Governor Doug Burgum recently joined me on “News and Views” to answer a few questions, and avoid answering others. In full disclosure, when Doug was deciding whether or not to run for Governor, he agreed to a meeting where I asked him to consider running as an Independent. His public positions were middle of the road. His attitude on the role of the job was aggressive, but in a positive way. And it was clear he was willing to look past party lines (the key word being ‘was’).
Something changed with Doug Burgum, and I was too naive to figure out why. Why a man with everything going for him would change some of his strongest opinions and positions we all thought he believed in. I know it can be hard to defend some of those positions here in deep-red North Dakota. If anyone understands that, I certainly do. But if you stick to your core beliefs, you have a foundation you can build something on to ensure that when your time in public service is done, there’s a body of work you can be proud of.
This session proved I was wrong in the beginning. The Republicans in North Dakota have become even more conservative than the Republicans have on the national level. They achieved their goal though. They drew the Nation’s attention and put North Dakota on the map as the most radical of the radicals.
But, why? Why did Doug Burgum take part in some of it?
Now we have the answer. Doug Burgum will be running for President of the United States in 2024. And to do that in the modern day Republican Party, you have to go even farther right. As far right as you can possibly get, to the point where it doesn’t matter if you know it’s wrong. What matters is making sure the MAGA crowd gets fed. And if you don’t feed them, you don’t move up, and therefore lose that shot to be President.
The best example I can give is the new abortion ban. The law that Governor Burgum signed to make North Dakota one of the toughest states in the Union when it comes to a woman’s right to make her own decisions regarding her health and body. Their claim that a raped women still has options is absurd. The six-week window that Burgum and the other Republicans were ‘gracious’ enough to allow, is such a small window that a woman may not even know she’s pregnant. Which of course was their plan, and gives them the best of both worlds. They get to say to the masses that they protected her, while at the same time they know deep-down they didn’t.
The cost of a Presidential run can be expensive, and it’s paid for by many people in many ways.
Even by a woman that never even knew she was in it.
Good riding with you,
Joel
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