​Open Letter to Heidi Heitkamp

Dear Heidi Heitkamp,

As a North Dakota Democrat, I get it. We understand that you are independent and can’t vote the way we want all the time. North Dakota is a red state and the only way Democrats can get elected statewide is if they are moderate otherwise Republicans will use any of those controversial votes against them. It’s simple politics. I guess what we are asking is on some of those swing votes that you don’t vote with Republicans ALL of the time. It does get tiring when you hear frequently that your Senator is one of one or two Senators in the entire Senate to vote with Republicans on an issue.

I’ve heard you say you don’t care what the base or party thinks on issues, you vote your conscience and I get that, but here are some things I’d like to say in response. I want to support you all the time, that’s what your base is for. But that becomes hard when you appear to turn your back on us. Keep in mind many of those swing Republican voters you seem to be so concerned probably won’t be there at the end of the day.

Republicans are going to take wedge issues and use them against you, utilizing fear, racism, terrorism, and doing whatever they can to motivate voters. That’s just what they do. I know issues dealing with guns, energy, and even some social issues, you have to be different than other Democrat Senators because those are issues where a lot of Democrats even in North Dakota are more conservative on.

But there should be some core fundamental values which make us different. And there should be a backbone to stand up to Republican gamesmanship. Take for instance banning Syrian refugees entering the United States. Here’s a false issue if there ever was one, I don’t care what the polls say. You say Senator Heidi Heitkamp, that you don’t care what the base thinks, I hope you are not voting based on polls either.

We are talking about banning Syrian refugees in the United States because of an attack which happened not on our own soil in which the attackers used fake Syrian passports to drum up anti refugee hysteria. Guess what? It worked. Where is the threat from Syrian refugees to average North Dakotans in Grafton, Beulah, Watford City and Walcott? Governor Jack Dalrymple said no Syrian refugees are being placed in the state because there are none here currently for them to assimilate with. So even if we allowed them to come to the US, none would come to our state. This despite the fact that they were here at the turn of the century and North Dakota was home to America’s first mosque and all that happened without any being killed.

Since 9/11, there have been no major arrests of refugees for terrorism in America yet we are supposed to pause them. Because Republicans want to stir up anti Muslim fear which they know will work as a wedge issue. Keep in mind, we turned away Jewish refugees during World War II trying to escape Hitler. This could easily be Christian refugees escaping terrorism 20 years from now. We shouldn’t single out a group of refugees to be banned because of their religion or the fact they are from the Middle East. Many spend years to get here and it’s not an easy process. Nobody chose where they get to go and they are all screened.

Which brings us to your decision to vote with Senate Republicans last week on a filibuster to vote on banning Syrian refugees from entering the US, one of two Democrats to do so. Call me crazy but I don’t think this is a vote that would’ve killed you politically. While Democrats didn’t need your vote and it wasn’t directly a vote on the matter, you knew what you were doing. Obviously, Republicans weren’t going to hurt you on this issue. And maybe you sincerely feel that in voting this way, you are protecting the safety of North Dakotans. I strongly disagree. This is a fundamental issue where Democrats need to stand up to Republican tactics or they will only get worse.

Moving forward, I hope you remember the people helped get you elected, who went to things like your rally with Bill Clinton in Fargo as I did and who will be there when the going gets tough. We want to continue to support you but we can’t take many more votes like this before we start wondering what it was all for and what the difference between a Democrat and Republican in this state is.

Sincerely,

Dismayed Democrat in Fargo