Boschee vs. Jaeger, Modernization vs. Stagnation

Al Jaeger has had 25 years to modernize the Secretary of State’s office. Now Republicans, Independents, and Democrats agree he has to go.

(BISMARCK, ND) — Tonight on Prairie Public, North Dakotans will hear different visions from three candidates for the Secretary of State’s office, but one thing that Republicans, Independents, and Democrats agree on: Al Jaeger has got to go.

The most important issue facing North Dakota’s Secretary of State is bringing the office into the 21st century. While other states embraced new technologies and reformed their practices years ago to make it easier for businesses and nonprofit groups to operate, the inefficiencies and oversights in North Dakota have piled up.

Republicans knew this when they gave him the boot at their convention, but now they are asking North Dakotans to forget all that and vote for Al because they would rather have one of their own in office than a competent reformer.

Al Jaeger is bad for business.

North Dakota ranks 46th in wait time for business registration, which involves a complicated and outdated process for businesses just to receive their license. In neighboring states of South Dakota and Minnesota, businesses can be up and running the same day their application is filed.

Al Jaeger wastes taxpayer money.

For the past 10 years, Jaeger has promised to get his act together to finally update North Dakota’s system. But after a decade and nearly $2 million in taxpayer dollars spent, Jaeger has not delivered on the online registration system he promised.

Al Jaeger is not protecting voting rights.

The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, but Jaeger does not seem to have his priorities straight. Leading up to the June 2018 primary election, Jaeger ignored a judge’s order to launch a program to educate voters on North Dakota’s voter ID law. Now, despite warnings from government officials and experts in the field, he’s brushing off cybersecurity threats to North Dakota’s election system.

Additionally, Jaeger has wasted taxpayer dollars defending unconstitutional voter ID lawsand then failed to reach a settlement with the tribe that was suing him, causing the lawsuit to drag on and wasting more of the state’s resources.

Cramer’s Political Career: Ineffective, Lapdog, Self-Serving

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer has demonstrated time and again that he’ll always kowtow to the administration to increase his political capital – but, if you still need convincing, look no further than the threat of possible new tariffs made by the president on the way to a fundraiser for Cramer. Rather than argue against this reckless policy, Cramer ignored the announcement, choosing instead to focus on increasing his finances, showcasing both his ineffectiveness and willingness to kowtow to his D.C. bosses no matter what.

From Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL: “Kevin Cramer: Ineffective. Lapdog. Self-serving. That’s what North Dakotans can expect from Kevin and his political career.”

Reminder: It’s been more than 10 days since Cramer missed his self-imposed deadline for when he’d become “concerned” enough to stand against the trade war and break his pledge of supporting the president 100 percent of the time. He has yet to take any meaningful actions.

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In Third Debate, Schneider Lances Armstrong on Trade, Health Care

The Dem-NPL candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives puts North Dakota first in policy decisions, not party bosses

(BISMARCK, ND) — Following tonight’s debate in Fargo, Democratic-NPL Executive Director Scott McNeil released the following statement:

“Since the beginning of his campaign, Kelly Armstrong has been on the wrong side of the two most important issues facing North Dakotans: the trade war and the fight to preserve access to affordable health care. Tonight, North Dakotans saw more of the same from Kelly, a rubber-stamp politician who is willing to side with Washington Republicans on policies that are bad for farmers and working families as long as it helps him climb the career ladder.

Mac Schneider is a proven leader with a clear track record of working on behalf of North Dakotans. As North Dakota’s sole voice in the House of Representatives, Mac will be an advocate for working families and work in a bipartisan way to achieve common-sense results. Tonight we saw a very clear choice for North Dakota’s voters: another rubber-stamp politician looking out for himself or an independent leader who will fight for his state.”

Schneider vs. Armstrong Round 3: What To Watch For

As the candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives take the debate stage in Fargo, voters should ask themselves who will stand with North Dakota over party bosses

(BISMARCK, ND) — Tonight on Prairie Public, Mac Schneider and Kelly Armstrong will face off in their third debate for North Dakota’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Last month we wondered which Kelly Armstrong was going to show up for the debate, but now with just 55 days until Election Day, we know what kind of legislator he will be.

