CROOKED CRAMER’S CHRONICLES – NEW TARIFFS EN ROUTE TO CRAMER FUNDRAISER – CRAMER PASSES TRADE WAR DEADLINE WITHOUT ACTION – DEM-NPL VOLUNTEERS GATHER FOR DAY OF ACTION

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.

BREAKING: PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES NEW TARIFFS READY IN CRAMER-ENDORSED TRADE WAR. On his way to Fargo for the high-dollar, closed-door fundraiser, the president announced another $267 billion in China tariffs are ‘ready to go.’ That’s bad news for North Dakota – but we’re not counting on Kevin Cramer to take any actions to stop it. That’s because Cramer’s only campaign promise has been to support the president 100 percent of the time – even when it’s bad for North Dakota.

CRAMER TRADE WAR DEADLINE PASSES WITHOUT ACTION. To the surprise of no one in North Dakota, Cramer missed his self-imposed September 1st deadline of when he’d become “concerned” enough to stand against the trade war and break his pledge of supporting the president 100 percent of the time. Instead of offering any real, lasting solutions to mitigate the effects of the trade war, Cramer has doubled down on his reckless support. Since he created his self-imposed deadline, he’s:

See how much time has passed since Cramer’s deadline here.

DEM-NPL VOLUNTEERS GATHER FOR DAY OF ACTION. In stark contrast to the Cramer’s high-dollar, closed-door fundraiser with the president, the North Dakota Dem-NPL is providing free hot dogs and snacks for folks volunteering at its Day of Action. With over 300 volunteer shifts scheduled, we’re planning to serve a lot of hot dogs. 🌭 🌭

SELF-SERVING CRAMER. Cramer’s holding another closed-door fundraiser… is he  too scared to campaign in public? He’s got reason to be: between his health care agenda that threatens coverage for many folks in North Dakota, including individuals with a pre-existing condition and his reckless embrace of the administration’s trade war that’s hurting North Dakota’s farmers, manufacturers, and producers, Cramer has a lot to answer for. Just don’t count on getting any answers from him.

CRAMER TRYING TO REWRITE RECORD ON PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS. But, as HuffPost points out, “voters aren’t likely to believe they suddenly care about pre-existing conditions, just because they say they do.” And they won’t forget the 65 times Cramer voted to repeal or undermine the current health care law that could have harmed those with pre-existing conditions by increasing the cost of their insurance, imposed an age tax on North Dakotans ages 50-64, and increased health care costs.

FARM BILL POLITICS. A quick reminder that Kevin Cramer has a history of playing politics and supporting partisan poison pills in the Farm Bill. It led the Williston Herald to call on Cramer to “take a lesson from Hoeven and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp” and the Grand Forks Herald Editorial Board to label Cramer as an “ideologu[e] who value[s] purity above results.”

TWEET INVITE OF THE WEEK. We fixed Kevin Cramer’s invite to show what his fundraiser with the president actually gets him:

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60 Days, 65 Votes to Undermine North Dakotans’ Health Care

(BISMARCK, ND) – With the election 60 days away, a reminder that Kevin Cramer voted over 60 times to repeal or undermine the current health care law – including votes that could have harmed those with pre-existing conditions by increasing the cost of their insurance, imposed an age tax on older North Dakotans, and increased health care costs.

From Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota-Democratic NPL:
“Sixty-five. That’s how many times Kevin Cramer demonstrated to North Dakotans that he doesn’t care about their health care. Sixty-five times Cramer chose to kowtow to his political bosses in the hopes of advancing his career rather than look out for North Dakotans’ best interests. But Cramer’s health care agenda is unpopular with North Dakotans of every political persuasion and, come Election Day, they’ll hold him accountable.”

Read more about Cramer’s dangerous health care agenda here.

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BREAKING: More Tariffs Announced On Way to Cramer Fundraiser

(BISMARCK, ND) – En route to Fargo for a closed-door, ritzy fundraiser for administration lapdog Kevin Cramer, the president announced that his administration threatened tariffs on an additional $267 billion of Chinese goods – this is on top of the tariffs on $200 billion on Chinese goods the administration is preparing to enact in the coming days.

“There’s no question about it – escalating this reckless trade war is bad for North Dakota’s economy,” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “Despite that obvious fact, we don’t expect Kevin Cramer to raise the issue during his time with the president because he is more concerned with raking in high-dollar donations and climbing the political ladder than standing with North Dakota’s farmers and manufacturers on trade issues.”

From the outset, Cramer has fallen in line as one of Washington’s most enthusiastic cheerleaders of the president’s trade war. Out of touch with the economic realities in his home state, Cramer has repeatedly dismissed the concerns of North Dakotans as “hysteria” and suggested that farmers hang tough in the face of “short-term pain.” Meanwhile, soybean prices have dropped as much as 20 percent, steel prices for North Dakota’s manufacturers have gone up as much as 30 percent, and soybean orders from China have stopped.

