Indian Givers II Tribes that run California casinos aim to run the whole state.

California state judge Loren McMaster ruled this week that Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante violated campaign laws by paying for a TV ad campaign with more than $3 million from Indian casinos and unions, donated in violation of state contribution limits. Richie Ross, Mr. Bustamante's campaign manager, says the campaign has already spent the money and thus can't comply with the judge's order to return it to the donors. The controversy will dog Mr. Bustamante's campaign as well as raise questions about the disproportionate influence that Indian casinos now exercise in California government.

When Californians voted in 2000 to give Indian tribes a monopoly on casino-style gambling in the state it was in part out of guilt for the exploitation and poverty that are part of the tragic history of indigenous Americans. But now the tables have turned, and massive political contributions from Indian tribes may determine who the state's governor will be and give the Indians unassailable political clout. Mr. Bustamante, the Democrat who is leading in the polls for the Oct. 7 recall election, is totally supportive of tribal interests. His own brother manages an Indian casino.

Key Indian tribes aren't satisfied with pumping more than $5 million into Mr. Bustamante's campaign. Polls suggest that Mr. Bustamante has stalled, so the only way to prevent a surge from Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger may be to shift some of his conservative support to maverick State Sen. Tom McClintock, who is running between 14% and 18% in the latest surveys. Last Friday the Morongo Band of Mission Indians began airing independent-expenditure ads in support of Mr. McClintock. The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation has also ponied up a large sum for a similar independent expenditure. John Stoos, Mr. McClintock's campaign manager, told me that his boss has nothing to do with the ad campaigns but welcomes them as appropriate support given the senator's longtime backing of tribal sovereignty. Jon Fleischman, a former president of the conservative California Republican Assembly, says "it makes sense that Bustamante would have his Indian tribe allies 'use' McClintock's candidacy to plow into Schwarzenegger from the right, and pull down his numbers."

The Indians apparently agree. The Morongo TV ad touts the news that "independent polls show that McClintock has the momentum to win." Sources tell me they have seen a memo from David Quintana, the legal counsel for the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, that was sent to tribal leaders. In it Mr. Quintana raised a warning flag about Mr. Schwarzenegger's positions and his reliance on several aides to former governor Pete Wilson, a skeptic on the expansion of Indian gambling. "This is war, we're going after Arnold Schwarzenegger," the memo concluded. The decision to invest in an effort to stop Mr. Schwarzenegger was made at a private strategy meeting last month, from which several more-moderate tribes were excluded. Participants discussed the need to keep Mr. McClintock in the race on "life support."

In an interview, Mr. Quintana complained that Mr. Schwarzenegger has directly attacked Indian tribes as "a special interest" but added that "any internal memo written by me about him should not be viewed as representative of the position of the tribes." But since that memo was written, millions in Indian casino money has flowed to promote Mr. Bustamante and Mr. McClintock at the expense of the Republican front-runner--at least until Judge McMaster's order halted some of the most brazen expenditures.

The irony is that Mr. Quintana is a Republican who previously served as tribal liaison for Senate Republican leader Jim Brulte. Worried that Indian tribes were giving exclusively to Democrats, Mr. Brulte had Mr. Quintana organize a summit with Indian leaders in 2001 to make a pitch for them to back Republicans also. Mr. Brulte remains a strong supporter of tribal sovereignty but admits he now has concerns about Indian interference in politics.

Indeed, Republicans are in danger of becoming as addicted as Democrats to Indian money. This summer, GOP state Sen. Jim Battin sent sales pitches to three Indian tribes offering them the services of his consulting firm in public relations and advertising. Mr. Battin sits on a committee that oversees gambling issues and represents a San Diego district with several Indian casinos. At first he defended his solicitations and noted that California law permits lawmakers to have outside business interests. Then mounting criticism from fellow senators, including Mr. Brulte, prompted him to drop his effort at rustling up business from the tribes.

The whole article is well worth reading, I have only posted the fist part, tho' I'm sure a more skillfull editing job could have been done. Too close to hay hitting time for me to attempt it, though.

There are many things, many negative things to contemplate here. Including just why gambling can very easily get out of control of all but those running the book.

Your One Stop Resource For All The California Recall News!

Want on our daily or major news ping lists? Freepmail DoctorZin

Thanks for posting it, I was just about to do it.

"Key Indian tribes aren't satisfied with pumping more than $5 million into Mr. Bustamante's campaign. Polls suggest that Mr. Bustamante has stalled, so the only way to prevent a surge from Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger may be to shift some of his conservative support to maverick State Sen. Tom McClintock, who is running between 14% and 18% in the latest surveys. Last Friday the Morongo Band of Mission Indians began airing independent-expenditure ads in support of Mr. McClintock.

And another telling quote:

"Sources tell me they have seen a memo from David Quintana, the legal counsel for the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, that was sent to tribal leaders. In it Mr. Quintana raised a warning flag about Mr. Schwarzenegger's positions and his reliance on several aides to former governor Pete Wilson, a skeptic on the expansion of Indian gambling. "This is war, we're going after Arnold Schwarzenegger," the memo concluded. The decision to invest in an effort to stop Mr. Schwarzenegger was made at a private strategy meeting last month, from which several more-moderate tribes were excluded. Participants discussed the need to keep Mr. McClintock in the race on "life support."

Thanks for the ping! Indian gambling has been a huge topic here in OK with the State set to vote on a lottery next year. If the lottery passes, then Class III gambling will be allowed by the Tribes. All the "principled" conservatives (GOP and Dem -- we still have some Dixiecrats who can bring themselves to register Republican but will vote with us a lot) are opposing this lottery because of Indian Gambling. They believe the money from the people that can least afford to lose are going into the lottery and Indian Gambling.

They are also concerned about the organized crime that comes with Class III gambling! There is little to no accountability of the billions raised by Indian gambling and with that kind of money you can be assured that organized crime is involved.

The lottery is a joke here in California.

It's a tax on the poor and they don't realize it.

The lottery was sold to us in California on the premise that a portion of the lottery money was to be spent on education. The problem was realized when the state education spending remained the same. There was no net increase, the lawmakers simply traded lottery money for tax revenues.

Well, my goodness, where are all the comments by Clintockians on this thread? I expected they'd be all over this story, explaining how the fact that their boy is in the pocket of one of the biggest special interest groups in the state is proof of his broad based support. [cough]

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.