Bashing Berg ‘The North Dakota Way’

By Warren Rojas

Posted August 2, 2012 at 12:51pm

Rep. Rick Berg (R-N.D.) and his advisers most likely expected the week-old “Again” ad to conjure Rockwellian nostalgia for neighborly intimacy and small-town straight talk.

How quaint.

</p> <p>Instead, the Republican challenging Democrat <a href="https://heidifornorthdakota.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Heidi Heitkamp</a> for the seat being vacated by soon-to-be-chartless budget wonk Sen. Kent Conrad (D) has been ridiculed and berated by Web surfers who found the campaign spot laughable.</p> <p>One played the gender card:</p><script id="5e2bd50d2be64735bd9c6970a280aeab">(new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=9484058d-cb86-4c6b-b476-f5e62bd11798&cid=69ef7590-f88b-4a7b-b1ad-bbee64894f4f'; cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "9484058d-cb86-4c6b-b476-f5e62bd11798" }).render("5e2bd50d2be64735bd9c6970a280aeab"); });</script></p> <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.videos.rollcall.com/hoh/Screen-shot-2012-08-01-at-5.03.28-PM-445x55.png?w=1024" alt="Mary Clinton critique of Berg's "Again" ad" /><figcaption>(YouTube comments)</figcaption></figure></div> <p>Others eviscerated the “Mean Girls”-like chatter:</p> <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.videos.rollcall.com/hoh/Screen-shot-2012-08-01-at-5.06.33-PM-445x266.png?w=1024" alt="Skewering Berg's scriptwriting" /><figcaption>(YouTube comments)</figcaption></figure></div> <p>Some took offense to Berg’s regional pandering:</p> <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.videos.rollcall.com/hoh/Screen-shot-2012-08-01-at-5.04.01-PM-445x189.png?w=1024" alt="Slamming Berg's "North Dakota Way" line" /><figcaption>(YouTube comments)</figcaption></figure></div> <p>While a few chose to bask in the anticipated backlash:</p> <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.videos.rollcall.com/hoh/Screen-shot-2012-08-01-at-5.04.40-PM-445x282.png?w=1024" alt="Questioning Berg's strategy" /><figcaption>(YouTube comments)</figcaption></figure></div> <p>A <a href="https://www.bergfornorthdakota.com/view/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Berg for Senate</a> aide declined to comment on the ad in question, stating only that North Dakota voters “are increasingly turned off” by personal attacks leveled against Berg by “Heidi, [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid [D-Nev.] and their liberal allies.”</p> <p>May the best sound bite win.</p></body>

Bashing Berg ‘The North Dakota Way’

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