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**Corrected** Cramer Fundraiser Invitation

Remember When The GOP Didn’t Want Cramer to Run?

(BISMARCK, ND) – When Republicans first considered Congressman Kevin Cramer’s candidacy, they cringed and worked to keep him out of the race. Why didn’t they want him to run? Maybe it was Cramer’s penchant for saying outrageously offensive things. Or maybe it was his sycophantic need to stand with the president 100 percent of the time, even when it’s bad for North Dakota.

“Top Republicans in Washington are privately sending this message to a GOP congressman once viewed as a top recruit in North Dakota: Don’t run.” [CNN, 4/14/17]

National Republicans are lukewarm on Rep. Kevin Cramer.” [Politico, 7/6/17]

“Republicans were trying to keep [Cramer] out of the race.” [Politico, 2/14/18]

“A Series Of Gaffes” “Convinced The GOP” To Look For Non-Cramer Candidates. [Politico, 1/11/18]

“Last year, [the GOP] wanted to go a different direction.” [ND Explains, 2/13/18]

Republicans Were Fearful Cramer Gaffes Could Hurt Chances Of Taking Seat; GOP Campaign Veteran Said Cramer Had “Akin-Like Tendencies.” [CNN, 4/14/17]

Top Republicans are pressuring Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) not to launch a 2018 Senate bid against Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, according to a new report.” [The Hill, 4/14/17]

Since Cramer entered the race, he’s continued to prove why Republicans were nervous in the first place:

  • HEADLINE: CNN: GOP Senate candidate Kevin Cramer: ‘Nothing inhumane about a chain-link fence’
  • HEADLINE: West Fargo Pioneer: GOP Senate hopeful Kevin Cramer sought, received support of extreme anti-gay group, CNN reports
  • HEADLINE: PolitiFact: Kevin Cramer distorts record on government shutdown
  • HEADLINE: Washington Post: N.D. Republican’s Senate campaign ‘fact-checking’ website promotes false claim on CBO estimates
  • HEADLINE: PolitiFact: Kevin Cramer distorts Heidi Heitkamp’s record on banking regulations
  • Valley News Live: Cramer’s Ad “Misleading”
  • Zaleski, The Forum: Cramer’s Medicare ad’s “premise is false […] He can’t fudge his record, although he is one of the best fudge masters in Washington, D.C.”
  • HEADLINE: Forum: McFeely: Cramer’s admission is Hamm-handed

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Cramer Missed Important Vote During Last High-Dollar, Closed-Door Fundraiser

(BISMARCK, ND) – Once again, Kevin Cramer is putting his financial interest and political capital ahead of working for North Dakotans. Back in July, Cramer skipped out on work to attend a high-dollar, closed-door fundraiser with Vice President Pence. While Cramer was busy glad-handing with wealthy fundraisers, he missed votes, including a key vote to delay the HIT tax, once again putting his own political self-interests ahead of North Dakotans. Now, he’s doing the same for a fundraiser with the President – on the taxpayers’ dime.

From Courtney Press, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL: “Using taxpayer money and time to advance his career and increase his finances – nothing is more emblematic of Kevin Cramer’s political career.”

Background:

CRAMER SKIPPED A VOTE TO DELAY THE HIT TAX

July 25, 2018: Due To Pence’s Visit, Cramer Missed A Vote To Delay The HIT Tax For Two Years. On July 25, 2018, Cramer missed a vote “to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to modify the definition of qualified health plan for purposes of the health insurance premium tax credit and to allow individuals purchasing health insurance in the individual market to purchase a lower premium copper plan.” According to the National Association of Plan Advisers, “It would also delay the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance tax for another two years.” The House agreed to the bill, by a vote of 242 to 176. [H.R.6311   – House Vote 376, 7/25/18; National Association of Plan Advisers, 7/26/18]

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Cramer Acknowledges Anxiety from Trade War, But Doesn’t Offer Solutions

(BISMARCK, ND) – It’s been over four days and twelve hours since Kevin Cramer missed his self-imposed deadline to stand with North Dakota against the trade war. Reminder: Cramer gave a deadline of September for when he’d become “concerned” enough to stand against the trade war and break his pledge of supporting the president 100 percent of the time, even when it’s bad for North Dakota.

Cramer has even admitted that “there’s clearly some anxiety in agriculture about what’s going on” with the trade war, but he has yet to take any real measures to stem the economic effects it’s having.

How much more time will pass before Cramer puts North Dakotans ahead of his political capital?

