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Cramer not ducking questions on his health care vote

Whether you are a fan of the American Health Care Act or not, you have to hand it to Congressman Kevin Cramer for having the courage and the patience to explain the bill to voters back home.

In person.

Other members of Congress have taken considerable heat from constituents since the November election, and not all of the town hall meetings have gone well. Some have been packed with protesters who would only be satisfied had Hillary Clinton been elected president.

The mood in North Dakota has been much more civil, thank goodness. What has been described as “North Dakota nice” was the mood of people who attended one of Cramer’s coffee house talks in Minot this week. There were a lot of questions thrown at Cramer that afternoon; thankfully nothing more.

But things heated up later in the week when Cramer hosted another event in Mandan. A couple not so nice people were escorted out of that gathering, while Cramer kept his cool. In fact, he was downright gracious about it.

Politicians need to have thick skin, and Cramer does. But what he also possesses are the smarts to understand and then explain in simple terms the whole health care debate.

Besides the coffees he’s hosted, Cramer has appeared on radio talk shows and conversed one-on-one with constituents about their individual situations, with the public listening in and learning too.

It’s been said that the AHCA passed by the House, with Cramer’s support, will differ greatly from what eventually becomes law. It is reassuring to know that our one and only congressman is so in tune with health care reform AND is willing to stand up and explain the reasoning behind his votes when he come home to North Dakota.

Perhaps Sen. Heidi Heitkamp should follow Cramer’s lead and explain her vote against a resolution disapproving the Bureau of Land Management’s methane flaring and venting rule. In person.

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