Kelly Armstrong is wrong for North Dakota on the Trade War

Over the past few months, as the administration’s trade war dragged on, farmers saw markets for their crops disappear and orders canceled. Now, as North Dakota enters harvest season, Armstrong continues to go along with these misguided tariffs that are hurting farmers’ bottom line and put their future at risk.

Instead of standing up for North Dakota’s farmers, Armstrong has decided to side with the Washington Republican establishment.

Kelly Armstrong is wrong for North Dakota on Health Care

As a member of the North Dakota Senate, Armstrong voted against the bipartisan expansion of Medicaid that allowed over 20,000 North Dakotans to gain access to health coverage. Last month, Armstrong joined his ND GOP colleagues in an attempt to cover uptheir history working against access to affordable health care for North Dakotans. At the press conference, Armstrong doubled down on his support of an out-of-state lawsuit that could strip away access to care for 47,000 North Dakotans and leave over 300,000 people with pre-existing conditions without crucial protections from being denied coverage.

Kelly Armstrong is wrong for North Dakota on Corporate Farming

Not only is Armstrong’s support of the trade war damaging to ag producers, he has consistently taken the side of corporations over North Dakota’s family farmers. In the North Dakota Senate, Armstrong advocated for an expansion of corporate farming, a law that was eventually overturned by the voters. North Dakota’s family farmers deserve a representative that will take their side over large corporate farming interests.

“Cramer Dodges Farm Debate for Fundraiser in Texas”

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer made his priorities clear when he chose to attend an up to $50,000 fundraiser in Texas rather than discuss important ag issues with North Dakotans at Big Iron today. Tyler Axness has the latest:

NDxPlains: Cramer Dodges Farm Debate for Fundraiser in Texas

  • In the midterm election, agriculture has been propelled to the front of our political debate due to policy decisions in Washington. That is the reason the Red River Farm Network (RRFN) invited Kevin Cramer and Heidi Heitkamp to debate in front of North Dakota farmers.
  • Heidi Heitkamp accepted the invitation. Kevin Cramer declined. Instead, Cramer was in Texas at a fundraiser for his campaign.
  • Cramer’s snub of today’s debate is the latest in a growing list. According to people familiar with the debate requests, Cramer has declined one of the two debates with AARP and Prairie Public. He said “no” to a KFGO debate on statewide radio, and turned down a debate on Fox News. He has also rejected another farm-based debate with the Chamber of Commerce Ag Forum in conjunction with ND Soybean Council. It turns out, he has rejected more debates than he has accepted.
  • Instead of speaking with farmers and taking their questions, Cramer is in Texas for a high-dollar fundraiser hosted by Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn… The dollar asks ranges from $50,000 to $1,000. It is the second such event for Cramer in Texas this week according to reports.
  • Meanwhile, Heitkamp attended the scheduled forum, talked with attendees, and answered the questions they had. [T]he topics on farmers’ minds were about the farm bill, the $12 billion aide, and trade disputes. Three topics Cramer has a relatively weak position, specifically when it comes to trade where he has backed the President’s actions and the farm bill where he is limited in what he can do because he chose not to be on the House Agriculture Committee.
  • As someone who boasts about accessibility and eagerness to answer tough questions, Cramer sure seems to be dodging opportunities to challenge his opponent head-to-head. What is he afraid of? Why is it that he has turned down at least two farm-focused debates when it is one of the most pressing issues facing our state?
  • It appears raising money for more political advertising is given higher priority to Cramer’s campaign than hearing from constituents and giving them a display of his level of understanding about the issues important to them.

Read the full article here.

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Cramer Missing Ag Issues Forum in ND to Fundraise Out-of-State

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer is once again putting his own financial and political interests ahead of the North Dakotans he’s supposed to represent. Rather than face farmers and producers at the Red River Farm Network’s ag issues forum at Big Iron tomorrow, Cramer will be hobnobbing with high-dollar donors in Texas at another closed-door fundraiser.

From Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL: “Not only is Kevin Cramer too cowardly to face farmers and manufacturers attending Big Iron after he repeatedly kowtowed to the administration on the trade war, but he’s using the opportunity to seek financial gain. Unfortunately, that’s typical behavior for Cramer – North Dakotans have come to expect nothing more from the same politician who puts his finances above all else.”

