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Dem Keystone support creates tougher fight for Reid, ObamaBy Alexander Bolton - 12/16/11 04:08 PM ET Republicans want to jam Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on the Keystone oil sands pipeline and the Democratic leader will have a tough time resisting, given support within his caucus for the project. GOP leaders have made clear to Reid that they will not approve an extension of the payroll tax holiday unless it includes language to speed up construction of the pipeline. Senate Republicans estimate as many as 14 Senate Democrats support the project. Labor unions have also voiced strong backing, complicating...

On September 25, the 23rd Arab-American Candidates’ Night Dinner was held in Virginia, attended by 46 Democrats and Republicans seeking office, with former governor and current Democratic Senate candidate, Tim Kaine, as a major speaker. The dinner honored a top Muslim Brotherhood official affiliated with Hamas named Jamal Barzinji, an inconvenient and overlooked fact for Kaine’s campaign team. Tim Kaine was the governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010 and then was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He was on the short-list to become President Obama’s running mate. He is now running for Senate and will likely face...

RICHMOND — Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R) said he might run for the U.S. Senate in 2014, possibly setting up a race against one of Virginia’s most popular politicians, Democrat Mark R. Warner. Cuccinelli, who garnered national attention for suing the federal government over the new health-care law, had said he would run for reelection or governor in 2013. But in an interview with The Washington Post, he said for the first time that he could instead run for the Senate. In the interview, he accused Warner — a former governor who has expressed frustrations with the workings of...

The idea of such a bank has been around since the 1990s but has never gained significant attention until now. In March a bipartisan bill was introduced in the Senate that gained the support of the US Chamber of Commerce, America’s leading business lobby, and the AFL-CIO, the country’s largest labor federation — two groups on opposite sides of most debates. The BUILD Act, proposed by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., Kay Hutchinson, R-Texas, and Mark Warner, D-Va., would create a national infrastructure bank that would provide loans and loan guarantees to encourage private investment in upgrading America’s infrastructure. There are...

Of the early potential Democratic contenders, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley says he supports gay marriage but stopped short of making a major push for the legislation earlier in the year, while Virginia Sen. Mark Warner is opposed. Hillary Clinton, if she runs, would still have her commitment to civil unions but not gay marriage from the 2008 race hanging over her — and at least until the end of next year, when she’s said she’ll be done at the State Department, she won’t be able to make any new comments on the issue. “It gives him an authenticity and a...

There is no gray area. Either members of Congress are liars or they are too stupid to serve in government. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) says: “The facts have consistently shown that President Obama was born in the United States. As a natural-born American citizen, he is fully eligible to serve as President of our country.” Anwar al-Awlaki was born on April 22, 1971 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He is an Islamic spiritual leader and an imam who has encouraged Islamic terrorism against the West. He is a senior talent recruiter and motivator, who has also become “operational” as...

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said Wednesday that he agrees with Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) in opposing President Obama's decision to restrict oil and gas drilling off the coast of Virginia for the next seven years. "Mid-Atlantic coastal oil and gas production does not represent a 'silver bullet' solution to our energy challenges, and while it is appropriate to take the time to incorporate lessons learned from the Gulf disaster, Senator Warner sees no reason to delay this process for what realistically could be another seven years or more,'' Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said. McDonnell is calling for the White House...

Senator Mark Warner agrees with Republicans that the financial regulation bill presently being considered by of the U.S. Senate. According to The Daily Caller Sen. Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who has been closely involved in negotiations, said that concerns being raised by Republicans about potential bailouts of large financial institutions are legitimate. “There are parts that need to be tightened,” Warner said, referring to the bill in the same manner as Sen. Richard Shelby, Alabama Republican and ranking member on the Senate Banking Committee. On the senate floor this morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) said “Last night,...

Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and Democrat Mark Warner (Va.) are both fans of President Barack Obama's plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling. Obama announced that areas off the Atlantic coast will now be open to drilling, but not areas in the Pacific and many parts of Alaska. McCain, Obama's opponent in the 2008 presidential election, tweeted: Drill baby drill! Good move - where are Reid and Pelosi on this? The Arizona Republican has been outspoken against many other items on Obama's agenda, especially since he faces a primary challenge from former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who is running...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Virginia's two U.S. senators on Wednesday urged the Obama administration to carry out a previous plan to lease almost 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) in federal waters off the state's coastline to oil and natural gas companies. The lawmakers said in a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that recent comments by a department official that the Virginia lease sale originally planned for late 2011 would be delayed until 2012 at the earliest are frustrating given that drilling creates jobs and needed energy supplies. The offshore Virginia area that would be leased may hold 130...

