Print Column: Heitkamp’s Control Over Her Carefully Cultivated “North Dakota Nice” Persona Is Slipping
How does a Democrat like Heidi Heitkamp get elected in a state like North Dakota where no other Democrat has won on the statewide ballot in a decade?
She’s a master at playing the “North Dakota nice.”
Except, she’s not really that nice. At least, not any nicer than most of the conniving, grasping politicians who run for elected office.
While Heitkamp’s brother launches personal attacks at her critics (including this one) from his radio show, while her various campaign surrogates and political allies all but accuse Republicans of wanting to push elderly people down stairwells, the senator herself serenely floats above it all.
It’s a testament to Heitkamp’s skills as a politician, one of the most deft our state has ever seen, that she gets away with this crap.
It’s not easy to throw mud without getting any on yourself.
