Kevin Cramer Continues to Face Heat from Farmers on Membership to Radical, Anti-Agriculture Group

“Cramer already left us in the dust by cheering on a trade war that would harm our ag producers. Now, this looks like the final blow.”

(BISMARCK, ND) — Kevin Cramer is continuing to face heat for his dues-paying membership to the Republican Study Committee (RSC) – a radical, anti-agriculture group in the House of Representatives. Earlier this year, the RSC released their budget which included severe cuts to the crop insurance program, the elimination of the Renewable Fuel Standard and the elimination of the sugar program.

The Williston Herald first reported on Cramer’s RSC membership after Cramer and the House failed to pass a Farm Bill – with Cramer calling the partisan hang-up that led to the bill’s derailment as “not inappropriate.” The Wahpeton Daily News also reported on Cramer’s anti-ag associations, where he called the anti-ag RSC a ’good group.’

Bismarck Tribune: Cramer lets down farmers

  • The Republican study committee is a far right-wing group in the House of Representatives that supports a radical anti-agriculture agenda. That’s why I’m so disappointed that Kevin Cramer, who claims to represent his state’s farming community, is a member of this ideological caucus.

  • Growing up in a third generation farm family, this year’s document was downright frightening for me to read.

  • Why did Cramer sign on to a group that openly advocates for policies that would harm the agricultural community? How can we trust our lone vote in Congress to stand up for farmers when he’s joining up with such a dangerous, ideological committee?

Medicare is in Jeopardy Due to Cramer-Supported Tax Legislation

Kevin Cramer has a reckless, dangerous agenda for North Dakota seniors

(BISMARCK, ND) — Today, a new report shows that the Washington Republican tax law that Kevin Cramer (R-Harold Hamm) supported is threatening the future of Medicare for North Dakota seniors. But this isn’t the first time Cramer has tried to ax the programs seniors rely on – he’s salivated over the chance to cut Medicare and Social Security, proposing “means testing” and raising the retirement age.

“Kevin Cramer got into this race to help his wealthy donors like Harold Hamm – not to protect the benefits hardworking North Dakotans have earned,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “As we learn more about this partisan tax bill, it becomes even more clear that it’s a giveaway to the wealthy and corporate CEOs at the expense of programs like Medicare and Social Security. Kevin Cramer’s vote for the tax bill was simply a vote to add more than a trillion to the national debt and to undermine the Medicare system North Dakotans earned – plain and simple.”

In addition to undermining Medicare with his vote for the partisan tax bill, Kevin Cramer also voted for the American Health Care Act – which would have placed an age tax on seniors and astronomically raised the cost of their health care.

Washington Post: A crucial Medicare trust fund will run out three years earlier than predicted, new report says

  • The financial future of the part of Medicare that pays older Americans’ hospital bills has deteriorated significantly, according to an annual government report that forecasts that the trust fund will be depleted by 2026 — three years sooner than expected a year ago.

  • The report, issued Tuesday by a quartet of Trump administration officials who are trustees for Medicare and Social Security, reveals that policy changes ushered in by the president and the Republican Congress are weakening the financial underpinnings of the already fragile insurance program.

  • According to the report, less money will be flowing into the hospital-care trust fund in part because the tax law passed this year.”

Shot/Chaser: Cramer’s Tax Bill Defense is a Whopper

Shocker: Cramer’s “Get the Facts” Website is Full of Bogus

(BISMARCK, ND) — Kevin Cramer can’t defend his reckless vote on the Washington Republican tax bill without stretching the truth. Case in point – his dismissive and outright fabrications about the cost of the bill:

SHOT: Kevin Cramer said that Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s concerns about the deficits were “pure speculation” and doesn’t take into account economic growth.

CHASER(S): Even after accounting for economic growth, the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated the tax bill will cost more than $1 trillion over 10 years. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office also reported that largely due to the tax bill, budget deficits are rapidly increasing and will surpass $1 trillion two years sooner than previously anticipated – even while considering economic growth projections.

It looks like you can’t even trust Kevin Cramer to get the facts straight on his “Get the Facts” website. Sad!

Buchmann and Brandt Statement on Establishment of North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality Public Comments

Dem-NPL candidates for the Public Service Commission call for increased transparency and balanced oversight of environmental health

(BISMARCK, ND) — Today, North Dakota Democratic-NPL candidates for Public Service Commission Casey Buchmann and Jean Brandt attended a public comment meeting on the administrative rules relating to the establishment of the Department of Environmental Quality and released the following statements:

“North Dakotans deserve an open and transparent agency to monitor our state’s natural resources and how they impact the environment we share,” said Casey Buchmann, candidate for Public Service Commissioner. “My campaign is about accountability. We need voices on Public Service Commission that will challenge powerful interests to ensure the best outcomes for our citizens. The Department of Environmental Quality must be set up in a way that puts the public interest first.”

“My attendance at the public comment meeting was to voice my concerns and expectations of the newly formed North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and the protections it will provide our citizens,” said Jean Brandt, candidate for Public Service Commissioner. “I urged the panel to make certain the Department of Environmental Quality is not only transparent but brings voices to the table that truly represent the public interest today and for years to come.”

Cramer Flips on Tariff Flops

Despite months toeing a reckless line on tariffs, Kevin Cramer is getting nervous his anti-farmer stance is coming back to bite him

(BISMARCK, ND) — Kevin Cramer is getting nervous. Despite months of toeing the administration’s line on tariffs and brushing aside farmers’ concerns as political hysteria, he seems to have realized just how far out of step he is with North Dakotans.

He’s tried the revisionist history before, but now he’s going for a complete 180. In an April 20 email he said we need one vote in the Senate to support the president’s disastrous trade policies.

One month later, Cramer is singing a different tune – he’s still trying to have it both ways, but farmers are feeling burned by his Washington-speak.

“Kevin Cramer is talking out of both sides of his mouth on tariffs,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “One day he’s a cheerleader for these misguided trade policies, and now he says he’s standing up for North Dakotans? Give me a break, he’s spun around so fast he must have whiplash. North Dakotans need consistent and outspoken leadership on this issue, but Kevin Cramer has shown us he doesn’t have the spine to stand tall in support of our farmers and ranchers.”

PolitiFact Takes Down Cramer’s Lies about Heidi’s Legislative Record

“We rate [Cramer’s] statement False.”

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer (R-Harold Hamm) can’t seem to catch a break. After being snubbed by President Trump, blaming the White House for GOP legislative failures and defending a GOP candidatewho was caught peeping on college freshmen women, Cramer is now being called out by PolitiFact for lying about Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s record.

“North Dakotans are seeing Kevin Cramer come completely unglued right before their eyes – defending a convicted window-peeper, lashing out at the White House for his own insecurities and now, telling baseless lies about Heidi Heitkamp,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “It’s clear that Cramer doesn’t have real accomplishments to run on, so now, he’s taking a page from Mitch McConnell’s swampy playbook and campaigning from the gutter. Fortunately, North Dakotans won’t let Kevin Cramer lie his way into the U.S. Senate.”

Below are key points from PolitiFact’s takedown of Kevin Cramer’s lie:

PolitiFact: Kevin Cramer distorts Heidi Heitkamp’s record on banking regulations

  • North Dakota Democrats bragged on Twitter that during the bill’s signing Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, got a shoutout from President Donald Trump while Rep. Kevin Cramer, a Republican, lurked in the background. Cramer shot back that Heitkamp only discovered an interest in relieving regulations for banks after Cramer applied pressure.

  • We were curious: Did Heitkamp’s interest in regulatory relief flower overnight? It’s something other Democrats have criticized her for, so we wondered if it was an election-year stance.

  • A review of the evidence shows that Heitkamp has been working on banking issues since she was elected in 2012. She joined the Senate Banking Committee in 2013.

  • “During the entirety of (her tenure), she has often expressed a desire for regulatory relief for community banks and credit unions,” said Rob Blackwell, editor of American Banker. “The idea that she’s a johnny-come-lately to regulatory reform just doesn’t hold water.”

  • “The North Dakota Democrat has emerged as a key player on the Banking Committee, helping to work on a bipartisan housing finance reform bill and championing legislation to provide relief to small banks,” the profile reads. “In doing so, she has impressed bankers in her home state and her fellow legislators with her commitment to financial issues and willingness to work across the political aisle.”

