DPW Calls on Johnson to Divest from BP and Support the Victims Compensation Fund
MADISON — Multimillionaire Ron Johnson reversed himself again Monday, saying he now wasn’t certain whether he would sell his BP stock, after previously telling supporters and the media that he planned to sell the stock “to help pay for his campaign.” The initial flip-flop came after Johnson’s campaign initially said he would keep the stock.
Johnson also opposes the BP compensation fund for the victims of the Gulf oil spill – calling it “Bad for America.” As reported by the Capital Times: “Johnson climbed in bed with BP. The wealthy candidate derided the Obama administration’s efforts to get money to pay for claims that are all but certain to exceed $20 billion ‘very troubling.’”[Capital Times, 6/22/2010]
“Ron Johnson is misleading voters with his intentions. First he was going to keep the stock, then he decided to sell, now he’s waiting for the right moment so he can turn a buck to fund his campaign. It appears the only thing Johnson is consistent on is changing his position,” said Mike Tate, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. ”Wisconsin voters deserve better than a walking special interest whose positions on the issues shift depending on what his stock portfolio is doing. It’s time for Ron Johnson to stop playing games and sell the BP stock he hid from the public – and give the money to support the BP Victims’ Compensation Fund.”
BP STOCK – Below is one of Johnson’s triple flip-flop’s as he tries to mislead voters about his intentions:
FIRST POSITION: July 9, 2010 – JOHNSON REFUSES TO SELL STOCK
“Aides to Johnson said he had no plans to sell the stock…” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7/9/10)
SECOND POSITION: July 12, 2010 – JOHNSON WILL SELL STOCK, CREATE BLIND TRUST
“It’ll be sold. I’ll be using those funds to get my message out, quite honestly.” (Wisconsin Public Radio 7/12/10)
THIRD POSITION: July 26, 2010 – JOHNSON UNSURE WHETHER HE WILL SELL STOCK
“I think that [selling BP stock] will eventually happen but I’m going to do it based on market conditions. I’m going to have to finance this campaign. At some point in time, to get my message out, that will probably happen. But it’s going to be based on market conditions.” (WisPolitics Luncheon, 7/26/10)
GREAT LAKES DRILLING – Below is another Johnson triple flip-flop regarding being asked about oil drilling in the Great Lakes and saying, “We have to get the oil where it is.” (As originally reported by WisPolitics on June 14, 2010):
FIRST EXCUSE: July 15, 2010 – JOHNSON CLAIMS THERE ISN’T OIL IN THE GREAT LAKES TO DRILL, YET CAMPAIGN SAYS THERE IS
“And by the way, the oil is not in the Great Lakes.” (Charlie Sykes Show, 7/15/10)
“312 million barrels of oil” reside under the Great Lakes (Johnson Press Release, 7/13/10)
SECOND EXCUSE: July 25, 2010 – JOHNSON SAYS THE GREAT LAKES FREEZE, BUT ALASKA DOESN’T?
“But Wisconsin has made its opposition clear through the years, and the lake freezes over at times, making drilling difficult, [Johnson] said.”
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 7/25/10)
“The first thing that came to my mind, when I heard [about the BP oil spill in the Gulf] is, wouldn’t it be far better if we were drilling in ANWR?”
(Hot Air with Ed Morrissey, 6/2/10)
THIRD EXCUSE: July 25, 2010 – JOHNSON DOESN’T “THINK” HE HEARD THE QUESTION
“On Friday, Johnson said he did not think he ever heard the Great Lakes portion of the [WisPolitics] question.”
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 7/25/10)
