is why Dems in the general assembly at the time supported it.
She notes that just this year, when Deeds was the only candidate to be serving the General Assembly, he worked to get passed a crackdown on the lenders. "You've got to look at what they've done, not just what they say."
All three campaigns have now called for an end to payday lending.
Also of interest is that Moran campaign has decided to go over Terry as a banker. Note the following two paragraphs:
Meanwhile, Moran campaign manager Andrew Roos today wrote federal regulators, asking that they release documents from their examination of the Federal City National Bank, which McAuliffe became chairman of at age 30 in 1988.
In 1991, federal regulators found the bank had engaged in "unsafe, unsound banking practices." Federal City was merged with another bank, a move McAuliffe has said stabilized the institution and cites as an example of his ability to turn around struggling businesses.
Wonder if any of this will come up at either NoVa Jeff Jack (Prince William on Saturday, Fairfax on Sunday) this weekend?
Anita Kumar of the Washington Post has a piece entitled McAuliffe Reports Sizable Money Lead Over Moran. Let's put some figures she provides in context about fundraising for the first 3 months of the gubernatorial election year:
Anita Kumar, who covers Virginia Politics for the Washington Post has an item on her blog about the recent BGR fundraiser for McAuliffe that was criticized by the Moran campaign. In a piece entitled BGR, Rogers Helped Warner Too she notes
A fundraiser honoring U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner of Virginia was held in October 2008 when the former governor was running for Senate. The invitation included Rogers, along with nine other lobbyists with BGR, including former Bush aide Eric Burgeson, Lanny Griffith, who worked in the George H.W. Bush White House and Bob Wood, chief of staff to former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.
Warner's people offered no comment, and the Moran response seems to have changed focus a bit. All I would note is that in general in Democratic politics one usually does not want to put out something that might be seen as critical of Mark Warner.
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Senator Mark Warner was joined by Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Poneman to lead off what started as a