> break < In addition to adding an estimated 261,927 people to Virginia's Medicaid rolls, Sens. James Webb and Mark Warner "charitably" committed Virginians to pick up the Medicaid tab for half-a-dozen other states. > break < We commit one-sixth of the state budget to Medicaid - $7 billion a year. Now Virginia's two senators hope to impose on their own state a federally mandated increase in Medicaid enrollment of nearly 30 percent. > break < Mr. Webb, in particular, had the tough talk down pat - insisting that true reform must not create "a cumbersome, overly bureaucratic system." He...

Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., who pledged a tight-fisted approach to federal spending, is being criticized as anything but by a living symbol of Virginia fiscal conservatism. Former Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr., I-Va., while describing Warner as "my friend," expressed dismay yesterday that the freshman senator backed on party-line votes spending and health-care bills that balloon the deficit by more than $1 trillion. "When a Virginia Democrat is elected to the Congress -- Senate or House -- he or she must decide whether to vote the party line or vote the Virginia tradition of financial responsibility," said Byrd, who...

The text that is in quotes are excerpts from Warner's canned response back to my first letter asking him to not support the bill! “...As the debate in Congress continues, it is of utmost importance to recognize that our current health care system is financially unsustainable. ..." Only the government run systems are unsustainable! All current US State run systems (Ca, Mass, Tenn, others) are in the red and don’t even come close to living up toward the extravagant promises made by the state politicians that insisted on them. In fact these systems sole recourse is to pass costs to...

Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Virginia, said that he voted in favor of the health-care overhaul because he thinks it will lower health-care costs...Warner and Virginia's senior senator, Jim Webb, also a Democrat, recorded their votes to advance the legislation. In the end, the Senate's 58 Democrats and two independents voted to prevent a filibuster and move the bill toward likely passage before Christmas... Webb said the debate "often overwhelmed the substance" of fixing the problem. Warner and Webb said they thought that late changes in the Senate bill improved it. Warner cited the dropping of the public option. But Warner,...

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling sent a strongly worded letter to Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner Monday expressing outrage over special concessions given to certain states to obtain support for federal health care legislation from their Senators and asking them to oppose this legislation, which Bolling called “misguided.” “As you know, one of our major concerns with this legislation is the potential impact it could have on the cost of Medicaid for Virginia’s state government,” wrote Bolling. “Many reports have suggested that this legislation could result in much higher Medicaid costs for state governments across the nation, costs that state...

On December 8, Senator Warner and 10 other Freshman Senators introduced the "Value and Innovation" amendment package, aimed at encouraging innovation and affordability for consumers across the U.S. health care system. Supporters of the package include: AARP; Business Roundtable; Safeway; New America Foundation; AFL-CIO; National Partnership for Women and Families; CEO Workgroup for Health Reform; Center for American Progress; Healthcare Leadership Council; Catholic Healthcare West; Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association; Carilion Clinic; David Cutler (Harvard Economist); Consumers Union; Small Business Majority; Walmart; Kelly Services International; Intel; US PIRG; Better Health Care Together; Brookings; Pacific Business Group on Health; Quadgraphics; Health...

The nation’s richest senator - the Bay State’s own John Forbes Kerry - has been knocked down a few notches after seeing his fortune sliced by one-third by the fiscal meltdown that ripped down Wall Street. Kerry’s personal net worth plunged from an estimated $336 million in 2007 to $208 million in 2008, according to a study by the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics. The Boston Democrat’s staggering losses dropped him from first to third among the wealthiest senators, trailing Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) “So does this mean Senator Kerry is now arriving in Nantucket by ferry...

Friend -- Saturday evening, my Senate colleagues and I were given an opportunity to take the next step in fixing our nation's health care system. I voted in favor of bringing the health care reform bill to the Senate floor because I want an opportunity to work on strengthening and improving the legislation. If we do not work toward real health care reform, families will face rising premiums, employers will remain at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace, and federal budget deficits will go from bad to worse. Thus far, only those senators on the health and finance committees...

