Heitkamp Votes For Two More Filibusters, Cramer Asks "When Are The Adults Going To take Control Over There?

On her still-active 2012 campaign website Heidi Heitkamp said there are “too many extreme politicians in Washington” who hold the country “hostage to advance their narrow political agenda.”

Heitkamp’s comments were aimed at the filibuster, pledged to reform during her campaign and voted to obliterate while a member of the Senate majority in 2013 and 2014.

Yet, again and again, Heitkamp votes with the liberal Senate minority to oppose all sorts of things. Yesterday Heitkamp voted to filibuster the defense appropriations bill and a bill prohibiting late term abortions (despite previously saying during her 2012 campaign that she is opposed to late term abortions).

Meanwhile Rep. Kevin Cramer, while not mentioning his North Dakota colleague Heitkamp specifically, teed off on Senate Democrats generally.

[mks_pullquote align=”right” width=”300″ size=”24″ bg_color=”#ffffff” txt_color=”#000000″]Heitkamp’s repeated votes for filibusters are a pretty flagrant violation of her campaign promises, as is her new found opposition to late term abortions.[/mks_pullquote]

“The world’s never been more dangerous and so we have Democrat members of the United States Senate, in fact all of them, playing partisan politics by filibustering the defense appropriations bill. The reason they give for filibustering it is they want more spending on social programs,” he said in recorded comments released to the media. “Have they read the Constitution? When are the adults going to take control over there?”

A good question, though it’s interesting that Cramer isn’t calling Heitkamp out directly for her votes. Heitkamp’s repeated votes for filibusters are a pretty flagrant violation of her campaign promises, as is her new found opposition to late term abortions.

That latter issue has broad support both nationally and here in North Dakota. No fewer than four national polls in 2013 showed majority support among women for a 20 week ban. In 2014 a Washington Post poll showed 64 percent supporting such a ban and just 28 percent opposed. A Huffington Post poll had those numbers at 59 percent and 30 percent, respectively.

And while we should take polls from interest groups with a grain of salt, the Susan B. Anthony’s List is touting a poll they commissioned showing that nearly 70 percent of North Dakotans would support such a ban.

This seems like low hanging fruit for Cramer, specifically, who is widely rumored to be considering a 2018 run against Heitkamp.