Gulleson Rips Cramer For Not Being Sufficiently Hysterical About The Farm Bill

Tweet

Written By:
Rob Port

Aug 7, 2012
3:32pm

Yesterday I got the opportunity to interview US House candidate Kevin Cramer while guest hosting the Scott Hennen Show. During our interview I asked Cramer about some of the political wrangling taking place around the farm bill. Namely, I asked if passing the farm bill was as much of the do-or-die situation that some politicians are making it out to be. I referred to a quote from NDSU farm management specialist Dwight Aakre who said “There is way too much made of the idea that farmers need to know what the farm bill is in order to plan for next year,” and asked Cramer if he thought Aakre was right.

It seems to me that the farm bill is one of those political games wherein the public perception is that farmers depend on the legislation when in reality politicians use that perception to stuff the bill with a lot of nonsense that’s not really related to farming at all, and that the urgency to pass the bill has more to do with avoiding scrutiny of the bill than any real need on the part of farmers. Cramer, generally, agreed with my take. Here’s the audio:

My interview with Cramer got picked up on the liberal blog Daily Kos under the headline “Kevin Cramer Commits Political Suicide,” and in an interview with Democrat party operative/talk radio host Joel Heitkamp the candidate herself chastised Cramer’s lack of hysteria about the bill:

Frankly, I found Cramer’s step back from the partisan brawling over the farm bill rather refreshing. In fact, I think it’s ironic that Cramer is getting beef from his opponents for not playing the usual political games around the farm bill.

Gulleson is politics-as-usual. Cramer, it seems, is willing to go against the grain and buck political norms. Good on him for that.