Cost of Cramer’s Trade War: $39 Billion

(BISMARCK, ND) – The cost of the Congressman Cramer’s trade war is now becoming clear: According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, it could cost taxpayers as much as $39 billion to provide aid to all the industries affected by the ongoing trade war. And experts warn that the package – an additional $27 billion on top of the $12 billion that Cramer charged taxpayers last week – won’t cover the full extent of farmers’ losses.

Now Cramer, who is more concerned with winning elections than protecting North Dakota’s ag economy, is throwing aside his self-proclaimed fiscal conservative values and swiping the nation’s credit card to bail himself out of a political bind.

“It’s clear that Kevin Cramer’s faux concern for farmers is nothing more than a transparent political gambit to get him out of hot water with voters,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL.“But farmers want a market – and they know Cramer is to blame for this self-inflicted wound.”

From the beginning, Cramer has been one of the most enthusiastic cheerleaders of the trade war. After incorrectly predicting that there would only be “a couple of days scare” in the soybean market, Cramer demanded that North Dakota farmers endure “short-term pain” and called their concerns “hysteria.” Meanwhile, ag producers in the state have lost 20 percent off their bottom lines, leaving hundreds of thousands of acres without a buyer.

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Cramer Has To Fabricate Vets’ Support

Cramer Used Stock Photo of Vet in Paid Social Ad

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer is getting desperate. After his record of disrespecting veterans was put in the spotlight, Cramer went into damage control mode – and apparently the best he could come up with was using a California stock photo of a veteran in a paid social ad.

See Cramer’s ad and the stock photo on Getty Images side-by-side:

This isn’t the first time Cramer has used stock photos or North Dakotans’ images without permission in his campaign ads.

“It’s unfortunate that Cramer had to resort to a stock photo to demonstrate his support from veterans – but it’s no surprise given his disrespectful comments about their service and his reluctance to adequately fund their pay,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “

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Cramer Still Backed By Out-Of-State Dark Money

Despite Koch Snub, Cramer Still Propped Up By Out-Of-State Special Interests 
(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer may have lost the backing of Club for Growth and the Koch Network because of his fiscal conservative ‘inconsistencies,’ but he’s still backed by out-of-state special interests, including the billionaire Uihleins from Illinois. Cramer took the maximum primary contribution from Uihlein and his wife, who have made a point of funding other radical candidates across the country – including accused child molester and former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore – in order to buy their influence in Washington.

Don’t forget: Cramer has a history of accepting money and help from radical groups that don’t share North Dakota’s values. Earlier this year, Cramer “sought and received the support of an anti-LGBT group that links homosexuality to pedophilia and defends conversion therapy,” and Cramer still hasn’t returned a campaign contribution from a PAC that is “facing scrutiny from campaign finance regulators” that was formed to support Roy Moore.

And, perhaps most importantly, earlier this year Cramer admitted that he got into the Senate race, not at the urging of North Dakotans, but only after an out-of-state billionaire pledged to bankroll his campaign.

From Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL: “Kevin Cramer’s eagerness to accept dark money from out-of-state groups makes us wonder who he actually works for in DC: North Dakotans or the special interests bankrolling his campaign?”

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Read the Dozen Times Cramer Has Jeopardized Medicare

(BISMARCK, ND) – On the 53rd anniversary of Medicare, here’s a non-comprehensive list of the times Cramer has jeopardized Medicare – from calling for “means testing” to suggesting that Congress had to “get after”Medicare in order to balance the budget after voting for a budget-busting tax cut for the wealthy.

“Congressman Cramer can’t fool North Dakota’s seniors with his election year pandering – they’ve heard his repeated signals that call for cuts to Medicare and know he’d get rid of their hard-earned benefits to pay for his massive tax cut to the wealthy. Come November, they’ll hold Cramer accountable.”

  1. Cramer claimed Congress had to “get after entitlement reform” to deal with the debt and deficit – after he voted for a $2 trillion budget-busting tax cut for the wealthy [Dec. 19, 2017].
  2. Cramer voted for a budget that would have begun the privatization of Medicare [March 25, 2015].
  3. Cramer suggested implementing “means testing” so that some would “pay a little more of a premium for their Medicare” [July 19, 2018].
  4. Cramer refused to fully protect Medicare that folks 50 to 55 have earned, saying they would either face “small” cuts with “policy changes today,” or face Medicare that is “cut dramatically” [July 19, 2018].
  5. Cramer claimed he thought Medicare could use “some means testing” [February 14, 2018].
  6. Cramer called for “little things like indexing, for example,” and “maybe a little means testing” for Medicare and Social Security [April 25, 2018].
  7. Cramer claimed means testing for Social Security and Medicare could have “a huge impact” on balancing the federal budget [April 25, 2018].
  8. Cramer claimed changes to Medicare were necessary [February 14, 15, 17, 2018].
  9. Cramer clearly specified wanting to “do some things” with Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, suggesting “means testing”” and “changing age a little bit in the out years” [February 13, 2018].
  10. Cramer claimed “entitlement” spending had to be dealt with [February 15, 2018].
  11. Cramer wanted “entitlement reform” to come after passing his massive tax cut for the wealthy – in order to pay for the cut[September 7, 2017].
  12. Cramer would not commit to protecting Social Security or Medicare from cuts in order to deal with the debt created by tax reform [December 20, 2017].
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ICYMI: Google Ads Highlight Cramer’s Dangerous Health Care Agenda

Ad Buy First Reported in National Journal 

(BISMARCK, ND) – As part of a campaign-long, five-figure digital buy against Kevin Cramer, the North Dakota Dem-NPL launched Google search ads highlighting Cramer’s dangerous health care agenda that would have spiked premiums and stripped away coverage for thousands of North Dakotans.

North Dakotans can also learn more about the injury Cramer’s health care agenda could have caused if it passed – including harming folks with pre-existing conditions by making them pay more out of pocket for their care, imposing an ‘age tax’ on older North Dakotans, and spiking their health care costs.

See the ad:

And read more on Cramer’s dangerous health care agenda here.

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CROOKED CRAMER’S CHRONICLES – CRAMER’S DANGEROUS HEALTH CARE AGENDA IN THE SPOTLIGHT – CRAMER’S TRADE WAR “A SELF-INFLICTED WOUND” – #STANDWITHND

Welcome to Crooked 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.

DEM-NPL LAUNCHES GOOGLE ADS ON CRAMER’S DANGEROUS HEALTH CARE AGENDA. As first reported by the National Journal, the Dem-NPL launched Google search ads to mark the one year anniversary of the failure of ‘skinny repeal’ and remind North Dakota voters that, if Cramer had his way, they would be worse off: facing spiked premiums and stripped coverage. The ads direct viewers to a landing page that breaks down Cramer’s dangerous health care agenda, including harming folks with pre-existing conditions, imposing an ‘age tax’ on older North Dakotans, and spiking health care costs. See the ad:

And don’t miss Cramer’s infamous assertion that folks with pre-existing conditions are trying to “game” and “abuse” the system.

CRAMER’S HEALTH CARE PLAN “WRONG SOLUTION” FOR FARMERS. On top of Cramer’s harmful health care agenda, a recent report finds that skimpy health plans, the kind Cramer supports, “would be inadequate and unaffordable” and “would do more harm than good” to farmers and farm workers. With two out of three farmers and ranchers reporting having a pre-existing condition, this type of agenda is the exact opposite of what is needed – but that doesn’t seem to bother Cramer.

CRAMER’S TRADE WAR “A SELF-INFLICTED WOUND.” That’s how a former Ag Secretary described the Cramer-endorsed trade war amid concerns that North Dakota’s farmers and businesses are in for “a prolonged” standoff. Don’t forget: Despite overwhelming evidence that the trade war is inflicting real damage in the state, Cramer called these concerns “hysteria.” And while other Republican members of Congress are standing up against the trade war, Cramer is nowhere to be found. He’s still fanning the flames.

HEADLINE: NORTH DAKOTA AGRIBUSINESSMAN TELLS PENCE HE CAN’T SELL ENOUGH GRAIN.

