First of all, thanks to Rep. Thelma Drake for joining us in the blogsphere for a live session earlier today. I think it is wonderful that our representatives embrace this medium as a way of interacting with constituents.
Secondly, I have to admit that I was a bit surprised that Rep. Drake answered as many questions as she did, particularly some of the ones I considered over the top. (Unlike some blogs, I don’t delete questions, unless they are clearly offensive.) Kudos for her for doing so.
Finally, I spoke with Rep. Drake after the session and she has promised to come back after the election and live blog again. She said she had a great time. Thanks to all who posted questions and participated.
And to the lurkers (yes, I know you were there – I could see you 🙂 ) : next time, feel free to jump in with your questions and comments.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
vivian–great job on this one. I thought that Drake did a pretty good job answering most of the questions on there. The only one I would have actually liked her to fully answer was ZB’s question about her total reversal on hiring discrimination. Her response was completely hollow and weak.
Looking forward to Phil’s liveblog.
I’ve seen Thelma at a few coffee chats. She’s polished and great with answers.
It’s too bad the same cannot be said of her record in Congress.
The bottom line is that Thelma is a Bush rubber stamp…she also worked with “the bridge to nowhere” Senator to bring pork–not to the area–but to Pat Robertson giving him his very own exit ramp off of I-64 into his personal real estate development. Did I say real estate? Isn’t that what Thelma does?
Buzz–wonder how much money Thelma and/or her real estate firm will rake in in sales and/or rentals when this project is finished?
This money could have been better spent IF Thelma had secured it for a tunnel project and/or mass transportation…but the citizens aren’t given the same favors as Robertson, Big Oil, and the Big Pharmaceutical companies.
I’m glad that there’s a candidate who will actually answer the questions. She live blogs, she accepts and attends debates, she goes to civic league meetings, and she holds public meetings where her constituents can ask any question. We are lucky b/c we have more access to her than most people do to their Congressman. I don’t think Bobby Scott offers his constituents the same (I would know b/c I was in the 3rd district a few years ago). I’ve even gone to Washington for a national conference and got to meet with her in her office! (Awesome experience by the way!)
Mosquito’s comments always crack me up – this one being no exception. The Virginia Beach City Line interchange is much needed TODAY, real estate or no real estate. He/she probably lives in Chesapeake and doesn’t try to get off on Indian River Road every morning. Believe me, it stinks! The Pilot reported on that interchange just the other day when they reported that the “brakes slammed on road projects” by the Metropolitan Planning Organization. Ironically, the city line interchange is one project that they endorsed and has been endorsed because of the private/public partnership with the private sector paying the bulk of the project costs. Isn’t this a model we should be using as we continue to discuss transportation problems in this region? Would Mosquito and friends rather the federal government pump in all of the costs of the project? Or would they rather taxes increase or schools to close or law enforcement budgets cut or all Chesapeake Bay restoration funds eliminated, etc to pay for all of the transportation needs we have here? Let’s stop preaching the MoveOn.org talking points and actually think sensibly.