  • Heitkamp has been an advocate of regulatory relief for small banks since she ran for the Senate in 2012. Cramer announced his Senate bid in February.

As Unpopular Tariffs Threaten Millions of Jobs, Kevin Cramer Stands By Trade War

New reports spell trouble for North Dakota industries and pro-tariff pols like Cramer

(BISMARCK, ND) — Another day, another example of how unpopular and dangerous Kevin Cramer’s support of the Trump administration’s trade war is — and how it spells trouble for opportunistic pro-tariff politicians like him.

In a U.S. Chamber of Commerce memo obtained by the Wall Street Journal, experts estimate that as many as 2.6 million jobs could disappear if the Administration continues down this path. We have already seen retaliations promised by China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union, and in a state that depends heavily on exports, North Dakota’s industries are extremely vulnerable.

But it’s not just the economists and business experts who are sounding alarm bells. Increasingly, the American people are speaking out against the threat that these misguided policies pose to their bottom line through loss of jobs, increased taxes, and higher prices. In a new poll published by Politico, 70 percent of voters would like to see the administration focus on negotiating trade deals that open up new markets for American goods.

So, tariffs are bad for the economy, may cost millions of jobs, will hit North Dakota hard, and are extremely unpopular. Why is Kevin Cramer still supporting them?

WSJ: Trump’s Trade Policies Threaten Millions of Jobs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Says

  • The Trump administration’s trade policies will hamstring the U.S.’s robust economic growth and threaten as many as 2.6 million jobs, according to a memo from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s top official on Thursday.

  • The memo—from Tom Donohue, the chamber’s chief executive, to his board of directors—followed news Thursday morning that President Donald Trump’s administration would make good on threats to apply tariffs to steel and aluminum imports from neighbors and allies, including Canada, Mexico and the European Union.

  • In the memo, Mr. Donohue cited a number of the administration’s trade initiatives that he wrote would hurt growth and employment. Should the president, for example, pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, as Mr. Trump has threatened to do many times, it would cause a net loss of 1.8 million jobs, he wrote. Efforts to reach a deal and enact a new version of Nafta this year have stalled.

  • Meanwhile, the administration has threatened tariffs on autos and auto parts, on steel and aluminum, and on intermediary goods from China that are used in U.S. supply chains, all of which would contribute to job loss and an economic slowdown, Mr. Donohue wrote in the memo, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

  • Canada, Mexico and the European Union all threatened retaliation against the U.S. after Mr. Trump’s administration declined Thursday to renew a tariff exemption that prevented Canada, Mexico and the EU from facing broad duties on steel and aluminum shipments to the U.S. Those products will face tariffs as of Friday.

  • “The current approach—and the obvious retaliation that will occur in response—poses a serious risk of raising barriers and reducing Americans’ access to vital global markets,” Mr. Donohue wrote in the memo. “Our businesses will lose customers, workers will lose jobs, and American consumers will lose family income through higher taxes and higher prices.”

Politico: Poll: Voters want trade deals, not tariffs

  • A huge majority of U.S. voters would prefer that President Donald Trump focus more on negotiating new trade agreements rather than imposing tariffs on foreign imports, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll released Thursday.

  • The poll of nearly 2,000 registered voters found that 70 percent of them would prefer the Trump administration focus more on “negotiating trade agreements to open new markets to sell American-made products and goods.” Only 14 percent, in contrast, answered that they would prefer the administration focus on “imposing tariffs or taxes on foreign products to slow down their sales in the United States.”

  • When voters were asked which they would prefer Congress focused on, the numbers were similar: 67 percent wanted lawmakers to focus on negotiating new deals, while 16 percent said they would prefer they focus on imposing tariffs.

FRIDAY SPECIAL: Kevin Cramer’s no good, very bad week

Snubbed by Trump, lashing out at the White House and defending a window peeper – Kevin Cramer is fully unhinged

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer (R-Harold Hamm) had a really, really bad week. From Fargo to Washington, newspaper headlines show just how desperate and bitter Cramer has become in the North Dakota Senate race – lashing out at the White House while defending a GOP candidate arrested and convicted for preying on college freshmen women.

