This Friday, October 20, TODAY incumbent 2nd district Congresswoman Thelma Drake will be here for a live blog. The session will start at 5:30 pm and will run for one hour. Feel free to leave your questions in this thread for the Congresswoman.
PLEASE NOTE: If you linked to the prior thread, the link is no longer active.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Dear Rep. Drake,
First, thank you for live-blogging here. My questions: Assume you get as you wished and the moratorium is lifted for drilling off the Virginia coastline. DOI has sold off all its leases and any one of the various oil companies in their exploration finds either both natural gas and oil, or just oil. Virginia’s legislative intent is to allow only for the exploration and production of natural gas. What happens when the oil companies instead find oil? Do they “stop” up the hole and walk away from it, so to speak? Nothing that the Federal government has done would prevent them from harvesting the oil, but it would defy the wishes of the Commonwealth (reference Sen. Wagner’s SB262 with Gov. Kaine’s amendments). Would you therefore be willing to restrict the moratorium’s lift to be exclusively on the production of natural gas to so reflect the wishes of Virginia? If instead this is in reality an “all-or-nothing” moratorium, and knowing that lifting such goes against the desires of Virginia, would you still vote to lift the ban?
Thank you.
Rep. Drake,
If you get re-elected, will you be doing your past in the next Congress to control spending?
I have been one of your biggest supporters and a supporter of the Republican Party, but the spending has been outrageous. I realize this is not all the House’s fault, and I won’t mention any names (cough, cough, President Bush, cough), but this out of control spending has to be dealt with.
Kudos on your illegal immigration position, by the way.
2nd question – how have you been able to cope with the misleading ads and, at times, outright lies in those ads? It has been a testament to the fantastic campaign that you have run that you are not at 30% in the polls. As it is, you are currently winning or tied. Has your campaign seen any backlash because of these ads FOR you? In other words, have you heard people saying that are more inclined to vote FOR you, AGAINST Phil Kellam because of these misleading ads from MoveOn and the DCCC?
Considering the low approval rating of George W. Bush and your voting record, what are your plans after losing this election?
Congresswoman Drake,
Good to see you in the blogosphere. My question is about the BRAC meeting where you were pictured with your eyes shut. What’s the story behind that?
I can take that question – it’s called “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”
Duh.
Congresswoman Drake,
I would like to ask you why you voted no for a minimun wage increase for the working class of America, but then voted yourself a nice little wage increase?
Rep. Drake,
I would like to start by thanking you for participating in this live blog. I am always pleased to see lawmakers of either party take the time to communicate directly with his or her constituents. You should be commended for taking time out of your busy schedule in order to be here.
Over the last few years it has become increasingly important for Americans to peruse a higher education if they wish to live a comfortable lifestyle. In many fields, in fact, a person will only have a legitimate chance of receiving a position if he or she has a graduate degree. At the same time, however, the costs of a college degree, graduate and undergraduate, continue rapidly increase and many aid programs primarily focus on students who are seeking to obtain an undergraduate degree.
Do you feel as though there should be more aid programs directed towards graduate students? If you do feel as though more aid should be made available, how do you feel as though that goal could be accomplished? Please explain your reasoning as well.
Once again, thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing your response.
-Bryan J. Scrafford
Congresswoman Drake – I am a Virginian who is not able to vote for you but is deciding how to allocate my limited resources at the end of the campaign cycle. Why should my money go to your campaign? (please view this as an opportunity to explain what you view as the major issues of the day and where you stand).
On a specific issue, I’m curious to hear your take on the offshore drilling issues that are currently being debated. Personally, sensible drilling well offshore makes a ton of sense in our modern world.
Congresswoman Drake – Admittedly, I came into this race with a bit of bias but a personal friend (of yours and of my mothers) prompted me to take an objective look at you and your opponent. A search of both websites yielded little results in some areas of particular concern. So I was wondering if you could clarify your position or ideas on the following issues:
What measures have you supported in Congress to help combat rising tuition prices at public and private schools across the nation that are making college increasingly unaffordable for middle and lower-class families?
Many people in my age group (18-24) are already resolved to the fact that Social Security may not be there when we reach retirement age. What have you done, or do you plan to do, to help ensure that all Americans can look forward to a safe comfortable lifestyle upon retirement?
Thank you for appearing in the blogosphere to take our questions. I look forward to hearing your responses on Friday.
Rep. Drake; Thanks for coming by!
My question concerns the possibility that the GOP remains in the majority come November (or if the GOP is the minority party). If re-elected, when you go to vote for Republican leadership, will you vote for anyone who is currently in leadership, such as Speaker Hastert, Congressman Boehner, or Congressman Reynolds who covered up the predatory behavior of a pedophile in order to hold a seat in congress for the GOP?
Ms. Drake,
As a Delegate, you showed real courage in supporting the Jim Dillard/Janet Howell domestic partership bill and being among the first Republicans to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in your legislative office.
As a Congresswoman, you’ve been quite a disappointment, earning a 0% score from the Human Rights Campaign, voting to write discrimination into the US constitution, opposing including sexual orientation in the existing hate crimes laws, and not signing on as a co-sponsor of any pro-equality legislation. You did not even put in writing a non-discrimination policy based on sexual orientation and gender identity for your Congressional office.
Why the change of heart? Your independence and openmindedness made you a Delegate people on both sides represented. Why haven’t you taken that to Washington, a place in desperate need of both?
Rep. Drake,
At the Virginia Beach Taxpayer’s Alliance Debate you made a very strong argument in favor of the fair tax, but since that debate, I have heard very little on this issue.
Do you still favor the fair tax? Has your opponent decided on a position? And what do you see as the costs and benefits of such a system?
Congresswoman Drake,
Thank you for taking questions in this format. This is really reaching out to your constituency to learn what we are thinking and share your views. Frankly, it should be done perhaps monthly or bi-monthly, not just at campaign time. If re-elected can you pledge to do that?
My other question is how do you feel about the Marshall/Newman act? I realize that it’s at the state level, not federal, but you live in Virginia, too, and I would appreciate your addressing it.
Thanks again for being here.
Congresswoman Drake
Thanks so much for taking the time to come and interact with the members of the Virginia blogshpere and particularly those of us in the 2nd.
My question: what is the one thing that separates you from your opponent?
~Vivian
Rep. Drake,
I hope it’s okay to ask another question. If I am limited to one, please take the following question over the one on offshore drilling.
Recently America’s PAC and the National Black Republican Caucus have been running radio ads in the Hampton Roads area.
One I heard a couple of weeks ago accuses Democrats of having started the Ku Klux Klan and having “released those vicious dogs and fire hoses on blacks”. And one I heard just yesterday states that “black babies are terminated at triple the rate of white babies” and then accuses Democrats of writing the abortion laws that are “decimating our people”. The ad also uses quotes from Margaret Sanger (circa 1930’s/40’s) and accuses Democrats of being engaged in eugenics.
The first ad I mention had been running in Maryland in support of Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele’s bid for an open seat in the U.S. Senate against Democrat Congressman Benjamin Cardin. Although he appreciated the intent behind the ads, Steele demanded the ads be removed, saying “NBRA’s current radio ad is insulting to Marylanders and should come down immediately.”
Does you believe Virginians should likewise be insulted? Do you, like Lt. Gov. Steele, believe these ads are wrong and will you like him demand that the ads be removed from the air immediately?
Thank you.