August 29, 2008

Why Indians are Democrats

Ten Reasons Why Native Americans, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawai'ians are DemocratsDemocrats stand for the issues important to American Indians. Tribal governments know what it means to meet the unmet needs of their citizens with unmet resources--providing care and services to those less fortunate.

1. Democrats support and respect tribal sovereignty

2. Democrats stand for the protection of families and communities

3. Democrats stand for working families who pay their fair share, not just those few born into wealth

4. Democrats support full funding of programs that are critical to Native Americans--crucial health care and education programs

5. Democrats have historically fought for and continue to fight for the same things that Indian Tribes believe in: providing for our children, our elderly, our veterans and those less fortunate

6. Democrats believe in the protection of the environment and preservation of our natural resources. The Democratic Party respects tribes as the original stewards of the environment

7. Democrats support federal assistance for public safety programs in tribal communities

8. Democrats understand the federal government has a fiduciary trust responsibility to tribes that must be managed openly, honestly and responsibly and support a resolution of the trust fund case affecting thousands of Native citizens

9. The Democratic Party focuses on policies that promote the economic development strides that strengthen tribal governments in Indian Country

10. Like Tribes the Democratic Party knows the value of community--Democrats are about "We" not "Me."
Comment:  My pal Victor, who knows many politically oriented tribal leaders, estimates that 75% of Indians are Democrats. I'd say he's close to the correct figure.

For more on this last point, see Most Indians Are Democrats.

7 comments:

writerfella said...

Writerfella here ==
There is NO way that your pal Victor could know what he claims. Does he have intimate contact with the various tribes, nationawide? Impossible. No one can and, if they so pretend, they are lying. By sheer default, most Natives are Republican, as writerfella described in an earlier post. No brag, just fact...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'

alanajoli said...

There has to be a census result about this somewhere--or even a result from the polls. I'd be interested in hearing actual stats (rather than hypotheticals). In either case, I suspect the shift to the Dems as party of choice for civil rights only started happening in the 1950s or 60s, as previously, the Republicans (who were quite a different party in the late 1800s, granted) were the party most likely to defend rights of ethnic minorities. Or so I'm given to understand by the books I just reviewed on the Civil War and WWII, both of which discussed post-war policies. ;)

alanajoli said...

(I should probably qualify here that I'm a registered independent.)

writerfella said...

Writerfella here --
And there MUST be a story here, exactly defining WHY you are an independent, alanajoli. writerfella is a Democrat but there is no way he ever will vote for a Black man to be President of the USA. Simply because we as Natives TOTALLY will be forgotten by the Black agenda...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella

Rob said...

Thanks for admitting you're prejudiced against blacks, Russ. I surmised that before and now you've verified it. "Russ admits he's a racist"...film at 11.

Victor knows several hundred tribal leaders from a couple hundred tribes. There are more than 100 tribes in California alone, you know. If that isn't a statistically valid sample, it isn't far from one.

He's met them at gaming conventions across the nation. He phones and e-mails them and vice versa. In short, he knows a lot more of them than you do.

Your so-called "fact" is a figment of your imagination. You have zero evidence for it, as I think we can all imagine. If this isn't the best example of how you fabricate claims out of thin air, it's close.

Rob said...

I tried looking for hard data, Alana. It isn't easy to find. The problem is searching for such common terms as "Indians" and "voter registration" or "party affiliation." You get hundreds of thousands of false hits.

I tried searching Census records too. I don't think the Census Bureau keeps track of party affiliation. Alas.

Nevertheless, I've read that Indians skew Democratic in dozens if not hundreds of articles. I haven't read that they skew Republican once. As I hinted in Most Indians Are Democrats, you can't believe anything Russ says on the subject.

You're basically right about the parties' switching their positions on civil rights. And I'm not claiming Russ is wrong when he said most Indians were Republicans in the 1920s. I'm claiming he's wrong now and has been for decades.

Most blacks probably were Republicans in the 1920s too. Going by Russ's "logic," most blacks must be Republicans today. That's almost exactly as valid as Russ's made-up claim about Indians.

Anyway, when I come across the evidence that confirms my readings, rest assured that I'll post it. There's little I enjoy more than making a fool of Russ.

writerfella said...

Writerfella here --
And writerfella now suspects that Oprah's 'golden strings' even extend into this blog. Ka-Ching!!
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'