Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Campaign 2004: The Iowa Caucus, silence on the Native front
indiancountry.com ^

Posted on 01/06/2004 9:44:28 AM PST by chance33_98

Campaign 2004: The Iowa Caucus, silence on the Native front

Posted: January 02, 2004 - 11:49am EST by: Jennifer Hemmingsen / Correspondent / Indian Country Today

In a few weeks, Iowa Democrats will be the first to weigh in on a slew of hopefuls for the Democratic presidential nomination. Until then, those contenders and their supporters will flood the state, talking to anyone who will listen about prescription drugs, the war on terror, or whatever else is on voters’ minds. But you can bet some issues won’t be addressed; although candidates for the 2004 nomination have been courting Native voters in some venues, in Iowa, a state whose sole tribe has been rocked by internal political problems, Democratic candidates have been silent on the subject of American Indian issues.

State party leaders say they expect a record turnout for this year’s Caucus, with more than 100,000 Democrats participating. But one local voter said Indian issues won’t be a big part of the equation here.

"I haven’t noticed that any of the candidates have paid any particular attention to Native issues," said Joe Coulter, a Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma tribal member who will participate in the Iowa Caucus on Jan. 19.

Sovereignty, Indian health and trust responsibility are never hot topics in this Midwestern farm state, where American Indians make up less than a half-percent of the population. Add to that this year’s struggle for leadership of the Meskwaki settlement - the state’s most visible Indian community - and you get a political minefield few candidates would willingly walk into.

"Maybe, wisely, they didn’t want to appear to capitalize on the problems that the tribe was having internally," Coulter said.

"With the particular political climate right now, if a candidate is interested in winning the [Iowa] Caucuses, I don’t know that American Indian issues are very high on the list. Everything from mad cow to Iraq, that’s what they’re going to be talking about."


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004; americanindians; americanindianvote; iowa; nativevote

1 posted on 01/06/2004 9:44:29 AM PST by chance33_98
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson