Cramer and Ross In Sync With Each Other, But Out of Step with North Dakota on Trade War

(BISMARCK, ND) – Ahead of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ross’s visit to North Dakota tomorrow, a brief reminder that Ross isn’t concerned about the financial hit North Dakota farmers, producers, and manufacturers are taking due to the trade war. In fact, he’s belittled and downplayed the harm it’s causing North Dakotans – just like Kevin Cramer.

Ross: “So I don’t think there’s really a lot for anybody to complain about.”
Cramer: Folks don’t have “a very high pain threshold.”

Ross: “There is obviously going to be some pulling and tugging as we try to deal with very serious problems […] There will be some hiccups along the way.”
Cramer: Agreed with radio host Eugene Graner’s analogy of the trade war that “you know, you got to crack a few eggs to make an omelet, nobody said it’d be easy.”

Ross: “Anyone who thinks the economy is being wrecked doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”
Cramer: Dismissed farmers’ concerns over the trade war as “hysteria.”

Ross: “You can’t make progress without taking a little bit of risk.”
Cramer: “Some people are saying we need to get out of this trade war. There’s only one thing to do in a trade war and that is win it.”

No wonder he’s flying in to help Cramer ‘save face’ on the trade war – they’ve both been cheerleading it all along.

But why? For Cramer, it’s blind loyalty to the administration, even when it goes against North Dakota’s best interests, in the hopes of gaining a political promotion. For Ross, it’s personal financial gain. Birds of a feather…

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ND GOP Scrambles to Paper Over History on Health Care

Billed as a press conference to “set the record straight,” Cramer, Armstrong, Stenehjem, and the ND GOP try to push an about-face narrative while still supporting dangerous policy proposals for North Dakotans’ health care

(BISMARCK, ND) — Today, North Dakota Republicans held a press conference where they attempted to walk back years of attacks on North Dakotans’ health care, especially for people with pre-existing conditions. Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t take much digging to see that this heel-turn on health care is nothing more than election-year damage control.

Congressman Kevin Cramer, Senator Kelly Armstrong, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, Lt. Governor Brent Sanford, and Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread allclaimed to support people with pre-existing conditions, but let’s look at their record:

Cramer followed the orders of his D.C. bosses and voted to repeal or undermine current health care law 65 times, despite there being no viable replacement that would provide North Dakotans with affordable, high-quality health coverage. He has continued to refuse to work on bipartisan solutions for reforming health care law, preferring to side with health care extremists to advance his own career than stand up for the people of North Dakota.

As a State Senator, Armstrong voted against the bipartisan Medicaid expansion in North Dakota pushed by Governor Jack Dalrymple that has helped almost 20,000 people gain health coverage in the state. Additionally, Armstrong is on the record supporting a Texas-based lawsuit that would remove protections for people with pre-existing conditions and end Medicaid expansion.

Speaking of the lawsuit, Wayne Stenehjem doubled-down on his support for the litigation brought by the Texas Attorney General that he cosigned on behalf of North Dakota. Despite the talk of wanting to protect people with pre-existing conditions, the Stenehjem-backed lawsuit would wipe out those protections potentially leading to unaffordable health care costs and loss of coverage.

“The North Dakota Republicans can see that they are losing the argument when it comes to health care. Instead of doing the right thing and working to fix what is wrong with the current law, they have chosen to try and rewrite history and paper over their failings,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Claiming that Kevin Cramer, Kelly Armstrong, and Wayne Stenehjem are for keeping protections for the over 300,000 North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions is a ridiculous statement if you look at their record. It’s clear that the ND GOP’s candidates will say anything to advance their careers. Unfortunately for them, North Dakota’s voters will remember who has attacked their access to affordable health care, and who is standing up for it.”

Cramer’s D.C. Bosses Still Trying to Destroy Health Care Law – Will Cramer Kowtow or Finally Stand Up for ND?

(BISMARCK, ND) – Once again, the administration is threatening the health care law that guarantees coverage for pre-existing conditions, this time saying that it’s “going to be gone pretty soon.” Kevin Cramer and his D.C. allies have spent years trying to jeopardize health care for thousands of North Dakotans – and they’re not giving up anytime soon.

Already Kevin Cramer has voted to repeal or undermine the health care law 65 times and is on record supporting plans that could increase premiums, impose an ‘age tax,’ and strip coverage. Not only that, but he supports the ill-advised lawsuit that could jeopardize coverage for North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions.

“It’s time for Kevin Cramer to stand with North Dakotans against his political bosses’ attempts to spike costs and strip coverage for the thousands of North Dakotans who rely on affordable, accessible health care,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Anything less is an abdication of his responsibility but, time and again, Cramer has chosen to stand with D.C. insiders like Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan rather than North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions like cancer, asthma, or diabetes.”