On September 1st, the North Dakota Dem-NPL revamped its countdown clock to keep track of how long it’s been since Cramer failed to meet his own deadline.

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Cramer (R-Special Interests) Only Ran for Senate Because Out-of-State Billionaire Promised To Help

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer’s high-dollar, closed-door fundraiser shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been following his campaign or political career. Cramer prioritizes financial gain and political capital ahead of the North Dakotans he’s supposed to serve. That’s why – by his own admission – he only ran for U.S. Senate when an out-of-state billionaire promised to help him fundraise. So of course his fundraiser on Friday includes contribution levels of $50,000, with the cheapest ticket coming in at $1,000: he’s catering to his wealthy donors like Harold Hamm and Dan Eberhart, rather than folks in our state.

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.

Hamm, with his billions in North Dakota oil profits, became Cramer’s national finance chairman in February, which was a deciding factor in Cramer’s flip-flopping stance on whether to run against Heitkamp, or not.

For years, Hamm’s money trails to Cramer branches like tributaries of the Missouri River. Sometimes donations are direct deposits to Cramer, at other times the funds are processed through PACs and committees. More than 50 percent of Cramer’s funds for his U.S. Senate run have come from large and primarily out-of-state contributors such as Energy Transfer Partners, the parent company of the Dakota Access Pipeline.”

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.

Forum: “[T]he absolute most miserably insufficient reason to run, is to have an out-of-state industrialist with a direct interest in having you elected be the person who finally persuaded you. North Dakota, meet Kevin Cramer.

Not North Dakotans, not the country. A wealthy out-of-state oil man who promised to raise a lot of money. That’s the who and why that tripped Cramer’s trigger. It’s always telling to know what compels people to make major decisions. Harold Hamm compelled Kevin Cramer. What does that tell you?

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SHOT/CHASER: Cramer Misleads On Campaign Pledge To Stand With President 100 Percent

(BISMARCK, ND) – Kevin Cramer’s one campaign pledge is that he’ll support the president 100 percent of the time. But now that the president’s trade war is wreaking havoc on North Dakota’s economy, he’s trying to paper over his record of support, claiming he’s never been with the president 100 percent of the time and, in fact, that he doesn’t keep score of how often he voted with presidents. That’s false.

SHOT: Cramer Claimed He Had Never Been With Trump 100 Percent Of The Time And Did Not Keep Score Of How Often He Voted With Presidents.

CHASER: Cramer Voted With Trump 100 Percent of the Time – And Has Bragged About It.

  • At A Rally In Fargo, Cramer Told The President He’d Be With Him “100 Percent Of The Time.” [Forum, 6/27/18]
  • Roll Call: Cramer Was One Of 77 Republican Members Who Voted Trump’s Way On Every Vote During Which Trump Pushed For A Particular Outcome. [Roll Call, 3/5/18]
  • Congressional Quarterly: Cramer Scored 100 Percent In Presidential Support For Voting In Agreement With Trump’s Positions.  [Congressional Quarterly – Vote Study Scores – House 2017, Accessed 2/20/18]

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Cramer-Endorsed Trade War Threatens ND Economy

(BISMARCK, ND) – IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

KVRR: China Trade Dispute Results in No Bids on Soybeans
By Danielle Church

August 30, 2018

Key Points:

  • The trade dispute with China is having an impact on North Dakota’s soybean industry.
  • Half of all soybeans grown in the U.S. are sent overseas. Of that 60 percent is exported to China. Now it’s all at a standstill.
  • “The local grain elevators have not had bids to export soybeans out of the PNW or the Pacific Northwest, which is our primary source for exports from this region,” said Frayne Olson, NDSU extension crops economist. Seventy-five percent of soybeans from North Dakota are shipped out of the Pacific Northwest and delivered to China.
  • While farmers are storing their influx of soybeans this harvest season, they’ll also have to look for alternative crops they can sell to make up for the hit to their production. Many have already started to use corn as an alternative, but even that won’t get to the purchaser right away.
  • All of these factors are adding to the stress of that is harvesting season.
  • If the trade dispute continues for many more months, consumer prices will start to increase.

Read the full article here.

That’s not all: A new analysis from Axios finds that retaliatory tariffs could affect 11 million jobs across the U.S.

Cramer has already missed his self-imposed deadline to stand with North Dakota against the trade war. How much longer will he kowtow to the president, choosing to put his political capital ahead of North Dakota?

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ICYMI: Cramer and Others “Scrambling To Rewrite Their Record On Pre-Existing Conditions” [HuffPost]

(BISMARCK, ND) – Attention Kevin Cramer: Your attempts to rewrite your record of jeopardizing coverage for folks with pre-existing conditions won’t work. As HuffPost points out, “voters aren’t likely to believe they suddenly care about pre-existing conditions, just because they say they do.”

