I'm a big fan of Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary. The megahitter once had a big political career in Canada. He thinks the US needs a presidential candidate who's had both business and political experience/success. Ergo someone who knows how government works and how to run an enterprise/get things done. Having worked with Burgum, O'Leary thinks he's one of the few who fits the bill (& is an honest guy).
Personally, I'm good a rematch between Biden and Mr. Mean.
Doug Burgum: Why I’m Running for President in 2024
America needs new leadership to unleash our people’s potential.
By Doug Burgum, WSJ
June 6, 2023 6:30 pm ET
When Joe Biden released his video announcing his re-election campaign, it was shocking what was missing. He failed to articulate any economic vision for the country, he ignored the anxiety of families grappling with inflation, and he looked the other way as a recession looms.
We need a change in the White House. We need a new leader for a changing economy. That’s why I’m announcing my run for president today.
My hometown, Arthur, N.D., is a small farming community where woke was something you did at 5 a.m. After earning an M.B.A. from Stanford and working for a short time in Chicago at McKinsey & Co., I moved back home in 1983 and literally bet the farm to provide the seed capital for a startup, which we grew into a world-class company, Great Plains Software.
We ignored those who said North Dakota was too remote to attract the talent needed to build a world-class tech company. By 2001 we had turned Great Plains Software into a billion-dollar company that served more than 140,000 businesses in 132 countries, and we did it with team members from more than 220 small towns across North Dakota.
If you’re going to launch a tech company in North Dakota, you need to be willing to go against the grain and reimagine what’s possible. When I ran for governor in 2016, we shook up the political establishment—then cut more than a billion dollars in spending, balanced the budget, unleashed energy production, and diversified the economy. This year we achieved pension reform, helped pass term limits, and enacted the biggest tax cut in state history.
I can do the same for America. The U.S. has the hardest-working people in the world. But we need new leadership to unleash our potential.
When we empower American innovation and energy production, we strengthen the value of the dollar, stop China and Iran, and prevent wars such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We need to embrace innovation over regulation to solve the challenges of the 21st century. We need to return power to the states. Together, we can ensure unlimited opportunity for everyone willing to reach for it.
The economy must be our top priority. We need to get inflation under control, cut taxes, lower gas prices and reduce the cost of living.
We need to stop buying energy from our enemies and start selling it to our friends and allies. America produces the cleanest and safest energy in the world. Anyone who cares about the environment should want all energy produced here.
Finally, we must recognize the real threat to America and strengthen national security. Our enemies aren’t our neighbors down the street. Our enemies are countries that want to see our way of life destroyed. The first time I ever saw Great Plains’ software in China in 1989 it had been stolen and pirated to sell for a tiny fraction of our price. We must rebuild our military and re-establish our nation’s position of strength to win the cold war with China.
The world is changing. We face both unprecedented threats and tremendous opportunities over the next decade. How we respond will define our future as a country. Working together, we’ll achieve the best for America.
Mr. Burgum, a Republican, is governor of North Dakota.
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