Former Governor Mark Warner (D-VA)

Thank you Governor Warner for taking part in NHInsiders 10 Questions internet interviews. Also welcome back to New Hampshire.

NHInsider: Some have said that our nation is in an impending energy crisis, if you were President what would be your #1 goal in energy policy and how would you accomplish it?

Gov. Warner: We need to connect the dots between national security and renewable energy sources that can create American jobs. Look at our current policy – we borrow money from China to buy oil from countries that don’t like us, from the Middle East to Chavez in Venezuela. Think about it. We spend less than $2 billion a year on alternative energy development. But we spend $7.1 billion a month on Iraq. Two weeks of Iraqi spending could triple our federal energy R&D.

If we can connect the dots between national security and energy independence and investing in renewable energy sources, along the way, we just might save the planet.

NHInsider: What is the Democratic Party’s greatest weakness? How would you resolve this problem?

Gov. Warner: Democrats are not going to lead with a strategy that says we’re going to compete in 16 states, then hope for a triple bank-shot to win Ohio or Florida. We need to be able to compete and win everywhere. The good news is, we’ve shown in states like Virginia, Wyoming, Montana, and Kansas – the reddest of the red states – that Democrats can be successful.

But, it’s not just about winning—it’s about governing. I was proud to leave office in Virginia after Governing magazine rated it the ‘best managed state in the nation.’ I was proud this week for Forbes.com to rate Virginia the “runaway winner’ in its 50-state “Best States for Business” ranking, for investments we made during my term in education, and for keeping our tax code fair. We made education reforms that helped our kids score the highest increase in the nation in math SAT scores. We put in place the strictest water standards in America for the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and backed those standards up with historic new investments.

NHInsider: What are you working on for the 2006 Mid-Term elections?

Gov. Warner: It’s no overstatement to say the future of our country hangs on the outcome of this election. That’s why our PAC, Forward Together, has been doing everything we can to try to help candidates across the country. I’ve headlined 45 events in 17 states, to help raise more than $4.9 million for candidates and committees in this cycle -- and we’ve directly donated more than $860,000 to 108 more candidates and committees.

The next Congress must start to tackle the great challenges we face as a nation--challenges that, if we don’t confront them, will each get worse and threaten our vitality and way of life. I think of them almost as snowballs, rolling down a hill, each growing in size, without meaningful action to address them.

First, we must restore America’s stature in the world and do more to keep Americans safe at home and abroad. That starts by having a foreign policy that unites our friends and divides our enemies, not the reverse.

Second, as I’ve said, we’re not connecting the dots between our national security, our energy dependence, and investment in renewable sources of energy.

Third, we haven’t outlined a national competitiveness strategy. India and China aren’t playing for second place--and we’re not going to be able to compete if we don’t have the most educated, most innovative and entrepreneurial workforce in the world.

And finally, we must focus on fiscal responsibility in Washington. Right now, we have soaring deficits, low savings rates, trade imbalances, and an Administration and Congress more interested in building a ‘bridge to nowhere’ than laying a foundation for future success.

NHInsider: Recently, Pres. Bush vetoed The Embryonic Stem Cell Research funding bill pointing to ethics as his reason. Where do you stand on Embryonic Stem Cell Research and what measures would you propose that would advance science while answering the ethical questions that cloud this issue?

Gov. Warner: President Bush used his first veto to kill a bill that would spur stem-cell research that could change the lives of millions of Americans with potentially curable diseases. As with millions of Americans, this issue is personal for me. I have a daughter with juvenile diabetes and a mother with Alzheimer’s disease. These are among the host of diseases for which stem cell research could produce a cure.

In the Bush Administration, politics has trumped science: on climate change, alternative energy research, and on medical advancement that could save lives. This country needs an administration that believes in science and brings hope to the many Americans and their families suffering from these horrible diseases.

NHInsider: Your Website forwardtogetherpac.com states that you are supportive of and have been successful with Public-Private partnerships. Could you elaborate on what these entailed and what the benefits were?

Gov. Warner: Generally speaking, I’m a big believer because some of the best thinking may be in the private sector—but needs the guidance and dedication that the public sector can bring.

Two of the most successful partnerships I worked on involved bridging the digital divide in communities that were more and more often falling on the wrong side of that divide. I started TechRiders, a program that brings free computer training classes to houses of worship across Virginia. I started the Virginia High-Tech Partnership to connect students at Virginia's five Historically Black Colleges and Universities with internships and jobs at leading high-tech companies.

When my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and we went through a frustrating search for support, I realized health care could benefit from the exciting new technologies that were emerging in the 90s. I started SeniorNavigator.com, a program that uses the Internet and volunteers to help older Virginians and their caregivers find answers to medical questions, locate senior health services, and connect with other seniors in their communities. And I was particularly proud to serve as the founding chair of the Virginia Health Care Foundation, which has provided health care to more than 600,000 underserved Virginians in rural and urban areas.

NHInsider: How have your experiences as a businessman influenced your understanding of the role of government and your style of governing?

Gov. Warner: One of the most important lessons I took from my business experience was that “that which gets measured, gets done.” We won’t get meaningful accountability for all the kids in our school system if we can’t track things like graduation rates or proficiency. Once we get a better understanding of a problem, we can better understand how to fix it. If we’re honest about needed change, and have data to back it up and track our progress, we can make real differences in people’s lives.

NHInsider: Do you support the New Hampshire first-in-the-nation presidential primary?

Gov. Warner: Yes!

NHInsider: The South has been heavily Republican ever since the political realignment of the 1960s, and the Democratic ticket made no significant advances there in 2004. What will it take for a Democrat to compete in all parts of the country?

Gov. Warner: In Virginia, we showed that if you go into rural areas and small cities, and you show respect for the culture, and you talk about real plans for economic recovery, folks will respond. They’ll at least listen to your ideas. In a lot of areas in Southside and Southwest Virginia, I got the most nods on the line “you shouldn’t have to leave your home town to get a good job.” And you know what, again in Virginia, we got results. The most economically hard hit areas of our state saw dramatic drops in unemployment, and community leaders started to really work on some innovative ways to revitalize. We launched the largest rural broadband project in the nation—hoping to wire 700,000 Virginians to high speed Internet.

Folks don’t care whether ideas have a D or an R next to them if they make sense. And Democrats across America are proving that in so-called Red States.

NHInsider: What lessons from your time leading Virginia do you think are most applicable as solutions to the problems America faces today?

Gov. Warner: When I came into office, we had a record budget shortfall, that grew to over $6 billion. People had lost faith in state government. And we weren’t able to keep up with our obligations to education, health care, and public safety.

It would have been easy to play partisan games, and pass the buck onto the next guy or gal. But together, Republicans and Democrats, we tackled the tough problems. We were honest with the people about the state of Virginia’s finances, and what it would take to fix them. We made some tough cuts, protecting only schools and health care. We put together a budget and tax reform package that cut some taxes, and raised others. We were recognized as “best managed state”, made the single largest investment in K-12 education in Virginia history, and I hope, helped restore people’s faith in government.