Heidi Heitkamp Needs A Moderator To Talk To Her Constituents

According to WDAY talk radio host Chris Gabriel, Senator Heidi Heitkamp appears to have scheduled some actual face-to-face town halls. There are apparently three on the schedule, and Gabriel has been asked to host the one in Fargo.

I’ve been very critical of Senator Heitkamp for dodging these sort of events. She told the Minot Daily News recently that she actually found social media “town halls” held through Facebook and Twitter, where she can control who asks questions and which questions she responds to, better than in-person town halls.

But Rep. Kevin Cramer, who has been very active holding in-person town halls, a weekly call-in gab session on statewide talk radio and social media town halls has been getting a lot of traction. So much so that even earned some grudging praise from the state’s left-leaning newspapers.

Maybe Heitkamp is feeling as though her own efforts in constituent outreach don’t look so good by comparison. Especially with Democrats sending their operatives to Cramer’s events.

But you have to wonder, why does the Senator need a moderator to talk with her constituents? The Cramer town halls I’ve been to consist of the Congressman standing in front of constituents, taking questions directly.

A moderator suggests that Heitkamp thinks something needs to be moderated. Is Heitkamp really that afraid of what her constituents might ask?