Transcripts For CSPAN2 Virginia Senate Debate 20141007

And of course news four. This airs on all nbc stations across the commonwealth nationally on cspan and streaming live on nbc washington. Com. Lets begin by quickly covering the rules of the debate. The debate will last one hour and will begin with twominute Opening Statements from each candidate and then our panel is and i will pose questions directly to the candidates. The questions are determined by abc news on the panel is and has not been reviewed by the candidates or the Fairfax Chamber. Each candidate will have one minute and 30 seconds to respond in the candidate answering first will also get an additional one minute to rebut. As moderator i do reserve the right to followup is needed and finally we will conclude the debate with one minute closing statement. We will notify candidates of their remaining time and when the time has expired. We asked the candidates to keep to their time limits. Lets welcome our panel is Aaron Gilchrest anchor from news for weekday mornings 13 years covering richmond covering for governors and the congressional delegation. Karen talty is a National Political correspondent for the Washington Post. Prior to joining the post you wrote for Time Magazine for over a decade and now lets bring in the candidates republican challenger ed gillespie. [applause] and the democratic incumbent senator mark warner. [applause] mr. Gillespie you won the toss and you get to begin with you twominute Opening Statement. Gillespie its great to be with the chamber. I look forward to talking about my agenda for Economic Growth which will be a new and better direction for us than the obama warner policies. I want future generations to have the same opportunities that i have had, my grandfather was an immigrant janitor. My parents never went to college and i got to be counselor to the president of the United States of america. But i fear we are losing that kind of Economic Opportunity and upward mobility as a result of the obama warner policies and thats why i have put forward an Economic Growth plan because the policies coming out of washington today are squeezing hardworking virginians between lost jobs lower takehome pay reduced working hours and higher prices for Health Care Energy and food. And they are making us less safe as a nation. Less able to make growing threats to our National Security and to our Public Health and safety. Thats why i would seek a seat to restore our military and to stand up for veterans. And i would also want to put forward these policies of mine that will create jobs, raise takehome pay lifts people out of poverty hold em Health Care Costs and reduce energy prices. My policies will ease the squeeze on hardworking virginians to make it easier for them, for the unemployed to find work and we need that in virginia today. Under the obama warner policies net jobs created in virginia to people ive gone on to food stamps. There were 65,000 more women living in poverty today and 250,000 of us will have our Health Care Plans canceled as a result of the Affordable Care act and obamacare. Which the senator still supports. Under these obama warner policies the federal government is doing too many things that should be better left to the state and local government and the private sector and failing at too many things that should be doing right. My policies will make things better. Thank you. Moderator senator warner for two minutes. Warner thank you todd and i would like to thank all virginians for watching tonight. Its the denigrate us on a pilot to serve virginia versus governor and now its u. S. Senator. What brought me to Public Service was the notion that america everybody ought to get a fair shot. We can guarantee success but we ought to get a fair shot. We are going to maintain a sense of opportunity in our country we have to have people in politics or were willing to work together. Thats what i did as your governor. We turned a deficit into a surplus in virginia was named best managed state in the best state for business. I brought that same bipartisan approach to the senate. Thats why im so proud to have the support of the gentleman who held the office before me republican senator john warner and why have more former republican legislator supporting me this campaign than when i first ran. In the senate i worked on trying to take on the challenge of our debt and deficit to make sure patients get the care they deserve bringing jobs back to virginia and making sure young people arent crushed by student debt. And you know what . On every major piece of legislation i worked on i start with a republican partner. My opponent has a different approach. He spent his entire career as a d. C. Lobbyist and a political operative. He used every issue in the best interest of the republicans. As a matter of fact he went on tv and called himself the partisan warrior. His words, not mine. I have to tell you the last thing washington needs is another partisan lawyer in either political party. In these challenging times the world needs a strong american economically militarily and morally. To make that happen america has to have leaders to work together. Thank you. Moderator thank you gentlemen for both and sticking to the time limits. Lets go to the news over the past 24 hours. Mr. Gillespie get the first question and of course the Supreme Courts nondecision to review the case on marriage. Its legal in the commonwealth of the virginia. You personally oppose marriage. Can you accept this position by the Supreme Court . Warner gillespie let me make a couple of points. I love and respect people for who they are and i believe we are created in the likeness and image of god and as you noted my faith in marriage as between one man and one woman and i believe that. Its up to the state to make these determinations and i build supportive federal marriage amendment and the court has as you said world on this. It is the law in virginia today and as i do not believe that a federal law is the proper approach of course i accept the ruling of the decision by the Supreme Court not to take up this division of the circuit court. Decision of the circuit court. Warner on this issue my opponent and i differ. I support the marriage clause. I think its appropriate and we live in a commonwealth doesnt discriminate. Its something that i advocated as governor when i had the most Diverse