Congressman Cramer: Ineffective As Can Be

(BISMARCK, ND) – When it comes to getting results for our state, North Dakotans just can’t depend on Congressman Cramer to effectively work on their behalf. Case in point: Cramer met with administration officials and North Dakotans to discuss trade on a Friday and, the very next Monday, the administration announced another $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, sending North Dakota spinning deeper into a trade war. Unless Cramer’s goal was to escalate the trade war using North Dakotans as collateral, it sure doesn’t seem like an effective meeting.

It’s not just trade in which Cramer is ineffective at advocating for North Dakotans. Cramer was ranked 145th out of 250 congressional Republicans in effectiveness and sponsored only one “substantive and significant bill” during the last congressional session. In fact, he was ranked the LEAST effective member of the North Dakota Congressional delegation. Even conservative groups are running from Cramer because of his ineffectiveness and inability to lead on negating the trade war.

“If Congressman Cramer can’t effectively advocate on an issue as important as trade, what makes him think he’ll be able to defend North Dakota’s best interests?” asked Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “It’s clear Cramer is gunning for a promotion he didn’t earn – and doesn’t deserve.”

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ICYMI: Cramer’s Ad “Misleading” [Valley News Live]

(BISMARCK, ND) – IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Valley News Live: Cramer’s Ad “Misleading”

Transcript:

MIKE MORKEN: Valley News Live is fact-checking the campaign ads this election season. This time, it’s a new ad supporting Republican Kevin Cramer calling into question claims made in another ad by a Democrat political action committee. The ad supporting Cramer started running yesterday and calls out an ad by Senate Majority PAC claiming Cramer sold out North Dakota by voting to change labeling guidelines for beef.  

In calling out Senate Majority PAC, they use a piece of video from Valley News Live taken from a completely different fact-check where we reported what PolitiFact had said about the Senate Majority PAC. By using the video, it appears as though we are questioning Senate Majority PAC on their latest ads. We are not. Watch and listen.
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MIKE MORKEN: Because of this, we must label the most recent ad from Cramer’s campaign as ‘misleading.’ Due to federal law, television stations cannot control how our video is used in campaign ads, and it is, too, important to note that Kevin Cramer did vote ‘yes’ to change the labeling guidelines for beef, but so did Democrat Heidi Heitkamp back in 2015. The bill was then signed into law in December of that year by then-President Barack Obama.

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Cramer Continues to Jeopardize Social Security On Its 83rd Anniversary

(BISMARCK, ND) – On the 83rd anniversary of the Social Security Act, here’s a look back at the times Kevin Cramer has supported cutting or endangering Social Security, earning him a lifetime score of nine percent from the Alliance for Retired Americans. In contrast, Senator Heitkamp has a lifetime score of ninety percent. Between his signals to gut Social Security – and Medicare – it’s clear Cramer’s anti-senior agenda is wrong for North Dakota.

  1. Cramer claimed not touching Social Security was “good to campaign on, but it’s hard to do.”
  2. Cramer suggested raising the retirement age.
  3. Cramer has advocated for altering Social Security for folks 50 years of age and younger.
  4. Cramer called for “maybe a little means testing” for Social Security.
  5. Cramer would not commit to protecting Social Security or Medicare from cuts in order to deal with the debt created by tax reform.
  6. Cramer has supported privatizing Social Security.
  7. Cramer voted against protecting Social Security from a government shutdown.

It’s no wonder Cramer is hurriedly trying to paper over his record of support for gutting Social Security in an election year.

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Cramer Out of Touch with ND, Example Infinity

(BISMARCK, ND) – It’s clear Kevin Cramer is out of touch with the needs of North Dakotans. The latest example? Cramer has doubled tripled quadrupled quintupled down on his blind support of the administration’s trade war- despite the growing evidence that its havoc-wreaking effects are increasing. See for yourself:

Cramer, just yesterday: “POTUS has chosen the use of tariffs in trade negotiations. While I would prefer a different approach, it’s essential we support his efforts.”

Rugby, ND farmer: “I’m terrified of this trade thing. I lose sleep over it […] It’s just the uncertainty of it.”

Read more about the Cramer-endorsed trade war here and how he’s flipped and flopped on helping North Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers to kowtow to his D.C. political bosses.

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ICYMI: Cramer Supports Lawsuit That Could Jeopardize Health Care For More Than 300,000 North Dakotans

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer announced his support late Friday for the dangerous, partisan lawsuit that could lead to health insurance companies denying care to the more than 300,000 North Dakotans who have a pre-existing condition. Rather than looking out for North Dakota’s interests, Cramer has once again rubber stamped his political bosses’ ill-advised agenda to advance his own self-serving plans.

From the Forum:

  • Heitkamp has called for reforming what she described as an imperfect law, while Cramer has backed so-called “repeal and replace” efforts.
  • National polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation suggests candidates’ views on pre-existing condition protections are “at least very important” to most voters.
  • Cramer has said he supports protections for pre-existing conditions, although a bill he supported last year would have allowed states to waive certain protections, said Larry Levitt, senior vice president for health reform at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
  • [Cramer] predicted Congress will make another run at health care if Republicans maintain their majorities.
  • Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken several steps of its own that critics argue amounts to sabotaging the law and could drive up premiums. The Department of Justice said in June it would not defend provisions of the ACA in litigation brought by Texas and 19 other states, including North Dakota.
  • Heitkamp called the lawsuit “ill-advised” while Cramer said he supports it.

Reminder: Cramer has voted to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act 65 times and has signed onto Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan’s plans to sabotage the health care system that could spike costs and strip coverage.

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Three Times Cramer Took Credit for Heidi’s Work for the Ag and Energy Industry

(BISMARCK, ND) – As Energy Secretary Rick Perry visits North Dakota today, here are three times Kevin Cramer tried to pass off Senator Heitkamp’s work to strengthen North Dakota’s agriculture and energy sectors as his own.

CLAIM: Cramer took credit for lifting the oil export ban.

REALITY: Heidi became “something of a fixture” in panel discussions and on TV and worked “for months” to form “a quiet, persistent alliance” with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski to overturn the ban.

  • Roll Call HEADLINE: “How Heitkamp Kept Crude Oil From Being ‘Keystoned’”
  • CNBC HEADLINE: “Sen. Heitkamp: Obama Should Lift Ban On Oil Exports” 
  • Bismarck Tribune HEADLINE: “Heitkamp Introduces Second Bill To Lift Oil Export Ban” 
  • GOP Rep. Joe Barton: Heitkamp “represented her constituencies […] and took a lot of heat in her caucus. But she stood her ground” on lifting the crude oil export ban.
  • GOP Sen. Murkowski: Heitkamp was “just dogged in her efforts to help educate her party” on the crude oil export ban and “was able to.”

CLAIM: Cramer has taken credit for introducing a fix to the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) commodity support program included in the Farm Bill.

REALITY: Heidi introduced and pushed for a fix to ARC issues and the farm safety net program.

CLAIM: Cramer touted that he introduced legislation which incentivized carbon capture technology.

REALITY: Heidi has always been a champion for clean coal and carbon sequestration technology, and has worked across the aisle to bring together “an unprecedented coalition” for commonsense solutions.

  • Energy Collective: Heitkamp’s FUTURE Act was “one of the most significant energy and environmental accomplishments by Congress in recent memory.”
  • Minot Daily News: Heitkamp took the lead on the FUTURE Act to support the continued use of coal and natural gas.
  • Grand Forks Herald: Heitkamp “championed” CCS legislation, “to offer tax credits for research and development of carbon capture technology.”
  • Inforum HEADLINE: “Heitkamp Introduces Bill Encouraging Reduction Of Carbon Emissions And Technological Innovation In Energy Sector.”
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BREAKING: Cramer Supports Lawsuit That Could Deny Coverage for Folks with Pre-Existing Conditions

(BISMARCK, ND) – In response to Congressman Cramer announcing his support for the ill-advised, partisan lawsuit that would no longer guarantee health care coverage for the more than 300,000 North Dakotans who have a pre-existing condition, Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL released the following statement: 

“This blatant attack on North Dakotans’ health care is reprehensible and Congressman Cramer should be ashamed to support it. Pre-existing conditions affect almost every individual and family in North Dakota – if you don’t have a pre-existing condition, you almost certainly know someone who does. North Dakotans won’t soon forget how Cramer turned his back on them.”

The Kaiser Family Foundation recently found that protections for pre-existing conditions have become the most important health care concern among voters, and ranked the most important campaign issue for many of them overall. That isn’t stopping Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and Cramer’s D.C. bosses from repeatedly attempting to sabotage health care: now they’re just trying to keep it a secret from voters. Don’t forget: Cramer has voted 65 times to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act.

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CROOKED CRAMER’S CHRONICLES – CONTRADICTING HIMSELF ON TRADE WAR – LYING TO ND – CRAMER (R-SPECIAL INTERESTS)

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.

CRAMER CONTRADICTS HIMSELF ON TRADE WAR TIMELINE. Kevin Cramer is contradicting himself on the trade war timeline—telling one audience that negotiations with China would “take a while,” and telling another that he “expect[s] some quick action.” His political doublespeak is even more egregious when you consider his acknowledgement that markets lost due to this trade war could “be lost for years.” But North Dakotans know why he’s suddenly faking interest: he’s worried about his election chances.

That reminds us: See how much time Cramer has left until his self-imposed September trade war deadline.

CRAMER CONTINUES LYING TO ND. Cramer just can’t seem to tell North Dakotans the truth – lying, distorting, and papering over his record to hide his self-interested, unsavory agenda.

HEADLINE: POLITIFACT: KEVIN CRAMER DISTORTS RECORD ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.

  • “Cramer… touted a clean record without any support for shutdowns… We took a closer look.
  • Cramer has cast votes that indirectly resulted in a shutdown.
  • We found multiple instances where Cramer indirectly helped to cause a shutdown by voting for bills that defunded Obamacare — these bills had no chance of survival in the Senate or of being signed by then-President Obama. While Cramer’s actions were not direct votes on keeping the government open, they encouraged the 2013 shutdown.
  • We rate this statement Mostly False.

FORUM’S ZALESKI: CRAMER’S “FALSE” MEDICARE AD “WORST SPOT SO FAR.”

  • The ad’s premise is false. Cramer has always wanted to mess with Medicare—cut benefits, privatize portions of the program, etc. He can’t fudge his record, although he is one of the best fudge masters in Washington, D.C.
  • The ad relies on shrewdly ambiguous weasel-words: He will protect benefits for oldies like his mom (and me) and make sure Medicare is there for younger generations, like the kids in the ad. Sounds great. Notice the distinction? The distortion? He is vague about future Medicare for people currently in the workforce (would he gut benefits?), while he preaches to oldsters who are on the program now, who vote, that he’s their Medicare evangelist. It’s not blatant deceit; it’s duplicitous half-truth.

See more:
HEADLINE: PolitiFact: Kevin Cramer distorts Heidi Heitkamp’s record on banking regulations
HEADLINE: Washington Post: N.D. Republican’s Senate campaign ‘fact-checking’ website promotes false claim on CBO estimates
HEADLINE: TPM: Kevin Cramer’s Campaign Images Shot Far From Fargo

PAPERING OVER HIS MEDICARE, SOCIAL SECURITY RECORD. Surprise, surprise: Cramer is trying to paper over his record and fake support for protecting Medicare and Social Security with a toothless resolution that takes no concrete action to protect and strengthen these vital programs. But Cramer can’t erase the dozen times he’s jeopardized these programs, and North Dakotans will see this political stunt for what it truly is: a pathetic attempt to cover up his record of not standing up for North Dakota seniors in favor of his hyper-partisan, put-special-interests-first agenda.

CRAMER (R-SPECIAL INTERESTS). Remember Harold Hamm, the out-of-state billionaire who convinced Cramer to run by promising to help him fundraise? The High Plains Reader has an in-depth look at how Hamm’s money “trails to Cramer branches like tributaries of the Missouri River.” It makes you wonder, if Hamm and his outside special interests are bankrolling Cramer’s campaign, whose interests will Cramer look out for in D.C.?

HIDING CRAMER’S HEALTH CARE AGENDA. Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and the rest of Cramer’s D.C. bosses don’t want voters to know that they’re gunning for another shot at making health care more expensive and less accessible for North Dakotans. One political operative referred to their plans to take away health care from millions as “like fight club. […] First rule is not to talk about it.” Will Cramer finally stand with North Dakotans against this dangerous plan or continue to kowtow to the special interests funding his campaign?

#FBF: CRAMER’S DISRESPECTFUL COMMENTS ABOUT VETS. Cramer once claimed that military service is often “a result of lack of other opportunity or revenue.” And, in case you missed it, Cramer was caught using a stock photo of an “authentic Vietnam veteran” in a campaign web ad, which a local veteran called “outrageous,” saying he “shouldn’t be surprised… Cramer has a long history of using veterans as political props.”

MUST READ – Grand Forks Herald: Heitkamp: Cramer’s support of trade war policies ‘present a threat to North Dakota’.

TWEET OF THE WEEK.

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Cramer Contradicts Himself on Trade War Timeline in Week Since Dem-NPL Launches Countdown Clock

(BISMARCK, ND) – It’s been a week and a half since the ND Dem-NPL launched its countdown clock to hold Congressman Cramer accountable for punting his responsibility to stand up for North Dakotans against this disastrous trade war. Rather than offering real, lasting solutions, Cramer is contradicting himself, telling one audience that negotiations with China would “take a while,” and telling another that he “expect[s] some quick action.” What’s more, he admits that the markets lost due to this trade war could “be lost for years” and that it’s causing pain for farmers – but that isn’t stopping him from playing politics with their livelihoods.