Here’s a roundup of headlines that remind us why the GOP looked high and low for a better candidate than Cramer:

POLITICO: GOP sweats Trump’s Heitkamp flirtation

“…As the president signed a banking deregulation bill into law before a national audience, Heitkamp was right next to him, the only Democrat in the room.

“As the election year kicks into high gear, Republicans have grown increasingly frustrated with Trump’s ongoing flirtation with the freshman senator. At a time when many in the GOP fear that the president’s unpredictable style will undercut their best-laid midterm plans, the relationship has given Heitkamp — who is seeking reelection in a state where Trump won nearly two-thirds of the vote — fodder to portray herself as a presidential ally.”

…

“‘We will see footage of this on every platform,’ said Doug Heye, a former top Republican National Committee official. ‘It’s a huge gift for her campaign.’”

…

“After Cramer learned last year that Heitkamp would be accompanying the president on Air Force One to North Dakota, he complained bitterly to the White House, according to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions.”

Axios: Republicans worry about Trump-Heitkamp alliance

“Heitkamp is a bit of a unicorn — she’s a Democrat who’s had more than a dozen meetings with President Trump since the election, ridden on Air Force One with him, and was even considered for a cabinet position. And the North Dakota Democratic Party is using her close relationship to POTUS as a selling point to voters.”

NDxPlains: A Pattern Emerges. Cramer “Complained Bitterly to the White House” According to Latest Report

“As we learn more about Congressman Kevin Cramer’s behind the scenes approach to the White House, we get a more clear glimpse to his level of confidence. Last week, it was revealed Cramer called the political director at the White House and begged for more help from President Trump. I shared my take at the time. This morning, Politico reported on the GOP – including Cramer – sweating over Trump’s working relationship with Heitkamp. In it, a pattern emerged.”

…

“The constant complaining Cramer has unleashed upon the White House and President Trump demonstrates to me he lacks the confidence in his own accomplishments. Begging others to do more for you rather than pulling up those bootstraps and taking on the work yourself runs against North Dakota values. In politics, it reeks of desperation.”

National Journal: Cramer Upset Trump Likes Heitkamp

“As the election year kicks into high gear, Republicans have grown increasingly frustrated with” President Trump’s “ongoing flirtation with” Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D).

After Rep. Kevin Cramer (R) “learned last year that Heitkamp would be accompanying the president on Air Force One to North Dakota, he complained bitterly to the White House. … Heitkamp, Cramer predicted at the time, would try to use it to her political advantage.”

…

“Yet the congressman declined to predict whether the president would go after Heitkamp aggressively, as Trump has done with other Democratic incumbents. … Trump has asked Cramer whether he likes Heitkamp, and when the congressman responds yes, the president seems to be ‘relieved,’ Cramer said.”’

POLITICO: GOP Senate candidate lashes out at Trump’s legislative director

“Rep. Kevin Cramer, one of the GOP’s top Senate recruits, launched an unusual attack on the White House’s legislative director Wednesday, blaming him explicitly for the party’s legislative failures in the Senate.

“The comments from Cramer (R-N.D.) come amid rising GOP angst over President Donald Trump’s close relationship with his opponent in the North Dakota Senate race, Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.”

The Hill: GOP Senate candidate takes shot at top Trump aide

“Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) on Wednesday sought to tamp down Republican concerns about President Trump’s relationship with Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, his general election rival, but took a shot at a top Trump aide in the process.”

…

“Despite the White House’s role helping to prod Cramer into the Senate race, Trump has played nice with Heitkamp. He called her onto the stage at a tax event in North Dakota last year and his staff invited her to a bill signing last week at the White House.

“Republicans have quietly expressed concern that the episodes give Heitkamp ammunition for her campaign in a state Trump won overwhelmingly in 2016. Her campaign released an ad this week quoting Senate Republicans praising her.”

Forum: McFeely: Cramer calls window-peeping Gardner ‘a very good man’

“As the father of a teen-aged daughter, I would not define an adult male looking into the windows of college girls with his pants unzipped (do the prudish Republicans grasp what that fact would seem to suggest Gardner was doing?) as “a very good man.” I would define him as a creep.”

