By concentrating on the minutiae, the issues he actually does something about might be swept under the rug
From the National Journal piece:
Four years later, he was elected governor. Over his eight years in office, Schweitzer broke ground on a free health clinic for state employees, passed funding for full-time kindergarten, and pushed curricula for public-school students about Native American history, which the state's constitution had called for since 1972.
Montana passed a renewable-energy standard for large utilities in 2005, and Schweitzer swapped state-owned cars for hybrids. He started the Yellow Ribbon Program to provide counseling to military service members and their familieswhich was later adopted on the national level. He held monthly contests where anyone in the state could submit ideas about how to save money, and gave away palladium coins to winners. In 2009, Montana was one of only two states to come out of the recession with a surplus. In his two terms, the state cut taxes and repeatedly froze college tuition.
All of this made him very popular...
http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/the-gonzo-option-20140618
Other politicians are passing laws that require purchase of corporate insurance and secret wiretapping and this guy gets slimed for a few non PC statements.
Looking at the kind of politicians that run rampant, America gets what it deserves politically.