Trump election post-mortem

More tweets and thoughts on the Trump election debacle:

Retweeted Salon (@Salon):

President Donald Trump: A colossal failure for democracy, and our terrifying new reality #Elections2016 https://t.co/CSQRw0HCFS https://t.co/lxczOIAbr3

“I know a lot of people in Michigan that are planning to vote for Trump, and they don’t necessarily agree with him,” the left-leaning documentarian said.

Michael Moore: People will vote for Donald Trump as a giant “F**k you” — and he’ll win

Forget the polls, boho-proletarian filmmaker tells movie audience: Trump's "legal terrorism" will win

Retweeted Salon (@Salon):

How the White House, and so much more, was lost in #Election2016 https://t.co/0slwG7AenA https://t.co/4JcmZNP2Vr

The media says, "NOW we'll start pointing out Trump's lies."

Retweeted Cocky McSwagsalot (@MoreAndAgain):

66% of white women voted for Trump. This election is racist white blacklash against 8 yrs of Obama. https://t.co/51fSuVbm0J

On the bright side, it'll be hysterical laughing at Trump voters when their taxes are raised, their benefits cut, their abortions limited, etc.

Retweeted Finn G. 🗳 (@phineasfrogg):

I've said this before, but Trump, Brexit, Marine Le Pen, etc are all part of a Western white supremacist backlash.

"People will see their lives changed forever...will be ripped from their homes...will be made to feel like strangers in their own country."

More tweets and thoughts on the Trump election debacle:

Retweeted Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert):

media eviscerated Gore and we got Bush and Iraq War.

media eviscerated Hillary and we're abt to get 10x worse.

On the bright side (?), America's racism is now much more in the open.

The audience eagerly listens to Trump's acceptance speech.



Okay, they're ignorant and racist, but not uneducated:

thisisyourconscience ‏@lincolnablades 3h
STOP calling Trump voters UNEDUCATED. Trump DOMINATED the young white college vote in the south. Whites of ALL education levels chose this.

The sun will rise tomorrow...until Trump starts a new war, repeals Obamacare, or outlaws abortion. Then people will start dying. #Trumpkills

https://www.facebook.com/robschmidt/posts/10154085754792749:45

I feel about as sick as I did during Bush/Kerry. People dying in Iraq = people dying without healthcare.

Trump wants to take us back to the '50s, so we'll need the civil rights movement all over again to protect our rights. Start organizing now.

Reminder: Trump hosted "Saturday Night Live" on Nov. 7, 2015. Talk about getting a free pass from the media.

I thought the election was rigged, stupid @realDonaldTrump. Before you even gave your acceptance speech, you already disproved your LIES.

Trump lied, America died.

The Mayan calendar was 4 years off.

And you thought Brits were stupid, xenophobic racists!

Relieved Britain no longer biggest f**k-up of 2016

BRITAIN has woken up relieved to find its idiotic act of self-harm earlier this year is now a piffling historical footnote.

I was hoping for a break. Now I have to spend the next four years savaging President Pussy-Grabber...sigh.

The Trump election debacle

Tweets and thoughts on the 2016 election debacle--in real time:

Apparently the pollsters should've asked, "No, who are you REALLY voting for?" :-(

Yep, it's all about race:

Brad Heath ‏@bradheath 4m
Whitest U.S. counties are voting for Trump by an astonishing and unprecedented margin.

Massive sarcasm:

Jill Filipovic ‏@JillFilipovic 57m
Donald Trump is winning white men by huge margins but sure this election is about economic anxiety and not straight up sexism and racism.

So much for the polls showing a 3-6% margin, the great ground game, and an early Latino surge.

Retweeted Laura Anne Gilman (@LAGilman):

Never again can anyone in the US wonder how Germany allowed the Nazi party to take power. Fear and willful stupidity.

Retweeted Jamelle Bouie (@jbouie):

Donald Trump did what Romney and McCain wouldn’t do. He all but cried “nigger.” And it worked.

