Indian Gaming > Campbell: Schwarzenegger 'just got off the boat'

May 05, 2005

Campbell: Schwarzenegger 'just got off the boat'

Retired Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado), a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, blasted California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) for trying to "literally extort" tribes, The Biloxi Sun Herald reported.

Campbell gave the keynote at the Southern Gaming Summit in Biloxi, Mississippi, yesterday. He criticized Schwarzenegger for accusing tribes of "not paying their fair share" and for "ripping us off."

"I would say that's a comment made by somebody who has just got off the boat and doesn't understand the history of what has happened to Indians in California," Campbell was quoted as saying. "They paid for their lifestyle in blood, lost relatives, millions of acres of lost land, untold billions of dollars in lost revenue from what's under the land - oil, gas, coal and so on... They've paid their dues, Mr. Schwarzenegger."

Since leaving the Senate to work for a law and lobbying firm, Campbell has made similar comments at other gaming-related conferences. But he kept quiet publicly about Schwarzenegger during the California recall campaign and during last year's election, when a tribal gaming initiative was on the ballot.

Get the Story:
Indians face steep odds, says keynoter (The Biloxi Sun Herald 5/5)
Username: indianz@indianz.com, Password: indianz1
Campbell says Indian tribes diversifying business ventures (AP 5/4)
Username: indianz@indianz.com, Password: indianz1