ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 21, 1996 TAG: 9607220089
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: HOT SPRINGS
SOURCE: ROBERT LITTLE STAFF WRITER
One had gray hair and an open collar. And if you listened closely, you knew one was a Democrat, the other a Republican.
As far as the other differences between Virginia's two political Warners, don't worry. You have until November to figure them out.
John and Mark Warner, both of them farm owners and millionaires and candidates for the U.S. Senate, officially went public Saturday with their efforts to distinguish themselves from each other.
Before a crowd of lawyers at the Homestead resort and an assortment of political junkies watching C-SPAN2, the two candidates waged their first face-to-face debate of the 1996 Senate campaign.
As election-season sport, it was more like badminton than gunplay. They offered compliments and jokes and even went beyond simple civility to the point of giving each other a high-five on stage.
They didn't discuss substantively what Virginians care about most. Those concerns - according to a statewide survey conducted for The Roanoke Times and the Virginian-Pilot this summer - include the nation's economic health and security, the ravages of crime, the quality of the nation's educational system, the decline of public life and the quality of leadership.
Instead, at this early event in the young campaign, the two laid the foundation for a simple theme expected to permeate Virginia's political conscience between now and November: that one is a mainstream moderate, while the other is part of an extreme partisan fringe.
Incumbent John Warner, the Republican, linked his opponent to Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd, ``the liberalest member of the Senate,'' and promoted putting party affiliation on the ballot to help erase the confusion over the two like-named - but unrelated - candidates.
Democrat Mark Warner, meanwhile, called John Warner a Newt Gingrich crony, and criticized him for once saying something complimentary about presidential candidate Pat Buchanan.
``I know Pat Buchanan. Pat Buchanan is not a friend of mine,'' quipped John Warner, borrowing a line from former vice presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen. ``I'll show you, Mark, how this year I have broken with the strong right of the Republican Party.''
``I'm a Democrat. I support the president,'' Mark Warner said. ``But when I'm elected to the United States Senate, I'm an American first, a Virginian second and only then am I a Democrat.''
Some differences between the two were stark. John Warner voted to let companies hire replacement workers when employees go on strike, for instance. Mark Warner said he could support that bill only if it allowed for a cooling-off period and perhaps binding arbitration.
Mark Warner professed to be unabashedly in favor of abortion rights, while John Warner said he could support abortions only in cases of incest, rape or danger to the mother's life.
And John Warner promised to support tuition tax credits to let parents send children to private schools, while Mark Warner called the proposal ``the final knife through the heart of the public education system.''
From details as broad as their views supporting high technology and defense and as minor as their dark suits and blue shirts, the two often brushed the same strokes. They both thanked the federal government for financing their educations and offered the same framework to a sound future: investment in education and private-sector jobs. And when asked whether they would support tax increases or tougher qualification standards to buoy the Medicaid and Social Security programs, neither answered at all.
They joked, too. When John Warner proposed a spending limit on the campaign, Mark Warner suggested it equal the millions of dollars that the senator spent on his last three campaigns. John Warner congratulated Mark for his quick-thinking crowd-pleaser. That's when they did the high-five.
But staying true to Virginia's recent tradition of spirited political melee, there also were some barbs.
Mark Warner criticized his opponent, an 18-year veteran of the Senate, for supporting legislation that kept military veterans exposed to radiation testing from collecting damages. John Warner conceded it was a bad decision. ``Part of being a politician is to stand up and look them in the eye and say, `I made a mistake,''' the senator said.
Then he criticized Mark Warner, whose personal fortune is said to exceed $100 million, for collecting a federal subsidy to keep his farm land fallow, then paying it back shortly before beginning his campaign for office. Mark Warner said the property was enrolled in the program before he bought it, and that he got out as soon as he could.
Even amidst the tussle, however, the tenor of the event was never harsh. Both declared it a success when it was over. And a personal victory, too.
And both laughed at the prospect of the next three months of campaigning, during which two accomplished veterans of Virginia politics face the challenge of reminding voters just which Warner they are.
``I hope we're starting to see the differences between the Warners now,'' said Mark Warner, as the 90-minute debate ended.
``We differ on the issues here and there, and I voted on some things he opposes,'' said John Warner. ``But Virginians still might be confused about this election. We need to do something about that.''
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART Staff. U.S. Sen. John Warner (right) andby CNBDemocratic candidate Mark Warner try to clarify for voters which
Warner is which. KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESS