Rick Gion's News from Headquarters
Fellow Democrats, Democratic-NPL Tax Commissioner candidate Brent Edison continued his endeavor for tax fairness yesterday. He held press conferences in Grand Forks, Fargo and Bismarck discussing the inequity in corporate tax collections compared to other areas of taxation. A paragraph in his press release reads: Between 1996 and 2004, sales and use tax collections went up an average of 4.7 percent annually, motor vehicle excise tax collections increased 6.3 percent annually and individual income tax collections grew 5.1 percent each year. Corporate income tax collections, on the other hand, dropped 2.2 percent annually. Edison emphasized that in the last 10 years, the Republican run Tax Office in North Dakota has done practically nothing to even out the numbers. Sound familiar? How about property taxes? I’d really be interested to see what the percentage increases in property taxes have been over the last 10 years. Have you ever heard a word out of the current tax commissioner about mitigating the raising rates? I haven’t. But I’ve heard Edison discuss it numerous times. The issue here is leadership. We need a Democratic- NPL tax commissioner again. It’s about time. The current tax commissioner has practically no business, finance or law experience. Let’s face it; he was appointed tax commissioner because he ran a couple of campaigns. Hmm, does the word cronyism come to mind? On the other hand, Edison carries on the long tradition of highly qualified Democratic-NPL tax commissioners including Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad. He has a background in business and a law degree from the University of North Dakota, not to mention one heck of a resume. Look for Edison to keep talking about tax fairness. The people of North Dakota are ready for some real leadership in the Tax Department. I know I am. Reminder: Honoring Marine Lance Cpl. Ben Lunak Grand Forks native Ben Lunak, 22, is being honored at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks at 5 p.m. this Friday for his service to our country. Lunak, was injured by a roadside bomb near Ramadi, Iraq in February. He lost part of his leg and has since undergone many surgeries. He recently returned home after recovering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The event will feature a Purple Heart presentation by Sen. Kent Conrad. Sen. Byron Dorgan and Rep. Earl Pomeroy will also be speaking. A reception will follow the formal ceremony. Food and refreshments will be served. The entertainment will be provided by Kenny and the Classics. If you cannot make it to the event and want to make a donation, please send a deposit to Alerus Financial in Grand Forks, Fargo or West Fargo, ATTN: Friends of Ben. A trust fund has been set up at the bank to help Lunak in his recovery and transition.
Rick Gion
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Cole on Korsmo Corruption
Via The Forum...Korsmo’s style wins few points
By Janell ColeThe ForumJohn T. Korsmo’s trademark humor and informal style served him well in North Dakota politics.
But now, with the state Supreme Court contemplating his law license, that style is an issue.His “Aw, come on, you guys – you know me …” tone in asking the justices for leniency strikes me as classic Korsmo. It strikes the Lawyer’s Disciplinary Board’s counsel as “inappropriate.”The former Fargo business owner, state GOP chairman and unsuccessful congressional candidate’s fortunes plummeted in 2002 when he was the Bush administration’s Federal Housing Finance Board chairman. When he was listed as “special guest” on invitations to a Washington political fundraiser for Rick Clayburgh’s congressional campaign – and those invitations went to executives of banks that Korsmo supervised – people started asking questions. People like Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Md., then chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and the FBI. Questions like, did Korsmo play a role in inviting the executives?Nope, he told Sarbanes and the FBI. But he later pleaded guilty, admitting he gave his wife the names and addresses, who passed them on to Clayburgh. He got 18 months of federal probation and that triggered the North Dakota disciplinary case.Click here to read on...
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Jim Fuglie's News from the Trail
Fellow Democrats, What’s it going to take for Democrats to win, not only this year, but in the 2008 race for the White House and, in North Dakota, the State House? Ask a hundred Democrats and you’ll get a hundred answers. Jeffrey Goldberg, who writes a column called Letter From Washington in the New Yorker magazine, talked to about that many in a recent article. Goldberg started out by quoting a historian: “We could be seeing in George Bush a Hooverian Presidency . This would go a long way to helping the Democrats build a new version of the grand Roosevelt coalition . . . although what you need for a Roosevelt coalition is a Roosevelt.” But, Goldberg, continues, for the midterm elections in November, the Democratic Party does not need a Roosevelt. Some agree with Newt Gingrich, who recently told Time that if he were a Democratic strategist, he would run a campaign that simply asked voters “Had enough?”
Still Democrats must define themselves in a way that does more than just criticize George Bush. In 2004, exit polls showed that 61 percent of voters who said that they attended church on Sunday supported Bush; Kerry received the support of 39 percent of the church-goers, Goldberg reported. 59 percent of voters who were married with children supported Bush, to Kerry’s 40. Our Party Chairman, Howard Dean, understands that dilemma. “The Democratic Party was built on four pillars—the Roosevelt intellectuals, the Catholic Church, labor unions and African Americans,” Dean is quoted in the article. “But we had stopped communicating with the Catholics and with Labor, so all we had left was the Roosevelt intellectuals and the African Americans.” Dean’s 50-state strategy is benefiting red states across the country with field workers in all 50 states- including North Dakota. The trick for Democrats this year, Goldberg says, is to motivate their own base without alienating moderates and without motivating otherwise dispirited Republicans from going to the polls. Or, as Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer put it, “You know, if you spend your whole day trying to catch the dog that bit you because all you want to do is kick him, you’re not going to win many friends.” I couldn’t find the entire article online yet, but it may show up there in the next day or two. Go to newyorker.com to look for it. What’s just as interesting, though, is Goldberg’s online interview, where he expands on his story and shares personal opinions on the Democrats’ outlook for 2006 and 2008. You can find that by clicking here. See you on the Trail. Jim
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Jim Fuglie's News from the Trail
Fellow Democrats,
18 years ago this fall, I was one of a group of what became several million Democrats, I’d guess, who realized that the Dukakis-Bentsen ticket in the 1988 presidential campaign was upside down, and that if the Senator from Texas had been our presidential nominee instead of our vice presidential nominee, George Bush the First would not have been elected president.
From the moment Senator Lloyd Bentsen told young Dan Quayle, who was trying to compare his experience in the U.S. Senate with former president John Kennedy during a televised debate “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy,” I knew this man was one I wanted leading my country.
Senator Bentsen died Tuesday. He was a great public servant. It is worth sharing with you today a few paragraphs from his acceptance speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. See if you see any parallels with today.
“Democrats agree that the economic, trade and energy policies of the Reagan-Bush administration have devastated vast areas of America. We see an agricultural, economy that has been driven to its knees. We see the energy economy reeling in crisis. We see the loss of more than one million high-paying jobs in manufacturing.
“Democrats agree that the American worker who has struggled for 20 years to support his or her family has earned 60 days notice when that management closes down a plant. But the Reagan-Bush administration thinks a pink slip in the mail is enough. That’s their notion of fairness. That’s their message to the working women and men of America.
“Democrats want a strong national defense, and we’ll pay the price to defend freedom. But we also demand a careful accounting of our hard-earned dollars, and we will not tolerate the corruption and greed that threatens to undermine our military might.
“Democrats agree that decent housing, a clean environment, a good education, and quality health care should be the birthright of every American citizen, and not the private domain of the privileged few.
“My friends, America has just passed through the ultimate epoch of illusion: an eight-year coma in which slogans were confused with solutions and rhetoric passed for reality; a time when America tried to borrow its way to prosperity and became the largest debtor nation in the history of mankind; when the Reagan-Bush administration gave lip service to progress while fighting a frantic losing battle to turn back the clock on civil rights and equal, opportunity; a time of tough talk on foreign policy and strange tales of double dealing, Swiss bank accounts and a botched campaign against a drug-running, tin-horned dictator.
“My fellow Democrats, it’s easy enough to create an illusion of prosperity. All you have to do is write hot checks for $200 billion a year. That’s what the Reagan-Bush administration has done. That’s how they doubled our national debt in just seven years.”
Well. Any of that sound familiar? Senator Bentsen went on to serve as President Clinton’s Treasury Secretary and played a key role in eliminating our budget deficit, bringing it to a budget surplus before another Bush got his hands on our bankbook.
Our country and our party mourn his death.
See you on the Trail.
Jim
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Jim Fuglie's News from the Trail
Fellow Democrats, The Trail on Monday and Tuesday led to the top of Bullion Butte, south of Medora in the Badlands, one of the four or five highest points in North Dakota. I spent a couple days camping there with friends, hiking, soaking in the Little Missouri River, eating good food and drinking good wine. A couple of refreshing days away from e-mail and cell phones. Sitting on top of Bullion Butte, I was reminded of my first-ever trip to this magnificent spot (you can see it from Medora if you look south--a mammoth rise in the earth about 25 miles south) in 1976. North Dakota was in a huge drought in late October of 1976, and western North was so dry that Gov. Art Link had announced that he was closing the deer season for fear of fires unless the countryside got some rain to ease those fears. That act, the most responsible one he could have taken, had upset some deer hunters. Deer season was just days away. Coincidentally, so was the 1976 election, and Gov. Link was engaged in a close race for re-election against then-Public Service Commissioner Richard Elkin. Upset deer hunters were a concern in a close election. If they took their wrath out at the polls, it could cost Gov. Link re-election. Sure enough, in spite of everyone’s best efforts, a huge fire broke out and started spreading across southwestern North Dakota in the days before the election and the deer opener. Rural fire departments from all across the southwestern part of the state mobilized to fight the huge blaze, which was consuming thousands of acres. I was a newspaper editor at the time, and two fellow journalist friends and I decided to go see the fire for ourselves. We loaded sleeping bags and camp stoves into my old van and drove south of Medora, crossed the nearly-dry Little Missouri River, and drove halfway up Bullion Butte on a rutted two track trail to get a view of the fire from above. We spread sleeping bags on the ground, heated up some Dinty Moore Beef stew for supper, and as the sky darkened, we saw the huge orange glow to the south. Our plan was to drive closer in the morning and see the firefighters in action. Late into the evening, we crawled into sleeping bags and went to sleep. We were awakened in the middle of this night by flashes of lightning, then the crashing of thunder, and finally, the sky literally opened up and the rain began pouring down on us as we piled into the back of the van. It rained all night, and into the next day, and we slid down muddy roads to get back to the gravel to head home. It rained and rained. The fire went out. Gov. Link opened the deer season just days before the election. The deer hunters were appeased. Gov. Link was re-elected. A pair of western North Dakota farmers, Art Link and Dick Elkin, whose fortunes of a lifetime rose and fell on rain in western North Dakota, likely were never affected as much by a single rainstorm as that one. For the three journalists, it was the beginning of a wonderful lifelong relationship with Bullion Butte. We have been back many times, and often I think of that 1976 rainstorm and its possible effect on the future of North Dakota and the political fortunes of two men. Gov. Link is 92 today. You can wish him Happy Birthday at a luncheon at the Bismarck Elks Club at 11:45. Please feel free to join your fellow Democrats at his birthday luncheon. Before I quit, let me tell you just one last short story about him. In 1994, Rod Tjaden and I met with Gov. Link to ask him to join the board of directors of the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation. Rod, a lifelong friend of the Governor’s, was president of the Foundation and I was an employee. The conversation went something like this: Rod: “Art, we’d like you to join our board of directors.” Art: “Rod, I’m 80 years old. You need to find someone younger who has more to offer.” Rod: “Art, you might be 80, but you’re just getting started.” True words. Art Link has probably accomplished more in the years between 80 and 92 that most of us do in a lifetime. Happy Birthday, Governor. See you on the Trail, Jim
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Republican corruption makes more headlines in N.D.
We'll see how this plays out...Justices bow out in Korsmo’s case
By Janell ColeThe ForumBISMARCK – Three surrogate justices will join two Supreme Court justices in deciding whether former Fargo businessman John T. Korsmo’s North Dakota law license should remain suspended for having a federal felony conviction. Korsmo pleaded guilty last year to lying to federal investigators and was given an 18-month suspended sentence and fined $5,000.The state Supreme Court suspended Korsmo’s law license in August pending a disciplinary investigation, even though he never renewed his state law license after leaving the state in 2001 to work in the Bush administration.Click here to read on...
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Republican corruption makes more headlines in N.D.
We'll see how this plays out...Justices bow out in Korsmo’s case
By Janell ColeThe ForumBISMARCK – Three surrogate justices will join two Supreme Court justices in deciding whether former Fargo businessman John T. Korsmo’s North Dakota law license should remain suspended for having a federal felony conviction. Korsmo pleaded guilty last year to lying to federal investigators and was given an 18-month suspended sentence and fined $5,000.The state Supreme Court suspended Korsmo’s law license in August pending a disciplinary investigation, even though he never renewed his state law license after leaving the state in 2001 to work in the Bush administration.Click here to read on...
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Rick Gion's news from headquarters
Fellow Democrats, There are a few upcoming events more than worth mentioning. Please try to attend these if you are in the proper vicinity. The governor turns 92
Come and celebrate former Governor and Congressman Art Link’s birthday tomorrow. He will be 92. The birthday party is being held at 11:45 a.m. at the Elks Lodge, 900 S. Washington St., Bismarck. It is open to everyone. There will be a pay as you go buffet style lunch. For dessert, Marge Valeu is baking a special carrot cake. Event organizer Darlene Turitto says they always get quite a crowd. “It’s just a fun thing to do every year,” she said. Also, Art and his wife Grace just celebrated their 67 wedding anniversary on Saturday. The story goes that Art wanted to get married on his birthday, but his future bride couldn’t wait the extra four days. Honoring Marine Lance Cpl. Ben Lunak
Grand Forks native Ben Lunak, 22, is being honored at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks 5 p.m. Friday, June 2 for his service to our country. Lunak was injured by a roadside bomb near Ramadi, Iraq in February. He lost part of his leg and has since undergone many surgeries. He recently returned home after recovering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The event will feature a Purple Heart presentation by Sen. Kent Conrad. Sen. Byron Dorgan and Rep. Earl Pomeroy will also be speaking. A reception will follow the formal ceremony. Food and refreshments will be served. The entertainment will be provided by Kenny and the Classics. If you cannot make it to the event and want to make a donation, please send a deposit to Alerus Financial in Grand Forks, Fargo or West Fargo, ATTN: Friends of Ben. A trust fund has been set up at the bank to help Lunak in his recovery and transition. -Rick
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Republican run PSC has eye off the ball
Dem-NPL Public Service Commission candidate Cheryl Bergian recently wrote a letter to the editor saying that the current PSC has their eye off the ball concerning their recent study on E-85. The study was not very thorough being that it only sampled E-85 from two pumps. You can read her letter below. What the PSC should really be doing is studying how to lower fuel prices here in North Dakota.Commission too quickly dismissed alternative fuelsCheryl BergianGF Herald LetterFARGO - As the Democratic-NPL candidate for Public Service Commission, I am writing in response to the commission's recent questioning of the energy content of ethanol in E-85 blends.I'm concerned that the commission investigated only the energy content of ethanol and did not consider whether gasoline, a non-renewable fuel, has a similar variability of energy content.The commission's approach also wrongfully ignored the bigger questions, such as how do we address the skyrocketing energy costs in our state and increase the availability of less costly transportation fuels, including ethanol.Click here to read on...
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Democrats have a solid energy plan
Yesterday Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C., unveiled a very forward thinking energy plan. A New York Times article from today sums it up nicely. Click here to read it. All the Republicans could say about it was drill more. Truthfully, the answer lies in renewable energy.
Democrats have a very comprehensive plan to bolster the renewable energy sector, even in North Dakota. You will hear our candidates take the lead on this issue. They recently took a renewable energy tour of Fargo where they took a pledge to use renewable fuels during their campaigns. And Roger Johnson, Scot Kelsh, Joel Heitkamp and Pam Gulleson remain dogged in their efforts to bolster ethanol production in North Dakota.
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Americans distrust Republicans but trust Democrats to lead
A new Washington Post/ABC News Poll says that Americans now trust Democrats to handle all 10 of the issues involved in their poll over Republicans. It includes the War on Terrorism. A majority also approves of Dems being in control of Congress after the fall elections. The article is below:Confidence In GOP Is At New Low in Poll
By Richard Morin and Dan BalzWashington Post Staff WritersPublic confidence in GOP governance has plunged to the lowest levels of the Bush presidency, with Americans saying by wide margins that they now trust Democrats more than Republicans to deal with Iraq, the economy, immigration and other issues, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll that underscores the GOP's fragile grip on power six months before the midterm elections.Dissatisfaction with the administration's policies in Iraq has overwhelmed other issues as the source of problems for President Bush and the Republicans. The survey suggests that pessimism about the direction of the country -- 69 percent said the nation is now off track -- and disaffection with Republicans have dramatically improved Democrats' chances to make gains in November.Democrats are now favored to handle all 10 issues measured in the Post-ABC News poll. The survey shows a majority of the public, 56 percent, saying they would prefer to see Democrats in control of Congress after the elections.Click here to read on...