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ICYMI: Career Opportunist Kevin Cramer

(BISMARCK, ND) – Mike McFeely lays Kevin Cramer’s “political opportunism” to bare and warns that voters don’t want someone who is simply looking to “go from one political job to the next” – something that “should make Cramer nervous.”

  • There might be a lesson for Cramer in Pawlenty’s stunning and decisive defeat to grinder Jeff Johnson in last week’s Minnesota primary election: Opportunism isn’t a good political strategy.
  • Cramer, by his admission, was a reluctant entrant into the race against incumbent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, sweet-talked into running by President Donald Trump and billionaire oilman Harold Hamm when Republicans could find no other credible candidates.
  • Cramer has yet to cut his own trail, instead preferring to attack Heitkamp and loudly proclaim he’s a willing vessel of Trump. Cramer seems convinced he’ll win because he’s a Trump-worshipping Republican in a state that strongly favors the president. There’s been no talk of whatever Cramer believes he’s accomplished legislatively in the House and no roadmap to what he envisions if elected to the Senate, other than to support Trump’s agenda.
  • It looks for all the world like Cramer is running because the pieces were in place to get a better job, even if he wasn’t convinced he wanted it in the first place. Opportunism.
  • Cramer has always been the guy to go from one political job to the next, either appointed or elected, so seeking a promotion isn’t unusual for him. The difference this time is that he finds himself in a competitive race and his inability to articulate exactly why he wants the job — other than to back Trump 100 percent — is telling.
  • Minnesotans saw Pawlenty’s limp run at governor as opportunism and it was fatal. If North Dakotans see Cramer’s Senate run the same way, it might be just as costly.

Read the full article here.

More on Cramer’s political opportunism:

Politico: “Paying family with campaign funds could dog Cramer in Senate bid.”

KFYR: HEADLINE: Rep. Kevin Cramer’s campaign fund use comes into question

High Plains Reader: “Hamm and his net worth of $19.5 billion became the decision maker for Cramer accepting Hamm as his national finance chairman.

WDAY: “[Cramer] didn’t want to risk losing his seat in the House… It was a call from oil tycoon Harold Hamm, whose net worth is $18 billion, that finally tipped the scales” to him running for U.S. Senate. 

Associated Press: As Public Service Commissioner, Cramer was accused of “taking improper campaign contributions from coal mining officials.”

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Cramer Tries to Backpedal Cruel Record on Legal Immigration

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer has been doing some serious backpedaling lately, trying to moderate his extreme record on legal immigration. But the facts are clear: not only has Cramer consistently supported cruel, inhumane polices that punish those who follow the rules by immigrating to the country legally, he’s still refusing to support policies that present commonsense solutions to keep our borders protected.

  • “There’s nothing inhumane about a chain-link fence.” Cramer refused to condemn the administration’s separation policy that removed children from their parents and placed them in cages. In fact, Cramer defended the use of chain-link fence cages to house children, stating “there’s nothing inhumane about a chain-link fence.”
  • Wrong side of the North Dakota delegation. While Senators Heitkamp and Hoeven both voted for comprehensive, practical immigration reform in 2013, Cramer and his extreme D.C. bosses refused to take up the bill that would have helped address many of the issues currently faced at the border.
  • Voting against funding the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:In 2015, Cramer voted against funding DHS because of his extreme position on immigration.
  • Extreme opposition to pathway to citizenship for children. Cramer is on record in favor of deporting law abiding young immigrants who were brought to the United States as young children through no fault of their own and who have met the requirements of the DREAM Act.

“Once again, Kevin Cramer is trying to paper over his extreme record and fake being a moderate in an election year,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “But Cramer’s record of supporting extreme legal immigration policies is well-documented. While Cramer would rather cater to the far edges, Senator Heitkamp has consistently endorsed and voted for commonsense policies that put border security first, while also supporting legal immigration.”

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ICYMI: “Fact Check” Shows NDGOP Misleading North Dakotans About Cramer’s Record

(BISMARCK, ND) – The NDGOP is desperately trying to cover up Kevin Cramer’s record of jeopardizing coverage for folks with pre-existing conditions. Their latest attempt? Misleading North Dakotans about Cramer’s support for the MacArthur amendment, to try and prove that he never voted to completely cut protections for pre-existing conditions. But, as this fact check from Axios points out, the NDGOP is once again on the defense and is misleading North Dakotans about Cramer’s record.

