Democrats really, really want “Republicans cut taxes for big oil” to be a viable part of their political platform heading into the 2018 election cycle. The big obstacle they face is that it isn’t a true statement. What they’re hoping is that if they just keep repeating the claim, over and over again, the public…
Democrats Aren’t Being Honest When They Talk About North Dakota’s Budget Situation
I’ve been pretty blunt in recent weeks talking about Republican handling of North Dakota’s budget situation. I think Republicans bungled. They spent too much. They built big budget increases on the back of unsustainable revenues driven by a boom in commodity prices. They have nobody to blame for that but themselves. I’ve also written, consistently,…
Leave It to Democrats to Refer to a $591 Million Oil Tax Increase as a Cut
When Democrats see spending growth slow they call it a spending cut. When Democrats don’t get as large a tax hike as they’d like they call it a tax cut. Back in 2015 state lawmakers, over the protests of most of the Democratic caucus, passed a reform bill for oil taxes removing a massive exemption…
Constitutional Carry Legislation Had Strong Bipartisan Support
There has been an angry response from some factions of North Dakota politics over Governor Doug Burgum signing into law HB1169, sponsored by Rep. Rick Becker (R-Bismarck), which institutes so-called “constitutional carry” in our state. One trope I’ve been seeing on social media is about how this is just another example of our state’s crazy…
North Dakota Democrats Have Some Good Ideas on Transparency and Accountability Laws
The North Dakota Democratic party, already marginalized by voters in state politics, suffered even more devastating losses this last election day. In addition to losing every single statewide election by a landslide – not a single one of their candidates got even 30 percent of the vote – they lost seven seats in the state…
Bill Would Tighten and Simplify North Dakota’s Distracted Driving Laws
Despite sensational media coverage and celebrity-backed advertising campaigns, distracted driving probably isn’t as big a problem as you think it is. According to data I collected last year, from 2010 to 2015 traffic accidents caused by distractions from electronic devices accounted for just 1.1 percent of all crashes in the state. Even in the distracted…
Audio: Legislative Leader Talks Transparency, Says Dems Shouldn’t Change Even After Election Losses
On my radio show yesterday I had on state Rep. Corey Mock who, earlier this month, was elected as Minorityh Leader for his party’s caucus in the Legislature. I had him on to talk about transparency legislation. Mock has made transparency and ethics a priority during his legislative career and while I think some of his…
North Dakota Heads Into Last Week of Election With a Flurry of Misspelled Mailers
The North Dakota Republican Party dropped a mailer in the District 18 race accusing Democrat Corey Mock of being a carpetbagger. You see, Mock has been representing District 42 in the Legislature but spent most of his last four-year term living in District 18. Only the message of the Republican mailer is kind of overshadowed…
Here Are the Measures Which Will Be on North Dakota’s Statewide Ballot in November
The deadlines have passed, the signatures have been submitted and verified, and the Secretary of State’s office announced today which measures will be on the ballot come November. And while I’ve lost my appetite for legislating at the ballot box over the last several cycles, for those of us who make a living writing about…
Another Potential Statewide Democrat Candidate Declines To Run
Well, more specifically, he’s declining to run for statewide office. Previously state Rep. Corey Mock, known for his twee hipster aesthetic and not living in his current legislative district, had flirted with potentially running for Auditor. Mock has made a lot of noise about ethics during his time in the Legislature, and some saw the Auditor…