This political doublespeak comes just one week after Cramer was accused of his interest in the trade war stemming from, not out of a desire to help North Dakotans, but because he’s worried about his election chances.

See how much time Cramer has left until his self-imposed September deadline and get the fast facts about Cramer’s trade war here.


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Cramer Sides With Out-of-State Billionaire Over ND on Gutting Social Security, Medicare

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer’s preference for cutting Social Security and Medicare is well-known, from calls to raise the retirement age to implementing means testing for seniors’ hard-earned benefits. It’s not surprising then, that the out-of-state special interests bankrolling Cramer’s campaign also support slashing Social Security and Medicare.

One such donor is Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein who has poured money into Cramer’s campaign, as well as Restoration PAC, which advocates for Social Security and Medicare to be “completely restructure[d].” Oh, and those same Uihlein-backed groups have funded Cramer’s campaign, too.

“Of course Kevin Cramer agrees with the extreme agenda of his out-of-state, special interest backers, rather than looking out for North Dakota’s seniors,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Cramer may try to paper over his desire to privatize Social Security and slash Medicare but, come November, North Dakotans will hold him accountable for putting his political interests above their own.”

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Cramer’s Trade War: Flip Flops, Blunders, and Outright Lies

(BISMARCK, ND) – Curious about Kevin Cramer’s awkward, yet full-throated embrace of the trade war? We’ve got you covered with a roundup of his flip flops, blunders, and outright lies as he rushes to convince North Dakotans he’s on their side.

1. When it’s politically convenient, Cramer claims he’s no fan of the trade war– but, in reality, he’s been its biggest cheerleader. 
Shot:

  • Cramer: “The other big dispute that he and I have right now of course is over the use of tariffs. Which I’ve been very strong about, right at the beginning… So I’ve disagreed with him on the use of tariffs in this trade war.”

Chaser:

  • Cramer: “Some people are saying, ‘We need to get out of this trade war.’ There’s only one thing to do in a war, and that is win it. And it would be a lot easier for Donald Trump to win the trade war if the people that are supposed to be on his side would get behind him, rather than fighting with him.”

2. Cramer doesn’t have a clue as to how this trade war is affecting our pocketbooks – and doesn’t care to learn.
Shot:

  • Cramer: “Soybeans are one of those products where there’s a very high demand and a short supply. That means there will always be a pretty good price for soybeans.”

Chaser:

3. Cramer claims the administration’s $12 billion bailout is more than enough to erase his politically motivated mistake, but experts disagree. 
Shot:

  • Cramer: “I think that there’s a chance that we won’t need all $12 billion, if any of it.”

Chaser”

4. Cramer claims he wants to help farmers suffering from the trade war… except when the proposal to help comes from his political opponent.
Shot:

  • Cramer: “My office has contacted Secretary Perdue to urge him to use every tool provided to him under the Farm Bill.”

Chaser:

  • Williston Herald: “Congressman Kevin Cramer, who is in a pitched battle for North Dakota Senator with Heitkamp, said he doesn’t think such a bill [like hers] is needed.”
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Cramer Tries to Paper Over His True Record on Medicare & Social Security

(BISMARCK, ND) – We’re less than 13 weeks out from Election Day, so it’s no surprise that Kevin Cramer is trying to paper over his record and fake support for protecting Medicare and Social Security. But Cramer can’t erase the dozen-plus times he’s jeopardized these vital programs, from refusing to fully protect Medicare for folks who are 50 and under to calling for raising the retirement age and means testing for Social Security benefits.

What’s more, Cramer’s resolution on Medicare and Social Security is a toothless gesture and takes no concrete action to protect and strengthen these programs that over a hundred thousand North Dakotans rely on.

“It’s election season, so of course Kevin Cramer is trying to mislead North Dakotans about his real record,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “But North Dakotans will see this political stunt for what it truly is: a pathetic attempt to cover up his record of not standing up for North Dakota seniors in favor of his hyper-partisan, put-special-interests-first agenda.”

Reminder: This isn’t the first time Cramer has lied to North Dakotans, hoping they won’t notice his actual record:
Zaleski, The Forum: “The [Medicare] ad’s premise is false. Cramer has always wanted to mess with Medicare—cut benefits, privatize portions of the program, etc. He can’t fudge his record, although he is one of the best fudge masters in Washington, D.C.”
HEADLINE: PolitiFact: Kevin Cramer distorts record on government shutdown.
HEADLINE: PolitiFact: Kevin Cramer distorts Heidi Heitkamp’s record on banking regulations.
HEADLINE: Washington Post: N.D. Republican’s Senate campaign ‘fact-checking’ website promotes false claim on CBO estimates.

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