Administration in modern virginia history. I think back on those times even back as early as the early 2000s when Companies Across virginia including capital one who is here tonight said we need to change these discriminatory practices against members of our community so i think the Supreme Court did the right thing. I think we will have to ultimately take this issue up but again on this issue my opponent and i have differing opinions. Moderator would be like to respond . Gillespie is a matter of policy the United States senate while we disagree in terms of whether or not marriage should be between one man and one woman in terms of the role of United States senator is not something i believe thats an appropriate response but in terms of by the way people should not be discriminated against in terms of job discrimination based on sexual preference or sexual orientation. That was my policy as an employer in the three businesses that iran. Moderator 10 years ago you supported a federal constitutional amendment on marriage. Do you still support back . Sub i would have chairman of the national it called for a federal urge amendment and is chairman of the rnc i said for the platform but as United States senator and talking about my policies on the policies i would pursue as a United States senator. While i believe marriage is between one man and one woman i dont believe its proper for the United States senate to enact antimarriage amendment. Moderator there are others that believe it is. Julie has the next question for senator warner. Senator warner whether congress shirk its constitutional duties without voting to authorize use of force against isis . Your own colleague senator mccain has said he dont ask people to sacrifice their lives until the nation has been made debated and committed to the mission. Warner i agree with senator mccain. I think congress should be called back into session and debate the issue thoroughly because i believe and i strongly support the leadership on this issue. Im not sure i believe with the authorization is part of the process. Not to be fully debated and amended and dealt with. I do believe sitting on the Intelligence Committee that isil is a real threat to our country and this is an area where much of my opponent will make charges supporting obama on every policy this is where i differ with the president. I believe we need a more forceful response against syria and iraq. I think it is very important that we call for stronger actions against mr. Putin and russia. Without American Leadership as we have seen there is very little that goes on in the world in a world is very dangerous. I will say the president i think has done two things on this issue that are important. One is he has pushed up the maliki government because it was important if we were going to come in and be supported in iraq we have got to have a government that is inclusive of all factions and the maliki government was supported by bush and obama policies. He is building the kind of coalition that includes arab and muslim nations as well as europeans and others because this needs to be a fight thats not just american. It needs to be of the civilized world against terrorists. Moderator mr. Gillespie would you like to respond . Gillespie there should be congressional authorization for the airstrikes in syria and iraq. I believe that would be the best interest of our country and i i think would send a strong signal. I asked senator if i were senator i would support that. I think it would be a healthy debate to have him up for the senate the senate and i think its required by the constitution and i believe it would send a much stronger signal to our potential allies and to our enemies that the United States is committed to this effort. One of the concerns i have is i think there may be some fears that the United States is not committed longterm to this effort longterm to the suffered an eye causes consternation i believe him on some of our potential allies. I also think we need to be stronger as the military and unfortunately senator warner has voted to cut nearly a trillion dollars over military budget. We are not going to have a navy that is smaller than world war i levels and an army smaller than world war ii levels. We need to have according to the pentagon 300 ships two meters National Security needs. We are on our way to 260 because of these defense cuts. That includes 486 billion in terms of the budget control act and another 500 billion sequestration. As a member of the Senate Armed Services committee i would work to replace the sequestration cuts to repeal them and to make sure we are more secure as a country and we make our military the proper priorities should be. Moderator senator warner we have had the sequestration for some time now. Warner i call that stupidity on steroids and i find it curious that my opponent has said he would not have voted, my understanding for the budget control act that was supported by a majority of the delegation democrat and republican in virginia and john mccain too took said that the alternative was defaulting on our nations debt throwing us into economic turmoil but no one has been a stronger etiquette against sequestration is a matter of fact i laid out again on mike my opponent with specificity and took arrows from both the left and the right on this in terms of a conference of plan for entitlement reform and tax reform that would have avoid sequestration but as a matter fact i voted for the republican and democratic plan that would replace sequestration. Frankly i was proud to receive the navys highest civilian honor Public Citizen Service Award because of my efforts to try to rollback sequestration. Moderator very quickly if you can answer this and 20 seconds was a present right to rule out combat troops in this war against isis in syria senator warner . Warner i think he should not have ruled it out. I think we have to leave all her military options open. Again im not supported at this moment of invading in a major way in iraq but i do believe we should draw a red line. Moderator mr. Gillespie. Gillespie i dont believe we should take options off the table and said unto your enemies what you are prepared to do or not to do. As the senator said no one is recommending combat troops are there and say you are not seeking it and not take it off the table is not the same thing as saying we should insert them but you should not take them off the table as an option. Moderator aaron hess a question. Mr. Gillespie is a senator warner has voted 97 of the time for president obamas agenda. Senator warner you have pointed out mr. Gillespies work heading up the Republican National committee working with the george w. Bush white house and helping in the mitt romney campaign. Mr. Gillespie can you name a specific example of you standing up to your party and senator warner the same question to you, specific example of standing up to the parties. Gillespie again when you are not in the white house my party doesnt have one thing to stand up to right now but i will share with you some things i think im probably at odds with members of my party and that is i believe in the early 90s when Congress Passed mandatory minimum sentences in the u. S. Congress that we swung too far and i believe we need to revisit those and in particular for nonviolent offenders and allow more discretion for judges and frankly more discussion for the states to make determinations in terms of what other proper sentencing guidelines. I think we went overboard in terms of federal sentencing mandatory sentencing. Im someone who believes in redemption and reconciliation and i also believe we need to look at the process of banning the box in terms of checking if you have served your time and you have paid your price in terms of time in prison for certain crimes and for certain jobs, i dont think you should be required to check the box is a felon which only increases recidivism. I think people have paid their debt to Society Society needs to welcome them back and make it easier for them to come back in society again for certain crimes and for certain positions. Warner i appreciate you asking the question because my entire campaign has been based on this bogus charge. The 97 charge. Independent political analyst have called it both misleading and not reflective of my record. The the National Journal would say a review all of the votes not just one section brings me right in the center. In a questionnaire where have i stood up against my party . I support drilling off the coast of virginia as long as would ensure the oil i support the Keystone Pipeline as a matter fact i protested against it in harrisburg. I stood up repeatedly against the president on this foreignpolicy choices as we have talked about isil but also in terms of being stronger with putin and russia early in march for these stronger oppositions for activities in ukraine. Its that reason that virginians know my record. Its that reason why a can in this campaign im so proud to have the support of more republican legislators that when i ran the first time. If it had merit i dont think that would be the case but what it is this a political soundbite that comes from somebody who spent their careers a partisan operator. Moderator mr. Gillespie do you want to respond to the 97 . Gillespie first of all the independent fact checker i dont always agree with the politifacts were rated it 97 of the time true. Secondly senator warners press releases are a very bipartisan. His floor votes are very party line. Lets take the keystone xl pipeline which we hear again he supports but on two different occasions when there is an opportunity to move forward the keystone xl pipeline senator warner voted to block back from moving forward. When there was an opportunity to lift the moratorium drilling off of her deep sea coast in the bipartisan amendment and bipartisan support for it as there was bipartisan support for the keystone xl pipeline senator warner voted against it. A book it. A book of the sentences former democratic senator from virginia jim webb voted with the bipartisan side while senator warner sided with his leadership and the fact is one of the reasons he takes arrows from both sides is because he says one thing but then votes another way. Moderator let me followup on this with both of you because the fact is senator warner you have these votes that are partyline. Why havent you fought the Party Leadership and my question to mr. Gillespie we havent seen many republicans fight Mitch Mcconnell either. Are you guys all hostages of the leadership . Warner what it doesnt tell you is most of those were procedural votes and confirmation votes in what he didnt say as well as when i voted against offshore drilling it was because there was no proceeds coming back to virginia. Ive been very clear ive had this legislation for six years. If we are going to go off the coast of virginia virginia ought to get the same kind of royalty stream that louisiana gets. Im keystone when the science and epa backs it lets make sure we export this kind of oil as well as natural gas which would actually free up europes dependence on russian oil and gas. These are all things were think we can make changes and frankly strengthen america. Moderator mr. Gillespie had he stopped the stranglehold on making the senate were . Subbot i will have a simple test for every vote. Will it make it easier for the unemployed to find work and if it does not wont vote for. I dont care what any Senate Leader says of either party. If it doesnt ease the squeeze on hardworking virginians i will fight against it and promote policies on my agenda for Economic Growth. There are boats. There are boats that make up his 97 statistic. Lets look at some of them. Senator warner voted for the failed stimulus. He voted for the excessive regulation from the doddfrank bill that making it hard for Small Businesses to get loans. He voted for a 7 trillion in new debt and 1 trillion in tax increases. He is not impose a single nominee from this president during his time in the senate and last but not least he voted for obamacare after you told us he would never vote for a Health Care Reform bill. Moderator let me pause there and karen gets the next question. To segue into this question senator warner as mr. Gillespie noted in his Opening Statement and as my own newspaper the Washington Post has reported as many as a quarter million virginians are going to have to give up their Current Health insurance policies as a result of the Affordable Care act. I realize your campaign has disputed these figures but at a minimum thousands of virginians are going to have to give up their Current Health insurance policies in many cases policies they like. So what do you say to those virginians . Warner karen thank