316: Can Ed Schafer reunite North Dakota Republicans?

"The problem we've gotten into are the tactics being used," says former North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer.

Schafer will be delivering a speech at what is expected to be an NDGOP state convention marked by factionalism and resentments, and his hope is to inspire delegates to find a sense of unity.

This year marks the 30 year anniversary of Schafer's election, which ushered in the era of Republican dominance that thousands and thousands of North Dakotans grew up with. On this episode of Plain Talk, Schafer says he intends to tell that story, and talk about how Republicans found so much success in North Dakota.

It was about optimism, he says, and competent policymaking, which is distinct from the "incendiary things" modern politicians say and do to "get on Facebook and Tiktok."

"It gives Republicans a black eye," Schafer says. "I think it creates a shallowness."

One cause of the infighting in the NDGOP is a lot of new people getting involved in party politics. They're angry and they want change, Schafer says, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but he argues that some "have been able to take advantage of that" and point the energy toward some unproductive initiatives.