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I’m sure you saw that after the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said that we are in the process of a Second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if ‘the left’ allows it to be. He said it with all the smug arrogance of a smirking Martin Shkreli.
In my parents’ home in Velva, arrogance was the ultimate sin, ranking just above using the good scissors for anything but fabric. We learned to measure worth not by the size of one’s wallet or the volume of one’s bluster but by the strength of one’s handshake and the sincerity of one’s word. If humility is in short supply in America’s Power Corridors, I bring a surplus straight from North Dakota.
Let’s unpack what Roberts said a little bit. His ‘we’ does not include any of us who are not millionaires and who don’t hang out with billionaires. Casting ‘the left’ as violent aggressors is an attempt to distance “us” from “them.” Whatever our politics may be—liberals, moderates, independents, conservatives—it’s a time-honored move in the despots’ book of verbal judo. His goal is to convince us we’re included in the Heritage Foundation’s so-called revolution.
If you’re a conservative running a mid-sized family farm or ranch, you know this guy would not stand up for you against Big Ag.
If you’re a freight rail conductor like I was, you know he won’t stand up for you when the company nullifies the union contract and strips away sick leave and paid time off. One-man crews on road trains save money, sans safety. Never mind derailments like in East Palestine, Ohio. It’s just a PR issue to them—it’s not their poisoned community. Never mind the destroyed homes, the damaged health and habitat.
If you’re a small business owner struggling with skyrocketing healthcare costs, you know his revolution won’t be there when insurance companies hike premiums and deny coverage. They’ll say it’s just market forces at work—never mind the hardworking families left without care, never mind the shuttered business, the lives turned upside down.
Roberts’s “remain bloodless” comment is meant to make the rest of us cower and go along quietly with this revolution against liberty and justice.
Outfits like the Heritage Foundation intend to exhaust us, to wear us down until we’re all under a banner of fear and a facade of lies.
They underestimate us. We are not their sheep. The revolution to remake America into an oligarchy isn’t over, but it makes sense that Kevin Roberts is feeling pretty good about his odds right now. I am running as the antidote to that arrogance. My Scandinavian heritage meant being raised on a diet of lutefisk, humility, and egalitarian values. If we act decisively and collectively, we can do so much. We can stop organizations like the Heritage Foundation that want to control all aspects of America and its citizens.
We can do more than that. We can reform the system into one where worth is measured by integrity, where no one gets left behind because they can’t afford to keep up. Together, we can build an America where power is shared, not hoarded, and where every voice counts, not just the loudest or the richest.
Now, I’m not saying I have all the answers—but I do know this — if we band together, we can outwit and outwork these guys. And that’s why I need your help. Whether it’s a dollar or ten, your contribution fuels this fight against the rising tide of arrogance and oligarchy.
Let’s bring a little of that North Dakota humility to Washington. Let’s prove that a bunch of regular folks can stand up, speak out, and make a real difference.
With the U.S. House seat left open by Representative Kelly Armstrong’s decision to run for governor, the race for North Dakota’s sole congressional district has never been more competitive.
Trygve Hammer is a Navy and Marine Corps veteran, a former public school teacher, and a freight rail conductor. He was appointed to the Naval Academy from the fleet and served as a Marine helicopter pilot, forward air controller, and infantry officer.
From bunking down in oilfield camps to engaging uninterested teenagers in the classroom, Trygve’s career has been a tour of duty in the trenches of American life. Trygve’s commitment to public service is unwavering. He lives by the ethos “Officers Eat Last” and is ready to serve as North Dakota’s next Congressman, putting the people's needs first.
Watch Trygve’s campaign launch video here [ [link removed] ].
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