Ed Patru, spokesman for Republican Linda McMahon, offered his point-by-point response to a series of questions asked by state Democratic Party Spokeswoman Kate Hansen.
Does Linda still support deepwater drilling?
"Our position on this is clear: Dick Blumenthal's reckless support for an indefinite moratorium will eliminate nearly 45,000 jobs in Louisiana alone, while raising energy costs and making this country more dependent on foreign oil. He's playing the role of a populist demagogue but he clearly hasn't thought through the ramifications of forcing tens of thousands of Americans into unemployment, and he hasn't explained how importing more oil from the Middle East is good for America."
Does she believe that there are too many "burdensome regulations" on Big Oil companies? If yes, which ones would she cut?
"Everybody supports reviewing and strengthening existing penalties for safety violations. The Department of the Interior has issued stronger safety requirements that include immediate and more frequent safety inspections, as well as re-certification of the equipment on offshore oil rigs. Those requirements specifically address the blowout prevention devices. If the question is whether we ought to have energy jobs in the U.S. or drive those jobs overseas by making it impossible for energy companies to operate here, Linda absolutely believes we ought to keep those jobs in the U.S."