Challenging the Bering Strait migration theory
Trahant Reports – You gotta run to win
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It’s easy to be optimistic about the prospects for American Indian and Alaska Native candidates in this election and beyond. Our numbers are growing, organizations are getting stronger, and, best of all, the most remarkable, talented people are giving elective office a shot.
This is Trahant Reports.
But we also hear people say this about elections: What happens when good people lose?
It’s important to remember that politics has a long arc. Change does not happen after one election — or even after someone we like wins. It’s a constant push for change.
We need to think of politics as a routine: We encourage candidates, help when we can, organize, and, repeat when necessary. T
Then there is Trahant’s Rule: You gotta run to win.
There is no substitute for someone taking that risk to put their name on a ballot. It’s a tough thing to do and we should honor all of those who are willing to try.
This August we will lose several Native American candidates. In Alaska, for example, Edgar Blatchford lost his primary for the U.S. Senate. He ended up second in a field of three.
Blatchford is a professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He was a late entry into the race. He ran with little money, promoting his candidacy largely via social media.
He told me: “The idea in this campaign was that no one wanted to file as a Democrat.” So Blatchford jumped in (and then two others did as well).
Blatchford is Yupik and was the only Native American running for the U.S. Senate. It’s too bad his campaign didn’t have more time (and money). He has a resume worth considering: Once Mayor of Seward, a professor, owner of a newspaper chain, chief executive officer of a what is now Chugach Native Corporation, and he served in a governor’s cabinet.
Too often, Blatchford said, the first question people asked him was: “How much money have you raised? Not whether I am a Democrat, Republican, or what I believe.”
Then he laughed and added, “I have nothing.”
There are two areas of the country where it’s a question of “when” not “if” there will be Native representation in Congress. Alaska is one such place. And Arizona is another.
And, speaking of Arizona, voters go to the polls Tuesday to pick party nominees. Four Native candidates have primary challengers — and the field will likely narrow.
But in order to get real representation for Indian Country in Congress and legislatures this fact remains: People gotta run in order to win. I am Mark Trahant reporting.
August in the news
Native American candidates for the U.S. House and Senate
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This August there are eight Native American candidates for the U.S. House and Senate. But that number is likely to shrink when the month comes to a close. This is Trahant Reports.
Four Native candidates are on ballots this month: Democrats Edgar Blatchford, Yupik, in Alaska, Joe Pakootas, Colville, in Washington’s 5th Congressional District, Victoria Steele, Seneca, in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District; and, Republican Shawn Redd, Navajo, in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.
The first of these primary elections was August 2 in Washington state. And, even though it’s hard to read too much into a primary, Joe Pakootas did really well. The race shows that his opponent, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, is more vulnerable than ever.
McMorris Rodgers and Pakootas finished first and second and will go on to the general election in November. Washington has what’s called “a blanket primary.” That means voters pick from all candidates on the ballot. It doesn’t matter which party they represent.
Trahant Reports graphic of Native American candidates for U.S. House and Senate.
So in that primary, McMorris Rodgers was first with 56,676 votes while Pakootas earned 42,600. What’s interesting about that is that McMorris Rodgers did not earn a majority of the vote, the first time that’s happened since she has been an incumbent.
Right now: The incumbent has a huge advantage, she’s raised some $2.4 million to Pakootas’ $166,729. But even with that margin Pakootas showed in the primary that he can be competitive.
Like a lot of Republicans, McMorris Rodgers has to deal with the Trump problem. How far do candidates go defending their nominee? McMorris Rodgers may be all in. According to The Spokesman-Review newspaper she called for party unity saying it was necessary to defeat a “motivated” Democratic Party.
Pakootas is a former chairman of the Colville Tribes. He told his supporters via Facebook: “Thank you 5th Congressional District for your support! I am pleased to announce I am moving onto the General Election!”
One note of caution: It’s hard to read too much into a primary because the number of voters are so few. Less than 92,000 people cast ballots in that primary compared to 232,242 in the last general election. Turnout was even smaller than the primary two years ago.