HuffPost: GOP Senate Candidates Are Scrambling To Rewrite Their Record On Pre-Existing Conditions
By Jonathan Cohn and Kevin Robillard
September 2, 2018

  • All across the country, Republicans running for Congress are promising voters they will look out for people with pre-existing conditions while supporting some combination of legislation, litigation and regulation that would undermine those very protections.
  • The stakes are high, with the livelihoods ― and lives ― of many Americans depending on the outcome. The ACA rewrote the rules for insurers selling plans directly to individuals and families so that carriers could no longer deny coverage or otherwise discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions.
  • [Republican] haven’t given up, even though last year’s effort failed. Just this week, Vice President Mike Pence reaffirmed the party’s determination to take up repeal in 2019 if they still control Congress. In the meantime, the Trump administration has been using its executive authority to undermine pre-existing condition protections unilaterally ― most recently, by effectively creating a parallel market with plans that don’t live up to the ACA’s standards.
  • These plans generally aren’t available to people with pre-existing conditions and don’t include many essential benefits, which means people who manage to get them are risking financial ruin if they get seriously ill. And by drawing healthy people out of the broader pool, these new plans will force insurers to jack up rates, forcing people with pre-existing conditions to pay more for coverage.
  • That’s not the only threat to the ACA right now. There’s also the lawsuitthat Hawley, along with officials from 19 other politically conservative states [including North Dakota], has co-signed.
  • The political problem for Republicans is that voters aren’t likely to believe they suddenly care about pre-existing conditions, just because they say they do. 
  • And voters have said they’ll make politicians who don’t protect pre-existing conditions pay: In a Kaiser Family Foundation poll earlier this month, 89 percent of registered voters said “continuing protections for people with pre-existing health conditions” would be a factor in their vote, and 63 percent said it would be an important factor. Nearly half of Republicans, 64 percent of independents and 74 percent of Democrats said it would be an important factor in their vote.
  • This is a frequent Republican contention, arguing repeal isn’t tantamount to abandoning people with pre-existing conditions. But their proposals would still allow insurers to discriminate against people with medical problems ― by, for example, charging higher prices to people with certain conditions or leaving out key benefits, like prescription coverage, that would make plans effectively useless to people who need ongoing treatment.
  • “If you leave any loopholes open, insurers will take full advantage, and people with health needs will quickly find the coverage they need to be inaccessible, unaffordable or both,” said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown’s Center for Health Insurance Reform.
  • The question for the midterms is whether voters will notice that Republicans are making the same empty promises as before.

Read the full article here.

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Is Cramer Too Scared to Campaign in Public?

(BISMARCK, ND) – It’s clear Kevin Cramer doesn’t want to campaign or debate his agenda in public – that’s why he’s turned down multiple debates and why he’s holding yet another closed-door fundraiser where the cheapest price of admission is $1,000. What could he possibly be afraid of?
 
Perhaps it’s his health care agenda that threatens coverage for many folks in North Dakota, including individuals with a pre-existing condition.

  • PolitiFact: “[Cramer’s health care votes] take away the mandate that everyone be insured and the subsidies that make that affordable. In practice, plans for individuals in the nongroup market would become exorbitantly priced, if available at all. […] The limits of what insurance companies could charge would have been watered down, which would have sent premiums skyrocketing, experts say, to the point that coverage for many would be unattainable. 

Maybe he’s afraid to hear directly from his constituents. After all, just weeks ago at a campaign event, his campaign “threatened [concerned North Dakotans] with physical removal from the building if they dared say a word.”

 
Or maybe it’s his reckless embrace of the administration’s trade war that’s hurting North Dakota’s farmers, manufacturers, and producers.

  • Forum: “This time of year, requests are usually rolling in from Pacific Northwest elevators for North Dakota soybeans. But for the last seven weeks, not a single order has been placed, said North Dakota Soybean Growers Executive Director Nancy Johnson. The result has been the lowering of cash prices offered by local elevators. And some elevators won’t accept soybeans at all, leaving Upper Great Plains growers without a market for the crop in their fields.”
     
  • HEADLINE: KVRR: Farmers Speak Out Against Rep. Kevin Cramer and His Comments on Trade War

“No one has to guess why Kevin Cramer is holding yet another closed-door, high-dollar fundraiser – he’s too scared to run on his real record, whether it’s attempting to rewrite history on his record of jeopardizing coverage for pre-existing conditions or trying to paper over his reckless support for the trade war that’s already having lasting effects on the state’s economy. But Cramer’s closed-door misinformation campaign won’t fool North Dakotans, and they’ll hold him accountable in November.” said Courtney Rice, Press Secretary for the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. 
 

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