you. What i hear constantly from virginians they want us to Fix Health Care. 49 years ago when Congress Passed medicare they didnt ge get at first and they had to come back and fi fix it. Virginia wants to keep parts of the aca and to keep it to keep the fact that people with preexisting conditions can get insurance and i want to make women are not charge more than men. They like the fact that we can keep kids on a their policy until theyre 26 years old. My opponents charge in this figure of 250,000 ahead of the Insurance Association said that number was completely made up and his attack has been called by the same politifacts simply false. I do think people in the individual market are to be up to keep their health care the way they do in north carolina. As a matter fact this has been moved to a state issue and there said they popped bipartisan bill that would allow virginians to have the same rights as north carolinians. I have gone further. I would change the aca. I would have laid out not with sound bites but specifics on a cheaper option. Ive laid out specific idget legislation that i would roll back some of the legislative overburden and ive even said lets go ahead and put in place the ability for Insurance Companies as long as there are Consumer Protections to sell products across state lines. We need to fix this problem not relitigate it. Moderator mr. Gillespie. Gillespie the fact is we can have reforms that address concerns about preexisting conditions that make health care more affordable. Im going to put forward a positive alternative of my own on friday and talk about refundable tax credits and protections on preexisting conditions but the 250,000dollar figure came up in a Senate Hearing in the state senate and you dont have to go far in the commonwealth to find someone who has had their insurance canceled and lost their doctor as a result of senator warners support for the Affordable Care act obamacare. One of those people is with me here tonight linda from chesapeake. I met her about a month ago. She told me about her rare degenerative eye disease in her right eye. She has an eye Care Specialist who is very important to her and found out last year per plan was canceled because of the Affordable Care act. She and her husband went on line and found another plan and they got higher deductibles and higher premiums but it had this eye doctor the plan so they signed up for it. She women for next visit and they submitted the bill and the doctor was in the plan but they found out only for Emergency Services not for chronic care. Linda and her husband now are paying outofpocket and taking a huge hit just like a woman i met. She and her husband both work. She carries the insurance and she has just been notified that her Health Insurance premiums are going to go up 600 per month as a result of obamacare. Moderator senator warner where are these fi fix it bills because ive heard democrats talk about it. Warner one of the things we need to do in the senate has voted on it and have a more open process. I think both leadership need to move on that and i think theyre going to take but lets go to the question here. The 250,000 number wasnt my question. It was actually the head of the Insurance Association. It was cited by the elected official but the Insurance Association said the number was made up and yes there are ways to fix that. Other states have for at least three years to keep on individual policies and keep the plan delay. We ought to do that in virginia and again in the General Assembly right now i hope we join you and lobby for it but what i also feel is obamas Health Care Plan since january is now 28 days before the election and we still have no plan and no details. I have laid out ways to fix obamacare. Moderator julie gets a next question. Mr. Gillespie in an earlier debate you surprise some people in the city bought contraceptive pill should be offered without a prescription. You put it behind the counter like sudafed but i mike sudafed Birth Control pills arent onesizefitsall. Sometimes its dangerous to some moment women with health i would like to know which of the 24 brands of contraceptive should be available and what you think i would be safer . Gillespie thats a determination the American College of obstetricians and gynecologists have made and they are the ones who recommended there is no longer a medically necessary reason for oral contraceptives to be a prescription drug. It should be available without prescription or overthecounter. My point was i think for adult women behind the counter would be the appropriate step but having available without prescription would make the pill more affordable more accessible and more easily obtainable for women would bring the cost down and im not the one to determine what is the right one to make overthecounter versus prescription. Thats where the fda and for the American College of ob gyn and others to recommend. If they are recommending it seems to me that is something where we should be able to find bipartisan support. That would be something that women want, doctors recommend, pharmacists would like and to me it makes a lot of sense and would remove this issue from politics and from the constitutional questions relative to religious freedom and it would be a good thing for the country as well as for women. Warner on this issue there are stark differences in terms of citrus woman in virginia. What my opponent would say about his plan which is really a gimmick being used a number of states existing while right now says froman on Birth Control theres no copay. His plan or gimmick would actually charge of average about 600 outofpocket for women. His plan as well this nothing in terms of other forms of Birth Control. Thats because on this issue we have had a different approach. I trust women to make these decisions with their doctors and i dont think government should interfere. My opponent chair the hobby lobby decision would set privatesector employers ideal to decide what kind of Health Care Women should get. He has been supported by the major antichoice groups around the country. He wouldnt wouldnt answer in less debate about whether he wants to overturn roe v. Wade. He has not spoken up at all in terms of some of his supporters who have put forward these invasive ultrasound legislations that all of us in the business community, we dont like virginia being ridiculed on