Maybe the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is reading the Arkansas Blog. I noted yesterday House Minority Leader John Boehner’s damaging comments yesterday that expressed a clear sympathy for limiting BP’s exposure to damages from the Gulf oil disaster.

Today, the DCCC wants to hear from Republican congressional candidates Tim Griffin (an admirer of Boeher who’s running in the 2nd District) and from Rick Crawford (1st District) on what American taxpayers and the tens of thousands damaged along the coast should demand from BP. Release on jump.

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I’ve sent questions on the subject to the Griffin and Crawford campaigns (and Democratic opponents, too). I’ll add responses if any materialize.

I think this is a whale of an issue. Of course, there are Democrats, too, who might prove unwilling to demand all that should be demanded of BP for this disaster. Corporate accountability is not much in fashion in Washington.

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UPDATE: A statement through Rick Crawford’s spokemsan:

Rick believes that – as with the economy – President Obama has handled the spill’s aftermath poorly because he’s been too focused on advancing a liberal agenda and not focused enough on the things that matter to everyday folks. Both Obama and BP have fallen down on the job here, and it is Rick’s hope that they get their act together before even more damage is done. The federal government should hold BP fully accountable, with no liability cap. While Rick still favors offshore drilling as part of a broad-based plan to wean ourselves off foreign oil, this tragedy has spotlighted the need for more oversight and greater accountability.

A prepared statement from his opponent, Democrat Chad Causey:

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BP needs to be held accountable and BP should pay for the clean up, not the taxpayers of Arkansas and the US. I’m not satisfied with how anyone has handled this: BP, the Administration, or any Member of Congress defending BP. There shouldn’t be a cap on their liability. They caused it. They should pay for it.

Said Tim Griffin through a spokesman:

Tim believes it’s common sense: BP — not the American taxpayer — is responsible for the disaster in the Gulf and must bear the entire financial burden to clean it up

I’ve followed up with Griffin on the liability cap. And here’s the interesting UPDATE:

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“I believe that, in this case, the liability cap is most likely a moot issue because BP will pay all applicable costs regardless of the statutory limit. The idea of a liability cap is a good one because it encourages investment and competition, which leads to innovation and job creation. Without it, only the very largest companies can compete, and highly successful smaller companies will be forced from the market. The current liability cap is 20 years old and should be increased, especially in light of the disaster in the Gulf”

Said Democrat Joyce Elliott:

In the interest of preserving our natural resources, we should seriously explore ways of ending our dependence on oil, especially that extracted via deep well drilling. We should set incremental goals and stick to them. We can do so as we ramp up our support for and use of alternative energy sources.

I agree with the moratorium. We need independently validated assurances that credible, reliable measures are in place to prevent another BP-like disaster.

BP should be solely responsible for the cleanup but I am not in favor of the government or others sitting on the sidelines at the risk of further unspeakable damage if BP can’t get the job done.

I am open to being educated beyond my present knowledge, but presently I don’t there should be a cap on damages.

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