The next primary is in Alaska on Aug. 16 where Edgar Blatchford is running for the U.S. Senate against two other Democrats. Unlike Washington, Alaska has a party-based primary. So voters will pick candidates to represent Democrats, Republicans, and in this case, a Libertarian, and an independent. So Alaska will have four candidates on the November ballot. That is quite a crowd. I am Mark Trahant reporting.
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Trahant Reports is brought to you by Kauffman & Associates, Inc., a Native American owned, woman-owned small business that has delivered innovative solutions for government and commercial clients since 1990. KAI’s expertise spans diverse specialty areas, including public health, education, and economic development.
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The Gold King Mine spill: One year later
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Trahant Reports: Where are your women?
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Hillary Clinton’s acceptance of the Democratic nomination for president last week sent a message that traveled far beyond the convention hall in Philadelphia.
This is Trahant Reports.
It was a story told in hundreds of tweets from mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts and uncles, and those who make up a larger American family. So many beautiful tweets that showed a daughter watching television at the moment Clinton walked on stage.
One second, one idea, one moment, that said so much about what’s possible.
A tweet from Margo Gray (Osage): “@HillaryClinton you accepted and my Granddaughter said take a pic and post it to her.” That she did.
It was like that across my twitter feed. Many fathers in tears, crying about what their daughters might do. It meant so much, so many said, to see their daughter’s face and excitement for the first female presidential nominee.
“When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit,” Clinton said. A line we all knew to be true.
As the tweets rolled past: I thought about Wilma Mankiller. She was fond about telling a story about the first treaty negotiations between the Cherokee Tribe and the United States. One of the first questions: “Where are your women?”
Mankiller said it was common for Cherokee women to be included in ceremonies and it was inconceivable that the United States would come to pass a negotiation alone. How can you bargain anything with only half your people or half a way of thinking?
“Where are your women?” That question has a new meaning when 14 United States senators told their stories at the convention. One of those women, Sen. Barbara Mikulski,was the first woman elected to the Senate. That was only 1986.
The story of women in Congress parallels that of Native Americans running for and winning office across the country. First one person wins, then another, then another, and so on. “Where are your women?” is a question with a different answer every election. In state legislatures, Congress, and soon, possibly, the White House. Where are your women? Running governments.
A young man once asked Mankiller what he should call her. She was then principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, and twice elected as the leader of some 200,000 people. But this young man was uncomfortable with what he called a “male” term. “Should we address you as chieftainess?” he asked. Mankiller didn’t say a word. Then, after hearing the suggestion “chief ette,” she responded. “I told him to call me `Ms.-Chief’ or `misChief.’ ”
And so it goes for a would-be Madame President. Her acceptance speech included plenty of policy — and that will be the subject of many commentaries going forward. But first, we need to think about the barrier that was lifted because so much mischief possible in a world without ceilings.
I am Mark Trahant.
Trahant Reports is brought to you by Kauffman & Associates, Inc., a Native American owned, woman-owned small business that has delivered innovative .solutions for government and commercial clients since 1990. KAI’s expertise spans diverse specialty areas, including public health, education, and economic development.
Trahant Reports – #NativeVote16 Democrats take the stage
Democrats take the stage this week in Philadelphia. Like the Republicans last week, a political convention represents a party’s best pitch to voters.
This is Trahant Reports.
The Democratic convention will be a stark contrast to the Republican event. This time around the positions of the two major parties could not be more different. It’s not just about Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump; it’s a debate about a range of policies from healthcare to climate change.
The Republicans want to repeal the Affordable Care Act, including the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. The Democrats don’t.
Democrats want a climate change plan; Republicans don’t buy the science. Instead they favor more oil, gas, and coal development.
One thing you will see this week: There will be a large number of Native American delegates.
The Democrats’ platform also includes a significant section on Native American issues. Quote: “American Indian and Alaska Native tribes have always been sovereign, self-governing communities, and we affirm their inherent right to self-government as well as the unique government-to-government relationship they share with the United States.”