latenight shows yet he stood up and spoke out against that. Again i look forward to the women of virginia making the decision. Moderator mr. Gillespie. Gillespie whats interesting is the reason that nonprescription Birth Control and other nonprescription drugs are not covered is because that is the rule and obamacare. Thats the rule that you voted for. It said these plans come i understand but my point is if you replace obamacare with market reforms people could purchase the insurance of their choice and many women would purchase plans that would cover overthecounter prescription and overthecounter nonprescription Birth Control pills and talk about having faith in the women of virginia i have faith in the women of virginia to make those determinations and what is the best plan a policy for them and their medical needs. Not to have a set prescription or proscription in terms of what brands you can and cannot buy and we will tell you as the government way you can and cannot buy into response to improving obama cares to add a fourth plan that you would tell the women of virginia what they can and cannot buy and by the way the women of virginia are seeing their healthinsurance premiums skyrocket and outofpocket expenses go up as a result of your vote on obamacare. Moderator we will go to a quick commercial break. I want to remind you that the data streaming line on nbc washington. Com. Join us for our hangout after the debate and we will be back with more coming up after the break. This is the first debate between senator mark warner between senator mark warner in ed gillespie since they met in july at the greenbrier. Senator warner running for his second term. Heres a look at some of the ads running in that race. I mark warner and i approve this message. The largest facade in american history. Enron paid gillespie and his firm 700,000 to block regulars and the Energy Market so they could raise utility rates and then it got even worse. The former leaders of enron had to prison. Milliondollar lawsuits puts enron had a few. Either directly through carbon tax or directly through capandtrade. Mark warner and obama want to to tax coal which would kill thousands of good paying virginia jobs in our communities. The obama won her anticoolidge and it will raise electric bills devastate the local economy and killed thousands of good paying virginia jobs. I will fight in a cold tax. My plan will grow our economy by lowering the cost of energy in creating goodpaying jobs. I am ed gillespie and i approve this message. Ed gillespie didnt run political operative is attacking mark warner with false ads experts call misleading, completely made up. The truth, mark warner is working to Fix Health Care and find a bipartisan solution to cut the national debt. False attacks dont solve problems. Working together will. I mark warner and i approve this message. I am ed gillespie and i approve this message. I worked through college of my parents Grocery Store that i worked from a parking lot to the white house. Theres opportunity and dignity and work but today too many virginians are squeezed by mark warner and president obamas policies that raise taxes increase and kills jobs. Mark warner votes with the present 97 of the time. Thats my bipartisan. Its time for new direction. Back live to virginia and the Virginia Senate race live here in cspan2. Mudd im here with it two major candidates for the u. S. Senate. Senator warner let me start with you. A poll found that a majority of americans believe the book little clout come on change washington no matter if the democrats control the senate or the republicans control the senate. As governor he talked about the bipartisan deals were able to accomplish as u. S. Senator. Bipartisanship is an impossibility seems. Number one why is that and why do you want another term if you havent been able to be bipartisan . Warner im not willing to accept the notion that in america we cant fix problems. My whole career in business and politics is how do you fix things and do i get frustrated with whats going on in congress . I havent found anybody that has but what it requires is people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get things done and be bipartisan. Im proud of my record. Again i think the rhetoric speaks for itself. What we can do to change . One of the things there was a Court Decision today to set throughout virginias congressional districts we had to do redistricting reform. I would be a giant step forward in terms of restoring faith. Lets also get rid of our Campaign Finance rules which currently citizens in a case which my opponent supports i think the Supreme Court got it wrong. I think we ought to the super pac that supports me i think we ought to get rid of all super pacs and all of site money. As a matter fact i would be willing to lets just have this race between you outside influences. I think we have to get rid of all super pacs and make sure its about campaigns between the two of us and not outside money. Lets get rid of outside money. You have to have folks who are willing to check the democrat and republican and we built a broadbased coalition thats going to have to come back. Moderator do except the they that washington is broken . Gillespie your super pac has spent 1. 4 million attacking me. We are going to call it quits . I havent had a penny to spend but that is a matter. I just find it humorous. The bigger thing is i believe we can get things done and one of the reasons i want to go to washington is because i do as i said in my Opening Statement i want to see future generations and other families see the same blessings that i have seen in mind. My grandfather was an immigrant from ireland. He was a janitor. My father came here to this country god rest his soul 85 years ago today. I got to grow up to see the president of the United States of america. An immigrant janitor to and we are losing that. Most americans say they dont believe we are country where the next generation can do better than the generation that came before us. That must be our future and they can be with the right policies. I just believe if i can get there i will fight for those things every day. I will work across party lines. At the very simple task and i have shared with you what it is. If democrats are for it to ease the squeeze on hardworking americans as well as hardworking virginians i will work with them. We can get