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.

###

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.

###

**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

###

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]

###

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.

###

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?”

###

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]

###

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?

###

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.

###

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. 
 

###

CROOKED CRAMER’S CHRONICLES – CRAMER HAPPY WITH PROGRESS OF TRADE WAR – LASHING OUT AT LAW ENFORCEMENT – “ONE OF THE BEST FUDGE MASTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.”

Welcome to Cramer’s Chronicles where, every Friday, we’ll break down the latest and greatest weekly hits about Cramer’s crooked, self-serving, extreme, and gaffe-prone behavior that puts himself and his partisan politics ahead of North Dakotans.

CRAMER HAPPY WITH PROGRESS OF TRADE WAR. As Kevin Cramer’s self-imposed trade war deadline of September 1st approaches, Cramer is bafflingly stating that the use of tariffs and the ensuing trade war are all “playing out the way that [he] hoped.”

You read that right. Farmers and manufacturers’ concerns are growing over this conflict, yet Cramer is happy with the progress that has been made – all because the president says it’s going well. It’s just another proof point that Cramer will always stand with the administration 100 percent of the time rather than standing with North Dakotans.

NEW DEM-NPL AD: ND BEING USED AS WEAPON IN THIS TRADE WAR.” This week the North Dakota Dem-NPL released :15 and :30 digital ads on the trade war to highlight how Cramer’s refusal to stand up to the administration – and for North Dakotans – against these tariffs is hurting North Dakota’s economy. WATCH the ad here. The ads will run on Facebook for a minimum of two weeks.

LASHING OUT AT LAW ENFORCEMENT. After Senator Heitkamp received an endorsement from the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), Cramer did what he does best: lashes out – this time by bitterly trying to discredit the organization representing over 18,000 border security agents that endorsed President Trump in 2016. One passionate border patrol agent called into the program and took Cramer to task for playing politics and not standing up for them. Listen HERE.

CRAMER PROVES HE’S “ONE OF THE BEST FUDGE MASTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.” That’s how the Forum’s Jack Zaleski referred to Cramer’s attempts to paper over his record of putting himself and his special interests above North Dakotans. There are still 65+ days to go until the Election, but Cramer’s misinformation campaign has already kicked into full gear to distort his record on health care, the trade war, and border security, to name a few. See for yourself:

HEADLINE: PolitiFact: Kevin Cramer distorts record on government shutdown

  • We rate this statement Mostly False.

HEADLINE: Washington Post: N.D. Republican’s Senate campaign ‘fact-checking’ website promotes false claim on CBO estimates

  • Four Pinocchios. 

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

  • We rate this statement False. 

Valley News Live: Cramer’s Ad “Misleading”

  • We must label the most recent ad from Cramer’s campaign as ‘misleading.’ 

PolitiFact on the Cramer-Endorsed Trade War:

  • Economists tell us the effects of the tariffs, while imprecise so far, are not pretty.

PolitiFact on Cramer’s Health Care Agenda:

  • Whatever Cramer’s wish is, his votes jeopardize coverage as it stands for pre-existing conditions […] 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.

CRAMER’S ACTIONS RAISED SERIOUS QUESTIONS AS TO THE “APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY.” While on the Public Service Commission, Cramer faced a lawsuit for allegedly taking “improper campaign contributions” – over $55,000 – from the same industries with applications before the PSC. The judge who oversaw the case called Cramer’s actions “devoid of common sense” and said they raised serious questions as to the “appearance of impropriety.” BOTTOM LINE: Cramer will always act with his own interests in mind, even when it goes against the interests of North Dakotans and even when it means throwing his own integrity to the wayside.

HEADLINE: CRAMER COULD BE USING A LOOPHOLE TO SKIRT REPORTING Cramer’s finances keep getting called into question. From Tyler Axness:

  • As Congressman Kevin Cramer is seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate, he may be using a loophole to skirt the reporting requirements of his assets on his personal financial disclosure.
  • This wouldn’t be the first time Cramer’s financial reporting has raised questions. In fact, if he is using a loophole it only leads to more questions.
  • As far as I can tell, Cramer has not reported having a bank account on his federal personal financial disclosure dating back to the mid-1990s.
  • [Cramer earned] approximately $995,650 in [between 2011 and 2016]. Earlier this year, Politico reported that Cramer has reimbursed himself approximately $200,000from his campaign account. Yet no bank account reported on his personal financial disclosure.
  • It seems odd Cramer hasn’t reported a bank account. Other candidates for the U.S. Senate have done so. Unless he has distributed these funds at numerous banks as to not have an aggregated amount over $5,000 then perhaps he found a creative loophole to not disclose all of his financial assets. If that is the case, further scrutiny is needed. What would he be hiding?

Read more here.

ND RURAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION SPEAKS OUT AGAINST CRAMER-BACKED LAWSUIT. The President of the North Dakota Rural Health Association spoke out against the Cramer-backed lawsuit that could remove patient protections for up to 300,000 North Dakotans.

TWEET OF THE WEEK.

###