See below for video of Sen. Mark Warner, speaking to the media earlier today, about a variety of subjects, including his reaction to Trump running for president again.
“You know I think there is nothing positive or future-oriented about Donald Trump running for president again. This is a three-time loser who we see time and again doesn’t have a vision for America, but wants to be frankly an object of self pity and is constantly looking back. This may sound strange coming out of me, but I think America is healthier when you’ve got two strong political parties – a center/left party that’s the Democrats…and a center/right Republican Party. I want there to be a strong Republican Party, but it’s got to be grounded in principles and ideas…The only idea that came out of many of the candidates that were Trump-backed this year was a party of grievance, a party of anger, a party that simply wants to relitigate the 2020 election. And the most positive thing in my mind was the almost universal rejection of those candidates. And I think that’s healthy for American democracy…The message that came out of too many of my Republican friends was simply ‘Biden bad’, ‘inflation bad’, and ‘crime bad’. Of COURSE inflation and crime are bad. But I didn’t hear a single idea proactively going forward on how we grapple with this…Frankly the pitifulness of the kind of attack ads with no ideas, that kind of in my mind exemplifies the MAGA approach. You know, frankly it might be good news for the Democrats if [Trump] continues to win, but it sure as heck is not good news for our country, and it’s not good news for a Republican Party that I want to be strong, competitive, where we gotta duke it out on the ideas about how we’re going to make our country better…That’s where I hope our political debate can return to.”
Sen. Warner also said he’s “very very pleased” Dems kept the Senate and “both pleased and surprised at how well the Democrats did across the country…My hope is that those more moderate Republicans in their conference will restrain some of the more extremist views…” Other questions included the UVA shootings (“we need more than thoughts and prayers”); Ukraine (the “tragedy that took place in Poland…wouldn’t have happened except for Putin’s unjust, senseless, over-the-top invasion of Ukraine”); the Silver Line (it’s good news but took too long, highlighting why we need permitting reform on transportation and other things like clean energy – “you’ve got to be able to build stuff”); the Senate vote on legalizing same-sex marriage (“a giant step forward”); Speaker Nancy Pelosi (“I have huge respect for her tactical skills…”); Kevin McCarthy (“I feel like I’ve got a good working relationship with Mr. McCarthy; how he manages some of these folks who are in the House that seem like their sole intent in Congress is to wreck the functioning of Congress, boy oh boy it’s going to be a tough task”); etc.
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