stuff done and i agree with you mark. Mitch mcconnell has said and i take him at his word that he will open up the senate floor to amendments. That would be a healthy thing for the process. I would certainly support that. By wearing a journey i will make sure montague can respond if you would like. Warner what i didnt hear from my opponent in that response and i think the family has a great story. Im proud of my story as well. Im proud of the stories that virginians can all tell in their own families being over able to overcome odds. Thats why my Public Service. I also worry as well and part of my worry is because we have got such partisan gridlock. I have laid out specific solutions, changing Campaign Finance rules we dont have all this outside money. Thats free of the senate process. Ed and i agree on that though what is different is his whole career has been as a partisan political operative. He says elect me and i will suddenly be bipartisan. For better or for worse if god my record as governor where we got things done and i go back, check my legislation. Every piece of legislation i start with a republican partner and will make him back the question around getting our Balance Sheet thats where ive taken most rows will be front and center and we have to go back to the simpsonbowles type solution to get it done. Moderator to you senator warner is harry be the best person to lead Senate Democrats . Yes or no . Warner we could perhaps do better in both parties. Not that i take that as a nomad. Mr. Gillespie is Mitch Mcconnell the best gillespie is the current leader. Mod said he would support him . Yes or no . Gillespie i like Mitch Mcconnell and i take him at his word when he says he will open up the senate floor to mimic that would be good for the process. They have been nine amendments over the past few years. Moderator kerry gets the next question. Mr. Gillespie you spoke passionately but their own family story as an example of a kind of opportunities this country has offered immigrants. Back in april the attorney general of virginia declared that undocumented qualified immigrants who grew up in virginia who graduated from high school in the commonwealth could qualify for instate tuition at universities and colleges in virginia. Do you agree with this policy . Gillespie i understand it. To state policy and im running for the United States senate and in terms of the notion of granting embassy at a federal level to people who are here illegally i think that needs to be hashed out through legislative process. I do not believe we should confer citizenship on people who are here by virtue of having broken our laws. At the same time i dont believe we are going to deport 12 main people and i think we should have a means by which we can issue fresh visas to people who are here if they have not violated any other law or immigration law, if they pay backtaxes and if they demonstrate selfsufficiency. Ive been a hallmark of our immigration system. I believe we have to do this to through the legislative process and i also believe by the way that starts with securing our border. The fact that we have a porous southern border today is not just an immigration concern. It is a National Security concern with the growing threat of isis or isil and it is a Public Health threat and the Public Safety threat with the growing concerns about ebola. I believe we need to have a legislative approach that begins with securing our borders and the things we do to keep people from coming here illegally will allow us to welcome people here legally people like my father in a rational system and with visa reforms that address h1b visas and others as well but also 40 of people who are here legally today are hereby overstaying a visa. We can fix that and that would allow fresh visas for those that are here now. Moderator senator warner. Warner our immigration system is broken. It needs to be fixed. The thing is the senate actually put together a bipartisan plan that would do that. It took first Border Security. Of more than doubles Border Security. It takes on the issue which i have worked on in a bipartisan way with senator moran from kansas and how we deal with the question of h1b visas and how we make sure we have those tec tech Virginia Tech it took on as well the question of guest workers. It took on as well the question of what to do with the undocumented in terms of backtaxes. The remarkable thing this bill was supported by 68 senators supported by business, labor and faith groups. Plus the perfect . Maybe not but we got nothing back from a house in what i find curious is that when this bill was being debated my opponent ed wrote and said this bill was both good policy and good politics. Now he said on the campaign trail that hes against the Immigration Reform bill and i just wonder what has changed that as the policy changed or has the politics change . Moderator mr. Gillespie. Gillespie nothing has changed in my in th the politifacts a st of area looked at my position on Immigration Reform and said its been entirely consistent and it has been. I said it needed to have tougher Border Security provisions that i do believe we need to secure our border and unfortunately when i was an opportunity to do that an amendment on the senate floor to secure our southern border with a fence in 2009 would have had secured by december 2010. 21 democrats voted for that amendment including former democratic senator from virginia jim webb but that bipartisan amendment senator warner voted with harry reid against it. We also had a vote last month in which there was a vote that said after the election because of what the president said in terms of taking unilateral action to confer making executive decisions as he has done the past they would not be the funding for them to do that to block the president from taking effective action and require legislation to make any changes to the operation status. Five democrats voted for that. It failed 50 50 and senator warner voted against it. Moderator would you have voted for the gang of eight bill . Warner i was not in the senate at the time but i would not have voted for the gang of eight bill. The gang of eight bill is dead and i think its clear we need to secure our border first. Theres no doubt about that. No policy is going to take place in the United States senate or house without securing the border first. Then we have the opportunity