  • “The thing that is at the forefront for anybody that is in production agriculture is getting rid of our crop this fall,” said Burgum, the governor’s first cousin. “It’s not just that the administration is going to throw $12 billion at the farmer, it’s moving the crop.”
  • “I think we believe across the board that tariffs are bad policy,” Skunes [president of the Corn Board for the National Corn Growers Association] said. “Instead of imposing tariffs, we would like the administration to be out creating new trade agreements … and get back to the bargaining table and finish up the negotiations with China so we can take all these tariffs off.”

#STANDWITHND. Anytime the White House comes to visit, it’s an opportunity for us to talk about the issues important to North Dakotans – and the Dem-NPL did just that, holding a Day of Action where nearly 200 volunteers reached out to over 10,000 voters. From concerns about the trade war that’s crippling our farmers and businesses to providing affordable care for families, we heard North Dakotans’ concerns. And Congressman Cramer? He was too busy holding a high-dollar, closed-door fundraiser. The contrast couldn’t be clearer.

DID YOU SEE OUR AD IN THE GRAND FORKS HERALD? In case you missed it, the Dem-NPL called on Cramer to put politics aside and put North Dakotans first during the VP’s visit by standing up for farmers, ranchers, and businesses against the disastrous trade war; standing up for the nearly 300,000 North Dakotans who have a pre-existing condition and are at risk of losing their care; and standing up for North Dakota’s seniors by supporting Social Security and Medicare.

But, in typical Cramer fashion, that didn’t happen. Here’s what we heard from him on how he’ll #StandWithND:

CRAMER’S ANTI-SENIOR AGENDA. Cramer is continuing to mislead North Dakotans, telling them he’ll protect Social Security and Medicare, while simultaneously advocating for “means testing” and increasing Medicare premiums. No wonder he has a lifetime score of nine percent from the Alliance for Retired Americans. North Dakotans won’t be fooled by his phony ads – they want someone like Heidi who’s fought and will keep fighting to protect their hard-earned benefits. Read more here.

TWEET OF THE WEEK.

After Increasing Debt Nearly $2 Trillion, Cramer Yet Again Reminds Us He’s Fiscally Irresponsible

(BISMARCK, ND) – As the trade war’s biggest cheerleader, Kevin Cramer has been pushing a reckless trade agenda that’s threatening the very livelihood of North Dakota’s farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers. It looks like it’s starting to threaten taxpayers, too.

Last year, Cramer voted to blow up our national debt to the tune of nearly $2 trillion dollars. Now, he’s at it again – by making our economy vulnerable to ‘self-inflicted’ wounds that will cost taxpayers a whopping $12 billion. Asked if he supports Senator Heitkamp’s legislation to give farmers aid – at no additional cost to taxpayers – Cramer said he’d rather take the budget-busting approach.

“Time and again, Kevin Cramer has shown North Dakotans that he can’t be trusted with taxpayer dollars,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “From his vote to add nearly $2 trillion to our national debt to helping start the trade war and pushing to make health care more expensive, it’s clear that Cramer cares more about advancing his own political career than the debt burden we’re passing onto our children and grandchildren.”

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Dem-NPL Launches Google Ads On Cramer’s Dangerous Health Care Agenda

On Anniversary of ‘Skinny Repeal’ Failure, Ads Will Remind North Dakotans About Cramer’s Hyper-Partisan Health Care Vote

(Bismarck, ND) – Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the failure of ‘skinny repeal’ in the Senate, today the North Dakota Dem-NPL is launching Google search advertisements highlighting Congressman Cramer’s vote for, and support of, his party’s dangerous health care agenda that would have spiked premiums and stripped away coverage for thousands of North Dakotans.

The Google search ads will reach North Dakota voters across the state who are searching for information about health care or Kevin Cramer and are part of a campaign-long, five-figure digital buy against Cramer. The ad directs viewers to a landing page with information on Cramer’s dangerous health care agenda, such as harming folks with pre-existing conditions, imposing an age tax on older North Dakotans, and spiking health care costs.

See the ad:

“If Congressman Cramer had his way, skinny repeal would have passed and North Dakotans would be facing higher health care costs and less comprehensive coverage. From now until Election Day, we’ll make sure voters know that Cramer chose to score political points rather than stand with North Dakotans when they needed it most,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL.