RICHMOND, Va. -- Both of Virginia's U.S. senators say they will vote to allow debate on the Senate version of health-care overhaul legislation, but neither has committed to voting for the actual bill. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., got an earful on the subject from a group of small-business owners in Carytown yesterday while protesters rallied outside Warner and Sen. Jim Webb's Richmond offices. *break* Warner, who said he wants to see more cost containment in the Senate's legislation before he can support it, responded that he hasn't committed to vote for the bill. "If it doesn't improve, chances are...

Arguments that the individual mandate in healthcare reform is unconstitutional are "spurious," one centrist Democrat said this week. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) dismissed questions about the individual mandate's constitutionality, which conservatives activists have questioned. "The United States Congress passed laws regarding Medicare and Medicaid that became de facto mandatory programs," Warner told the conservative CNSNews.com in a video posted Friday. "I think that this is a bit of a spurious argument that’s being made by some folks."

“I wish the president would have started the debate by explaining to the American people that our current health care system is not financially sustainable, for even another decade,” Mr. Warner said. “Driving down health care costs should have been the focus of the debate.”

Talk about bad timing. As Washington reels from the news of 10.2 percent unemployment, the Center for Responsive Politics is out with a new report describing the wealth of members of Congress. Among the highlights: Two-hundred-and-thirty-seven members of Congress are millionaires. That’s 44 percent of the body – compared to about 1 percent of Americans overall. CRP says California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa is the richest lawmaker on Capitol Hill, with a net worth estimated at about $251 million. Next in line: Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), worth about $244.7 million; Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), worth about $214.5 million; Sen....

At a packed town meeting of over 1,000 people hosted by Democrat Sen. Mark Warner in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a woman prefaced her question by expressing a broader concern: “For the first time I don’t believe the President we have is a patriot. I think a lot of the concern and discontent is less about health care than trusting the agenda of this administration.” Sen. Warner harshly rebuked her, calling the remark offensive and declaring Obama “a great patriot.” Yet judging by the storm of applause that greeted her comment, she echoed the feelings of many others in the hall. What...

Fredericksburg, Va. (CNSNews.com) – During a town hall meeting at the Fredericksburg Expo Center, Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) said there is “no place in the Constitution” that mentions health care or education, or even gives individuals the right to own a telephone. “[L]isten, there is, there is no place in the Constitution that specifically says health care,” Warner said to a government high school teacher at the event, who asked him if the Constitution explicitly gives the government the right to run the health care system. “There’s no place in the Constitution that specifically says education,” said Warner. Moreover, he...

Town Hall Meeting on Health Care Reform with Sen. Warner WHEN: Thursday, September 3, 2009, 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) WHERE: Fredericksburg Expo Center, 2371 Carl D. Silver Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 You are asked to RSVP (requested for planning purposes) online at http://warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=townhall. RSVP does not guarantee admittance. Arrive early to ensure entry

Mark D. Obenshain I just received a call from a constituent who called to alert me that one of our United States Senators is having an unannounced "telephone town hall"about Health Care RIGHT NOW. That's right, at 5:30 on Monday night. The link below ...Read More Telephone Town Hall - Events - Mark R. Warner Source: warner.senate.gov As part of his ongoing conversation with Virginians about health care, Senator Warner will host another telephone town hall on Monday, August 24 at 5:30 p.m. More that 60,000 households across the Commonwealth will be invited to join the discussion and ask Senator...

Mark Warner Talks Health 'Scare Tactics' via kwout

<p>Just got this note in an email from a friend in SW Virginia.....</p> <p>I got a phone message from the pro health care group and I almost hung up. I decided to listen to the end, which wasn't very long, at the end they ask you to talk to Senator Warner and tell him to vote for health care and they offer to put you through to his office. I stayed on the line and punched #1 to be put through and a young man picked up the line right away , Senator Warner's office how can I help you". I of course told him I DIDN'T want the Gov. to vote for the health care package. The kid seemed stunned. He took my address and zip. Now I don't know if this was really his office or not but if it was I felt pretty good about using the dem's trick against them. The ID number comes up 000-000-0000 from this recored message.</p>

Pew Environment Group Launches Project to Highlight Link Between National Security, Energy, Climate Change The Pew Charitable Trusts has announced a new project designed to gather and share with the public viewpoints on the critical links between national security, energy, and global warming. Former Senator John Warner (R-VA) will work the Pew Environment Group on the Pew Project on National Security, Energy, and Climate, which will bring together science and military policy experts to examine new strategies for combating climate change, protecting national security, increasing energy independence, and preserving the nation's natural resources. Warner will work exclusively with state and...

