Democrats, particularly “red state” candidates like incumbent Senator Heidi Heitkamp and U.S. House candidate Mac Schneider, have placed a big bet on trade this election cycle. Specifically, they’ve positioned themselves to benefit politically from any news about chaos or failure from the Trump administration’s efforts to negotiate better international trade agreements. Thus the news this…
Print Column: What if Democratic Electioneering Is Hurting Our Ability to Get Better Trade Deals?
MINOT, N.D. — Based on Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s campaign messaging, her challenger, Rep. Kevin Cramer, doesn’t care about farmers. This isn’t true, of course. While we can have a debate about the efficacy of the sort of agriculture policies Cramer and Republicans support, Heitkamp’s assertion of indifference is an election year lie. Our liberal friends…
Podcast: Are You Afraid of 3D Printed Guns?
We talked about the controversy over 3D printed guns on the radio show today. Also Daryl Lies from the North Dakota Farm Bureau joined to talk about China, trade, and the “farmer bailout.” Annette Meeks from the Minnesota Freedom Foundation was also on to discuss the issue of work requirements for food stamps in the…
Print Column: China Wants Trump to Knuckle Under on Trade, and So Does Heidi Heitkamp
MINOT, N.D.—The Shirky Principle, named for technology writer Clay Shirky, holds that institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution. We could adapt the saying for politics by arguing politicians do not want to solve problems which are politically advantageous to them. It is through that lens we should see…
Democrats Have Created a Situation Where Good Trade News for America Is Bad Political News for Them
Last month Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp predicted that President Donald Trump’s “drastic trade policies would instead come back to hit American farmers and ranchers where it hurts.” “I urge the administration to rethink its unwise actions on trade before irreparable damage is done,” Mac Schneider, Democratic candidate for the U.S. House, said. The politics of…
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum records a video from Twitter outside of the White House in Washington D.C. on April 12, 108. via Twitter
Podcast: Burgum Backs Trump on Trade
Governor Doug Burgum, fresh off a White House meeting with Donald Trump on trade issues, said on my radio show today that he likes what the President is doing. “This administration, they’re listening to the people,” he said. “They’re listening to the plain states.” “We’ve got a White House that’s pro-agriculture,” he added. Asked specifically…
Podcast: “It’s Gonna Be Just Fine” North Dakota Commodities Trader Says About Soybean Markets
Is all this hand-wringing about Trump’s trade fight with China and its potential impact on North Dakota’s agriculture economy based on reality? Or is it hyped politics from Democrats anxious to drive a wedge between President Donald Trump and rural voters who cast their ballots for him? Eugene Graner, President of Heartland Investor Services, told…
Congressman Cramer Calls on Ag Secretary to Protect Farmers During Trade Uncertainty
If you needed more evidence to illustrate that Trump’s fight with China on trade is a big political risk for farm state Republicans, check out Congressman Kevin Cramer calling on Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to protect farmers: Red state Democrats are making hay on this issue. They’ve had to tip toe around President Donald Trump’s…
What Will Republicans Do if Trump’s Popularity With North Dakotans Continues to Fall?
As we head into the NDGOP state convention this weekend we have heard a lot from the Republican candidates about how much they line up with President Donald Trump’s agenda, and how much their Democratic opponents do not. That makes a certain sort of sense. After all, President Trump got nearly 63 percent of the…
North Dakota Democrats Have a Point About Trump’s Trade Fight With China
News this morning is that China has fired back at President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade movies, threatening tariffs on 106 American products including (perhaps most importantly for North Dakota) soybeans. Our state is one of the top soybean producers in the state. And, doing the political calculus on this situation, soybeans are grown perhaps most…