North & South Dakota Tribal Leaders Endorse Hillary

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NativeNewsOnline ?@Native_NewsNet
North & South Dakota Tribal Leaders Endorse Hillary Clinton for President http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/north-south-dakota-tribal-leaders-endorse-hillary-clinton-president/ …

EAGLE BUTTE, SOUTH DAKOTA – American Indian leaders of most of the American Indian tribes based in North Dakota and South Dakota endorsed Hillary Clinton for president of the United States on Wednesday. Clinton, who is the front runner for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, was praised for her experience at various posistions, including having served as a U.S. senator from New York and U.S. Secretary of State. They also cited her commitment to work on behalf of tribes as a reason to endorse her candidacy.

On Friday, Chairman Harold Frazier of Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Councilman Ken Hall of MHA Nation will hold a press conference call to discuss their support for Hillary Clinton.

“I am honored to join my fellow Tribal Chairmen in supporting Secretary Clinton for president,” Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Harold Frazier said. “Secretary Clinton has shown through her decades of public service her respect for tribal sovereignty and the sacred trust between the United States and our native nations. As president, Secretary Clinton will be a strong voice for Indian Country.”

“Hillary Clinton represents positive opportunity for continued economic and social development in Indian Country,” Chairman Mark Fox of MHA Nation said. “She has a proven track record in supporting legislation and initiatives that benefit indigenous nations throughout the United States. Her leadership has demonstrated a willingness to work with all minorities and people of color. She strives to combat the racism and inequality that have plagued our country for far too long.

“In simplest terms, Hillary Clinton supports Native America, and it is obvious that her opponent Donald Trump does not. A fact we know he will never deny or seek to change, and our indigenous peoples will remind him of his short-comings in November.

“The first woman president of the United States, Hillary Clinton, is the first choice for progression, not regression, of the American dream for all!”

A list of tribal leader endorsements includes representations from 10 of the 13 American Indian tribes in the two states:

South Dakota Tribal Leaders

Chairman Harold Frazier, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
Chairman Brandon Sauze, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe
Chairman Anthony Reider, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe
Chairman William Kindle, Rosebud Sioux Tribe
Chairman Robert Flying Hawk, Yankton Sioux Tribe

North Dakota Tribal Leaders

Chairman Mark Fox, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation)
Councilman Ken Hall, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation)
Chairman Richard W. McCloud, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (TMBCI)
North and South Dakota Tribal Leaders
Chairman Dave Archambault II, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Chairman David Flute, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. Thank you for posting.

[Renew Deal]

2. Does Hillary have a shot in those states?

She won SD in 2008.

[Democrats Ascendant]

6. Yes! Any news?

With all the focus on CA, these smaller states have fallen off the radar.

In '08 Clinton beat Obama 55-45; it was the only state she won in the region.

[MohRokTah]

15. They never poll, so predictions are based upon demographics which favor Sanders.

Heavily white states.

[anotherproletariat]

3. And this is why they are leaders. They show good judgement. nt

[geek tragedy]

4. thankfully Tex Hall's name is no longer amongst the list of leaders in ND nt

[Democrats Ascendant]

5. Awesome!

[Mike__M]

7. If there is any polling, it would be interesting to see

how many members side with their tribal Establishment.

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8. that's a farce of a measurement

...invented by the Sanders campaign and supporters in a cynical attempt to dismiss endorsements from unions supporting Hillary.

The same explanation applies here that these are elected members of the tribes, placed into those leadership positions by the votes of members of those tribes. They aren't necessarily privileged, and often volunteer their time more than they're compensated. It's a despicable and self-serving effort to label them with the Sanders meme, as if they or what they represent can be credibly defined by such a subjective and biased standard.

What's relevant here is the way these endorsements have been regarded in the past and the almost surety that the Sanders camp would embrace them without question if they went his way.

[Mike__M]

10. They are politicians

They occupy top positions in networks of power relationships. If they are successful, they are Establishment.
Of course Clinton should embrace their endorsements, and be grateful, as should Sanders if he had gotten them. An endorsement is a transfer of political capital: I am curious whether the tribal chairmen's endorsements are a credit or a debit to their balance.
Dismiss that as a meme if you please, but many see this election as a referendum on current Establishment, and we are watching how it plays at various levels.

[bigtree]

11. your campaign's definition of establishment is all over the place

...for the most part, Sanders' campaign has attacked anyone supporting Hillary as establishment and cast endorsements of the 30-year Vermont politician as the epitome of progressiveness.

It's a meme for the Sanders campaign because of the hypocritical, self-serving way they dish it out. This started out as a top-down 'movement' to elect Sanders, disguised as a 'people's revolution,' which devolved into an anti-Hillary campaign. All of the anti-establishment rhetoric just reinforces the Sanders campaign's false and deceptive theme.

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9. kick

[Agnosticsherbet]

12. "Ya'ah'tee" Very good.

[azurnoir]

13. bit more Tribal leaders WA also endorsed Clinton but tribal members voted Bernie anyway

The announcement comes ahead of Tuesday's Democratic primary in South Dakota. Clinton has not personally visited the state but has sent former president Bill Clinton and other surrogates there, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported.

In contrast, Bernie Sanders made three stops in the state last month. One was on the Pine Ridge Reservation, home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, whose leader has endorsed the Senator from Vermont.
“There is a lot of pain in the community,” Sanders told tribal members on May 12, according to his campaign. “We’ve got a lot of work to do but nothing ever good happens if people give up. You’ve got to stand up and be involved in the political process.”

Native Americans represent nearly 9 percent of the population in South Dakota, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In the past, their votes have played a key role in determining the outcome of elections.

But it's not a given that tribal endorsements for any particular candidate will sway those votes. In Washington, a slew of tribal leaders came out for Clinton but Sanders won the state in March.

http://www.indianz.com/News/2016/06/02/nine-north-and-south-dakota-tribal-leade.asp

[Andy823]

14. Yes he did win the caucus

Only around 5.8% of voters turned out for the caucus. Washington state also had a primary, even though for Democrats it was just for show since the caucus is what counted, but Hillary won around 56% in that one. If there were no caucuses, Bernie would have lost a lot more states than he has now. Caucuses need to be done away with and regular primaries should take their place so the "majority" of voters have a say in who is the nominee, not just 5.8% or so depending on which state it was.