There are many other provisions, including strengthening tribal jurisdiction in the Violence Against Women Act.
Deborah Parker, a former vice chair of the Tulalip Tribes, served on the platform committee. Delegates will vote to approve a final platform. One Native voice, State Rep. Peggy Flanagan, representing St. Louis Park, Minnesota, will be a speaker at the convention. She is Ojibwa.
As this convention begins there are new questions about the primary process. A batch of stolen emails—the polite word is hacked—show that party leaders were working behind the scenes on behalf of Hillary Clinton and against Bernie Sanders.
This is exactly what Sanders and his supporters have been saying for months.
Two important points: First, this is an ideal moment to embrace election reform. Shake up the primary system, make it more fair and transparent. Second, I’d like to see Indian Country have its own primary election in the future. It would be the ideal, government to government vehicle, for Native people to have more of a say in the future of the country. I especially like the idea that America’s First Nations should go first.
However it happens, election reform is critical and it’s essential that people’s votes are counted fairly. There remain too many barriers to voting in many parts of this country. And that needs to be fixed. Both in the primary and especially in the November election.
Indian Country has done well during the past eight years under President Obama — so it’s important to find out how the next Democratic team will build on that legacy. How do we make the next four years, or eight, even better? That’s the question that will need an answer this week. I am Mark Trahant reporting.
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Trahant Reports is brought to you by Kauffman & Associates, Inc., a Native American owned, woman-owned small business that has delivered innovative .solutions for government and commercial clients since 1990. KAI’s expertise spans diverse specialty areas, including public health, education, and economic development.
Trahant Reports – #NativeVote16 Guide to Republican Convention
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#NativeVote16
It’s time for the Republican Party and its soon-to-be nominee Donald J. Trump making their best case for winning the White House and Congress.
This is Trahant Reports.
This will not be an election where the color gray will be debated. The differences on issues between Republicans and Democrats are stark.
The Republican Party platform will be a good place to start in exploring the choice ahead. The party says the bible should be a guide when legislating and laws “must be consistent with God-given, natural rights.”
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who is chair of the platform committee, said the document is conservative, “reflecting the views, and the values, and the vision of the Republican Party.”
What does that mean for Indian Country?
Much of the party’s focus right now is on energy policy. Trump has said several times that he would remove barriers to oil and coal production to create more jobs.
Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, is one of the convention speakers. He recently said: “In communities like Colstrip and other small communities, coal and other natural resources are the only answer. For the great coal nation of the Crow, there’s treaties. The treaties specifically state the United States shall not interfere with their destiny if they choose to mine their coal. As a sovereign nation they have every right to export their coal as they choose. But when the government gets in the way, as we have done, we have violated a treaty.”
I am not sure where that line in the Crow Treaty of 1868 is “specifically” found.
In this election cycle, Republicans are carrying the banner for more coal development, what the party calls, “an abundant, clean, affordable, reliable domestic energy resource.”
The problem, however, is that a Republican victory will not bring coal markets back to life. Natural gas is cheaper. Shipping coal to China is problematic (and Chinese consumption is declining anyway) plus every day more renewable sources come on line. The future is doing something else instead of coal as the “only answer.” And, if a kicker is needed, it’s this: Northwest tribes have also asserted their treaty rights to fish for salmon. And salmon require waters that are not polluted by coal dust.
Another draft plank in the Republican platform impacts treaty rights and that’s the call for Congress to “immediately pass universal legislation providing the timely and orderly mechanism requiring the federal government to convey certain federally controlled public lands to the states.”
Tribal rights to hunt and fish on public lands are often included, yes, even, specifically in treaty language. So any transfer of those lands ought to go to the tribes whose land it was first.
So there you have it: There is no climate change, only coal. This reflects the GOP’s best case.
I am Mark Trahant reporting.
Trahant Reports is brought to you by Kauffman & Associates, Inc., a Native American owned, woman-owned small business that has delivered innovative solutions for government and commercial clients since 1990. KAI’s expertise spans diverse specialty areas, including public health, education, and economic development.
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