Things to look forward to: Latinos gone, women locked up, DAPL completed, gay marriage illegal, etc.

So pussy-grabbing is okay now? Trump voters say YES.

Retweeted Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy):

sexual predator who ran an openly bigoted campaign is a threat to win the presidency

gotta write it out to grasp how big a fuck-up this is

It's a great night for Confederate flag wavers, gay bashers, and mosque burners as well as pussy grabbers. Everyone wins! #ElectionNight

Right...a primal scream against women and minorities gaining equality.

Axelrod: Election a 'primal scream'

"What is clear is there was a hunger for change among a lot of Americans.”

Getting their wish: Republicans, neo-Nazis, and Klansmen, if that isn't redundant.

Retweeted Sabaa Tahir (@sabaatahir):

Terrified right now. If you're not, you're probably not female, an immigrant, muslim, Mexican, a POC, gay, trans or marginalized at all.

Brexit comes to America. Polls failing to measure white anger. Europeans rising up against the tide of brown bodies "threatening" them.

Retweeted Ezra Klein (@ezraklein):

So many of the people who will truly suffer for this election have not yet been born, and had no chance to vote: https://t.co/ZdxPWGPSjC

Christians have proved to be even bigger hypocrites than I imagined.

Retweeted Keifer Lirette (@KeiferLirette):

Imagine being so privileged that someone's racism is seen as a minor character flaw rather than an absolute deal breaker to run a country.

Retweeted Astead Wesley (@AsteadWH):

Stop telling ppl they'll be okay. There are a lot of people in this country that Donald Trump, himself, has promised won't be okay.

A statistic I just saw says voters under $50,000 went for Clinton. Middle-class and rich people went for Trump. That alone destroys the "economic anxiety" argument.

Spencer encourages Native vote

‘Twilight’ actor urges Natives to voteA new video titled “Native Vote” has been released featuring Lakota Sioux actor Chaske Spencer, known for his role in the “Twilight” saga, in an effort to inspire Native Americans to vote in upcoming elections.

The video was released with the help of the National Congress of American Indians.

According to a press release, the video “highlights the power and importance of the Native vote and encourages voters in tribal communities to understand that every voice–and every vote–counts.”

NCAI Executive Director Jacqueline Pata said Native American voters are one of the country’s most underrepresented and disenfranchised group of voters.

“‘Native Vote’ is focused on turning out the largest Native vote in history in 2012. Estimates show that over 1 million eligible Native voters are unregistered. It’s going to take people like Chaske Spencer stepping forward to help spread the word,” Pata said. “This is a true grassroots effort and we need everyone to be involved to spread the word. We hope that Indian Country and non-Native people alike are inspired, especially young people, to get more involved in civic activities such as voting.”Comment:  For more on Chaske Spencer, see Spencer Joins NBC Western Pilot and Actors Turn Out for Breaking Dawn.

Umatilla model supports Crow candidate

Mariah Watchman of ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Boosts Crow Congressional Candidate

By Adrian JawortJason Ward kicked off his 2012 election in style, with a little help from Indian country’s next top model.

Ward, a Crow tribal member, wanted the March 24 “Runway to Congress” fashion show fundraiser event in Billings, Montana to not only highlight his initial foray into the political arena, but showcase how one could use Native heritage as a source of strength and inspiration. Ward, a Democrat, aims to replace Republican Denny Rehberg in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rehberg is running for the U.S. Senate.

“I wanted to show that if you come from the reservation, that doesn’t mean there are limits. If you have a dream and want to step forward, you can do it,” Ward said. “A lot of people think that because you’re from a reservation, you have to be stuck there, and have a mentality that limits their dreams. Having a Native American run for U.S. Congress should inspire other people to follow their dreams as well.”