to do that in 2009 senator warner voted against the amendment. Moderator senator do you support these present acting unilaterally on immigration if there is no bill by the end of the year . Warner i dont know what the president is planning on doing. I think this is better solved legislatively but im not going to make a position with the president which i dont know what he is going to propose. I think this is better solved legislatively but lets go back to the question. Ed says hes for Immigration Reform. Border security and integration will more than double our current Border Security. It will have a broad breadth of support. If youre not willing to get behind it and tonight he said is not for comprehensive Immigration Reform. Moderator aaron hess the next question. Is a lot of people in the room of the economy in Northern Virginia pretty much is humming along at this point but in places like danville and lynchburg the Unemployment Rate is noticeably higher than the statewide average right now. You have been either a governor or senator for the last decade in virginia. Why havent you been able to do more to close the divide between the economic and geographical haves and havenots in virginia . Warner one of the things im proud of is that virginia has consistently done better than the National Average unemployment. Theres nothing more important than having a job or family in terms of selfworth and everything in my career has been about creating jobs the private sector as governor. We were recognized as the best managed it in the best day for business. There has been some good news recently. They had manufacturing jobs and that is partially because we have an explosion of growth around energy which i support all of the Energy Policies including coal. We have got to make sure we can bring these manufacturing jobs back home. Bipartisan legislation would provide incentives to bring jobs back home to america. The way we are going to do that is to do more of what i did as governor. A company that has a presence in virginia cgi when we brought 700 hightech jobs to Russell County in southwest virginia because we put the incentives in a package together. We will continue that and we have to do a series of things. We have to extend broadband. Ive been supportive of that. Part of the agriculture bill to make sure monies are going to underserved areas. We have to make sure we consolidate our workforce training programs. Job creation is key to moving forward and i would match my record frankly not only gives my opponent that moderator mr. Gillespie you get 90 seconds. Gillespie mark warner talked about his time extensively as governor but governor warner wouldnt recognize senator warner today in a vote is cast in the United States and for jobkilling policy after jobkilling policy. When you look at virginia right now our Unemployment Rate has been climbing. It has climbed 77 cents per percentage point over the past four months. As i mentioned since the senator took office for every net job we have created in the commonwealth to virginians have gone on food stamps. I believe that we need to make it easier for people to get off of food stamps and get into good paying fulltime jobs. One of the worst things about the senators policies i believe when you look at obamacare and look at the regulations and he does not oppose the epa ruled permissible restriction which would result in 50 of our coalfired plants being closed which would mean more lost jobs for coalminers but also higher prices for electric bills and the price of the guests at of the guest of the palm pushes already doubled since the senator took office. I want to create jobs that will lift people out of poverty pulled down Health Care Costs and my agenda would start replacing obamacare as tax and regulatory relief unleashing American Energy would do those things. Thats important because we know theres not just economic value in labor. Theres Human Dignity and work there when he teed did more for fellow virginians to have the dignity and that will fight everyday to make sure they do. Moderator senator warner you part of capandtrades preview four months ago city were reviewing the rules. Where are you on that . Warner i joined with 51 senators to extend the commentary so we can get the facts right. What i differ from my opponent and my full response here is that on energy i am for all of the above including coal including nuclear including natural gas but where we differ is i recognize theres also a serious challenge around Climate Change. I would like to take you to see the rising sea levels thats costing millions of dollars to spend on raising the peers because of the effect of rising sea levels. He refuses to know that. He lobbied against you efficiency standards. Im not sure thats the approach we need going forward. I would simply add his economic policies that he championed were two wars on a credit card a tax debt that we can afford an Entitlement Program that wasnt paid for that drove our country into a fiscal ditch. If thats your plan on much of the country can afford it. Moderator mr. Gillespie you brought up Climate Change. Manmade . Gillespie there is Climate Change occurring and man contributes to it. I also believe that closing 50 of our coalfired plants which senator warner took his tough stance to say we should extend the period past the election i can tell you right now i dont think we should close 50 of our coalfired plants and if we do we are going to force more production to countries like china india and indonesia that have less stringent air quality standards than we do. If you care about clean air and reducing emissions the last thing you should do is to push into places like that. Moderator time for both of you guys. I have a three or four lightning round questions. Some are yes and no saddam take more than 30 seconds. Mr. Gillespie model Supreme Court justice. Gillespie added that privilege and honor to help guide through confirmation both chief Justice Roberts and justice alito. I know them both personally and i admire them both immensely and i think they are they do their job. Moderator you are not going to pick one . Gillespie i helped get them both confirmed. Moderator senator warner . Warner on the Current Court . I think Justice Ginsburg is a good job. Moderator whats your philosophy . Warner my philosophy is and i have had the opportunity to vote on the Supreme