[PERMANENTLY CLOSED] NDNs and American Politics

Red Fox · Sep 30, 2015

To be honest, I find myself at a loss trying to figure out which presidential candidate to vote for or if I will vote at all for the presidential election. As much as I dislike the idea of becoming entangled in American politics, I think it is important for NDNs to have a voice in this country's government. I have been trying to figure out which candidate is more apt for us as a people and for the many issues we still face today, but this is turning out to be a daunting task for me. I have talked about this issue for some time now with family and friends, but I thought I would seek the advice of my friends here in the OBOB. I would appreciate any respectful insight given into American politics and how this presidential election would effect NDNs in this country. I am grateful to all my friends here in the OBOB who speak to me with respect and treat me with kindness.

And in closing, I want to make it perfectly clear to one and all that I will not tolerate any kind of snide remark or insults against NDNs in general or against me personally. So, I want to make sure that there is an understanding that this thread is not about my ancestors or what they may or may not have done against each other in the past. This thread is also not about tribal affiliation or registration either or about my personal views on those two particular issues. I will not be answering questions about my tribal connections or explain why I speak up for NDN rights when I am not officially affiliated with a tribe. I also do not want to talk about the recent canonization of Serra or my personal views on that issue either. Oh yes, and one more thing, for the record, this thread has absolutely nothing to do with white guilt of any shape or form.

Michie · Sep 30, 2015

I wish I could help you but I am just not a political animal. I do not enjoy politics generally. I think LoAmmi or even Fish and Bread could help you but I have not seen Fish and Bread since my return. I think the first step would be to see who the viable candidates will be.

Mountain_Girl406 · Sep 30, 2015

There are some good sites that research candidates positions on the issues and help you find the candidates that are closest to your views.

Red Fox · Sep 30, 2015

I do not enjoy politics like this either. In fact, I really dislike it, but as I said, I feel it is important enough to pay attention to.

Red Fox · Sep 30, 2015

Mountain Girl, do you happen to know the links to these sites? I would appreciate it very much. I feel like I am walking blindly through a corn field on this.

Mountain_Girl406 · Sep 30, 2015

Red Fox said:
Mountain Girl, do you happen to know the links to these sites? I would appreciate it very much. I feel like I am walking blindly through a corn field on this.

https://www.isidewith.com/

I like the above site. I also know of Select Smart, another good one to try. Political Compass is also very good....it's more aimed at helping you better understand your own views, but it plots your results on a graph with the candidates and other political figures. I like to take their test once a year or so to see if my views have altered a bit.

Red Fox · Oct 1, 2015

Thank you for the link, Mountain Girl.

Fantine · Oct 1, 2015

Could you please tell us what NDN stands for? When I google it I get "Notre Dame Network" and "National Data Network." In context, of course, I know it has something to do with the Native American community.

If you cannot find out much information about candidates' positions on Native American rights, why not look at some of the issues currently important to them? The Lakota Sioux, whom I got to know while living in South Dakota, are tremendously concerned about what the Keystone Pipeline will do to their rivers and aquifers. It will pass directly through the Pine Ridge reservation (which, in the past, has been offered money to take the excess garbage from the overstuffed landfills on the East Coast, and even to bury nuclear waste from America's nuclear power plants). While I know how important our environment is to Native Americans, Keystone is a specific issue that most politicians have positions on.

Red Fox · Oct 1, 2015

Fantine, it stands for iNDiaN. And protesting Keystone is part of the NDN activism that I have been involved with in the past. I am firmly against the pipeline. Needless to say, I am also well aware of the many social, economic, political, and environmental issues NDNs face today and much of the activism involved in these specific issues. But what I want to know is what these presidential candidates intend to do for NDNs in this country or if they are going to ignore our issues or just blatantly ignore us altogether.

S.ilvio · Oct 1, 2015

Is opposition to the pipeline having a negative effect in a public relations perspective?

I'm not an expert on Keystone, but many talk about the potential for jobs and economic growth from the proposed pipeline...

Red Fox · Oct 1, 2015

S.ilvio said:
Is opposition to the pipeline having a negative effect in a public relations perspective?

I guess that depends on who you ask.

S.ilvio said:
I'm not an expert on Keystone, but many talk about the potential for jobs and economic growth from the proposed pipeline...

I know people talk about this. I also know that many people talk about this with no concern whatsoever for the environment.

I would like to suggest not discussing the Keystone pipeline any further because it does divert from the original topic of my thread.

dzheremi · Oct 1, 2015

I think before you can find out who is right for you, you have to prioritize what are the issues that are most pressing for you as a community. Chances are nobody will be in line with you on everything (there always seem to be tons more reasons to not vote for someone than there are to vote for them; but then I am rather down on politics in the first place), but even someone who only gets a few key issues right is better than someone who gets none right. Obviously if his histerical reaction to the official renaming of Mt. McKinley to Denali (the name that Alaskans had already used forever, from the local Koyukon Athabaskans) is any indication, Donald Trump is likely not the candidate for you. But as for who is, I have no idea.

What would you say are the top issues for your community? Once you know that, you can go searching for the candidates' positions on them, or things related to them that might help you form some idea of how they'd approach the issues you care about the most. (e.g., if I care about the cultural rights of all Americans, and I do, then I might look at the various "English Only" or "English Plus" bills that have been introduced in many states and see how the candidate voted on any that may have crossed their desk as a senator, if they don't have a section on their views on these issues as part of their platform. If they abstained or voted in support of them, perhaps this is an indication that they would not support the kind of legislation and policy moves that I would like to see.)

Red Fox · Oct 1, 2015

@dzheremi, thank you for your response. You have given me a lot to think about. And for the record, I would never vote for Donald Trump.

Pink Spider · Oct 2, 2015

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[PERMANENTLY CLOSED] NDNs and American Politics

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