NorthDecoder.com -- North Dakota's Most Influential Political Blog

Confession: I've been phoning it in here lately. I'm a little burned out on the whole blogging thing. I'll probably be taking a break here for awhile. Hopefully Adam can keep you entertained. If anybody else is interested in posting content, I'm always looking for new blood. Just let me know.

I might write something if I really feel inspired. Otherwise things are probably going to slow down here for a while. If you want me to send you a note if/when I ramp it back up again, let me know that, too. Or subscribe to the twitter feeds for NorthDecoder.com, and you'll get a notice every time something new gets posted here. If you don't know how to do that, ask.

Also, this Friday (November 14th) will be the 3rd anniversary of my first blog post. That was over on BismarckDems.com, before we moved to this new website. If I remember right, I taught myself how to host and build a website on a Friday night while the family was out of town and I was bored. Anyway, that means you only have 2 shopping days left until my blogging birthday. Here's what that first blog post looked like:

The plan changed a little since then. Not much, but a little. We moved to NorthDecoder.com at the end of June, 2007, and it's been downhill since then.

Today is also my 15th anniversary of being in my current vocation. Lots of milestones this week. Seems like a good time to give myself a break.

S. Fred Wood said:

Breaks are good.
But leaving the site in the hands of Adam?

I can't imagine the hours you have put in Chet. Your work has made a difference. It seems like you took the election hard, but you shouldn't. You referenced a great NY Times column by Thomas Friedman. He says:

How did Obama pull it off? To be sure, it probably took a once-in-a-century economic crisis to get enough white people to vote for a black man.

Now Adam had me on the Brady effect, but Friedman is right. And the economy in ND was the one thing the NPL couldn't overcome. Like it or not, the incumbents get credit for putting oil in the Bakken formation. And now they have even put more oil in the Williston Basin.

Without the economic crisis the rest of the country is dealing with, North Dakotans voted red.

But the NPL, with a lot of help from you, laid a great foundation (as you eluded to in later blog posts). If Obama can accomplish what he should, 2010 and then 2012 should be better for the NPL. Thanks to you and many others. Congratulations.

Now Adam. I have it from a reliable course he left Denver playing a truely great Bob Seger song. Of course "Get out of Denver". The following lyrics were never more true than they were for madman Adam:

Get out of Denver, baby, go, go
Get out of Denver cause you look just like a commie
And you might just be a member
Better get out of Denver
Better get out of Denver

Go! Get out of Denver, baby, go, go
Get out of Denver, baby, go

Have a nice break Chet, you deserve it.

Congrats on your 15 years too. They say the first 15 are the hardest.

November 12, 2008, 07:57 PM
Votes: +2

msharapova said:

You deserve some time off
Thank you for all the thought-provoking blogs, the gathering of information and all the time you have put in the last three years. I have enjoyed seeing what stories you are following and what reaction you have to the day's events. For those of us living outside the Bismarck zone, the NorthDecoder news from the capitol has always been so much more than we ever get from the newspapers, TV or radio. Thanks again.

November 12, 2008, 08:18 PM
Votes: +3

WayneS said:

...
Chet, you deserve a break but I, for one, sure hope you don't decide to take too long of a break. I understand the work that you put in doing the research and all of the time you have put in for open records requests is almost a full time job . Your work has been very educational for me and I will miss your posts. I hope there will be someone that will step up especially during the Legislative Session and keep us all up to speed on what is going on. Enjoy your break and we will look forward to Adam blogging for now.

November 12, 2008, 08:55 PM
Votes: +2

doug d.riley said:

	To Chet To Chet: Thanks for all your time and hard work,you leave some big shoes to fill,enjoy your leave......
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 12, 2008, 09:29 PM
Votes: +3

Deb said:

unacceptable
I can't think of any news source in the whole state that has had more of an effect on public policy and public office than this website. All due to the hard work of one Chad Nodland.

If you stop what you do, our party is in trouble. Investigative journalism is dead (if it ever existed outside of NDr). The Good Ol' Boys Network will breathe a huge sigh of relief.

There's a lot of work to be done.

You will be horribly missed.

