Warner's State of the State

I was quite impressed with Gov Mark Warner in his State of the State address yesterday to the Virginia House. I like this guy as a presidential candidate from what I've seen. Here's a Democrat who talks about attracting IT and other tech jobs, investing in science and math education (rather than a broad call to throw money into failing schools), and - this is the best part - enforcing measurable performance standards for public employees. Under him, Virginia has earned an 'A' grade for all metrics of performance by the Governing magazine, and is one of only 6 states with a AAA bond rating. He talks of running government like a business, which he should know a thing or two about, considering he co-founded Nextel and also owned other businesses. While he did raise taxes, his plan had support from businesses as there was a feeling that the money was being invested wisely.

This is the type of Democratic governor I can see supporting. Obviously, we don't know his views on a whole suite of issues, but it does strike me that Democratic governors tend to be a lot more sensible and pragmatic than the Washington types (I remember being supportive of Janet Napolitano's successful bid in Arizona). These are professionals who are not idealogues, and come into governance with a whole different mindset from the leftist idiots who control much of the national party, and both Napalinto and Warner strike me as candidates who would not be hostage to special interests like the big unions.