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.”

NEW: Google Ads on Cramer’s Support for Disastrous Health Care Lawsuit

(BISMARCK, ND) – Today the North Dakota Dem-NPL launched updated Google search ads highlighting Congressman Cramer’s support for the disastrous health care lawsuit that could deny coverage to the more than 300,000 North Dakotans with pre-existing conditions.

The Google search ads will reach North Dakota voters who are searching for information about health care, Kevin Cramer, and the Senate race, and are part of a campaign-long, five-figure digital buy against Cramer. The ad directs viewers to a previously-released landing page with information on Cramer’s dangerous health care agenda that has been updated to include Cramer’s support for this partisan lawsuit.

See the ads:

“When Kevin Cramer announced his support for this lawsuit, he left 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,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Cramer is doing everything he can to make care more expensive, from supporting this lawsuit to his 65 votes to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act – and we’re here to remind voters of that every day from now until Election Day.”

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. On top of that, health care remains top of mind for voters. Results of a HuffPost/YouGov poll found “American voters are more likely to say they’re focused about health care than any other issue” and Kaiser Health reported that many Americans are worried “about their out-of-pocket costs increasing so high that” they won’t be able to afford care.

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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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Dem-NPL Launches “Republicans Agree: Jaeger’s Got to Go” Digital Ad

The party’s ad shows Jaeger’s Republican colleagues agreeing that new leadership is needed at the Secretary of State’s office

(BISMARCK, ND) — Today, the North Dakota Democratic-NPL launched a digital ad that shows Republicans and Democrats agree: Al Jaeger has got to go.

Citing criticisms leveled against the sitting Secretary of State by Republicans before he was rejected as a candidate at his own party’s convention, the advertisement will run on social media platforms.

The ad, which can be seen below, shows Republicans call for a “fresh perspective,” while pointing out that the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office is about 20 years behind current technology and has lost millions of dollars on canceled software products.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYUglHpqYaQ&feature=youtu.be”]

“Al Jaeger has done little to keep up with the times since taking office 25 years ago,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “As the inefficiencies piled up and North Dakota fell further behind other states, even Republicans came around to the idea of finding a new candidate to modernize the office. Now that Jaeger is back on the ballot and expecting Republican support, it should be pointed out that the facts have not changed: Republicans and Democrats agree Al Jaeger has got to go.”

Boschee and Oversen Introduce “ND HUB” Modernization Package for State Government

Dem-NPL candidates for Secretary of State and Tax Commissioner introduce modernization vision to bring North Dakota government into the 21st Century

(BISMARCK, ND) — Today, Democratic-NPL candidates for Secretary of State Josh Boschee and Tax Commissioner Kylie Oversen introduced their vision for modernizing the offices to better serve businesses, nonprofit organizations, farmers, and employers in their dealings with state government.

The vision centers around creating the “ND Hub,” an online resource for businesses, farmers and other organizations to register and maintain compliance efficiently. By partnering with businesses, nonprofit organizations, farmers, and employers, the Hub would be an effective way to break down silos in state government to reduce costs, provide greater transparency, and proactively engage with North Dakotans.

“The Secretary of State’s office is the front door to North Dakota’s 72,000 small businesses and many nonprofit organizations, but many find the registration and compliance processes cumbersome and outdated,” said Representative Josh Boschee, Democratic-NPL candidate for Secretary of State. “By partnering with business owners and industry leaders, ND Hub will be an intuitive platform that helps connect businesses to the various government entities they need to engage with. My goal as Secretary of State will be to eliminate inefficiencies and make sure the compliance process is as easy as possible for businesses, employers, farmers, and nonprofits.”

“Over the past six months, I have been traveling to many communities across the state, and visiting with business owners, community leaders, local elected officials, and others about what they would like to see in the Tax Commissioner’s office,” said Kylie Oversen, Democratic-NPL candidate for Tax Commissioner. “For many taxpayers, there is frustration over what they identify as a lack of transparency from the Tax Commissioner’s office. They aren’t sure where their tax dollars are going. Simple communication from the Tax Commissioner would ease many concerns. We need state government officials that are proactively looking to create efficiency and better serve North Dakotans. I look forward to implementing this vision as Tax Commissioner.”

Watch the press conference here.

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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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