With just over a month left in the Virginia governor's race, the issues have become central in the campaign and Republican candidate Mark Earley has closed in on Democrat Mark Warner in the polls. The debates are receiving more media attention as the country moves on from the tragedy, and the voters are becoming more informed. Polling data reflects the Earley campaign's success in exposing the fact that Warner's business plan would be detrimental to the Virginia economy during a time of recession.
The latest poll, released two weeks ago by an NBC affiliate and Richmond Times-Dispatch partnership, declared Earley only to be trailing by three points, which was well within the margin of error. In fact, Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. released similar results a couple of days prior showing that Warner had not made significant gains over a summer clouded with misinformation and media hype.
Now, after Virginians take a fresh look at politics, they will evaluate the candidates for important qualities in public service. One such quality is a vision for the Commonwealth. Warner has proposed his vision, which entails running a government more like a business, even when the business metaphor isn't appropriate.
A prudent businessman must analyze the situation and seek to turn hardship into potential for success - something that Warner is not doing.
Warner bases his transportation plan on a regional tax referendum. Of the $2.25 billion Warner has proposed for his plan, a substantial portion - about $900 million, or 41 percent - would rely on voter-approved regional taxing authorities ("Tax Issue No Easy Fix for Earley Campaign; GOP Hits Warner Plan for Financing Roads," The Washington Post, Sept. 30). In relying on a self-imposed sales tax increase, Warner defies good business practice. His plan would take money out of the hands of Virginians when it is most needed and use it to fund public transportation projects for which he can claim credit.
Earley, on the other hand, would not increase taxes on Virginians. Instead, he would act on the Public-Private Transportation Act that he co-sponsored, in order to more effectively use federal and state funds to alleviate Virginians of traffic woes. Furthermore, Earley shows true innovation and business savvy in his transportation plan, "Let's Move It," released in late July. He suggested the creation of Federal Revenue Anticipation Notes, an initiative that would allow Virginia to sell bonds on funds guaranteed by the federal government.
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If elected, Earley will be able to utilize FRANs to complete many statewide road construction projects that were delayed because the Gilmore administration did not appropriate federal funds as fast as private road construction companies could work.
The state of the economy is a major focus of this year's gubernatorial campaign, and Warner's plan to increase the sales tax for transportation is not a healthy one for Virginia. Beyond their vague outline of issues such as improving education, revitalizing Virginia's rural regions, and priorities on the Second Amendment from both sides, neither candidate has yet offered specific solutions to Virginia's share of the national recession.
Therefore, advertisements and debates have focused on Earley's experience in public service, and on Warner's transition from the private sphere to the public. If Warner's ideas about transportation are at all indicative of this transition, he would prove out of touch with the needs of Virginians, and with the ways of running the Commonwealth. Recent polling results have indicated that Virginians have seen something in Earley that resonates with their values.
Earley's values have become more pronounced and will continue to gain publicity as a result of the televised debates.
The most recent polls indicate that the governor's race will be a close one, partly dependent on voter turnout on Nov. 6. While Warner has received attention for his centrist stand and his successful businessman image, it's unclear if he will win over average Virginian voters who seek a leader with a clear vision for the future of the Commonwealth.
Warner's talk about innovative ideas and efficient government are backed up by business practices that are in a macro-economic sense counter-cyclical, taxing in a time of recession. Earley, on the other hand, has found new ways to expedite public projects by releasing federal funds to their needs through a public-private partnership. Thanks to American democracy, Virginia's voters will decide the outcome of this ongoing debate concerning national security and the state of the economy in November.
(Matt West's column normally appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at mwest@cavalierdaily.com.)
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