"whole thing kind of boils down to, do you want someone who’s going to fight against President Obama

[Coyotl]

Berg said with a shrug. “The issue is not about a personality contest. This whole thing kind of boils down to, do you want someone who’s going to fight against President Obama.”

‘North Dakota Nice’ Plays Well in Senate Race
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/us/politics/democratic-heidi-heitkamp-is-strong-in-gop-north-dakota.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
by JONATHAN WEISMAN September 30, 2012

MINOT, N.D. — Heidi Heitkamp, a Democratic Senate candidate, called Leonard Rademacher a few weeks ago looking for his vote, but Mr. Rademacher, a 74-year-old retiree, was feeling ill, so Ms. Heitkamp called him back.

Tight Senate races in Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts and North Dakota all feature one candidate who must count on voters going one way in the presidential race and another down the ballot to prevail. But in North Dakota, voters have been splitting their tickets for decades. The seat up for grabs here has been in Democratic hands for 52 years. Only once in that span, in 1964, has the state voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.

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Tight Senate races in Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts and North Dakota all feature one candidate who must count on voters going one way in the presidential race and another down the ballot to prevail. But in North Dakota, voters have been splitting their tickets for decades. The seat up for grabs here has been in Democratic hands for 52 years. Only once in that span, in 1964, has the state voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.

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[Coyotl]

1. North Dakota: The Capital of Retail Politics

The Capital of Retail Politics
Eliza Gray September 28, 2012
http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/107863/the-capital-retail-politics#



In mid-July, the Minot Daily News ran a picture of Democratic Senate candidate Heidi Heitkamp beaming in front of a wall of bras. She was judging a “Bedazzle Your Bra” contest at the North Dakota state fair to raise money for breast cancer awareness. It’s the kind of thing that Heitkamp, the state’s former attorney general who was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, does best. After calling the wining bra “absolutely stunning,” Heitkamp offered words of encouragement to those struggling with the disease: “You can make it. You can do it. You can put one foot in front of the other to see yourself through.”

In a more populous state, this bit of theater might seem meaningless against the onslaught of political advertising and commentary. But such small appearances make a big impact in North Dakota, where retail politics still play an outsize role. .........

[Coyotl]

2. morning kick

:kick: