ND-SEN: But you are, Blanche, you are

[Tintrlvr]

Heitkamp apparently will be on 60 minutes explaining her vote.

this is extremely dumb IMO. I would try to avoid it as much as possible, and give the straight shooter answer when it comes up.

I think Heitkamp is fine, from a political strategy perspective, here. North Dakota is a market that appreciates people being honest in their explanations, and Heitkamp does come across as honest and expressing her feelings in her explanations. I think a lot of North Dakotans appreciate that even to the extent they disagree with her, and it's a positive contrast with someone like Cramer being relentlessly political about everything.

[Tintrlvr]

Heitkamp apparently will be on 60 minutes explaining her vote.

I saw that 60 Minutes report just a few hours ago. She did come off as sincere, and flat out admitted that it would have been wiser for her to have voted for Kavanaugh than against him. In other words, she voted her conscience. Susan Collins was also interviewed by the program, and she seems to have adopted the same line that Manchin and the other Republican Senators have used: that Ford is a victim of sexual assault, but that she is mistaken in regards to the identity of her attacker (that is, Kavanaugh). I don't know how she, or the others can say that with a straight face, given that Ford has been adamant about her attacker's identity.

Or, maybe more significantly, how she can know for sure that Ford is mistaken. The whole point is that there is doubt, and doubt should have resulted in someone else being nominated (and presumably confirmed). Oh well. I think coming across as genuine is better for Heitkamp than voting for Kavanaugh would have been.