November 12, 2008, 11:14 PM
Votes: +4

iwofndadvocates.com/blog said:

	A break well deserved Chad, You have earned a good break, and some time to yourself, and your family. I only hope you do come back and continue your blog as you are a true investigative reporter. Thank you for the issues you have brought up, and the people you have defended in this process. Please keep in touch.
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 13, 2008, 09:12 AM | url
Votes: +3

Adam said:

	I'm afraid... that if you don't want me running the place you'll have to take charge, fred... I'm going to do my darndest to keep things up to date, but I need your help. If you find something interesting to you please send me a post and I'll publish it. That way you don't have to hear me screaming my crazy left-wing liberal nonsense on the top all the time.
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 13, 2008, 03:29 PM | url
Votes: +0

nimrod said:

	10-4 How about "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne? Don't hide out too long.
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 13, 2008, 10:36 PM
Votes: +1

Big Jake said:

...
Happy Anniversary Chad.

I understand a time out to catch your breath. Adam will be just fine. There are many intelligent comments and commentators---and a few ditto heads. As nutty as they are, we would miss them if they went away. Who would we have to make fun of then? In spite of the fact that right wing talk has done immeasurable harm to the country, if we could get our voice to be at the level it needs to be, the mood of the country is close to being able to listen to a new message.
Thanks Chet. I am confident that you will be back.

November 14, 2008, 11:19 AM | url
Votes: +1

Rob said:

	Three years and you're still a nothing Three years of blogging and according to the stats at Blogads you're at...what...700 page views a day? And probably half of that in unique visitors? By the time you subtract search engine traffic you've probably got about 100 unique visitors a day. Maybe. Pretty sad if you ask me. Go ahead and take a break. Nobody will notice.
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 19, 2008, 11:20 PM | url
Votes: -7

Rob said:

	... I can't think of any news source in the whole state that has had more of an effect on public policy and public office than this website. I can think of about 100, but who's counting?
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 19, 2008, 11:22 PM | url
Votes: -7

Rob said:

	More like 50 readers a day Never mind, you're at like 485 page views a day. So about 200 daily unique visitors, and maybe 50 readers. So...how does it feel to have wasted three years?
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 19, 2008, 11:25 PM | url
Votes: -7

steve.c said:

To Rob:
Glad to see you as a frequent visitor to this. If this is site is such a waste, why have you blogged three times in five minutes on Nov 19, 2008. This site certainly has your interest. It's the repeat customers like you that keep the word of mouth about this informative website going. Thanks Chet, for all the work you have put into the NorthDecoder! I think Rob is trying to solicit readers for you.

November 20, 2008, 05:42 AM
Votes: +4

WayneS said:

	Rob is just jealous Chet does not run a website that allows hatemongers to post very innapropriate content like he does.. and that people actually post intelligent content here rather than the trash that he promotes..............
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 20, 2008, 07:01 AM
Votes: +3

iwofndadvocates.com/blog said:

	... Thank goodness this is a blog site rather then newspaper Rob, or you would have killed two trees for nothing with your comments that mean nothing. Kind of like sayingnothing.com, you know that one site I do not even bother looking at on the web. Keep up the great website Chet, Rob is just jealous he can not get the attention your site does.
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 20, 2008, 08:49 AM | url
Votes: +2

Archie said:

	To Rob Content is everything. There's a difference between data analysis and data excrapolation.
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 20, 2008, 12:14 PM
Votes: +2

iwofndadvocates.com/blog said:

...
By the way Chet congrats on your third year, keep up the great work.

As for me I honestly hope my site does not make its one year anniversary, I hope there is enough change for IW's that we will be able to shut it down. Although I am not holding my breath.

I enjoy coming here to blog, rather then running a blog, although I can not give up until the lawmakers of this state return to the promises made to injured workers when workers comp was created in 1919.

November 20, 2008, 02:11 PM | url
Votes: +2

S. Fred Wood said:

Rob, you are such a freaking loser.
I admit it, out of morbid curiosity, I check out the pukeanythingblog once and a while. Your regulars post 80% of you content, and 80% of them are losers. Serious losers.

Ya Rob, you can really attract the fringe idiots like SCates and AKAJoel. That's your reader base, fringe idiots with no where else to go. Congratulations Rob. You da man.

PS folks, there are a lot worse than SCates. Hard to believe. But they congregate around Rob like flies.

November 20, 2008, 05:56 PM
Votes: +2