This isn’t the first time Cramer has been too scared to participate in debates centered on ag issues. In August, Cramer declined the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce and ND Soybean Growers Association forum that focused on the trade war and the Farm Bill. Senator Heitkamp participated.

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ICYMI: Farmers in ND “Fear” Cramer-Endorsed Trade War Has “Created Lasting Obstacles to Their Livelihoods”

(BISMARCK, ND) – Last month, a group of farmers gathered to call on Congressman Cramer to stand up for North Dakota’s interests, rather than blindly standing with the administration on the trade war. Since then, Cramer has missed his self-imposed deadline for when he’d become “concerned” enough to do something and has compared someone wanting him to stand up against tariffs to “shoot[ing himself] in the head” and attacked Senator Heitkamp as “an enemy of our own country” for working to mitigate some of the harm done to our farmers. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

RealClearPolitics: Trade Deal — or Lack of One — Is Key in N.D. Senate Race

  • [Farmers in North Dakota] fear that President Trump’s trade battles have created lasting obstacles to their livelihoods.
  • In North Dakota, Chinese tariffs on soybeans have thrown a wrench in the finely tuned production line that makes agriculture a profitable pursuit. Farmers are now betting on high-stakes negotiations that don’t appear to be coming to fruition anytime soon.
  • [A]s a cash crop in this country [soybeans are] second only to corn – worth $41 billion last year alone, much of it sold overseas.
  • In the meantime, the impasse is roiling North Dakota politics. […] If soybean prices remain low, farmers will be left with the choice of dumping their beans below cost or holding their product in the hopes negotiations come to a positive conclusion. Some may not have the room to personally store their goods and will have to pay to hold the crops in grain elevators — if they can eventually find a buyer, given the surplus of soybeans out there.
  • “The only way we can carry on with our way of life is trade,” Dotzenrod [a current state senator and candidate for Agriculture Commissioner] told RCP. “And it’s a world market. If we’re saying to the world, ‘We don’t need you,’ [then] we’re not going to be able to carry on.”
  • Farmers are concerned that in the meantime China will find a different source of soybeans, namely South America. They fear countries there will profit off the trade war and re-sell U.S. goods to China at a higher rate.
  • Farmers say this is just the beginning of the political consequences if the U.S. and China do not reach a deal. Although those who spoke to RCP were reluctant to wade into politics, they all agreed that if the marketplace does not return to what it was prior to the imposition of tariffs – or improve significantly due to changes – the status quo in this dependably Republican state may not hold.

Read the full article here.

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Cramer: In Today’s Economy, $1,000 “Isn’t Really Even That High A Price”

Out-of-Touch Cramer’s High-Dollar Fundraiser Closed Its Doors to Average North Dakotans 

(BISMARCK, ND) – You have to hear it to believe it. When asked about the high cost of tickets to attend Kevin Cramer’s fundraiser with the president – which went up to $50,000 – Cramer responded: “You know, $1,000 a couple to see a president isn’t really that high a price in today’s political economy.”

“$1,000 may not seem like a lot of money for a politician who only got into this race because an out-of-state billionaire told him to, who pays himself and his family with campaign funds, and whose previous campaign contributions raised questions as to the “appearance of impropriety,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “But that’s not the reality for many of us. This is just another out-of-touch, tone deaf statement from Kevin Cramer.

Background:
A report from the Federal Reserve Board finds that “40 percent of Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency expense.”

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CROOKED CRAMER’S CHRONICLES – NEW TARIFFS EN ROUTE TO CRAMER FUNDRAISER – CRAMER PASSES TRADE WAR DEADLINE WITHOUT ACTION – DEM-NPL VOLUNTEERS GATHER FOR DAY OF ACTION

Welcome to Cramer’s Chronicles where, every Friday, we’ll break down the latest and greatest weekly hits about Cramer’s crooked, self-serving, extreme, and gaffe-prone behavior that puts himself and his partisan politics ahead of North Dakotans.

BREAKING: PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES NEW TARIFFS READY IN CRAMER-ENDORSED TRADE WAR. On his way to Fargo for the high-dollar, closed-door fundraiser, the president announced another $267 billion in China tariffs are ‘ready to go.’ That’s bad news for North Dakota – but we’re not counting on Kevin Cramer to take any actions to stop it. That’s because Cramer’s only campaign promise has been to support the president 100 percent of the time – even when it’s bad for North Dakota.