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Turmoil in the Republican Party
Via CNN Online...Conservatives' ardor for GOP cooling down
By Sasha JohnsonCNN Washington BureauPITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Conservative Republicans gathering to talk about the upcoming elections normally would be a welcome event for national party leaders. But not this year.The Republicans who got together last month for the Pennsylvania Republican Assembly (PARA), a grassroots group dedicated to electing conservatives, represent what could be the biggest threat to the GOP this year: a disgruntled conservative base."It's pretty clear at some level that Republicans in Washington have lost their way," former Pennsylvania Rep. Pat Toomey told the group at a Pittsburgh Holiday Inn. "We're discovering that a lot of Republicans are very disappointed with this Republican Congress. It most likely will manifest itself with low turnout if something doesn't happen to turn this around." Click here to read on...
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Jim Fuglie's News from the Trail
Fellow Democrats,The Trail last night led to Devils Lake, where District Chairman Craig Stromme and his team of Legislative candidates held a “Meet the Candidates” forum for interested area Democrats. To say these three first- time candidates were impressive is an understatement. This was their first chance to practice their stump speeches, and all three had a firm grasp on the issues they want to talk about in this campaign.
Senate candidate Joe Lawson is a member of the Ramsey County Planning and Zoning Commission, and has been leading this fight for local control over zoning for large scale animal operations. Joe maintains—and fellow commission members agree— that local residents should be able to make the decisions on the kinds of economic development they want in their communities. But Joe knows the other issues that are important in his campaign as well. He talked articulately about North Dakota becoming a leader in the renewable fuels industry, stressing that North Dakota can be a major player in addressing our reliance on foreign oil. Renewable energy is not only important to North Dakota, Joe told the audience, but it’s important to our national security as well. Joe’s a retired Air Force pilot who came back with his wife to her home town of Brocket in eastern Ramsey County after a 20-year military career, and immediately emerged as a leader in his community. He’s running for the open Senate seat being vacated this year by longtime Republican Senator Jack Traynor.
House candidate Russell Pearson, a retired teacher who’s taught pretty near every voter under 50 in Devils Lake, talked about the importance of education (he’d just returned from a babysitting stint for a grandson in Minnesota, and said he practiced his speech to mixed reviews from his months-old grandson during his trip). The reviews last night were pretty good. He’s going to talk in this campaign about equity in education funding (a great local issue—Devils Lake is one of the school districts that sued the state over an inequitable funding formula), adequacy of education funding, and equitable taxation. Those issues will take him far in this district.
The other House candidate is Bev Honkola, who just happens to be married to Joe Lawson (they told me earlier this year they might as well both run, because if only one of them ran, they’d both be going to Bismarck in January anyway, so they might as well both be serving in the Legislature). Bev’s a semi- retired attorney who grew up in Ramsey County, followed Joe around the world for 20 years, and then brought him home to North Dakota. Bev wowed the crowd. She talked about issues facing an aging population, and stressed the need for balance in state government, noting that serious treatment of important issues will only happen if we have balance in government.
Chairman Craig Stromme announced that the Democrats are going to open a campaign headquarters in early June, and they’ll headquarter their district canvassing operation out of there while maintaining a constant presence in downtown Devils Lake from now through Election Day.
Craig also reminded the crowd that it’s been 20 years since a Democrat was elected in District 15—the district has had an all Republican delegation since Floyd Stromme (Craig’s dad), Charlie Mertens and Gordon Berg all retired in 1986. It’s time, the crowd agreed, for that to change. I think that’s likely to happen. These are great candidates. Keep an eye on this district this year.
I’m off to Fargo this morning to meet with legislative candidates there, with a couple of stops to see statewide candidates Bill Brudvik and Cheryl Bergian. I’ll report in tomorrow.
See you on the Trail,
Jim
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Jim Fuglie's News from the Trail
Fellow Democrats,
I am 58 years old. I grew up in the Cold War era. I remember as a young boy the little shack on top of city hall, where Hettinger residents climbed a set of stairs to take their turns watching for invading Russian aircraft.
I remember my dad trying to explain to me the difference between the war he fought in and the “police action” in Korea.
I remember the Berlin Wall. I remember the Bay of Pigs scare.
I watched young men who graduated from high school before me go off to a far away place called Vietnam, and then I put on a uniform myself and joined them.
I remember Grenada, and Kuwait and Desert Storm. I saw young Americans ship out to Afghanistan, and then to Iraq.
But I never, ever imagined that one day, in my lifetime, we would send troops to our southern border to protect us against Mexico.
Where has this president taken us?
See you on the Trail,
Jim
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Rick Gion's News from Headquarters
President Bush is trying to stick it to the farmers of North Dakota again.
This time he’s threatened to veto $175 million in emergency disaster aid to our producers. A member of the Republican leadership in the House has also derided the aid.
To combat this nonsense, Sen. Byron Dorgan has started a petition to show these Republicans that North Dakota’s farmers should not be left out in the cold. The Democratic-NPL Party is encouraging you all to click here or go to Sen. Dorgan’s Web site, www.dorgan.senate.gov, to sign the petition. You can also sign up by calling 1- 800-666-4482.
In an editorial from Saturday in the Jamestown Sun, Sen. Dorgan made a very strong case regarding the necessity of receiving the aid.
“Last spring, heavy rains left more than 1 million acres too wet to plant. Another 1 million acres that were planted were later drowned out by more rain. I’ve talked to producers who spent tens of thousands of dollars planting their fields, only to see half their crop washed away in a few days of uncommonly heavy rain.”
“But weather wasn’t the only disaster. Sky-rocketing energy and fertilizer costs hit family farmers - heavy users of both - especially hard. They cost the average North Dakota farm family $18,000 more last year and caused farm income across the state to plummet. One NDSU study says average farm incomes dropped 75 percent last year because of higher energy costs alone!”
