Mike Graham: Native vote will determine president
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Filed Under:
Opinion
"In today's U.S. politics the Native American vote has grown and organized to the point that it will be a major factor across the country in electing our next president. All presidential candidates in this 2008 election have made it their priority to inform Native American voters where they stand on their real issues and concerns with the understanding that lip service will no longer be tolerated.
Over the past ten years Native American grass-root groups have used the Internet to link-up, organize and get out the Native vote. In this decade alone, Americans have watched the voting percentage rate between presidential candidates close tighter each race. The Native American vote cannot be ignored any longer to include candidates fully addressing their issues.
As it stands now nationally, Native American voters do not believe Obama can beat McCain in November. Oklahoma has the largest Indian population of any state. Hillary Clinton won the state democrat primary. Oklahoma's democrat governor, a super delegate sided with Obama along with one Indian democrat super delegate, Kalyn Free. Their action took Oklahoma voters by surprise to say the least.
Senator Barack Obama won the North Carolina state primary, but Lumbee Indians overwhelmingly voted for Senator Hillary Clinton. She also won the counties that encompass the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Hillary made it a point early on to state that she supported federal recognition of the Lumbee Indian Nation while Obama waited until just days before the primary before finally saying he also supported their federal recognition. Now, North Carolina Indian voters have until November to decide whether they will cast their vote for the democrat party candidate Obama or not."
Get the Story:
Mike Graham: Native Americans Vote Will Elect Our Next President
(The American Chronicle 6/2)
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