Court nominees. I think you need to look at the judicial temperance, their ability to stay open and i think the opportunities i have had to vote on the nominees met that criteria. Moderator let me ask you, this is for both of you. Senator warner what is president obamas biggest shortcoming in mr. Gillespie if you are elected in the u. S. Senate what do you look forward to what senator obama president obama warner i disagree with the Interest Rates go up 1 and adds 120 billion in additional interest payments. The only way this will get solved is if we have folks that are willing to chop the democrat and republican half which i have done on this issue and entitlement reform and tax reform. Im disappointed the person didnt push this harder. Moderator mr. Gillespie what does the president support that you look forward to working on them with . Gillespie we are in a dangerous time and we face serious threa threats. I served this counsel to the present United States at a time of war and ive been there in the oval office when the commanderinchief has gotten reports of casualties and death with their brave men and women serving us in the field. I would want to work with him to make sure that he gets the support he needs to prevail in the defeat of isis and isil and frankly i pray for him in that regard. Moderator the last question 30 seconds for each of you. Mr. Gillespie will start with you. Whats the job of u. S. Senator . Gillespie i believe the job of u. S. Senators to work every day. In my estimation is to work every day to pass and enact policies that make sure that we can keep the American Dream alive, that we can make sure that as i said future families and other generations can have the same blessings of liberty that i have seen in my lifetime and i think it should be an effective advocate for people and in our case of our commonwealth. I have been on the campaign trail and i would fight every day for the people ive met along the trail. Moderator senator what is the Job Description . Warner i think its to solve problems and that is what ive done in my Business Career and as his governor and thats what im trying to do a senator. Its hard sometimes but i would never give in to the dash this is america is not the greatest country in the world and we cant fix the problems. The difference between ed and i at our core is that he sees every problem through the lens of republican versus democrat. I savor problem in the lens of what we can do to move America Forward and that means you have to be bipartisan. Moderator thank you to both of you. That concludes our questions. Mr. Gillespie you can have a one minute closing statement followed by senator warner. So by thank you chuck and they give the panel and thank you to everyone who is here today. It was a pleasure to talk about my ideas and my Common Sense Solutions that i believe would get bipartisan votes on the United States senate and would raise takehome pay and lift people out of poverty and hold down Health Care Costs and reduce energy prices. That is why was proud to get the endorsement of the National Federation of independent business the champion of Small Businesses in america and they understand my agenda is the agenda that will create more opportunities for my fellow virginians. Now im getting a lot of support from a lot of virginians who supported senator warner in 2008 because they could see that he was not the senator he said he would be and they are supporting me and they like my agenda and they realize i will fight to create jobs raise takehome pay and lift people out of poverty. Most americans as i said today no longer believe we are the nation where the next generation can do better than the generation that came before them. It must be her future and it can be with her policies and those are my policies and that is why is virginians to vote for me on november 4. Moderator senator warner. Warner thank you chuck. Im proud of the fact that there are more republican legislator legislators i am a real optimist about america. Ive been blessed to live the American Dream. I failed my first abysses but it didnt stop me from picking up and trying again. In business and in government it my whole life ive tried to be a problem solver. Too often these days we end up seeing the forces of negative political gridlock. I just dont agree with that. I think more than ever we need people in washington willing to roll up their sleeves and get things done. America is the greatest country in the world. We have to get back to the notion that in america would we see a problem with we turn together and fi fix it and move onto the next problem. As most quintessential aspect of america. If you are higher me that is what i will do. Thank you. Moderator thank you to the candidates. Thank you to the candidates, thank you to the panelists and of course thank you to Fairfax Chamber for hosting this debate. Stay with new support for continuing coverage of all month long of decision 2014. [applause] the founder of the capital fund recently discussed poverty and ideas for helping the worlds poor. She spoke with American Enterprise Institute President arthur brooks. This is an hour. On our series on philanthropic freedom harnessing the power of markets to tackle global poverty, with my friend, jacqueline. Those who are here because of jacqueline, know of the approach to poverty she has taken which has really changed the terms of the debate. Those of you who are not familiar with her work, im going to give you one paragraph, and were going to get started on a conversation thats going to change your way of thinking, i believe. Jacqueline is the founder and ceo of acumen, an investing fund that were going to be talking about more many much greater detail today. It changes the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies. In other words, there is not a bright line between philanthropy and free enterprise. On the contrary, it is an amalgam of the two approaches that truly is novel. Under jacquelines leadership, acumen has invested more than 82 million in 88 companies, is that correct . Yes. It might be over 90 after yesterday, but thats pretty good. And these are companies in south asia and africa, basically all over the world where there is a need for this approach. Delivering health care, water, housing, education, energy. All of it oriented toward the poor. These companies have created and supported