ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, September 16, 1996 TAG: 9609160017
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
For John Warner, emerging technologies make up a healthy segment of the American economy. For Mark Warner, high technology cuts across all segments of the economy, driving changes that might be as revolutionary as the 19th century shift from an agrarian to an industrial economy.
Witness the way the two Senate candidates discuss the topic.
* John Warner: "The high-tech business is taking care of itself pretty well right now. Pick up The Washington Post. I just challenge you to open the Sunday classifieds for `Help Wanted.'''
* Mark Warner: "Anyone who serves in the U.S. Senate in the 21st century has to understand we are going through revolutionary change. We have to be careful no one is left behind."
The differences are important. Nearly one in three people in a statewide study this summer listed the direction of the economy among their top two concerns. They're worried about job security and standard of living. More than 70 percent said they are looking for leaders who understand the changing economy and the role of new technologies.
Democrat Mark Warner, 41, thinks we are witnessing a technological revolution that will reshape the economy in fundamental ways. His views are based on his success brokering deals in an industry - cellular telephones - that did not exist 15 years ago. His pitch: Virginia needs a senator who understands how the federal government must respond to the dawning Information Age.
Republican John Warner, 69, grows testy at his opponent's suggestion that he is out of touch with today's fast-changing economy. The high-tech job category is healthy, he says. Virginia's economy remains based on agriculture and manufacturing, and he's concentrating on protecting and strengthening those segments.
"Look, I started in the high-tech world before he did. Save me the lectures, Mark," John Warner said.
The Republican got his lessons in technology as a Navy equipment technician during World War II. John Warner said he has kept up with technology during his stint as secretary of the Navy in the 1970s and, more recently, working with Hampton Roads defense contracts.
"I'm saying to Mark Warner in a nice way: `Don't teach me how to suck eggs. I've been there.'''
Straight talk
The Warners were in harmony on at least one issue last week: Only heterosexuals should be married.
In a press release issued, John Warner explained his vote in favor of a bill denying federal recognition to same-sex marriages: It's a states' rights issue, he said.
"The Defense of Marriage Act" will "allow the people of Virginia to define marriage," Warner said.
John Warner's vote against the The Employment Nondiscrimination Act - a bill prohibiting job discrimination against gays - was based on a similar theory.
Such a bill would have violated states' rights by placing "the federal bureaucracy and court system in charge of regulating how [Virginia] businesses deal with the difficult issue of sexual orientation," he said.
However, Mark Warner has no such qualms and would have voted for the bill, said his spokesman Eric Hoffman.
"He believes people should be judged on their work performance, not their sexual orientation," Hoffman explained.
Area appearances
Thursday, Sept. 19
Mark Warner speaks on the Family and Medical Leave Act at the Women's Attorney Association meeting, Patrick Henry Hotel, 617 S. Jefferson St., 1p.m.
All events are tentative. Please contact the campaigns to confirm locations and times:
* Mark Warner: (800) 637-MARK
* John Warner: (703) 549-9696.
Registered to vote?
The deadline is Monday, Oct. 7.
Staff writers David M. Poole and Laura LaFay contributed to this report.
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: WHAT VOTERS SAY . . . 1. ``Mark Warner, he's a youngby CNBman who made good in high-tech fields, and he wants to open the way
for more young men like himself to share in the American Dream.'' -
Lin Neill, Roanoke. 2. ``He's going to make high-tech industry in
Virginia and he's going to build that up, and maybe he can do
something about that, but as senator, he's got to deal with a lot
more than that.'' - Pat Moriarty, Huddleston. KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESS