Plain Talk

Earlier this year North Dakota lawmakers tried to pass two - yes, two - book bans. One, House Bill 1205, was slightly less odious than the other, Senate Bill 2360, in that it didn't seek criminal penalties for librarians and educators. Both bills did pass the Legislature, though Gov. Doug Burgum only signed the House bill into law, He vetoed SB2360, and lawmakers failed to override the veto. So now that HB1205 is law, how will it impact our state's libraries? Kerrianne Boetcher, the administrator of the Ward County Public Library and the current president of the North Dakota Library Association, joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss. She talked about what it was like to go through an ugly debate that featured completely stupid and unfounded claims about librarians and educators exposing children to pornography - "It was very hard not to take a lot of it personally," Boetcher told us - as well as what librarians will have to do to comply with the new law. Also on this episode, Wednesday co-host Ben Hanson and I talk about the cynical attitude many Americans have about public service, and what impact that's having on the way in which we're governed. To subscribe to the Plain Talk podcast, search for the show on popular podcast services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

The U.S. Supreme Court has handed down some significant rulings recently, and Sen. Kevin Cramer likes what he's saying. "The decision was a strong one, and a good one," he said on this episode of Plain Talk, discussing the recent opinion striking down President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program. He also acknowledged that student loan debt is a real problem that members of Congress and state leaders should address. "We're going to have a border war with Minnesota over tuition," he said, referring to North Dakota University System officials firing up the klaxons over a free tuition program implemented by our eastern neighbor's lawmakers. "I'm glad I'm not in charge of making those decisions," he added. "I'm sure the college presidents are glad I'm not as well." On this episode Cramer also discussed Gov. Doug Burgum's presidential campaign, which Cramer said he supports wholeheartedly. Asked about what advice he'd give Burgum to break through in a crowded field of candidates where he's consistently in last place, Cramer said he'd advise Burgum to do what he's doing, which is focus on the early voting states. And how should Burgum take on Donald Trump, who enjoys a prohibitive lead in the polls despite a swamp of legal problems? "You're really not running against him until you're #2 in the polls," Cramer said. But when the time comes, he thinks Trump's handling of classified documents would be an important issue for Burgum to note. "Can we all admit that taking classified documents when you leave the presidency...you don't do it," he said. Burgum's current term as governor is up next year. If he doesn't run, would Cramer be interested in the job? "There was a time when I would have loved to be governor," he said, and while he warned that "smart politicians never say what they're never going to do," he thinks there will be good candidates who seek that office, "and they aren't me." Cramer also took questions about the political attacks on the legitimacy of the Supreme Court as well as the Project Tundra carbon capture project entering its final stage. To subscribe to the Plain Talk podcast, search for the show on services like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

Earlier this year a long-simmering feud between Auditor Josh Gallion, members of the Legislature, and local government officials burst into the public's eye. The dispute is over what the latter two groups say are sensationalized audits and skyrocketing audit costs. That situation prompted lawmakers to put in place some new accountability measures for Gallion, including new legislative oversight, and an extensive performance audit of his office. Rep. Emily O'Brien, a Grand Forks Republican and one of Gallion's sharpest critics in the legislature, is now the chair of the legislative committee overseeing those initiatives. She joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss her expectations of Gallion, and the audit of his office. Also on this episode, Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus discussed the potential implications of a ballot measure aimed at abolishing property taxes. "It's a big decision," he said. "It's a big bite out of the apple." One facet of the debate that Kroshus flagged is that North Dakota has "one of the highest rental rates in the country," he said, which also means that our state has one of the lowest rates of home ownership. People who rent are less impacted, at least directly, by property taxes. How will that impact how the state votes if, and almost certainly when, this measure is put on the ballot? Subcribe to the Plain Talk podcast by searching for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here for more information.

Allow me to pull back the curtain, for a moment, to give you a look behind the scenes at what it's like to be a podcaster and political columnist in North Dakota at this time, in the political cycle. When the legislative session is over. And election season is still months away from starting. And it's summer time. And Friday. It's kind of hard to book a guest. This is why, on this episode of Plain Talk, it's just me and my co-host, Chad Oban, talking politics. Which isn't to say that we didn't cover a lot of interesting stuff. We went from Congressman Kelly Armstrong and his struggles to follow his conscience under intense pressure from the far-right to Doug Burgum's presidential campaign to cryptocurrency. That last may have been ill-advised since neither of us knows a whole lot about it, but we do know that it seems to be a less-than-stable industry at the moment, and the struggles a crypto business - one touted by Burgum - is having in Williams County are very interesting. And you don't really have to be a crypto expert to understand that. To subscribe to the Plain Talk podcast, search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here to find out how to subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice.

Minot, N.D. — "The history of this in other states hasn't been good," Pat Finken said on this episode of Plain Talk. Finken is a long-time Republican strategist who has consulted and managed campaigns for candidates like Sen. John Hoeven, and Sen. Kevin Cramer and worked before for and against ballot measures. He joined this episode to discuss the recent takeover of the North Dakota Republican Party by populists, or culture warriors, or the MAGA movement, depending on your preferred nomenclature. He argues that similar takeovers of Republican politics in places like Arizona, and Minnesota, have resulted in the states moving farther left. The same could happen in North Dakota, depending on how the new party leaders conduct themselves. If they start to censure sitting Republican incumbents, if they recruit extreme candidates for the ballot, we could start to see Republicans lose ground in elections. Also on this episode, co-host Ben Hanson and I discuss the recent controversy at North Dakota Right To Life, and a voting analysis of the North Dakota legislature from a Minnesota-based group that is premised on the idea that a Republican ever, under any circumstance, voting with a Democrat is a bad thing. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here.

The new chair of the North Dakota Republican Party, Sandi Sanford, doesn't like Republican Congressman Kelly Armstrong very much. She has called for a primary challenger for the incumbent over his vote to codify same-sex marriage in federal law. Does Armstrong now regret that vote? "I do not," he said when asked on this episode of Plain Talk. As for the potential for his own party to become an obstacle to his own re-election, he didn't sound seem concerned. "I'm on the ballot every year," he said. "We'll either get help from the party or we won't," he continued. Armstrong also expressed his support for Gov. Doug Burgum's presidential campaign, saying he's 100 percent behind him, and has donated to his campaign. Burgum's term ends next year, and if he's running for president, he may not seek a third term as governor. Would Armstrong be interested in that office? "Yes, I would certainly look at it," he said. Armstrong also addressed his vote against censuring Rep. Adam Schiff, which earned him the ire of some far-right activists on social media, and commented on the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump. "You have to be thoughtful about this stuff," Armstrong said. "You can't be raging toward whatever gets you the most clicks." Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on services like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the platform of your choice.

The North Dakota Republican Party is fractured. Whatever happens at their upcoming reorganization meeting, where leadership from traditional Republicans is under a challenge from populist culture war activists, there's no question that the party has shifted away from what it's been during the last three decades that it has stood astride state politics. Can the Democratic-NPL, which holds no statewide offices, which has withered to superminority status in the state Legislature, take advantage? Adam Goldwyn, the newly-elected chairman of the party, joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss it. Also on this episode, co-host Ben Hanson and I discuss the latest from the presidential campaign trail. Gov. Doug Burgum's entry to the race has gone pretty well, so far, but he's still at the bottom of the barrel according to the most recent national polls. What does he need to do to distinguish himself? If you want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish, search for the show and subscribe on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the platform of your choice.

There are two big stories in North Dakota politics. One you know about. Doug Burgum is running for president of the United States. He's just the second North Dakota resident to do so in the country's history. The other is flying under the radar of all but the wonkiest of state political observers, and it's what's happening to NDGOP. While Burgum seeks the White House, his state political party may well be taken over by people who don't like him very much. Current party chair Perrie Schafer, a Republican in the traditional mold, is facing a challenge from Sandi Sanford, who is not only an ardent culture warrior, but an outspoken critic of Burgum. And, to add an extra layer of intrigue, she's also the wife of his former Lt. Governor Brent Sanford, who left office late last year. Robert Harms, a long-time leader in the NDGOP, having served as treasurer and party chairman in the past, joins this episode of Plain Talk to discuss this turn of events with co-host Chad Oban and I. Also on this episode, state Sen. Sean Cleary, a Republican from District 35 and a former staffer for Burgum weighs in on his former boss's national campaign. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to find out how to subscribe on the platform of your choice.

In 2016, I covered the North Dakota Republican Party's state convention alongside reporter Dave Weigel, then of the Washington Post, who currently works for Semafor. Weigel and I watched a gubernatorial candidate and political newbie named Doug Burgum take third in the vote of convention delegates behind his fellow Republicans Rick Becker and Wayne Stenehjem. Burgum, of course, went on to shock North Dakota politics by upsetting Stenehjem in the June primary vote. On this episode of Plain Talk, Weigel recalled that convention, saying it proved to him that you don't bet against Doug Burgum, even when he's the underdog. Weigel and I discuss what Burgum has to do to move from being a little-known governor to a true contender in the GOP's increasingly crowded 2024 presidential field. "It's all about Iowa," Weigel said, noting that he also, at the very least, needs to qualify for the GOP's first presidential debate to be held in Milwaukee in August. Also on this episode, my co-host Ben Hanson, who attended Burgum's announcement in Fargo today, discuss the event. Want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish? Search for the show on services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to learn how to subscribe on the service of your choice.

You've all heard the term "clickbait" before, uttered derisively, and not always deservedly, toward online content designed to prioritize earning a click or view or listen, over everything else, including the truth. But how did things get this way? What's the history of clickbait? Ben Smith, one of the founders of a new news venture called Semafor, joined this episode of Plain Talk to talk about it. He's a pioneer of early blogging, a veteran of Politico and the New York Times, and he was the editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed News, a position from which he made the decision to publish the now-infamous Steele Dossier. Smith is also the author of a book called 'Traffic: Genius, rivalry, and delusion in the billion-dollar race to go viral.' It's a history book, of sources, spanning roughly the last two decades of internet journalism, from the Drudge Report to the Huffington Post, from Breitbart to Gawker, and how it was all shaped by a relentless drive for traffic. Attention. Clicks. If you want to buy Ben's book, you can do so here. If you want to subscribe to Semafor (I do), click here. If you want to be notified when new episodes of Plain Talk publish, search for the show and subscribe on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, or click here to find out how to subscribe on the podcast service of your choice.