…

“There seems to be no recognition from Cramer that committing a sex crime that was later pleaded down to disorderly conduct would be a disqualifier from holding public office. There seems to be no recognition of the victims. There seems to be no recognition that Gardner’s crime was immoral and debased.”

Daily Kos: ND congressman leaps to the defense of Republican candidate caught peeping with his pants unzipped

“To this day, Gardner’s account does not match those of the three officers who witnessed his prowling. You’d think that would be enough for North Dakota Republicans to distance themselves, but not United States Congressman Kevin Cramer. No sir! on the “Jarrod Thomas Show” Cramer thought Gardner’s withdrawal from the race for secretary of state was premature and he wishes he would’ve weathered the storm. Furthermore, he called Gardner a “good man” and hopes he runs again. Does a good man, a married 29-year-old with two kids at home go creeping outside the women’s dorm with his pants unzipped?”

As Trade War Expands, Armstrong’s Pro-Tariff Talk Means More Bad News for North Dakota

Administration announces tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, threatening North Dakota’s economy

(BISMARCK, ND) — With more news of an expanding trade war, more bad news comes for North Dakota’s economy. The Trump administration already announced tariffs on $50 billion on Chinese goods, which were quickly met with threats against American agriculture. Now the administration is going after our allies in Canada, Mexico, and the European Union with its next round of misguided and harmful changes to trade policy, which have also met with promises of retaliation.

And where is Kelly Armstrong in all of this? Siding with the administration, not North Dakota. He has had the chance to denounce these tariffs, but time and time again he’s spoken in favor of the administration’s trade policies.

“Kelly Armstrong wants to be the voice of North Dakota in Washington, but he has shown he won’t stand up to the administration even when North Dakota farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers need him to,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “It’s plain and simple: retaliatory tariffs would hurt North Dakota’s economy. But rather than stand up for North Dakotans, Kelly has been quickly agreeingwith the tariff policy when asked about it. North Dakota needs a strong, independent voice in the House of Representatives, and Kelly Armstrong will not be it.”

ICYMI: #TBT: Just Like in 2013, Kevin Cramer’s Political Scheming Over Farm Bill Passage Skewered

Grand Forks Herald editorial board wonders why if those vying to replace Cramer get it, “Why can’t others?”

(BISMARCK, ND) – This week, the Grand Forks Herald editorial board mourned the death of the 2018 Farm Bill in the House of Representatives. Without using Cramer’s name, the Herald wondered why such a broadly beneficial bill could be derailed by the same type of partisan politics Cramer endorsed before the bill tanked, dismissively saying “it’s what you do in this business.”

Citing instead the firm statements in favor of a strong Farm Bill from the candidates vying for Cramer’s soon-to-be vacated seat, the Herald asks the simple, exasperated question: “These guys seem to get it. Why can’t others?” Hmm, wonder who that question could be aimed at?

Flashback to the last Farm Bill when Cramer was up to his same political tricks – and the Herald blasted him for his efforts to hold the bill hostage which almost derailed its passage entirely. Just like in 2013, the Herald echoed the frustration of North Dakota farmers and ranchers and bemoaned North Dakota’s lack of a leader in the House who can put politics aside to bring about compromise. That lack of leadership led the House’s effort to pass the bill to collapse this month, leaving farmers out to dry.

So, why is Congressman Cramer still failing North Dakota farmers and ranchers? He’s had since 2013 to learn how to play nice with the other side of the aisle for the good of North Dakota’s ag community. But Cramer is still unable or unwilling to put partisan politics aside to get necessary legislation across the finish line.

“Once, again, Kevin Cramer has proven that he’s happy to leave his constituents high and dry if it pleases his party bosses,” said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Dem NPL. “Time and time again, he’s demonstrated to North Dakotans that he’s not capable of reaching across the aisle, compromising, or achieving results. For years, the Farm Bill has stood alone in Congress as a rare example of bipartisanship. Kevin Cramer has stood by and done nothing as partisans on the far right hijacked the bill for their own political gain. North Dakota’s farmers and ranchers won’t forget his inability to deliver on this key piece of legislation.”

