I am a big supporter of President Obama (And Michelle) and of Bernie Sanders. I have been around here forever and have seen my share of candidate wars. I was a part of Robinsswings’ boycott of Kos back in 2011 and in fact have not been too active since then. We lost a lot of good members in the Obama roks/sux wars, which I felt was damn near a race war here on Kos. And the members that were lost were more often Black than white. And they were good people who were just fed up and as a consequence were either banned or left. In fact, that is one reason I find myself horrified that in supporting Bernie I see that a few of his supporters are people I detested and still have no respect for. But they are separate from Bernie himself. I think Bernie has some things to learn about reaching to POC, but I believe his heart is where it should be.
While the category of POC is useful, it also fails to take into account differing interests of sub-groups in the category. One of the reasons I have always supported President Obama is because of his support of Native American people.
A few of his and Michelle’s initiatives are below:
The Indian Health Service would see a record $6.6 billion in funding under the fiscal year 2017 budget released by President Barack Obama on Tuesday.
The request represents an increase of $402 million, or 6.5 percent, above the current level. If accepted by Congress, the IHS budget will have grown 53 percent since Obama came on board.
Since his first day in office, President Obama worked to strengthen the government-to-government relationship between the United States and tribal governments in order to improve the quality of life for all American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Recognizing that the best policies for Indian Country come from Indian Country, the Administration has engaged tribal leaders like never before by hosting White House Tribal Leaders Conferences and ordering agencies to create detailed consultation policies.
This high level of engagement has brought about great progress by ensuring that the Recovery Act included many tribal priorities, that the Affordable Care Act permanently authorized the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. As well as the enactment of the Tribal Law and Order Act to fight crime in Indian Country and the settlement of longstanding legal claims in the Cobell case over the accounting of tribal resources and the Keepseagle case resolving allegations of discrimination against Native American farmers and ranchers.
Together, we’ve strengthened your sovereignty -- giving more power to tribal courts and police, restoring hundreds of thousands of acres of tribal trust lands. We’ve expanded opportunity -- permanently reauthorizing the Indian Health Care Improvement Act -- (applause) -- speeding up the process for businesses signing leases in Indian Country, building roads, expanding high-speed Internet access, and moving forward on renewable energy projects. We’ve delivered justice -– resolving legal disputes that have dragged on for decades, untying your hands when it comes to dealing with domestic violence.
The Generation Indigenous (Gen-I) initiative focuses on improving the lives of Native youth through new investments and increased engagement.
The Department of the Interior is leading an effort to Reform the Bureau of Indian Education Reform (BIE) to provide students attending BIE-funded schools with a world-class education and transform the agency to serve as a capacity-builder and service-provider for Tribes in educating their youth
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/12/03/remarks-president-tribal-nations-conference
And so Michelle and I ended up staying longer than we had planned, and we got a lot of hugs in, and we walked away shaken because some of these kids were carrying burdens no young person should ever have to carry. And it was heartbreaking. And we told them, because they were such extraordinary young people –- strong and talented and courageous -- we said, you've got to believe in yourselves because we believe in you. We want to give those young people and young Native Americans like them the support they deserve. We have to invest in them, and believe in them, and love them. And if we do, there’s no question of the great things they can achieve -- not just for their own families, but for their nation and for the United States
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/12/03/remarks-president-tribal-nations-conference
"Each of you was put on this Earth for a reason. Each of you has something that you're destined to do, whether that's raising a beautiful family, whether that's succeeding in a profession or leading your community into a better future," she said. "You all have a role to play and we need you."
Michelle Obama’s comment to Native Youth that "You all have a role to play and we need you." brought me to tears. I have NEVER heard anyone besides other Native Americans tell our youth that this country NEEDS them. President Obama made similar comments. These are just a few of the reasons I will always support the President and the First lady.
Now on to why I support Bernie Sanders. I trust him. I trust him to continue to support Obama’s policies regarding Native Americans. The water crisis in Flint Michigan is Horrifying, both candidates agree. But Bernie Has not forgotten Native Americans even though we are not a huge voting block.
Too many times our Native American brothers and sisters have seen the profits of huge corporations put ahead of their sovereign rights,” Sanders said. “It is wrong that a backroom deal in Washington could lead to the destruction of a sacred area that is so important to so many. We must defend the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are standing in opposition to this giveaway of our natural resources to foreign corporations.” -
He understands and addresses the problem of corporations seizing and destroying Indian lands. He’s fought for us. A lot of Native people agree with me. Bernie visited the Meswaki Indian settlement in person.
According to the results from the Democratic party, the Senator from Vermont won a whopping 83.3 percent of the vote at the Indian Settlement precinct in Tama County. Members of the Meskwaki Tribe caucused at their tribal center and only gave 16.7 percent of their votes to Clinton, a former Secretary of State and a former Senator from New York.
Both campaigns reached out to voters on the reservation but Sanders was the only one who went there in person. He discussed the economy, education, Native veterans and other issues at the tribal center on September 4, 2015.
Just from my friends and family in the Native Community, Bernie support is high. I also found it telling that the Native Americans for Bernie on Facebook has over 4000 like and Hillary has less than 300. Not exactly scientific, but hey….
In addition, the Washington “racist name” football team hired McGuireWoods Consulting to represent them a week after 50 senators sent a letter to the NFL protesting the name, flat out calling the name racist. Bernie singed that letter and has called the named racist. Hillary, on the other hand just called it “Insensitive”.
I was dismayed to find that McGuireWoods, who in addition to supporting the Washington team also lobbies for companies such as Exxon held a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in June. The firm, in its disclosure, says its mission includes discussing “team origins, history and traditions.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2014/07/29/lobbyists-working-for-redskins-worked-for-sen-warner/
So that is my say as a Native American woman why I support both President Obama and Bernie Sanders.