Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at a United Auto Workers union hall in Detroit, Michigan, on February 15, 2016. Photo from Bernie 2016
Author and attorney Gyasi Ross supports Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, the Senator from Vermont, but he argues that neither Sanders nor Hillary Clinton have earned the Native vote so far:
Make no mistake about it, in presidential elections Native people are an afterthought. Meaning: as much as you (or I) may be invested in Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, they're simply not thinking about your Native ass. Personally, I support Bernie Sanders in this upcoming election because his record shows that he has more concern and policy support for poor people generally than Hillary Clinton. Hillary, as has been well-chronicled, has been a dear, beloved friend of the wealthy and that's why Wall Street donors line up to give her truckloads of money. Rich people love Hillary. Maybe they don't love her quite as much as they love Donald Trump or Ted Cruz, but they love her quite a bit because she's shown an undying allegiance to them. Despite my support for Sanders the truth is that neither candidate has really said anything or done anything of note for Native people or for our communities. Sanders released some generic statement on Native pledges and proposed a bill to stop the transfer of the Oak Flat which is important but hasn't gone anyplace. Yet that is much, much more than what Clinton has done. She hasn't done anything. At all. We have to require more.Get the Story:
Gyasi Ross: Some Notes for Natives About the Presidential Elections: Neither Democrat Deserves Our Vote (Yet) (The Huffington Post 2/15)
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