17 Reasons NOT to Vote for Heidi Heitkamp

For those of us who haven’t participated in early voting, tomorrow we will head to the polls. It’s the culmination of what’s been a very interesting — and sometimes heated — 2018 election cycle. It’s not often that North Dakota politics is at the forefront of national political dialog, but this year they are. And for obvious reasons— control of the United States Senate hangs in the balance and incumbent Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp is on the hot seat versus challenger Congressman Kevin Cramer.

In light of everything that’s on the line for North Dakota and the nation tomorrow, The Minuteman has decided to list 17 reasons NOT to vote for Senator Heidi Heitkamp. So, in no particular order, here we go.

  1. 1. Heitkamp used an Elizabeth Warren-type argument during the healthcare debate. Many of us are familiar with Senator Warren’s “People will die!” declaration on the senate floor last year, during the debate on healthcare. It wasn’t altogether surprising coming from Warren. But to hear our very own Senator Heitkamp say something similar on CNBC’s Squawk Box was disappointing to say the least. But she did. Only her verbiage was that it was “life and death”.
  2. Heitkamp voted to reject a resolution rolling back Obama-era flaring regulations. In one of his final acts as President, Barrack Obama finalized a BLM rule that imposed unnecessary regulations on the energy industry. North Dakota had already reduced flaring from 35% to about 10%. But that didn’t stop Senator Heitkamp from voting in May of 2017 to reject a resolution disapproving of the rule. The Senate rejected the resolution on a 51-49 vote.
  3. Heitkamp’s not great on guns. Despite what her recent campaign ad would have you believe, Senator Heitkamp is lacking when it comes to the 2nd Amendment. In fact, she’s received a “D” rating from the Gun Owner’s of America. Lobbying for legislation to strip people of their gun rights without due process certainly wasn’t helpful.
  4. Heitkamp flip-flopped on late term abortionsWhile running in her first go ’round for the U.S. Senate in 2012, Senator Heitkamp made herself out to be some sort of moderate on abortion by saying she didn’t support late term abortions— except when the life of the mother is at risk. Just a short three years later, she flip-flopped and voted to filibuster a bill banning the practice.
  5. Heitkamp has a 100% rating with Planned ParenthoodMuch along the lines of #4, Senator Heitkamp has a 100% rating with the disgusting organization known as Planned Parenthood. If there’s anything worse than protecting the slaughter of the unborn, then I’m not sure what it is.
  6. Heitkamp voted against the Trump tax cutsNorth Dakota was projected to see the largest average tax reduction in the nation due to the tax cuts. And Senator Heitkamp opposed them.
  7. Heitkamp voted against the repeal of Obamacare. That awful piece of legislation known as “Obamacare” — you know, the one that brought us the health insurance mandate and catastrophic increases in premiums — well, Senator Heitkamp is kind of fond of it. So, in July of 2017, she voted against its repeal.
  8. Heitkamp voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, but it was nothing more than political gamesmanship. It’s true that Senator Heitkamp was one of three Democrats up for re-election that voted to confirm Gorsuch. But lest anyone think she was somehow genuine in that vote— think again. In an interview with CNBC after the vote, she said, “Would he be the judge I’d pick? No, never.” The statement isn’t surprising, but it speaks volumes of a woman and what her thinking really was in casting her vote to confirm.
  9. Heitkamp’s choice of political allies is troubling. We need look no further than who Senator Heitkamp brought to North Dakota to campaign with her. Last Thursday former Vice President Joe Biden came to the Fargo Air Museum and stumped for Heitkamp. Yes, that same Joe Biden who recently referred to some Trump supporters as the “dregs of society”. Biden was followed by New Jersey Senator Cory Booker on Friday, when he came to rally support for North Dakota’s lone Democratic senator. Remember, it was Booker who was critical of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh for unfounded accusations of sexual assault, when he’s admitted to his own groping incident during his high school years. He’s also been in the news lately for issuing a call to “get up in the face of some congresspeople”.
  10. Heitkamp voted against the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett KavanaughWhile there were some concerns in limited government circles about Kavanaugh, Senator Heitkamp didn’t ultimately cast her vote in opposition because of them. No, instead she cited “temperament, honesty, and impartiality”. You can see an official statement she issued here. In the days that followed her vote, she raked in over $12 million in campaign contributions. The problem? Just over 1% of that was from North Dakotans. Which makes sense when we consider that the majority of North Dakotans wanted Kavanaugh to be confirmed.
  11. Heitkamp continues to run an ad proven to be falseEarlier this month, I wrote about the fact that Senator Heitkamp’s campaign was running an ad proven to be false. In it they accuse Congressman Cramer of raising his own pay while serving on North Dakota’s Public Service Commission. This is absolutely untrue, but it hasn’t stopped her from continuing to run the ad.
  12. Heitkamp’s campaign released an ad that essentially exploited womenPolling far behind her opponent, the Heitkamp campaign sought to make some gains by publishing an ad under the heading, “Open Letter to Congressman Cramer”. In it they listed the names of women they purported to be survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and rape. There’s just one problem. Multiple women came forward to say that their names shouldn’t have been on the list and that some aren’t even Heitkamp supporters. She issued an apology, but many already saw the letter for what it was— political fodder in the aftermath of comments made by Congressman Cramer about the #metoo movement being a “movement toward victimization”.
  13. Heitkamp was exposed by her own staff as “super liberal”Project Veritas exposed Heitkamp when they released undercover video of campaign staff admitting that she would be “super liberal” after her re-election. It’s an interesting watch. You can see it here.
  14. Heitkamp used a veterans picture without permissionAs Senator Heitkamp was making her way around the state with former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, to defend her record on veterans issues, she managed to ruffle the feathers of one World War II veteran and his family. Heitkamp published a social media post with his picture — without permission — and was later asked to remove it because he doesn’t endorse her. This was an especially embarrassing moment for the Heitkamp campaign after the snafu with the women in the Open Letter to Congressman Cramer. But no matter… a campaign staffer still managed to accuse the veteran of “gutter politics”.
  15. Heitkamp wasn’t exactly telling the truth with a certain soybean pile. Senator Heitkamp has been trying to make a campaign issue of President Donald Trump’s trade policies, their effect on soybean farmers, and Congressman Cramer’s support of the President. In her haste, she posted a picture of a soybean pile at Maple Grain Elevator in Casselton, ND with the line, “This… is what the trade war looks like.” The campaign suffered embarrassment when the aforementioned elevator published their own picture indicating that the soybeans would “be off the ground before Thanksgiving.” Even more embarrassing was their “Fun fact” to end it, “The pile is almost exactly the same size it was last year.”
  16. Heitkamp said Hillary Clinton would be one of the greatest president’s everMy stomach turns just thinking about it. Can you imagine our country if Hillary Clinton would have become president? Heaven help us. Yet, Senator Heitkamp actually expressed her view that she would have been one of the greatest president’s ever. Mind boggling.
  17. Heitkamp celebrated with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer after voting against a 20-week abortion ban. I hope you’ll not forget this one. Some folks call it a high-five. Sympathizers to Heitkamp say no it wasn’t. Watch the video for yourself, but it looks like a celebration to me. It’s nauseating— just like her vote.

I hope it’s as obvious to you — as it is to me — that Heidi Heitkamp is an avowed liberal Democrat. Not only is she bad on the issues, but her campaign has turned into one of desperation and lies. This is not someone who deserves another term in the U.S. Senate. I hope you’ll agree when you go to the polls tomorrow.

 

Sources:

  1. http://www.therepublic.com/2018/11/05/nd-election-2018-north-dakota/
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN4CyqhgT-s
  3. https://theminutemanblog.com/2017/07/04/heitkamp-pulls-life-death-card-in-interview-on-health-care/
  4. https://gunowners.org/nd-rating-2016.htm
  5. https://www.sayanythingblog.com/entry/heidi-heitkamp-gun-control/
  6. https://www.weeklystandard.com/john-mccormack/north-dakotas-senator-heitkamp-wont-explain-flip-flop-on-late-term-abortion-1035131
  7. https://votesmart.org/interest-group/1578/rating/10353?p=2&of=#.W-DwT_ZFxPY
  8. https://money.cnn.com/interactive/pf/taxes/tax-cuts-by-state/index.html
  9. https://gop.com/heitkamp-chooses-schumer-over-north-dakotans/
  10. https://www.healthreformvotes.org/congress/412554
  11. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/11/democratic-sen-heitkamp-on-why-she-voted-for-gorsuch-supreme-court-pick.html
  12. https://theminutemanblog.com/2018/03/15/hide-mothers-wives-daughters-joe-bidens-coming-north-dakota/
  13. https://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/biden-stumps-for-heitkamp-in-fargo-as-senate-race-enters/article_1150ab1a-a956-5aae-a3e5-f11a17465bc6.html
  14. https://www.facebook.com/POVnow/videos/289629495211366/
  15. https://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/as-booker-slams-nd-voter-id-law-in-standing-rock/article_08fc5c9e-11ba-585b-9001-62523d755cdb.html
  16. https://dailycaller.com/2018/11/02/protester-cory-booker-groping-north-dakota/
  17. https://www.dcstatesman.com/more-mob-violence-sen-booker-calls-for-activists-to-harass-congresspeople/
  18. https://www.axios.com/social-conservatives-supreme-court-brett-kavanaugh-trump-ebd3a9cb-44ff-4161-9221-306a584a95ba.html
  19. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/409948-heitkamp-to-vote-no-on-kavanaugh
  20. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/25/north-dakota-senate-2018-heitkamp-donations-942154
  21. https://www.sayanythingblog.com/entry/just-1-percent-of-heidi-heitkamps-anti-kavanaugh-campaign-cash-bonanza-came-from-north-dakota/
  22. http://www.westfargopioneer.com/opinion/columns/4505256-commentary-poll-majority-north-dakota-voters-want-kavanaugh-confirmed
  23. https://theminutemanblog.com/2018/10/11/heitkamp-continues-to-run-ad-proven-to-be-false/
  24. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/heitkamp-called-out-for-sharing-wwii-veterans-photo-without-his-permission
  25. https://www.sayanythingblog.com/entry/new-york-times-uses-same-misleading-photo-of-soybean-pile-the-heitkamp-campaign-got-caught-using/
  26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_4etNF1qg8
  27. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4711909/heitkamp-schumer-high-abortion-vote
  28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv-lih0dDoY
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About T. Arthur Mason 883 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.