As part of my look ahead for the year I got to wondering about the presidential election cycle and how it might influence the numbers.
North Dakota in Election Years
Now we can pay attention
A while back I argued it was too early to pay too much attention to the political races. In many ways it is still too early. Tax plans and other ideas are still just that, plans and ideas. However, now we can start to pay attention.
Politics Bores Me (for now)
I have yet to pay serious attention to the political actors running for President from the two major parties, though JT keeps threatening to ask me about this on the radio. I think it too early to take any candidacy seriously at this point, at least from a policy perspective. What do I mean by this?
Enter the Senate
It seems odd to think that we should now feel happier given that the responsibility for solving the immediate fiscal mess falls to the Senate. The House and the Senate Republicans have been at odds with each other publicly over the last several weeks. A significant part of the issue is the difference in electoral concerns for Senators when compared to the Representatives from the House. Larger electoral districts generally include more diverse sets of opinions and as a result the entirety of a state requires differing approaches from the House districts.