North Dakota lawmakers have voted to commence the early work of suing Governor Doug Burgum over some of his vetoes issued earlier this year, but when I used the word “suing” to Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner (R-Dickinson) yesterday downplayed it. “We have a difference of opinion,” he said. “We need a third party to…
Heidi Heitkamp Is the Most Disingenuous Politician in North Dakota
I had to laugh when I read this Politico piece this morning headlined, “North Dakota’s last Democrat?” It’s a profile of U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp – the only Democrat to win an election on North Dakota’s statewide since 2008, thus the headline – and it focuses on whether she wants to run for re-election in 2018.…
Audio: Kevin Cramer Says Democrats Caught in “Academic Bubble” Where “Socialism Makes Sense”
Democrats lost their fourth straight special election last night since Donald Trump was elected President. Since 2010 they’ve been losing ground in both state and federal government. Why can’t they win elections? Congressman Kevin Cramer, speaking to me during our regular weekly segment, has some ideas. “They have to get better candidates I think,” he…
Where Is This Wave of Anti-Trump Backlash We Were Promised?
As I’m sure you know by now, Republican Karen Handel beat Democrat Jon Ossoff in a special election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District last night. She will be the first Republican woman sent to the U.S. House from Georgia. Not that you’ll hear much hype about that since Republican women breaking glass ceilings is different.…
That Supreme Court Ruling Won’t Change a Thing With the Fighting Sioux Nickname Controversy
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling today regarding offensive trademarks, and now some supporters of the University of North Dakota’s retired Fighting Sioux nickname are saying it gives them new hope that their beloved logo/nickname might be restored. They’re wrong. The Supreme Court case really isn’t related at all. The SCOTUS opinion in question…
Megyn Kelly’s Critics Look Foolish Now That Her Alex Jones Interview Has Aired
Last week there was a lot of anger directed at Megyn Kelly and NBC News for their decision to broadcast an interview with rabid conspiracy theorist and Trump ally Alex Jones. “The censorious powers of the heckler’s veto have evolved now to the point that people are willing to call for the banning and shunning…
Don’t Let Local Property Tax Hikes Be Automatic
“City property taxes are going to go up.” That’s what Blake Crosby, executive director of the North Dakota League of Cities, told me during a radio interview this week. His argument is that lawmakers dabbled in property tax policy, implementing buy downs of local property taxes funded by statewide surpluses, but did so without an…
Court Ruling in Favor of #NoDAPL Activists Illustrates Everything That’s Wrong With the Federal Regulatory Regime
Oil has been flowing through the much-contested Dakota Access Pipeline for about two months now. Energy Transfer Partners, which built the pipeline, achieved that goal after clearing years of regulatory hurdles and legal folderol. But yesterday federal Judge James Boasberg issued a ruling that, while rejecting most of the legal arguments made against the pipeline by…
It’s Time for the Left to Cool Down the Hate
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) was shot this morning at a baseball field in Virginia. The alleged shooter has been identified James T. Hodgkinson. He’s a 66 year old man who, according to his social media profiles, is definitely on the political left and has advocated violence against President Donald Trump and his supporters:…
Senators Introduce Bill to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Professional Sports Stadiums, but It Should Include College Sports Too
A bipartisan group of Senators are backing legislation to prohibit the use of public bonds to finance professional sports stadiums. “Professional sports teams generate billions of dollars in revenue,” Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) said in a statement. “There’s no reason why we should give these multimillion-dollar businesses a federal tax break to build new…