CRAMER TRADE WAR DEADLINE PASSES WITHOUT ACTION. To the surprise of no one in North Dakota, Cramer missed his self-imposed September 1st deadline of when he’d become “concerned” enough to stand against the trade war and break his pledge of supporting the president 100 percent of the time. Instead of offering any real, lasting solutions to mitigate the effects of the trade war, Cramer has doubled down on his reckless support. Since he created his self-imposed deadline, he’s:

See how much time has passed since Cramer’s deadline here.

DEM-NPL VOLUNTEERS GATHER FOR DAY OF ACTION. In stark contrast to the Cramer’s high-dollar, closed-door fundraiser with the president, the North Dakota Dem-NPL is providing free hot dogs and snacks for folks volunteering at its Day of Action. With over 300 volunteer shifts scheduled, we’re planning to serve a lot of hot dogs. 🌭 🌭

SELF-SERVING CRAMER. Cramer’s holding another closed-door fundraiser… is he  too scared to campaign in public? He’s got reason to be: between his health care agenda that threatens coverage for many folks in North Dakota, including individuals with a pre-existing condition and his reckless embrace of the administration’s trade war that’s hurting North Dakota’s farmers, manufacturers, and producers, Cramer has a lot to answer for. Just don’t count on getting any answers from him.

CRAMER TRYING TO REWRITE RECORD ON PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS. But, as HuffPost points out, “voters aren’t likely to believe they suddenly care about pre-existing conditions, just because they say they do.” And they won’t forget the 65 times Cramer voted to repeal or undermine the current health care law that could have harmed those with pre-existing conditions by increasing the cost of their insurance, imposed an age tax on North Dakotans ages 50-64, and increased health care costs.

FARM BILL POLITICS. A quick reminder that Kevin Cramer has a history of playing politics and supporting partisan poison pills in the Farm Bill. It led the Williston Herald to call on Cramer to “take a lesson from Hoeven and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp” and the Grand Forks Herald Editorial Board to label Cramer as an “ideologu[e] who value[s] purity above results.”

TWEET INVITE OF THE WEEK. We fixed Kevin Cramer’s invite to show what his fundraiser with the president actually gets him:

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60 Days, 65 Votes to Undermine North Dakotans’ Health Care

(BISMARCK, ND) – With the election 60 days away, a reminder that Kevin Cramer voted over 60 times to repeal or undermine the current health care law – including votes that could have harmed those with pre-existing conditions by increasing the cost of their insurance, imposed an age tax on older North Dakotans, and increased health care costs.

From Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota-Democratic NPL:
“Sixty-five. That’s how many times Kevin Cramer demonstrated to North Dakotans that he doesn’t care about their health care. Sixty-five times Cramer chose to kowtow to his political bosses in the hopes of advancing his career rather than look out for North Dakotans’ best interests. But Cramer’s health care agenda is unpopular with North Dakotans of every political persuasion and, come Election Day, they’ll hold him accountable.”

Read more about Cramer’s dangerous health care agenda here.

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BREAKING: More Tariffs Announced On Way to Cramer Fundraiser

(BISMARCK, ND) – En route to Fargo for a closed-door, ritzy fundraiser for administration lapdog Kevin Cramer, the president announced that his administration threatened tariffs on an additional $267 billion of Chinese goods – this is on top of the tariffs on $200 billion on Chinese goods the administration is preparing to enact in the coming days.

“There’s no question about it – escalating this reckless trade war is bad for North Dakota’s economy,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Despite that obvious fact, we don’t expect Kevin Cramer to raise the issue during his time with the president because he is more concerned with raking in high-dollar donations and climbing the political ladder than standing with North Dakota’s farmers and manufacturers on trade issues.”

From the outset, Cramer has fallen in line as one of Washington’s most enthusiastic cheerleaders of the president’s trade war. Out of touch with the economic realities in his home state, Cramer has repeatedly dismissed the concerns of North Dakotans as “hysteria” and suggested that farmers hang tough in the face of “short-term pain.” Meanwhile, soybean prices have dropped as much as 20 percent, steel prices for North Dakota’s manufacturers have gone up as much as 30 percent, and soybean orders from China have stopped.

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**Corrected** Cramer Fundraiser Invitation