GOP Senate Candidate Calls for Business as Usual After Gulf Oil Spill
MADISON — Over the weekend, the Associated Press (AP) reported that multimillionaire, U.S. Senate candidate Ron Johnson supports an unhinged, ‘Drill Baby Drill’ approach to domestic oil drilling despite the worst oil spill in U.S. History. Johnson is running in the U.S. Senate Republican primary for the Wisconsin Senate seat once held by Earth Day founder, and former Governor, Gaylord Nelson.
The AP reported: “When asked whether the Gulf spill should prompt more caution before undertaking new oil-drilling projects, Johnson said no.”
Earlier last week, Johnson told right-wing talk radio host Ed Morrisey that “[T]he first thing that came to my mind” when he heard about the BP oil spill was to double down on his support for drilling in the Alaskan Natural Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) because a spill there would be easier to deal with, saying: “Wouldn’t it be far better if we were drilling in ANWR?”
Johnson also defended Big Oil saying, “This is not the time to be beating up on those guys, quite honestly.”
“There can be no doubt that Ron Johnson will stand with Big Oil in Washington,” said Mike Tate, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “He is out of touch with Wisconsin values and tradition, and we deserve far better than a tool of Big Oil.”