Read a quick summary of the Herald’s editorial below:

Grand Forks Herald: Our opinion: Aggies stuck in the middle of bill debate

  • It’s frustrating when legislation that’s so important to rural America fails due to issues that have little to do with crop and livestock production.

  • It’s difficult to stomach, since the farm bill means so much to the people who rely on agriculture and who have become pawns in a tiresome political game.

  • A trade war with China is looming. The price of corn has fallen by half in the past six years. Most commodity prices — including crop and livestock prices — have been moving downward for five consecutive years. The price of steel is rising, which means the price of farm equipment is destined to rise as well. Net farm income is expected to be down 7 percent this year.

  • Kelly Armstrong, the Republican, said Congress needs to “make sure supplemental crop insurance is taken care of. … Just because there was a drought last year doesn’t mean there is not going to be a drought again next year. Supplemental crop insurance is the difference between being able to plant your field the year after or going bankrupt.”

  • Mac Schneider, the Democrat, said the farm bill debate “is indicative of the larger problems in Washington: partisanship, political polarization, no willingness to work together as parties. … Let’s set ideology aside and find a way to secure a safety net for farmers and ranchers during these times of sustained low prices.”

  • These guys seem to get it. Why can’t others?

ICYMI: Cramer Comes Unhinged – Defends Window Peeper, Lashes Out at White House

After unsuccessfully pleading for Trump’s praise, Cramer endorses a convicted Peeping Tom, then blames White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short for GOP legislative failures

(BISMARCK, ND) — Still jilted from getting snubbed by President Trump – or perhaps just jealous of his opponent’s legislative prowess – Kevin Cramer came a little…unhinged.

After pleading with the White House to campaign more for him just last week, the president’s gratitude for Senator Heitkamp’s leadership during the signing of the Banking bill caused Cramer to – well, snap. Asked about reports that he was upset that the White House wasn’t campaigning for him enough and being too friendly to Heitkamp, Cramer lashed out at White House Legislative Director Marc Short, saying yesterday, “If Marc Short was very good at his job, you know, we’d have a repeal and replacement of Obamacare, we’d have a replacement of the venting and flaring rule.”

This comes one week after Cramer rushed to the defense of the political career of a convicted Peeping Tom who preyed on freshman female students at North Dakota State University where he was employed as a 29-year-old married father. Cramer called the predator, Will Gardner, a “very good man” who handled the exposure of the criminal record he tried to hide in a “gentlemanly way,” saying Gardner “absolutely” has a bright political future ahead of him.

Politico: GOP Senate candidate lashes out at Trump’s legislative director

  • Rep. Kevin Cramer, one of the GOP’s top Senate recruits, launched an unusual attack on the White House’s legislative director Wednesday, blaming him explicitly for the party’s legislative failures in the Senate.

  • The comments from Cramer (R-N.D.) come amid rising GOP angst over President Donald Trump’s close relationship with his opponent in the North Dakota Senate race, Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.

  • After POLITICO published a story on Wednesday outlining the awkward dynamic between Heitkamp, Cramer and the White House, Cramer told North Dakota radio host Rob Port that he had done some digging and believes that there “are some people in the White House that think, you know, the president’s too friendly too her.”

  • Then Cramer laid into White House legislative affairs director Marc Short for two prominent failed GOP efforts in the Senate: Repeal of Obamacare and the rollback of an Obama-era regulation that would limit flaring and venting from oil and gas wells. Heitkamp voted against both and Cramer has criticized her in particular over the flaring vote.

  • “If Marc Short was very good at his job, you know, we’d have a repeal and replacement of Obamacare, we’d have a replacement of the venting and flaring rule,” Cramer said.

Daily Kos: ND Congressman leaps to the defense of Republican candidate caught peeping with his pants unzipped

  • The party of questionable “family values” is at it once again. This time Congressman Kevin Cramer (R-At-large) of North Dakota appeared on the conservative “Jarrod Thomas Show” to discuss his feelings about Republican Secretary of State candidate Will Gardner dropping out of the race after revelations he was arrested in 2006.

