Bob McDonnell Live Blog

Continuing his journey around the Virginia blogosphere, Attorney General Bob McDonnell will be here today to chat with you live at noon.  Leave your questions here.

UPDATE:  We are getting started at 12:05

Comments

[PolicySoup]

What are the greatest challenges facing Northern Virginia's business climate and how can the State government address those?

Mr Attorney General,

Did your press secretary write this email in his private time or while he was on the taxpayer's clock?

Folks, in the upcoming days you will obviously be reading about, and discussing, the issue of Northern Virginia and the future of the Republican Party in Virginia. Obviously this is an important discussion that will continue for years to come. I just want to take two seconds to point out, as this conversation moves forward, that Bob McDonnell is a Northern Virginian, a fact that too often gets lost.

Bob was raised right near Mount Vernon, in a subdivision that is actually on land that used to be part of George Washington's estate. He attended Bishop Ireton High School. He worked, as a teenager, at the old Dairy Queen that used to be on Route 1 just south of Alexandria. His dad still lives in the house he grew up in, and his in-laws live just a few miles away. Bob is a Northern Virginian, as is his wife Maureen. Their families are still there, and they are in Northern Virginia constantly. Just wanted to pass this on for what it's worth. Too often this gets overlooked, but its important stuff to remember in the years ahead.

Bob is a statewide officeholder who was raised in Fairfax, raised his family in Virginia Beach, and now lives in the fast-growing suburbs of western Henrico.

Tucker Martin

Mr Attorney General,

Do you plan to support Delegate O'Bannon's payday lendors bill as a sign of standing up to an industry who bankrolled your AG campaign?

[York Co.]

The AG typically has a legislative agenda every year for consideration by the General Assembly. Can you give us a preview of what bills you will be presenting for the upcoming session?

General McDonnell-

I read in the Capital Connection that Bill Bolling will be concentrating heavily on turning the democratic tide in Northern Virginia over the next few years (of course to bump his recognition for a possible 09' run).

Is throwing a Christmas Party your offensive plan to winning again in NoVA?

Follow Up: Do you think changing demographics or not talking about NoVA issues has lead most to recent Republican struggles in NoVA?

[Q]

General McDonnell. Thank you for taking time to answer questions here at NLS. What's in the works for 2009? Recently, with your national tv appearance with governor Kane and your support for Allen's campaign, you have become the front runner for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. I really think you'd be a great governor. What are your plans? Can you tell us?

How do you respond to Bill Bolling's "strategy" of predicting the defeat of Republicans in the days before a close election? Do you think Bolling believes this will help the GOP?

Do you think that his open pessimism towards George Allen's re-election in the final days of the campaign hurt Senator Allen on Election Day?

How do you respond to Bill Bolling's "strategy" of predicting the defeat of Republicans in the days before a close election? Do you think Bolling believes this will help the GOP?

Do you think that his open pessimism towards George Allen's re-election in the final days of the campaign hurt Senator Allen on Election Day?

[Not Anne Petera]

Mr. Attorney General-

What exactly did you see that qualified your 20-something-year-old Campaign Manager to be your Director of Administration?

Can you explain why those that receive political appointments are viewed so negatively by the regular civilian government workforce?

[Outside the Belway]

Just before the election, Lt. Governor Bolling publicly questioned Allen's chances at the polls. Do you think this this cost Allen the election? Do you think it costs Bolling support within the GOP?

[Outside the Belway]

How will you work with - will you be working with Sen-elect Webb?

[Not Ed Gillespie]

Did you see this post (http://masonconservative.typepad.com/the_mason_conservative/2006/11/say_no_to_ed_gi.html) at Mason Conservative asking the Republican Party to say no to Gillespie? What is your opinion of Ed?

Do you think Sen. Warner will run again in 2008?

[Married Man]

I really admire how you've been able to reach out to the blogosphere. Keep up the good work. Can you tell us about your work on the Youth Internet Safety Task Force? You had a recent event didn't you? This week?

[David]

Mr. McDonnell,
What is your opinion of those who will primary from the right against Republican state Senators and Delegates in 2007? Do you support such efforts or do you support the incumbent Republicans?

[Not Harry F. Byrd, Sr.]

Has the Commonwealth developed any action plan to deal with the inevitable challenge to the Marshall-Newman Amendment and the challenges to various state laws that are likely?

[Helen O'Beirne]

General McDonnell -

Thanks for taking the questions of the public. It is always great to see our elected officials taking note of who they represent!

I am wondering about your position on predatory lenders. Storefront owners claim that good reform bills like O'Bannon's 619 would just drive borrowers to the internet. Since internet lending is already illegal in Virginia, is your office prepared to enforce these restrictions?

If so, this will help poke another hole in the industry's red herring arguments.

[Mason Conservative]

Mr. Attorney General,

Given Republican setbacks statewide in the last six-seven years, what do you think the GOP in Virignia needs to do differently to get out its message to all parts of the commonwealth? And if I could add another, what do you think was the main reason for George Allen's defeat?

[Not Ben]

AG McDonnell,

Could you give us a general overview of the Commonwealth's argument in Miller v. Brown, now that Mr. Miller has been found to have standing?

[?]

The General Assembly session will be here soon. What is your legislative package for the upcoming session?

[ZB]

Mr. Attorney General,

Why, as chief law enforcement officer of Virginia, did you feel the need to wade in so heavily in favor of the Marshall-Newman constitutional amendment that will do absolutely nothing to protect marriages?

Also, do you believe it should continue to be legal in Virginia for gay and lesbian citizens to be fired from their jobs purely on the basis of their sexual orientation?

[Southwest by Southeast]

General McDonnell, I see that you are involved in helping out the needy at the Virginia Foodbank. I recently posted on the topic over at SWxSE – http://southwestbysoutheast.blogspot.com/2006/11/thanksgiving_21.html – but since we have this opportunity to ask you questions here I’ll ask you if you expect to continue working with these folks over the course of the next few years? Great work on this important subject. Very timely as well with the holidays approaching.

[Southwest by Southeast]

It’s amazing that it was a year ago you were going through the recount. It seems to have been a busy year for you, from all that I have read: defended the boy scouts, stood up for Abraham Cherrix, defeated the Governor on National TV, and gotten some of the nation’s toughest sexual predator laws passed. Did you ever imagine that it would be this busy last December when you won?

[Not Chad Dotson]

Which is the bigger loss for Virginia, Chad Dotson deciding to stop blogging at Commonwealth Conservative or Senator Allen's defeat to Jim Webb?

Mr Attorney General:

Does your staff actually do work during the day for the Commonwealth?

"UPDATE: It was unfair to characterize Mr Tucker's email as SPAM. I get sometimes two notes a day from him. All of the notes are addressed to the same group mail list that many other Virginia bloggers are on. I obviously have the option to disenrole from getting further notes from Mr Tucker and he assures me that he will cheerfully comply. I am convinced that Mr. Tucker's efforts at distributing public information to the VA blog community are well-intentioned if a bit too frequent for my tastes."