Among those also headlining the event and following their dreams were America’s Top Model Contestant Mariah Watchman (Confederated Tribes of The Umatilla Indian Reservation), LA Fashion designer Bethany Yellowtail (Crow and Northern Cheyenne), and fashion photographer Anthony “Thosh” Collins (Pima and Osage). Jeremy Stands Over Bull (Crow) organized and emceed the event.

“Jeremy told me how Jason Ward was Native and running for Congress,” Watchman said. “And I had seen a couple of Bethany Yellowtail’s dresses on Facebook, and I loved them. So as soon as I heard Bethany was in on it, and it was going to be a fashion show and we were supporting so many different things, I just knew I wanted to be a part of it.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see Watchman Exits America's Next Top Model and Umatilla Model Portrays Pocahontas.

Below:  "America's Next Top Model contestant Mariah Watchman joined designer Bethany Yellowtail and photographer Thosh Collins at an event for Democratic hopeful Jason Ward in Billings, Montana."

INDN’s List calls it quits

Native political group calls it quits

By Kevin AbourezkA grassroots Native organization that recruits and supports Indian candidates is closing its doors after failing to gain sponsors.

INDN’s List began in 2005 as a way to get more Indian candidates elected throughout the country. President Kalyn Free announced Monday the organization was closing shop.

“In 2009 and 2010, I personally financially supported INDN’s List and paid most of our overhead and salaries,” she said. “Regrettably, we have simply been unable to expand our donor base beyond a handful of visionary tribes, unions and individuals.

“As we say goodbye to another year, we also say goodbye to INDN’s List.”Comment:  The loss of INDN's List is unfortunate. This is the kind of endeavor that wealthy tribes should support routinely.

For more on the subject, see Indians Elected in 2008 Too and Indians in the 2008 Election.

Miller blames Natives for write-in loss

Joe Miller Blames Native Alaskan Groups For 'Writing In Corruption'

By Eric KleefeldIn a column on Friday in the Washington Times, Alaska Republican Senate nominee continued to rail against the apparently successful write-in campaign by incumbent GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski. In this new column, entitled "Writing In Corruption," Miller blames the federally-charted Alaska Native corporations, which have a big presence in the state, for supporting Murkowski. They did this, he writes, in order to maintain a pipeline of federal earmarks that sustain them.

In this effort, he says, they formed a "super-PAC" called Alaskans Standing Together, which conducted all sorts of underhanded activities for Murkowski--such as running an ad campaign against him, educating voters on how to cast a write-in vote, and getting out the vote with rides to the polls.Comment:  Sounds like the Native corporations did what other special interest groups--businesses, unions, etc.--routinely do. In other words, sounds like Miller is a sore loser and crybaby.

For more on Alaska Native corporations, see Alaska Natives Invest in Film Production and Alaska Natives = Business Successes.

Separate electors for Natives?

Mark Charles (Navajo) talks about the reaction to his idea of creating a 51st (virtual) Native state.

Mark Charles:  The next steps for a 51st Native state“This is a good idea, but…

…it will never happen.” My article on the creation of a virtual Native American State has been out in the public realm for a few months now, and I have been doing my best to follow the conversations and dialogues that have sprouted up, not only on my blog, but on other blogs, talk shows and articles around the country. If I had to summarize the responses, I would say that the majority of voices ring with a very similar sentiment. "This is a good idea, but…” Of course, there have also been other voices. Some have decried the idea, saying they have no desire to become a larger part of this country and its oppressive government. Others have pointed at this as another way to rob our peoples of the identity and sovereignty we have been fighting for. And still others have snidely commented that this proposal would put an end to the gravy train of free handouts that our Native American tribes receive from Uncle Sam. But a vast majority of the voices I have heard have stated in one form or another that “this is a good idea, but…"Then there are nattering nabobs of negativism like me. I.e., people who say, "This is a bad idea. It can't work and it'll never happen. It may be worth discussing once, to broach the issue of increasing Native clout, but any more than that is a waste of time."The next steps will come. I am not sure how to deal with all of the complexities that arise from the creation of a new state. And I trust that the Creator will both grant and bring wisdom into the discussion as it progresses. But for the moment, I would like to focus on this first step. Let us create a voice for our Native American peoples by allowing us to choose our own electors as we vote for the office of the President and the Vice-President.

I propose that an amendment to the Unites States Constitution be formally introduced that will grant Native Americans, who are registered members of tribes, to collectively choose our own electors for the election of the United States President and Vice-President.The next steps will not come, since this proposal will never happen.

Charles seems to think it's relatively easy to amend the Constitution. Does he remember what happened to the Equal Rights Amendment? If something that innocuous can get shot down, don't bet on anything more controversial getting passed.

Here's the first question people would ask: How exactly would this amendment work? Would Indians get to vote twice: for their states' electors and their own electors? Because that will never happen. Or would Indians be subtracted from the states' voter rolls, reducing the clout of any state with a significant Native population? Because that will never happen either.

To reiterate, no state will vote for an amendment that gives Indians double the voting power of non-Indians. And no state will vote for an amendment that reduces the number of electors it gets. So Charles's "first step" proposal is dead on arrival. Next?

For more on the subject, see Outlandish Ideas for Native Clout.

Indians elected in 2008 too

23 INDN’s List candidates wonPresident-elect Barack Obama’s victory was not the only historic moment in the general election on Nov. 4. American Indian candidates made some history of their own.

With the backing of INDN’s List--the Indigenous Democratic Network-–23 American Indian candidates from 11 states and 16 tribes won state and local elections.

“This is not just an historic year for America, but for Indian country as we elected more tribal members to state and local office than ever before. In 2006, we elected 20 American Indians, and in 2008 we elected 23. Because of our efforts at INDN’s List, tribal members are engaged at all levels of government in an unprecedented manner. To shape history, you have to be willing to make it,” said Kalyn Free, Choctaw, the president and founder of INDN’s List.

Among the groundbreaking winners was Denise Juneau, Three Affiliated Tribes, who is the first American Indian woman elected to statewide office in Montana, and only the third tribal member ever elected statewide.

It was a hard-won race, Free said.

“It was a race we were especially focused on and it was very difficult. Denise faced a very hard campaign and a lot of anti-Indian rhetoric and anti-Indian scorn and a very negative campaign toward the end, so we’re super proud of her,” Free said.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The 2008 Presidential Campaign.

Stupidest Indian prediction ever

It might be difficult to come up with the worst prediction ever made by an American Indian. Here are a few of the contenders:

1) "Don't worry about those white strangers. They won't stay long."

2) "Yes, it's cold, but these Army blankets will keep us snug."

3) "The government finally signed the treaty, so our future is secure."

4) "The 1880s were a terrible decade, but 1890 will be better."

Now we have another contender for the worst...prediction...ever. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Kiowa science-fiction writer Russell Bates proclaimed a certain outcome over and over:[I]f Sen. Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee for President in the 2008 national elections, the likely Republican nominee Sen. John McCain will be guaranteed a landslide election victory.  (February 5, 2008)

It is not being racist to say that, if Sen. Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee for President in the 2008 national elections, the majority of Americans in the 'dominant society' will elect the likely Republican candidate, John McCain. No ifs, ands, or buts. ... You have been warned...  (February 10, 2008)

[I]f Barack HUSSEIN Obama becomes the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, the 'cultural majority' will vote for and then elect Republican John McCain as their next President. Period. There is no other outcome.  (February 27, 2008)

If Obama becomes the Democratic nominee, John McCain will win the next Presidency in a landslide, and eight more years of bad road will the the next Trail Of Tears...  (March 14, 2008)

White America (read: any white over 30) will NOT elect a Black man President of the US of A because it is too early for such a matter. Maybe in 2020, but not now. John McCain has been handed the Presidency by any and all of those who ushered Barack HUSSEIN Obama into the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008. ... writerfella is a futurist, and what he sees as YOUR future now has become all but ineluctable...  (June 6, 2008)

John McCain as president will add a third front: Iran. The universal conscription draft will see a revival, and the world oil price will hit $200+ a barrel...  (July 2, 2008)If your mouth is agape in astonishment, rest assured that these predictions aren't a dream, a hoax, or an imaginary story. By clicking on the links, you can see Russ's "profundity" in all its glory.

Not only did Russ make these predictions, he staked his credibility on them. "No ifs, ands, or buts," he said. He's a "futurist" so he know what will happen. He "warned" us because he's smarter than the rest of us. He "guaranteed" the outcome. Etc.

How stupidly wrong can you get? As stupidly wrong as it's possible to be, if you're Russell Bates.

Biting the Indian apple

If you haven't followed Russ's comments on Newspaper Rock, you may wonder whether he's a racist or just an ignoramus. The answer is a bit of both.

Most pundits thought Obama was an ideal choice to be the first major-party black candidate. Harvard-educated, calm and rational, poised and articulate, a post-racial candidate who refused to play the victim card. But not Russ. In Why Indians Are Democrats Russ made it clear he'd never vote for a black person. Blacks have a pro-black, anti-Indian agenda that would help only themselves.

Russ's apparent loathing of blacks was matched only by his apparent self-loathing. In posting after posting, he demonstrated he was an Indian apple: a sellout who would support a Hollywood studio, a university, or a magazine if it stereotyped Indians. In No Natives for President? he implied that a Native could never be elected president. He simply couldn't conceive of anyone but a Caucasian holding the office.

Message to Russ

You proved to be about as a good a "futurist" as an 8-ball, Russ. A blindfolded chimpanzee throwing his feces against a wall could've done a better job of predicting the next president. I hope your "futurist" science fiction is better than your "futurist" politics, because your political insight is worse than monkey shit.

Next time your little pea-brain has a political thought, check with me first. I'll let you know if your nursery school-level of analysis ("white man good, black man bad") is valid. As you just proved, you couldn't be more ignorant of racial politics if you tried.

In short, Barack HUSSEIN Obama is the 44th president of the United States. And you don't know what the hell you're talking about. Better luck in 2012, loser.

P.S. I suspect Russ has disappeared from this blog because he knew how badly he'd be embarrassed on November 4, 2008. If I had been this stupidly wrong, I'd be ashamed to show my face too.

Below:  A political prognosticator and an Indian.

Indians vote for Obama

Polls show Indians firmly back Obama for presidentThe vast majority of American Indian voters support Sen. Barack Obama for president, according to a poll by Native Vote, a national agency that works to engage American Indians in elections.

Overall, 89 percent of all Indians polled support Obama. In Washington state, 94 percent of all Indians polled support the Illinois senator.

Sen. John McCain's most supportive state, when it comes to tribal members, is Oklahoma, where he is expected to take 42 percent of the vote among Indians. Even there, he's tied with Obama. In Arizona, McCain's home state, 74 percent of all Indians polled support Obama, and just 14 percent support McCain.

McCain, a longtime member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, was supportive of tribes until about three years ago, said Theresa Sheldon, coordinator for Native Vote's Washington state effort. That's when he began to recommend that tribal casinos be subject to stiffer regulation, she said.Last minute Indian country support aided ObamaThe conversion of Allen, who chairs the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, is perhaps the most dramatic example of a Native pro-McCain supporter crossing party lines. He was announced as a member of the American Indians for McCain Coalition during the Republican National Convention in September. Later that month, he offered positive assessments of McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, telling Indian Country Today that “if she and Sen. McCain are elected, it would provide a basis for a stronger Indian policy.”

But Allen said “something big” changed for him between mid-September and late-October when the Obama campaign triumphantly released a statement from him indicating that he had switched allegiances. He still sees himself as a friend to McCain, but said a combination of circumstances built up that forced him not to cast his vote for the senator from Arizona.

“It always bothered me that [McCain] had taken such a hard line attitude on earmarks, because earmarks have been opportunities to make meaningful adjustment to the budget on Indian-focused policies.

“I could not get him or his team to put together a platform that had a stronger commitment to correcting the wrongs and injustices that have happened to tribes over the years.”

Allen said his pleas were not ignored by the McCain campaign, but the feedback he received was “not as definitive” as he would have liked on specific issues, including budgetary commitments and regulatory oversight over gaming.Comment:  That most Indians voted for Obama goes without saying since Most Indians Are Democrats.

For more on the subject, see The 2008 Presidential Campaign.

"Help! The young Indians are coming"

Racial overtones mar race for state superintendentThe campaign for Montana's top K-12 educator position has taken on racial overtones, sparking debate from observers about race-based comments made on a talk show and a Web site.

The statewide election for superintendent of public instruction pits Elaine Sollie Herman, a Republican, against Denise Juneau, a Democrat and enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes.

Herman has been criticized for a recent Internet message posted under her name on the Web site MeetUp.com, which encourages people to abandon their computer keyboards and meet face-to-face on interests ranging from knitting and independent films to political views.

Here is the post:

“I am in MT running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. I am asking for HELP from young concervative (sic) Bloggers. My web site is: electelainesollieherman.com. ‘I live in the ‘Peoples Republic of Helena.' My opposition is a young Indian.”And:Some liberal political blogs posted comments regarding the MeetUp.com site, including:

Left in the West: “Help! The young Indians are coming.”

Indn's List, Indigenous Democratic Network: “A young Indian--Republican says that's a bad thing.”

The Daily Kos: “We'd object if McCain said ‘Contribute to my campaign. I'm running against a young black man,' and we should object to Herman's words, too.”

Herman said she doesn't understand the negative reaction.

“Whoever is bringing an issue to it must be a racist, in themselves, to be saying that ‘Indian' is a problem, you know?” she said. “There is Indian education. And my opponent is an Indian. You could write, ‘old black,' or ‘old white lady.' I am old. And I am white.”Comment:  I'd say Herman's comment was more of a minor problem than a major one. Still, her choice of words was poor.

Russell Means for OST president?

As you may have heard, Russell Means is in a runoff for the presidency of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Here are some thoughts on what might happen if he wins.

Tim Giago:  Another important election in NovemberRussell Means, a convicted felon, was pardoned by former South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow thus setting him free to run for public office. He is best known by tribal members for his often outlandish actions in promoting the American Indian Movement. If elected president there are those who fear that he will take the Tribe in a direction that would jeopardize federal funding for the many tribal programs by his non-conformist approach to solving problems. But then again, maybe that is exactly what the OST needs at this stage in their history.

For example: The gaming compacts issued by the State of South Dakota to Indian tribes limits the number of gaming devices in their casinos to 250 regardless of the size of the tribe. Most Lakota find this to be an infringement upon their sovereign rights. Means is not afraid to challenge ignorant, and yes racist, laws such as this. In fact, there are many things that need to be shaken up on the Pine Ridge Reservation and it will take a person of extreme courage and confidence to get it done. Means has never been at a loss for courage.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Republic of Lakotah.

Indians in the 2008 election

Mark Trahant:  Obama vs McCainIn the following video interview, Trahant says one of the most important changes in presidential elections that he has seen this year is the involvement of Native Americans in policy making positions within various campaigns. Trahant also feels that Indian Country could be a deciding factor in this year's election of the President of the United States.

Comment:  Follow the link to see Bush and Obama speak about Indians.

FYI, I met Trahant once at a gaming convention. He's one of the leading Native journalists in the country. He's a huge fan of PECHANGA.net and also likes Blue Corn Comics.