  • Although currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Cramer is challenging Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), hoping to make the leap to the United States Senate this fall. At the time, Gardner was a 29-year-old married father of two who was caught peeping on women undressing in a North Dakota State dorm.

  • To this day, Gardner’s account does not match those of the three officers who witnessed his prowling. You’d think that would be enough for North Dakota Republicans to distance themselves, but not United States Congressman Kevin Cramer. No sir! on the “Jarrod Thomas Show” Cramer thought Gardner’s withdrawal from the race for secretary of state was premature and he wishes he would’ve weathered the storm.

  • Furthermore, he called Gardner a “good man” and hopes he runs again.Does a good man, a married 29-year-old with two kids at home go creeping outside the women’s dorm with his pants unzipped? Is this someone who should be representing North Dakota?

  • On whether he would’ve won the primary if voters had known in advance?

    • I’m not so sure Will wouldn’t have still won the Republican endorsement had he done, had he revealed this much, much earlier and explained it to people, and in which case, I think he wouldn’t have much of an issue.

  • Should Gardner have exited the race as quickly as he did once the arrest became public? Cramer thinks he should’ve chilled out for a bit, let the peeping brouhaha die down.

    • I think that a little time, you know, is always valuable when you are faced with something like this. […] So but you’re right, there was, in my view, there was no urgency for the party to have had to have this settled immediately.

  • Should Gardner run again some day? Why, of course! Everyone loves to see creepy guys get another chance at public office.

    • [Could Gardner] one day run for a state office again? I absolutely think there is. I absolutely think there is. And I think that maybe that was part of this calculation of how he handled it because I do think, again, North Dakotans, like other Americans, like the redemption story. Will is that. He is by all measure, by anybody who knows him and knows him well, including his wife, a very good man.

ICYMI: Farm Bill Failure – Yet Another Example of Washington’s Partisan Politics

Washington Republicans derailed the vital bill over unrelated immigration squabble

Cramer refuses to stand up to hardliners in his party, says it’s “not inappropriate” to jeopardize legislation that many hardworking North Dakotans depend on

(BISMARCK, ND) – At one time, collaborating on the Farm Bill served as a rare example of cooperation in Washington, according to a recent editorial reprinted in the Bismarck Tribune. Apparently, those days are long gone, as far-right conservatives in the House of Representatives have steered this year’s Farm Bill way off of the bipartisan course over a wholly unrelated political vote.

North Dakota’s lone representative in the House would normally be expected to serve as an advocate for the legislation, which is widely supported by farmers and ranchers in rural states. But not Kevin Cramer. Cramer, a proud member of an ideological caucus that backs anti-farming legislation, has refused to stand up to the right flank of his party, describing their actions to sink the bill as “not inappropriate.” Opposing bipartisanship is nothing new for Cramer, who has been criticized in the past for politicizing farm bills and is currently feeling the heat for his complaints over the president’s close relationship with Senator Heitkamp.

Meanwhile, Heitkamp is working diligently across the aisle to help craft a strong, bipartisan Farm Bill in the Senate, and has repeatedly expressed her support for cooperation on this critical legislation.

Highlights from the editorial below:

Bismarck Tribune via Lincoln Journal Star: Farm bill’s failure shows partisanship

  • Recently, the House’s proposal to replace the current farm bill that expires later this year failed in spectacular fashion.

  • What once inspired thoughtful policy debate on the agriculture industry, conservation, food assistance and more has increasingly become a proxy war for unrelated topics. Given the importance of the farm bill, that’s a crying shame. Americans deserve better of their Congress.

  • At one time, hashing out the farm bill was among the most bipartisan exercises on Capitol Hill. Why? Because representatives and senators all sought to please key constituencies in their states, with all regions benefiting from ag policy, food stamps, environmental rules and more.

  • Instead, this year’s version — which was admittedly flawed — died not on its own merits but largely because a small cadre of immigration hard-liners wanted to trip up an unrelated bill regarding “Dreamers.”

  • Some might call that playing politics. But therein lies the problem.

  • Politics don’t have to be a zero-sum game. No compelling reason exists as to why Americans can’t enjoy both updated farm policy and much-needed immigration reform, beyond the people elected to the office deciding that scoring political points in an election year was more important than passing laws for those same constituents.