Also, in a press release from last Friday, Sen. Dorgan had this to say:
“We’re not going to stop pushing for this. After years of massive tax cuts that primarily benefited the very wealthy, it’s hard to understand why the President would oppose help that will mean the difference between economic survival and bankruptcy for thousands in rural America.”
Those are some strong words, and rightfully so. The economy of our state depends on a healthy economic atmosphere for farmers. We produce six of the top ten seed crops in the country. That obviously doesn’t include the huge sugar beet crop in the Red River Valley. High energy and fertilizer prices have drastically reduced farm income. Click here to check it out for yourself. It’s the study Sen. Dorgan discussed in his editorial. After reading that, it seems absolutely outrageous that President Bush does not want to help our farmers.
Thank goodness for Sens. Dorgan and Kent Conrad and Rep. Earl Pomeroy for their continuous fight for our farmers in Washington, D.C. They are true champions for our state's producers.
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I'm sick of high gas prices
Here in Bismarck (there's a refinery across the bridge), gas is going for around $3/ gallon. By the time I filled up my 2001 Honda Accord and purchased a wash yesterday, my bill was about $55. I've heard gas is even higher around Minot. I found a short article in the Bismarck Tribune yesterday explaining the high prices, although I don't necessarily "buy it." Click here to read it.
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The Forum blasts Bush for domestic spying practices
It hasn't been a very good week for President Bush...oh wait...it hasn't been a very good year. The latest in the series of blunders is the revealing of the National Security Agency collecting millions of phone records under the auspice of the Bush Administration. The Forum's editorial page once again takes Bush to task.Forum editorial: Big brother has your phone calls
The ForumPublished Sunday, May 14, 2006The revelation last week that the National Security Agency secretly collected records of millions of Americans’ phone calls is another indication that the Bush administration’s domestic spying practices are out of control. In a nation of laws, oversight and accountability are paramount. The NSA (and who knows what other spy agencies) seems to be operating without effective congressional oversight and certainly without sufficient restraints from the White House. When Congress returns to work this week, its first order of business should be to call NSA, administration officials and phone company executives on the carpet to explain the latest scheme to erode the civil liberties and invade the privacy of innocent American citizens.USA Today reported last week that the NSA had convinced several big telecom companies to help the government gather phone records. Only Qwest (the company that serves most of North Dakota and Minnesota) said no. The others rolled over for the NSA, because, USA Today suggested, they do business with the government and were fearful they might lose federal contracts. Also, the telecom companies are regulated by Uncle Sam, and they understood that the unspoken warning from the NSA was that non-cooperation might result in regulatory and licensing problems.Click here to read on...
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Bush's approval now in the twenties
George W. Bush is in his twenties, and I'm not talking about age. According to a new Harris poll reported in the Wall Street Journal Online, his approval rating is now at 29 percent. Part of the article is below.Bush's Ratings Hit New Low, Poll ShowsTHE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE5/12/06President Bush's approval rating has fallen to its lowest mark of his presidency, according to a new Harris Interactive poll.Of 1,003 U.S. adults surveyed in a telephone poll, 29% think Mr. Bush is doing an "excellent or pretty good" job as president, down from 35% in April and significantly lower than 43% in January. It compares with 71% of Americans who said Mr. Bush is doing an "only fair or poor" job, up from 63% in April.Click here to read on...
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Election looking good for Dems
Polls, polls and more polls. Hey, they're pretty accurate most of the time. This one gives the Dems a huge advantage.Via CNN Online...Poll: Democrats lead GOP by double digits
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A CNN poll released Wednesday may continue the anxiety for the GOP, showing Democrats with a 14-point advantage over Republicans among registered voters asked their preferences in this year's midterm elections.The poll, conducted for CNN by Opinion Research Corp., found that 52 percent of respondents who were registered voters said they were leaning toward voting for a Democrat, while 38 percent said they were leaning toward a Republican.Ten percent said they didn't know how they would vote or that they would choose a candidate not from the two major parties.Click here to read on...
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Americans fed up with Republicans
Via the Washington Post...Bush, GOP Congress Losing Core SupportersBy Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker, Washington Post Staff Writers Disaffection over spending and immigration have caused conservatives to take flight from President Bush and the Republican Congress at a rapid pace in recent weeks, sending Bush's approval ratings to record lows and presenting a new threat to the GOP's 12-year reign on Capitol Hill, according to White House officials, lawmakers and new polling data. Bush and Congress have suffered a decline in support from almost every part of the conservative coalition over the past year, a trend that has accelerated with alarming implications for Bush's governing strategy. The Gallup polling organization recorded a 13- percentage-point drop in Republican support for Bush in the past couple of weeks. These usually reliable voters are telling pollsters and lawmakers they are fed up with what they see as out-of-control spending by Washington and, more generally, an abandonment of core conservative principles. Click here to read on...
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Americans fed up with Republicans
Via the Washington Post...Bush, GOP Congress Losing Core SupportersBy Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker, Washington Post Staff Writers Disaffection over spending and immigration have caused conservatives to take flight from President Bush and the Republican Congress at a rapid pace in recent weeks, sending Bush's approval ratings to record lows and presenting a new threat to the GOP's 12-year reign on Capitol Hill, according to White House officials, lawmakers and new polling data. Bush and Congress have suffered a decline in support from almost every part of the conservative coalition over the past year, a trend that has accelerated with alarming implications for Bush's governing strategy. The Gallup polling organization recorded a 13- percentage-point drop in Republican support for Bush in the past couple of weeks. These usually reliable voters are telling pollsters and lawmakers they are fed up with what they see as out-of-control spending by Washington and, more generally, an abandonment of core conservative principles. Click here to read on...
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Bush gets 31 again
Another poll recently gave President George W. Bush a 31 percent job approval rating. This time it's a New York Times/ CBS News poll. Here's an excerpt from the article: "Mr. Bush's overall job approval rating hit another new low, 31 percent, tying the low point of his father in July 1992, four months before the elder Mr. Bush lost his bid for a second term to Bill Clinton. That is the third lowest approval rating of any president in 50 years; only Richard M. Nixon and Jimmy Carter were viewed less favorably.Mr. Bush is even losing support from what has been his base: 51 percent of conservatives and 69 percent of Republicans approve of the way Mr. Bush is handling his job. In both cases, those figures are a substantial drop in support from four months ago."
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Jim Fuglie's News from the Trail
Fellow Democrats, One of the most heartening parts of my job as Executive director of the North Dakota Democratic- NPL Party is watching a group of incredibly sincere Legislative candidates begin launching their campaigns. These are a bunch of extremely talented people, the best our party has to offer, and they are committing a whole lot of their time for the next six months offering themselves for public service, in the best spirit of what our founding fathers envisioned to be a great democracy. The process starts with writing fundraising letters, and I’ve been working with them to hone their appeals to best effect, so that they will have the funds available in the fall to carry out the end game of their campaigns. I want to share with you this morning some excerpts from some of their letters, as they go about asking their friends and families to share in the costs of a campaign—not an easy task for most of them, but one they are wiling to tackle. From Ellen Linderman of Carrington, our candidate for the House in District 29: “I recently had the honor to be nominated by the Democratic-NPL to run for a seat in the North Dakota House of Representatives. As a family farmer and active member of my community for the past thirty years, I am excited by this opportunity to provide the leadership and vision our state so desperately needs.” “Like my fellow North Dakotans, I am deeply concerned about the direction we are heading as a state and as a nation. We in rural America currently face an imposing array of challenges, including a major energy crisis that has driven up fuel prices and placed an enormous financial burden on the farmers, small business owners, and working families that form the vital core of our communities. This year alone, the average farmer in this state will be forced to pay an additional $30,000 as a result of the high cost of energy. I firmly believe that with strong and effective leadership, we can solve this crisis, and together we can meet the challenges facing our state and our nation.” From Bob Horne of Minot, our candidate for the Senate in District 3: “While North Dakota is doing better than much of the nation, we have yet to reach our full potential. We must develop our renewable energy (ethanol, biodiesel, wind) to improve farm income and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Sky-high gasoline prices hurt all of us and slow the economy. Property taxes are too high and rising, partly because of an out of balance funding plan for education. While we should jail methamphetamine dealers, we need better treatment programs for meth victims so their families and society can improve.” From Jim Pomeroy of Fargo (Yes, he’s Earl’s cousin), our Senate candidate in District 27: “I believe we can satisfactorily fund public education - preschool through higher education - and at the same time reduce property taxes. We need to close the gap, arriving at 70% state support for public schools. We are nearing the time when a majority of our fine public school teachers will be retiring. At the same time our state ranks 50th in financial compensation for teachers. Sadly, we train many excellent teachers in our colleges and universities who would like to stay in North Dakota, but are recruited to leave the state for positions that pay up to twice as much as they can get here.” From Jim Yockim of Williston, our Senate candidate in District 1: “The choice is simple for you. If you think that we are funding our education system as well as we can, if you think college tuition should increase at 9% a year, if you think Williston is getting the attention from Bismarck that it deserves then you need to do nothing. If, however, you think we can do better, then I need your help. I want many improvements for our state and I truly believe we can do better than what we are doing now. I want our children to have a quality education system. I want our teachers and public employees to be part of a system that appreciates their good work and compensates them accordingly. I want to be able to tell our children that our state is known for its high quality jobs rather than as a low wage state. I want us to celebrate the birth of each new child and know that they can find health and prosperity throughout their lives if they choose to stay in North Dakota. I want our elderly to live out their years in safe, comfortable homes with quality health care. I want to encourage a healthy farm and energy economy. It all can be done and at a price we can afford.” These candidates have a firm grasp on the issues. They know why they want to serve in the Legislature. These four, and the sixty-some others who are writing those fundraising appeals right now, need our support. If you get one of these letters (and you likely will), please help them. You’re on their list for a reason. They know that YOU know how important the issues facing North Dakota are right now, and they want to bring positive change. To do that, they will need our help. I’m going to help. I hope you will too. See you on the Trail. Jim
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Bush's poll numbers dip even lower
Via USA TODAY...Bush approval rating hits new lowBy Susan Page, USA TODAYWASHINGTON — President Bush's approval rating has slumped to 31% in a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, the lowest of his presidency and a warning sign for Republicans in the November elections.The survey of 1,013 adults, taken Friday through Sunday, shows Bush's standing down by 3 percentage points in a single week. His disapproval rating also reached a record: 65%. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.
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Forum gives Republicans 2 leafy spurges today
The Forum's editorial page has not been very nice to Republicans lately. Is it maybe because Republicans in this country have shown no real leadership when it comes to gas prices, i.e. the energy crisis? As for Rush Limbaugh, I think The Forum summed it up nicely.From today's paper:LEAFY SPURGE: A renewed spurge, in fact, to congressional Republicans who first introduced a $100 rebate to Americans to ease the blow of high gasoline prices, and then apparently heard just how ridiculous their “generosity” was. They did a quickstep and reversed themselves, scrapping the dumb idea last week. One Republican House leader called the proposal “an insult.” Yes, it was. Which makes us wonder what goes on in the heads of lawmakers who hatch such goofy plans.LEAFY SPURGE: To that blowhard of blowhards, Rush Limbaugh, the radio talk show host who remains the darling of the strange right, despite his hypocrisy. Limbaugh cut a deal with prosecutors that will minimize penalties for his illegal misuse and purchase of painkillers. He blamed his addiction on back pain. He has to submit to random testing and treatment. If he meets requirements of the plea bargain (darn, those liberal courts!) the charge of prescription drug fraud will be dropped. So much for being tough on crime. So much for Limbaugh’s bloviating in the past that “there’s only one place for drug addicts – behind bars!” So much for his tough-on-crime, law-and-order listeners. What a bunch of phonies.
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Jim Fuglie's News from the Trail
Fellow Democrats,
I don’t mean to get political here, but it’s kind of a political morning, what with Jack Zaleski, the Forum’s editorial page editor, taking President Bush to the woodshed and all. So I just thought I’d share a little list sent to me this week by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. It’s a pretty short list. The DSCC had to use a pretty sharp pencil to get it this short, because it could easily have been as long as Jack’s editorial. Here’s the list. It’s called: “7 Things That Are Worse Because of George W. Bush’s Failed Leadership.”
1. The Federal Deficit – from a $236 billion surplus to a record $423 billion deficit!
2. The Gap Between the Rich and Poor – GOP policies have concentrated wealth with the richest 1% of Americans, and the gap is still growing!
3. The Cost of Energy – up 67.6% since 2000 because of George W. Bush’s devotion to Big Oil and reliance on fossil fuels.
4. The Environment – relaxed industrial regulations have degraded the quality of our air and water and put our health at risk.
5. Health Coverage – more than 6 million Americans have lost their health coverage since 2000. 6. Poverty – in 2004 1.1 million more Americans slipped into poverty – now more than 37 million!
7. Integrity in Government – a host of Republicans in Congress, the White House and lobbyists are under indictment or investigation.
Well. Don’t try to tell me any of those things aren’t true, because they all are. It’s quite a list. Clip and save. Use it over cocktails or coffee. Send it to a friend. And then get to work electing Democrats. Sorry for getting political this morning. Couldn’t help myself.
Alice Comes To Alice
Okay, I just couldn‘t resist this. Rick Gion, who puts our news briefs together every morning by scanning the state and national media for a quick summary of the news that might be important to North Dakota Democrats, is in his 20’s. He’d never even notice this story in the Grand Forks Herald, much less include it in his news briefs. So I will. Here it is: ALICE, N.D. - Rock legend Alice Cooper has agreed to make an appearance in this small town southwest of Fargo that bears his name, a city councilman says. Councilman Ron Molder said he and his wife contacted Cooper's manager on a whim. Cooper will make an appearance in the town of 60 people on Sunday, May 14 - the day before he performs a concert at the Fargo Civic Center. Molder said two area bands will perform as part of Alice's festivities, and Cooper will be given the key to the city.
That’s just too cool. Happy Mother’s Day, Alice. Both of you. See you on the Trail.
See you on the Trail,
Jim
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Jim Fuglie's News from the Trail
Fellow Democrats,
We mourn today for one of the grand couples of the Democratic-NPL Party, Howard and Adeline Snortland. Howard lost his battled with cancer on Monday. Adeline succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease on Tuesday.
Howard was 93 going on 30. He never lost his enthusiasm for life, for politics, and for public service. Adeline was 88. She was Howard’s constant companion, the love of his life, the object of his deep affection for a best friend with whom he got to share 66 wonderful years.
Howard and Adeline were fixtures at Democratic-NPL events in Bismarck for all of their years. They spent hundreds, maybe thousands of hours here at the Kennedy Center stuffing envelopes and sharing coffee and conversation with fellow volunteers. Their good cheer warmed our office on many a cold winter day.
I was at a candidate rally in 2002 at the Labor Temple here in Bismarck, standing at the back of a packed room, and looked down to the back table where they were sitting and noticed they were holding hands. When a speaker would finish, they would clap, and then resume holding hands. It was a touching public display of affection, but not unusual for them. I thought to myself then, I hope I am that much in love when I reach their point in life.
Howard served as the Assistant Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction for nearly 30 years, and in 1976 was elected Superintendent of Public Instruction with a letter of support from the Democratic-NPL Party. He was on his way to re-election in 1980 when his opponent pulled the rug out from under him with a dirty trick at the end of the campaign. Here’s what happened.
In 1979, four Grand Forks residents went to court and successfully challenged a section of the North Dakota Century Code that required the Ten Commandments be displayed in places where public school classes convene for instruction. Some time after the court’s decision in early 1980, Howard was notified by the American Civil Liberties Union that some school districts in the state were continuing to display the Ten Commandments.
Howard informed school districts about the decision of the Federal Court, but he also informed them that the actual enforcement of the decision would rest with local law enforcement authorities.
North Dakota newspapers carried big, bold headlines that read “SNORTLAND ORDERS SCHOOLS TO REMOVE TEN COMMANDMENTS” and “SCHOOLS FACE COMMANDMENTS ORDER.”
Just days before the 1980 election, Snortland’s opponent, Joe Crawford, had State Republican Party Chairman John Sellie send out a mass mailing all over the state that read, in part, “Crawford feels it to be a serious error for the State Superintendent to order the Ten Commandments out of the schools. Morals in this country are bad enough, and Crawford has pledged to carry on the fight to return the Ten Commandments to the schools.”
The letter was paid for the by the North Dakota Republican Party, even though the candidates for State Superintendent were (and still are) running on the no-party ballot. It turned what was a close election (1980 was not a particularly good year for Democrats, as you recall) into a Crawford victory.
Crawford was beset by his own scandals during his four years in office and was defeated handily by Wayne Sanstead in 1984. But it was not the end of Howard’s political career. Not yet. In 1982, he accepted his party’s nomination to run for the North Dakota House of Representatives in District 49. His strong campaigning with his running mate, Walt Hjelle, helped elect Walt to the House of Representatives that year.
Howard remained in Bismarck and became a fixture in the Capitol City’s volunteer community. Crawford hasn’t been seen for years.
Today, we remember Howard and Adeline as dedicated public servants. On Saturday morning at 11, we will celebrate their lives at a funeral at the first Presbyterian Church in Bismarck. We will miss them. They were part of our Democratic-NPL family. A big part.
See you on the Trail,
Jim
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President Bush interested in Conrad Energy Policy
Via a press release from Senator Conrad's office...Conrad Presents BOLD Energy Bill to President5/3/06Washington -- At a White House wide-ranging meeting today with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to discuss energy policy, President Bush asked Senator Kent Conrad for a copy of his BOLD Energy Act. "I'm encouraged that the President is seriously interested in my BOLD Energy Act," Senator Conrad said. "There's a strong sense of urgency. I've introduced this bill, which I think is the most ambitious energy legislation out there. Now we need the President to take bold action." Senator Conrad introduced his 125-page bill, the Breaking Our Long-term Dependence Energy Act, on April 6th. Since then, Senator Conrad has appeared in North Dakota with family farmers, agriculture groups and energy industry groups that have endorsed the sweeping legislation. "The President asked about the bill, and I told him what was in it -- the incentives for biodiesel, ethanol and flexible fuel vehicles, plus the investment in hydrogen and coal-to-liquid fuel technology," Senator Conrad said. "He asked me for a copy of the bill. I made sure he is getting one today." Click here to read on...
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Rick Gion's News from Headquarters
Fellow Democrats,
If you haven’t noticed, gas prices are at almost $3 a gallon again here in North Dakota (I’m being facetious). Of course you’ve noticed; it hits us all square in the pocketbook.
Almost two weeks ago, a large group of Democratic- NPL candidates took a renewable energy tour of Fargo on Earth Day (April 22). At their first stop, an E-85 selling Cenex station, they took a pledge to use renewable fuels during their campaigns. Around that time, our Democratic senior senator, Kent Conrad, received much praise from local media for his BOLD (breaking our long-term dependence) Act proposal. In fact, it was called “visionary” by The Forum.
Here are some of the highlights of the proposed legislation from Conrad’s recent editorial in the GF Herald:
• Promotes renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. It calls for ethanol use to increase from 4.7 billion gallons next year to 30 billion gallons by 2025 and sets a new standard for alternative diesel fuels biodiesel or coal-derived diesel that increases from 250 million in 2008 to 2 billion gallons by 2015.
• Creates a new rebate of up to $2,500 to encourage consumers to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles. If our vehicles averaged 40 miles per gallon, we could save nearly 3 million barrels of oil a day.
• Extends a 10 percent tax credit to those who buy electric vehicles, helping reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil. It also will create more opportunities for companies such as Global Electric Motorcars, the Fargo-based manufacturer of some of America's most popular electric-powered vehicles.
• Encourages manufacturers to produce vehicles that can run on alternative fuels (such as ethanol, biodiesel or electricity) in addition to conventional fuels. These dual-fuel vehicles can double or triple the gas mileage of conventional cars.
I’d say the senator deserves a pat on the back. When implemented, this plan would not only mitigate our problem on a national level, but it would create jobs and revenue here in North Dakota. I know if the senator was at the Cenex station on this Earth Day, he would have taken that pledge with the group.
Democrats have been ahead of the curve for years on the energy issue, especially in North Dakota. Two Democratic led bills (SB 2229 and HB 1308) in the last session moved to bolster our renewable energy sector. Thanks to the Republican super majority in the Legislature and Governor John Hoeven, the bills were shot down. Oh, by the way, Republican House Majority leader Rick Berg (R-Fargo) led a charge for a study to give tax breaks to oil companies (HB 1530). Most House Republicans voted for it.
The point is, let’s make the Midwest the source of our nation’s energy, not the Middle East. Biofuel plants and wind farms are popping up across the plains. But in North Dakota, we are lagging behind our neighboring states. We need to elect Democrats with the same vision as Senators Conrad and Byron Dorgan, Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, state Reps. Pam Gulleson and Scot Kelsh and last but not least, state Sen. Joel Heitkamp.
One interesting tidbit is at one point Brazil was 80 percent dependent on foreign sources of oil, now it is down to 10. Because of their agricultural resources, the country now produces large amounts of ethanol and biodiesel.
Hey, if Brazil can do it, so can we. North Dakota has the resources. Think about growing our energy so it goes from the field to the fuel tank. It makes a lot more sense than giving more tax breaks to oil companies.
-Rick Gion
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Jim Fuglie's News from the Trail
Fellow Democrats,Looks like rain in my little corner of Dunn County this morning. Okay by me. The potatoes are in the ground and the garlic is six inches high. If it rains, I’ll sit back and watch them grow today. If not, I’ll plant the lettuce and the onions, and maybe even the cantaloupe and watermelon. It’s planting season on the prairie, and I’m watching the germination of a new campaign with some excitement. I watched about 40 Legislative candidates and our constitutional office candidates start to grow on Saturday and Sunday at our training workshop at the University of Mary. I really like these folks. Roger Johnson, who’s been our Agriculture Commissioner for ten years and has run three statewide campaigns, sat through the entire weekend of training, hoping to pick up just one more tip on winning elections. He’s the most tireless campaigner I’ve ever seen, and he reminded us over dinner of the night at the Vets Club in Harvey when he had been on the road so long, he actually fell asleep at the podium in the middle of a speech. It was hilarious.
Cheryl Bergian, our PSC candidate, Bill Brudvik, our Attorney General candidate, Brent Edison, our Tax Commissioner candidate, and Kristin Hedger, our Secretary of State candidate, were all there, huddled around a conference table, planning. They’re running as a team, in the most organized effort I’ve ever seen for a statewide ticket this early in a campaign, and they 
