Politics

Harlan McKosato: Interview with Hillary Clinton supporter Deb Haaland

Monday, October 17, 2016

Deb Haaland, a member of Laguna Pueblo, at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 26, 2016. Photo by Indianz.Com / Available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Debra Haaland of Laguna Pueblo the first Native woman to serve as chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. In an interview for Indian Country Today, she tells Harlan McKosato why she's telling Native voters to support Hillary Clinton for president:

Q: New Mexicans voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012. Why do you think Democrats can do more for the state and Indian country?
A: We’re the party of inclusion, for one thing. Look at the two presidential tickets. The Republicans have a vice-presidential candidate (Indiana Gov. Mike Pence) who passed a law to exclude gay people. Native American issues are just as important to Democrats as African American issues, or Hispanic issues. You don’t have to be rich and you don’t have to be white to have a seat at the Democratic table.
President Obama has been the best president Native folks have ever had. He’s done more for Indian country; put more land into trust. He’s done more for Indians than any president. He promised tribes better government-to-government relations and he kept his promise. He just finished his 8th White House Tribal Nations Conference. Why wouldn’t we still want that?
Hillary Clinton recognizes the need to nurture government-to-government relationships that are necessary. Democrats want our tribes to share in the country’s successes. Hillary will continue meaningful tribal consultation. She will work to resolve long standing disputes. She will advocate for justice. She will make Native veteran’s issues a priority and push for better Indian Education policies.

Read More:
Harlan McKosato: We Need Democratic President for Indian Country: NM Dem. Party Chair (Indian Country Today 10/17)

Also Today:
Donald Trump Faces Payback In The Desert (The Huffington Post 10/16)