Axios:

  • Naturally, Cramer doesn’t like [Heitkamp’s latest] ad. The North Dakota GOP accused Heitkamp of telling “repeated lies” about his stance on pre-existing conditions.
  • The party pointed out that the House repeal-and-replace bill, which Cramer voted for, included what was referred to as the “MacArthur amendment,” which preserved the ACA’s prohibition on insurers denying coverage based on someone’s health status.
  • Fact check: Yes, the MacArthur amendment technically protected sick people’s ability to get coverage. But it allowed for states, in limited circumstances, to waive the ACA provisions that prevent insurers from charging people a higher premium because of their health status and require plans to cover a set of minimum benefits.
  • That means that while people with pre-existing conditions couldn’t be denied coverage outright, they could be offered coverage that was too expensive to be attainable or that excluded health benefits that they needed – making the remaining coverage guarantee relatively worthless.

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Cramer’s Fundraising Vice Chair Set to Raise Prices on Customers Due to Cramer Endorsed-Trade War

(BISMARCK, ND) – Dan Eberhart, one of Kevin Cramer’s major out-of-state backers and his fundraising vice chairman, announced that his oilfield services company is set to raise prices on customers – a result he blames on the trade war and the increasing price of steel imports.

Cramer’s trade war is threatening markets across North Dakota. But Cramer is too busy kowtowing to the administration’s reckless trade agenda to care. Here’s a snapshot of what’s happening as a result of the Cramer-endorsed trade war:

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ICYMI: Cramer’s Baffling Week in the News

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer is spiraling after a week of missteps, strange comments, and falsehoods on the issues North Dakotans care most about. See for yourself:

🤔MONDAY: Cramer once again states that we need to “support” this trade war, no matter what – while a farmer from Rugby, ND expresses what’s really happening on the ground: “I’m terrified of this trade thing. I lose sleep over it […] It’s just the uncertainty of it.”

🤔TUESDAY: Cramer is called out for his latest “misleading” TV ad.

🤔THURSDAY: Cramer called Senator Heitkamp “an enemy of our own country” for working to stop the trade war and mitigate harm to North Dakota farmers, leading Politico Morning Score to call him “not so North Dakota nice.”

🤔ALSO THURSDAY: Cramer pens a misleading op-ed that claims he’s always been against tariffs and the trade war in an attempt to rewrite history. In reality, he’s blindly supported this effort from the beginning.

🤔FRIDAY: Cramer compared someone wanting him to stand up against tariffs to “shoot[ing himself] in the head.”

🤔ALSO FRIDAY: Axios fact checked Cramer’s claim that he’s protected pre-existing condition coverage, finding that folks “could be offered coverage that was too expensive to be attainable or that excluded health benefits that they needed — making the remaining coverage guarantee relatively worthless.”

🤔NEXT WEEK: Damage-control mode continues.

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CROOKED CRAMER’S CHRONICLES – LAWSUIT COULD GUT PRE-EXISTING CONDITION COVERAGE – NEW GOOGLE ADS – “CATTY CRAMER” TRYING TO REWRITE HISTORY ON THE TRADE WAR

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-ENDORSED LAWSUIT COULD GUT PRE-EXISTING CONDITION COVERAGE. Last week, Kevin Cramer announced his support for the ill-advised, partisan lawsuit that could remove coverage for the more than 300,000 North Dakotans who have pre-existing conditions, furthering his blatant attack on our health care.

OUR TAKE: Cramer’s decision leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind that he’d rather cater to his political bosses than stand up for the quality care that North Dakotans need and deserve.

DEM-NPL LAUNCHES GOOGLE ADS ON HEALTH CARE. This week, the ND Dem-NPL launched updated Google search ads that direct viewers to a health care landing page to hold Cramer accountable for his support for this disastrous lawsuit and his broader health care agenda that could harm folks with pre-existing conditions by making them pay more out of pocket for their care, impose an ‘Age tax’ on older adults, and spike health care costs. The ads were first reported by NBC and the National Journal. See the ads below:

AND DON’T MISS… Heidi for North Dakota’s latest TV and digital ad, “Denise,” where Heitkamp promises to defend protections for pre-existing conditions for folks like Denise from Killdeer against Cramer’s dangerous attacks.

“CATTY CRAMER” TRYING TO REWRITE HISTORY ON THE TRADE WAR. Cramer has been a staunch cheerleader of the trade war from the beginning. But now, as Election Day nears and endorsing the trade war hasn’t been the most politically expedient decision, he’s scrambling to rewrite history by claiming that he’s always been against it. That’s false – and desperation has clearly set in. This week, Cramer even called Senator Heitkamp “an enemy of our own country” for working to stop the trade war and mitigate harm to North Dakota farmers, Cramer is in full damage-control mode, but his attempts to paper over his long record of blind support for the trade war won’t work.

You’ll be dizzy after reading these flip flops, so fair warning before you click here to read more on Cramer’s full embrace of the trade war in which he fulfills his promise to be a rubber stamp, even when it’s bad for North Dakotans.

VALLEY NEWS LIVE: CRAMER’S AD “MISLEADING.” From Valley News Live on Cramer’s latest TV ad: “By using the video, it appears as though we are questioning Senate Majority PAC on their latest ads. We are not. […] Because of this, we must label the most recent ad from Cramer’s campaign as ‘misleading.’”

This isn’t the first time Cramer and his campaign have been called out for their falsehoods: See more:
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

CRAMER, THE INEFFECTIVE CONGRESSMAN. Cramer is certainly living up to his ranking at the least effective member of the North Dakota congressional delegation. Maybe that’s why he’s continually taking credit for Senator Heitkamp’s work:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

JEOPARDIZING SOCIAL SECURITY. Wonder how many times Cramer has called for changes to Social Security, from means testing to raising the retirement age to privatization, that all signal his desire to gut this vital program? We counted at least seven – and that’s a far from comprehensive number. No wonder he’s trying to paper over his record now that an election is near. Read them here. 

TWEET OF THE WEEK.

Schneider Hits Armstrong on Tariffs, Health Care in Debate

The Dem-NPL candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives stresses independent leadership and championing kitchen-table issues

(BISMARCK, ND) — Tonight, viewers who tuned into the debate between Mac Schneider and Kelly Armstrong were presented with two different visions of what it means to be North Dakota’s sole voice in the U.S. House of Representatives. While Mac Schneider emphasized independent leadership and North Dakota first policies, Kelly Armstrong made it clear he will be just another rubber stamp politician.

While North Dakota’s farmers are already feeling the squeeze from the ongoing trade war and are worried about finding markets to sell their crops in after harvest, Armstrong continued to defend the misguided policy that is hurting agricultural producers. By contrast, Schneider has been consistent in defending North Dakota’s farmers and calling for an end to the tit-for-tat tariff battle that has led to falling commodity prices, market destabilization, and an uncertain future for many family farms.

Additionally, Schneider and Armstrong disagreed over protections for North Dakotans’ health care. Schneider has been outspoken in his defense of keeping protections for those with pre-existing conditions and ensuring North Dakotans who gained coverage through expanded Medicaid will have access to high-quality health care. Armstrong, on the other hand, is in favor of gutting current health care law in order to score political points with D.C. Republicans.

“North Dakotans need an independent voice in the U.S. House of Representatives to stand up for farmers against the trade war, defend their access to affordable health care, and fight on behalf of working families. Tonight’s debate has made that clear: Mac Schneider should be that voice,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Mac has shown leadership on the kitchen-table issues that North Dakotans care about and he will continue to stand up for his home state in Washington.”

Cramer, On Defense, Tries to Rewrite History on Support of Trade War

(BISMARCK, ND) – Just days after Congressman Cramer called Senator Heitkamp an “enemy of our own country” for working to stop the trade war and mitigate harm to North Dakota farmers, Cramer is in full damage-control mode: rapidly trying to rewrite history and paper over his long and detailed record of blind support for the trade war. Take a look:

And he’s been doubling down on his support for tariffs and the trade war ever since.

See how often Cramer has fully embraced the trade war, fulfilling his promise to be a rubber stamp:

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Which Kelly Armstrong Are We Going to See Tonight?

The ND GOP candidate continues to say one thing, do another on trade war, health care

(BISMARCK, ND) — When Kelly Armstrong takes the stage tonight for the first televised debate in the U.S. House of Representatives race, many viewers will be wondering: which Kelly Armstrong are they going to see tonight?

It’s become obvious throughout the campaign that Armstrong is willing to say whatever he has to to get elected, while turning his back on North Dakotans when it helps him advance his political career. Just look at two of the most important issues facing North Dakotans this election season: the ongoing trade war and preserving access to health care.

  • Kelly claims to support farmers, but he has been a cheerleader for the dangerous trade war despite the devastating effects on the agriculture industry.

  • Kelly claims to be an advocate for health care, but supports plans that would strip 40,000 North Dakotans or affordable health care and remove protections for over 315,000 people with pre-existing conditions.

“Throughout this campaign, Kelly Armstrong has made it clear that he will say anything to advance his political career while siding with D.C. Republicans over North Dakotans,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “North Dakotans want an independent representative who will have their back in Congress, not another rubber stamp for policies that will hurt working families.”