Reznet

Obama, McCain Fight Will Test Indian Ideals

By Kevin Abourezk

As the Democratic nomination race edges closer to a conclusion, Native people are increasingly faced with a new question.

Should they support Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. John McCain?

Inevitably, that question leads to another: Why do Native Americans typically vote Democratic?

This year, more than any other I can remember, that question must be asked.

It's widely accepted that Native people vote Democratic. Most state and national Democratic politicians, from former President Bill Clinton to Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota, have enjoyed strong Native support.

That's especially true in states with significant Native populations like Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, where Indians have often provided the swing vote for Democratic politicians seeking higher office.

Then there's McCain, an Arizona senator who has consistently defied the odds, having served as chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and proven himself a powerful voice for Native causes during his time in the Senate.

When he ran for president in 2000, McCain enjoyed significant support from tribal leaders for making Indian issues a priority in his campaign.

Impossible to dismiss as a potential White House ally to Indians, McCain will force many tribal leaders in the coming months to question exactly what Democrats have done for Native people.

For some, the answer will be simple: plenty.

This year, the evidence can be seen in the pivotal Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which reauthorized many tribal health programs and which was introduced and spearheaded by Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota. Yet, many Republican senators co-sponsored that bill and voted to approve it.

Perhaps the greatest challenge facing McCain will be distancing himself from the current administration on Indian issues. Many tribal leaders have seen President George W. Bush as unwilling to accept his trust responsibility toward Indians.

That unwillingness has been most evident in the vast funding cuts that Indian programs have seen during Bush's term.

According to a 2003 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report, the Bureau of Indian Affairs' budget declined considerably between 2000 and 2002, including a nearly 7 percent decrease in its funding for tribal priority grants for basic services such as child welfare.

Earlier this year, Bush proposed a host of budget cuts to Indian programs, including a $177 million reduction in the BIA education construction fund and a $22 million cut to the Indian Health Facilities fund, frustrating tribal leaders.

So, should he seek to gain tribal leaders' endorsements this year, look for McCain to identify key differences between himself and Bush when it comes to Native issues.

Also look for him to begin finding tribal leaders to endorse his candidacy, the way Obama and Hillary Clinton already have. Likely, McCain has already found tribal leaders willing to support him.

For Obama, the test will be whether Indians see him as a strong enough to defeat McCain and whether he understands Native issues as well as a man who spent years introducing and fighting for Indian legislation.

Obama certainly is on the right track, having enlisted the help of Native people at all levels of his campaign.

Regardless of whom they endorse in the general election, Native people can only gain from questioning their ideals and asking themselves whether any party deserves their unconditional support.

Kevin Abourezk, Oglala Lakota, is a reporter and editor at the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star. He is a reznet assignment editor and teaches reporting at the Freedom Forum's American Indian Journalism Institute.

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