Heidi Heitkamp Frustrating GOP Senate Plans

     My previous two posts on the need for the Dems to run a more effective campaign going after Ryan's Medicare privatization plan were based on recent numbers that show Obama roughly tied with Romney on Medicare-which is an outrage and totally unacceptable.

      http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2012/08/right-now-republicans-are-winnning.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DiaryOfARepublicanHater+%28Diary+of+a+Republican+Hater%29

      http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-democrats-mission-on-medicare.html

      Still, it's clear that in state races there are Democrats already getting it done. Heidi Heitkamp in particular stands out. The Republicans are now forced to invest RSCC funds in a race they assumed would be safe-after all North Dakota is a Republican state, there's an oil boom and 3% unemployment-it should be no-brainer for them to pick this up

      However, between Heitkamp's personal popularity and her attacks on her opponent's support of the Ryan plan the RSCC is forced to put money in  state they never thought they would have to-while being forced to take money not just out of Akin's race in Missouri, but a New Mexico Senate race they thought was a good target as well.

     "The National Republican Senatorial Committee is rolling back its investments in two battleground states and investing heavily in North Dakota, where the GOP is facing an unexpectedly difficult fight to pick up an open Senate seat."

     "Several strategists told POLITICO that the campaign arm of the Senate GOP will begin running ads in North Dakota starting Wednesday. The NRSC is booking $3.1 million in airtime there between tomorrow and Election Day, a committee source said."

     "The source said the NRSC is also canceling its ads in New Mexico, where Democrat Martin Heinrich appears to be pulling ahead of Republican Heather Wilson, and Missouri, where Rep. Todd Akin’s comments about abortion and rape have damaged his campaign and caused national Republicans to flee the state."

     http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/08/nrsc-shuffles-senate-map-reinforcing-north-dakota-133581.html?hp=l22

    "Of all the places where the NRSC is moving its money, the North Dakota race may be the most frustrating for national Republicans."

     "That campaign pits Republican Rep. Rick Berg against Democrat Heidi Heitkamp, a former state attorney general whose high personal favorability has buoyed her campaign. Republicans believe it is essential for Berg to win the Senate seat if the GOP is to win a majority in the chamber, but the first-term congressman continues to suffer from damage inflicted in his 2010 House campaign. Democratic outside groups have also leveled sharp attacks on Berg, tying him to an unpopular Republican Congress and its proposals to overhaul Medicare."

      To be sure, the Republicans claim they now see openings in Ohio and Florida-in Ohio, Sherrod Brown is up but the race is much too close for a long time incumbent like him. But, we do see that some Democrats are playing Medicare right and that things are not going according to plan for the RSCC during this election cycle.