Virginians soon will be able to choose a "Choose Life" license plate for their vehicles. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said yesterday that he has signed legislation that approves a number of specialty license plates, including one that bears the anti-abortion slogan. "The practice has been for the General Assembly to allow statements of social political positions on these license plates," the governor said. "The clear trend of [recent court] decisions was if the state allows plates that have messages . . . once a state does that, these plates should be allowed." Then-Gov. Mark R. Warner, a fellow Democrat, vetoed...

Senators moved Wednesday toward creation of a “Veterans Corps” of up to 5,000 paid volunteers to work on aid programs for vets, their families and the families of active-duty troops. The corps is part of a group of national service initiatives backed by the Obama administration and an unusual bipartisan coalition in Congress. Participants would work directly with veterans and bolster existing aid programs run by state and local governments and non-profit groups. With civilian jobs increasingly hard to come by, the corps would give people leaving the military another way of serving their country and staying off the unemployment...

(Washington, DC) -- Virginia Senator Mark Warner is calling for more transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility following his first speech on the Senate floor. Warner today referred to his term as governor of Virginia touting his effort to reform the government and impose accountability measurements as he worked to bridge a large budget shortfall. The senator said, "What gets measured gets done." He added that while "the American people are not expecting miracles," they can and should expect "competence." Warner wants to see more information made available to citizens online. He said in the short term that will help in...

Sen. Warner calls for discussion of end-of-life treatment WASHINGTON Two months into his term, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner has marched into the policy thicket that is health-care reform, urging a national discussion on the touchy question of how best to treat terminally ill people.In a speech to hospital executives this week, Warner called for intensified efforts to educate individuals and families in advance about end-of-life care. With better information, many people would forgo expensive and almost-always-futile treatment for patients near death, he said.Such measures account for more than one-fourth of Medicare payments and 10 to 12 percent of all health...

Thank you for contacting me with your views on the economic stimulus package. In order to best represent you as your United States Senator, it is vital that I hear your view on this and other important matters. We have received a large volume of correspondence from across the Commonwealth both in favor and opposed to the stimulus. In regards to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, although no effort on this scale will be perfect, President Obama and the relevant Congressional committees have been in close consultation with state and local officials and a wide range of economic experts...

I sent a brief letter to my Virginia senators asking them to kill the stimulus bill and start over from scratch so they don't bankrupt not only this generation but that of my grandchildren, thank you very much. Below is the email I received in response. So far, this is the only response from 2 senators and 1 representative, all Democrats. Thank you for contacting me with your views on the economic stimulus package. In order to best represent you as your United States Senator, it is vital that I hear your view on this and other important matters. We...

I just received this from Mark Warner (D) VA in response to my note telling him just say no to the stimulas plan.. Thank you for contacting me with your views on the economic stimulus package. In order to best represent you as your United States Senator, it is vital that I hear your view on this and other important matters. We have received numerous responses from across the Commonwealth from those both in favor of the stimulus and those opposed. I understand concerns about the expense of the bill and about certain provisions included in the package. Although no...

Mark Warner now has an email address in the Senate. That email is warner_info@warner.senate.gov We need to write him often...so he remembers the conservative nature of the voters in Virginia. His address in DC and phone info is: B40C DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 DC Phone: 202-224-2023 DC Fax: 202-224-2530 PS Jim Webb has no email but does have a webform for messages: http://webb.senate.gov/contact/

Friend -- In the weeks since the election, I've had an opportunity to talk to folks around the state to get a sense of what they would like to see from our leaders in Washington. If this election has proven anything, it's that Virginians and Americans want leaders who focus less on partisan ideology and more on finding solutions that produce results that will get this economy back on the right track. In my conversations across the state, I've heard from community, academic and business leaders who are all focused on the economic downturn and who have all shared new...

Democrat Mark Warner has defeated his fellow ex-governor Jim Gilmore for a Republican-held Senate seat in Virginia. The win gives Democrats control of both of Virginia's Senate seats for the first time since 1970.

For those following the results of Virgina's election results, this link is for the official Virginia State Board of election results. Results are broken down by county, city, and district.

A SAOVA message to sportsmen, pet owners and farmers concerned about protecting their traditions, avocations and livelihoods from anti-hunting, anti-breeding, animal guardianship advocates. Forwarding and cross posting, with attribution, encouraged. 2008 Election Updates 11/01/08 Dear Friends, I am writing again to remind everyone of what is at stake in this election - the very real possibility of a 60 seat, filibuster-proof Democratic majority in the Senate. Supported by left-wing congressmen, HSUS and other activists will have a field day passing anti-hunter and pet “protection” legislation. Without moderate balance in the Senate it will be difficult, if not impossible, to stop...

Virginia’s U.S. Senate race between two former governors presents marked contrasts between the men in style and substance. Even those who prefer Republican Jim Gilmore’s platform say they like Democrat Mark Warner’s persona. We agree. How, then, to choose? Here’s one way: This year’s top voter concern, no surprise, is the economy. And on that measure, Mr. Gilmore’s principles and, yes, even his well-known stubbornness will better serve Virginia in the U.S. Senate. Mr. Gilmore’s principles are strongly aligned with foundational American freedoms — free enterprise, free markets, freedom to work and the right to vote freely in labor elections...

If, as seems likely but not quite certain, Barack Obama is elected next Tuesday, a key question for public policymaking will be how many Democrats are elected to the Senate. Currently, there are 51 Democrats there, including Joe Lieberman, but Democrats are seriously contesting 11 Republican-held seats, and there is a by-no-means-trivial chance that they could win each one. Meanwhile, Republicans are seriously contesting either zero Democratic-held seats, or only one, that of Mary Landrieu in Louisiana. The only public polls there since July are from Rasmussen, and the latest shows Landrieu ahead of Democrat-turned-Republican John Kennedy by 53 percent...

Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore faces a difficult political task this year, running as a red-state conservative in Virginia - a "purple" state that is turning increasingly blue. The Democratic nominee, former Gov. Mark Warner, is heavily favored to win the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican John Warner, who has held it for 30 years. But Mr. Gilmore would be the superior choice. ... As governor, Mr. Gilmore is best known for his work to repeal the oppressive car tax. Mr. Warner's major political achievement as governor was his success in pushing a $1.4 billion tax increase through...

National Right to Work Committee Ad - Virginia

    EXAMINER ENDORSES JIM GILMORE FOR SENATE Gilmore for U.S. Senate By Examiner Editorial October 27, 2008 With the economy in turmoil and danger abroad, do voters want a candidate who keeps his word or one who doesn’t? That’s the stark choice in Virginia, where two former governors are running to replace retiring Republican John Warner in the U.S. Senate. With public confidence in Washington at record lows, Jim Gilmore’s veracity has earned him The Examiner’s endorsement as the best choice for Virginia - and the nation. Gilmore took tremendous political flak for keeping his promise to get...

...the National Right to Work Committee has apparently decided to invest a least a little bit of money on television ads to try to undercut Warner's appeal. The committee is airing an ad on Richmond television that calls into question whether Warner will uphold Virginia's status as a right-to-work state. The ad notes Warner has not come out against the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to unionize. Gilmore is a strong opponent of the proposal. Gilmore also received a boost today when he picked up an endorsement from the Richmond Times Dispatch. Although the...

You’ve read the quote. You’ve heard the rumors. Now, hear the audio of Mark Warner calling the NRA, people of faith, home schoolers and people who believe in the right to life "a threat to what it means to be an American."

October 17, 2008 - October 24, 2008 www.vademocrats.org Help us turn Virginia blue, contribute today! -------------------- INTRODUCTION With 10 days left until Election Day, it is now or never. Polls show a tightening race as we near the finish line - and we need your help to close the deal. Last week, I lent a hand to our team in Hampton Roads and knocked on doors in Newport News. I found that voters are energized about bringing needed change to Washington. Tomorrow, I'll lace my sneakers up once again to knock on more doors and reach more voters. Will you...

PORTSMOUTH Sheriff Bill Watson wanted to get absentee ballots to a special group of shut-ins who won't be able to make it to the polls on Election Day: the prisoners in his jail. Last week, he offered applications to inmates. One hundred fifty-three of them wanted to vote, but only 17 inmates were registered and will receive ballots, Lt. Karin Johnson, a spokeswoman, said Friday. Registration drives have caused the commonwealth's voter rolls to swell since the last presidential election. Law-and-order candidates needn't worry too much, though. As in the 580-prisoner Portsmouth City Jail, a modest number of inmates are...