Reminder: 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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Democratic-NPL Leaders: Republican Infrastructure Plan Shortsighted, Too Dependent on Oil Revenue to be Sustainable

The newly announced Republican infrastructure plan leaves all cities and counties vulnerable to fluctuations in oil market

(BISMARCK, ND) — Today, North Dakota Republican legislative leaders outlined an inadequate plan that, at best, simply reshuffles oil funding and at worst ties local water and road projects to the price of oil.

Just over 100 days from the 2018 election, Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner and House Majority Leader Al Carlson released an infrastructure outline that would tie city and county projects to the same flawed and irresponsible funding model that has gotten North Dakota into its current budget troubles. Additionally, the proposal would hurt Western North Dakota’s cities and counties by exposing them to more damage if oil prices drop.

North Dakota is already facing an $800 million budget shortfall, while Governor Burgum is advocating for deeper 8 to 13 percent across-the-board cuts to public services. Meanwhile, Republican legislative leadership is pushing for a plan that will put local infrastructure projects at the mercy of oil prices.

“The plan unveiled by Republican legislative leadership falls short of meeting North Dakota’s pressing infrastructure priorities,” said House Minority Leader Corey Mock. “Much-needed property tax relief was cut in 2017 because of declining revenues and low oil prices. Tying local infrastructure funding to the same, volatile source of revenue is akin to putting more eggs into a single basket. Cities and counties not only need infrastructure support, but they deserve peace of mind that the state can deliver on its promise.”

“North Dakota Republicans have already tried this experiment with the state government’s finances, and now we see an $800 million shortfall and damaging cuts to important state services. We do not want cities and counties to face that same burden,” said Senate Minority Leader Joan Heckaman. “Our Democratic-NPL legislators are willing to work with the Governor and our Republican colleagues to pass sensible budgetary reforms that adequately and sustainably meet the needs of working families in our state.”

Dem-NPL Day of Action Reaches Over 10,000 Voters

As Vice President Pence hosts a high-dollar fundraiser for Kevin Cramer, almost 200 Dem-NPL volunteers packed field offices across the state

(BISMARCK, ND) — Yesterday, while Vice President Pence and Congressman Cramer hosted a closed-door, high-dollar fundraiser in Grand Forks, Democratic-NPL offices across the state were buzzing with nearly 200 volunteers, organizers, and candidates reaching out to over 10,000 voters.

In addition to the Day of Action, the Dem-NPL also hosted Ladies’ Night events throughout the state, drawing attention to Congressman Cramer’s anti-working families policies and Senator Heitkamp’s proactive work on behalf of North Dakota’s women, girls, and families.

“It was great to see so many volunteers show up for another Day of Action,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “While Kevin Cramer and Vice President Pence were dining with high-dollar donors, our volunteers were knocking on doors, placing phone calls, and speaking to voters about the issues that affect their lives. From demanding action to end the trade war to protecting health care, the voters we talked to made it clear: they want a Senator that will stand with North Dakota, not a rubber stamp for the administration.”

Cramer Yesterday On How He Will #StandWithND

(BISMARCK, ND) –

While we heard crickets from Cramer, here’s what he could have done to #StandWithND:

  • Stand with farmers, ranchers, and businesses against the disastrous trade war.
  • Stand with the nearly 300,000 North Dakotans who have a pre-existing condition and are at risk of losing affordable coverage.
  • Stand with North Dakota’s seniors by supporting Social Security and Medicare.
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Will Cramer Advocate for ND Issues at Closed-Door Fundraiser or Spend His Time Begging for Campaign Help?

(BISMARCK, ND) – During their closed-door fundraiser, Congressman Cramer will have the opportunity to discuss issues of importance with the Vice President. We hope he takes the time to advocate for issues affecting North Dakotans every day – like Heidi does during her White House visits – rather than using the time to ask for more help from Washington to aid his campaign.

In case Cramer has forgotten what’s going on in his state, here’s a far-from-comprehensive list of what he could do to begin working on behalf of North Dakotans:

“We sincerely hope Congressman Cramer uses his time with the Vice President in a productive manner, advocating for issues important to North Dakotans, rather than begging for more campaign help from Washington, D.C. – but we’re not holding our breath.”

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