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Politics : The Next President 2008 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (1347)	9/16/2007 3:26:25 AM
From: calgal	Respond to of 3215

Yes Virginia, There is a Conservative By Patrick Ruffini Saturday, September 15, 2007 Imagine a patient who upon hearing a potentially life-threatening diagnosis embarks on a spate of binge drinking and chain smoking. That should give you a pretty good idea of what it was like to be a Virginia Republican this past week. Following his stunning 11th hour decision not to run for President last year, it was pretty clear that former Democratic governor Mark Warner would try to re-enter politics at some lower, more manageable level. His announcement this week that he would try for the Senate in 2008 came as no surprise following the retirement of the namesake he ran against as "Mark Not John" in '96. Related Media: Ghost of William Arkin past, Erwin Chemerinsky, John Eastman, Frank Gaffney, Eric Cantor replay. Instead of marshaling a real effort to find a candidate who could go toe-to-toe with the popular Warner, Virginia's GOP has so far opted to go down the merry path to obliteration in '08. Running on the Republican side is Tom Davis, the tactically shrewd Fairfax County Congressman who chaired the NRCC and is patron to Northern Virginia's dwindling GOP machine. He'll face former governor Jim Gilmore, whose 11th place Presidential candidacy cum publicity stunt generated precisely one item worth a mild chuckle: popularizing the term "Rudy McRomney." A Rasmussen poll out this week shows just how steep a climb both Davis and Gilmore face. If the election were held today, the relatively moderate Davis would lose to Warner 57 to 30 percent. Gilmore, the more conservative of the two, gets crushed by a slightly less daunting 54 to 34 percent, but has little room to grow given that he is widely known as a former governor. Rather than staying on the sidelines to wait for a more viable choice, Virginia Republicans are rushing into the fray of the Davis-Gilmore food fight. Gilmore opened by announcing the endorsement of Commonwealth's Republican national committeeman and committeewoman. Davis on Wednesday countered with 2005 gubernational nominee Jerry Kilgore and a list of eight GOP Congressional district chairs supporting his candidacy. This is a fight unguided by principle or purpose. If you support Tom Davis, it's likely because you're a member of or indebted to The Tom Davis Machine. If you support Jim Gilmore, it's probably because you can't stand Tom Davis. Defeating (or severely bruising) Mark Warner or rebuilding the Republican Party in Virginia doesn't even factor into the equation. It's all about settling scores within the party, and who can be the last to breathe fresh air as the Titanic swirls to the ocean bed. Virginia can do better. For Republicans dispirited by the field so far, there is hope -- and a choice. A week ago, I wrote about Eric Cantor, a conservative hero in the House and member of the GOP leadership, as the best choice for the Senate. The call for Cantor was echoed by National Review and picked up by well-connected Virginia and Beltway blogs from Mason Conservative to the Influence Peddler. continued... 1 2 \| townhall.com Article & Comments \| Next > Be the first to read Townhall.com. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox.

To: calgal who wrote (1347)	9/16/2007 3:28:16 AM
From: calgal	Respond to of 3215

Presidential Candidates on Health Care By The Associated Press Saturday, September 15, 2007 Email It Print It Take Action Read Article & Comments (2) Trackbacks(0) Post Your Comments Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton rejoins the health care debate in earnest Monday with a plan to expand coverage. Positions of other presidential candidates: DEMOCRATS: _Delaware Sen. Joe Biden: Expand health insurance to cover all children and to make catastrophic care available for all; look to states for ideas on moving toward universal coverage. _Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd: Expand coverage by offering insurance that could be taken from job to job, with premiums based on ability to pay. No cost estimates offered for plan. Offer coverage similar to that in plan for federal employees. _Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards: Achieve mandatory universal coverage by 2012 with a system of expanded federal health insurance, family tax credits and coverage requirements on employers, insurance companies and individuals. Increase taxes to pay for program's cost of up to $120 billion a year. _Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Favors national health insurance program covering medical, dental, mental health and long-term care for all, as well as prescription drugs. "My plan doesn't provide for a role for for-profit insurance companies." _Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: Require employers to share costs of insuring workers and ensure all children are covered. Offer coverage similar to that in plan for federal employees. Says package would cost up to $65 billion a year after unspecified savings from making system more efficient. Raise taxes to pay the cost. _New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: Tax breaks for businesses and for people who pay for their own coverage. Lower the eligibility age for Medicare to 55 and expand programs for poor and children. Package could cost up to $110 billion a year. Would seek savings in medical care by expanding spending on preventive care. ___ REPUBLICANS: _Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback: "Market-based solutions, not government-run health care." _Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani: Income tax deduction of $7,500 per taxpayer to defray insurance costs. Tax credit for poorer workers to supplement Medicaid and employer contributions, as part of "market-driven" expansion of affordable coverage. Expanded use of health savings accounts. continued... 1 2 \| Full Article & Comments \| Next > Be the first to read Townhall.com. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox. Vote on this Article townhall.com