To the Editor:
Padraic Buckley's letter in the September 14-20 edition of the McLean Connection ("Why Comstock?") repeated, almost word for word, the attack on LuAnn Bennett appearing in his Sept. 15 letter in the Sun Gazette newspaper. Leaving aside Mr. Buckley's unseemly personal remarks about Bennett (which should have no place in an election campaign), I take issue with two statements he made in his letters.
First, anyone paying attention to the race in the 10th Congressional District knows the claim that the Bennett campaign "is not about the issues" is false. From all I've seen, heard and read, Ms. Bennett supports legislation mandating equal pay for men and women doing the same work. She is "pro-choice" and against cuts in federal funding for Planned Parenthood. She supports full-day kindergarten for Loudoun County (one of the few jurisdictions in Virginia that doesn't have it), and the funding of universal "pre-K" programs. She is in favor of paid family leave. She advocates a phased-in increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Bennett wants funding to rebuild the nation's infrastructure and increased investment in renewable energy. She supports both the right to bear arms and common sense gun laws to close loopholes that currently allow terrorists to buy assault weapons. She supports land conservation and preserving the rural character of the western part of Loudoun County. All this and more is clearly set forth on her campaign website.
Second, I disagree with Mr. Buckley's statement that the choice in the 10th District shouldn't be affected by where the candidates stand on Donald Trump. I submit that if Trump were to become President, it would matter a great deal whether our representative in Congress has the courage to oppose him.
William Shapiro
McLean