Grand Forks Herald Applies Double Standard To Republicans, Democrats

According to the Grand Forks Herald’s editorial today, recently-elected Representative Kevin Cramer needs to prove himself on the farm bill.

“If a new Farm Bill passes out of the House Agriculture Committee in the next few months, Cramer should make it his mission to ensure that the bill reaches the House floor for a vote,” writes opinion editor Tom Dennis on behalf of the Herald. “One of Congress’ most epic failures in the past 12 months was its refusal to pass a new five-year Farm Bill.”

I’m not sure that passing an agri-pork bill at a time when the nation is flat-broke, and running a deficit of over $1 trillion annually, counts as an “epic failure.” And I’m especially not sure it’s a failure in the context of Congress refusing to budget.

It says something pretty awful about the priorities of some people that they want farm subsidies prioritized over a budget.

After all, the farm bill just expired. The Senate hasn’t passed a budget since 2009. Given that budgeting is kind of, you know, central to Congress’ constitutional mandate which is the bigger sin?

Which brings us to the Herald’s glaring double standard. They’re clearly going to be riding Cramer’s back about passing a farm bill. But where was the Herald when Conrad was refusing to pass out of committee for three consecutive years? They were busy adoring his “deficit hawkishness.”

Where is the Herald demanding that Senator Heidi Heitkamp, Conrad’s replacement, ensure that her party pass a budget in the coming congress, especially in light of comments from Conrad’s replacement on the Budget Committee indicating that there probably won’t be any budgeting done this year either?

All we’ll hear are crickets on those fronts, I’m afraid. Because I’m not sure the liberals at the Herald are all that interested in applying an even standard.