Deputy Assistant Secretary George Skibine said in March that "there are rare circumstances when Congress should intervene and recognize a tribal group, and the case of the Lumbee Indians is one such rare case."

The Lumbee tribe in particular has generated significant support for their cause and passage of this legislation;

The Lumbees are recognized by the state and were partially recognized by the federal government in 1956, but at the same time Congress denied the Lumbee benefits given to other American Indians.

"What Congress started Congress should finish, that's why we are back here today," said Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., the bill's sponsor. "It's time for discrimination to end and for recognition to begin."

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Saturday that $500 million in federal stimulus money would go to American Indian tribes across the nation for schools, housing, infrastructure improvements and job programs on reservations.

Full remarks below.

LaMere, the Chairman of the Native American Caucus of the Democratic National Committee who guided the Native American delegation at the national convention, is optimistic about the expected turnout and impact of the Indian vote. "Indian country has responded to the Democratic message of change and the need for urgency. From Maine to California and from Washington to Florida the Native focus on the political process is unprecedented. This attention can manifest itself with the election of Barack Obama and countless Democratic state and local candidates who will enjoy Native support but there is much work to be done. We must ignore the negativity of the Republicans that is designed to raise doubts in our minds and to intimidate voters like us. We know the truth about what the Republicans have brought us because we see how it affects our children and grandchildren every day. Let us remain mindful of this through our every action and through our participation in this political process till Tuesday."

"Let there be no mistake about this my relatives", LaMere added. "Every vote will count and will decide much about your future. Cast it proudly and carefully. We have young relatives in harm's way right now who have paid our way to enter the election booth."

"We have many who go without because our leaders have failed us. This election means much to them. Barack Obama understands this while others remain oblivious. Let us, as Native people, help him."

My name is Dave Gipp. I’m Hunkpapa /Lakota from the Standing Rock Lakota-Dakota Nation. I am president of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota.

I’m one of thousands of tribal citizens who support Senator Barack Obama for accepting tribal nations and their citizens into the future he sees for America. We’re not another special interest group trying to claim a share of the American pie. We are, after all, the first Americans. We paid for our place with land and blood. Our status as sovereign tribal nations is specially recognized in the U.S. Constitution. Our rights as tribal nations to determine our destiny within our great United States should be protected and honored by our government. Our treaties with the U.S. are the “supreme law of the land.”

Every step you take across this great nation, every vista you admire, every city you call by its tribal name, was once Indian country. The places many of our tribal nations occupy have long been pockets of poverty where the words, “liberty and justice for all” have become empty words on a piece of paper. Our health care is a disaster. Our public schools need repair. Our law enforcement officers lack the resources to guarantee safety. People in the Green Zone in Baghdad may indeed be safer than citizens in Indian country.

Yet we have never turned our back on America. Our tribal veterans have served in every one of this nation’s wars and conflicts in greater numbers per capita than any other ethnic group. We recently honored the late Woodrow Keeble of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, a hero of the Korean War who received the Medal of Honor. We never forget the sacrifices of our veterans and elders.

We can only renew America’s promise when the first Americans are legitimate participants in framing the future of this country. I urge you to look to the nation’s 37 tribal colleges and universities to lead the way in renewing the promise for American Indians. These institutions provide tribal citizens with the skills they need to be vital contributors to society and to our culture. Tribal colleges are a key to the renaissance in American Indian life as we save our languages and rebuild over 550 tribal nations.

American Indians are still here and we’re seeking justice for our people. We offer the strengths of our spirituality and our connection with Mother Earth in renewing America’s promise for all. Let us remember the words of the great Lakota patriot Sitting Bull: “let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.”

Pilamaya yelo! Thank you.

Mitakuye oyasin! We are all related. In every race, creed, and color... We are all related.

Earlier this week, reports revealed that Reed--one of Abramoff's closest business associates--sent an email solicitation claiming to be a member of McCain's Victory 2008 team and asking people to "join me and Jo Anne at the August 18 event in" Atlanta. This makes Reed the second Abramoff-linked fundraiser to raise campaign cash for McCain. Last month, reports revealed that Juan Carlos Benitez, a lawyer and lobbyist who was appointed to a Department of Justice post responsible for overseeing Abramoff clients after a recommendation from Abramoff himself, is a bundler for McCain's campaign.

JOHN MCCAIN'S ABRAMOFF CONNECTION

Abramoff Associate Ralph Reed Raising Money for McCain. "The McCain campaign has long been concerned about whether conservative Christian voters would fall in line this fall. But last week Ralph Reed, the first executive editor of the Christian Coalition and an unsuccessful 2006 candidate for Georgia lieutenant governor, invited well-heeled folks to a "very special event" - that means a fundraiser - for McCain in downtown Atlanta on August 18. Reed, whose campaign was torpedoed by his affiliation with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, noted he's also agreed to serve as a member of the McCain Victory 2008 Team, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported." [Washington Post, 8/12/08]

Abramoff's Law Firm Won Praise from McCain After Hiring McCain Advisor to Lobby on Its Behalf. "When Senator John McCain led a Senate investigation three years ago of Jack Abramoff, the disgraced lobbyist who later pleaded guilty to fraud charges, Mr. Abramoff's old firm turned to a former McCain campaign adviser for help. The firm, Greenberg Traurig, which had quickly cut its ties to Mr. Abramoff, hired Randy Scheunemann, who had been the McCain campaign's foreign policy adviser in 2000 -- and is again this year -- for advice on handling the Senate investigation… Mr. McCain praised Greenberg Traurig's cooperation, saying in prepared remarks at the time that 'consistent with their professional obligations, Greenberg Traurig and its counsel have always been responsive to the committee's requests, always made themselves available to answer questions, and have always conducted themselves with dignity and professionalism in these trying circumstances.'" [New York Times, 8/14/08: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/us/politics/14mccain.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin]

Watchdog Group: Scheunemann's Dual Role Raises Questions. "Craig Holman, the governmental affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization, said Mr. Scheunemann's dual role -- sometimes advising Mr. McCain as a candidate, and sometimes advising private clients on their interactions with him as a senator -- raised potential red flags. 'This is a serious revolving door problem: a person who keeps fluctuating between being a lobbyist, and advising candidates,' Mr. Holman said." [New York Times, 8/14/08: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/us/politics/14mccain.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin]

Abramoff Helped McCain Bundler Obtain DOJ Post Overseeing Abramoff's Clients. "As Mr. McCain releases the names of hundreds of 'bundlers' -- his top money collectors -- one person who popped up is Juan Carlos Benitez, a lawyer and lobbyist whom Mr. Abramoff had championed for a Bush administration post. According to a 2006 report of the House Committee on Government Reform, Mr. Abramoff had urged the appointment of Mr. Benitez as special counsel for immigration-related unfair employment practices. He was named to the position in 2001. The committee's report said Mr. Benitez's job at the Justice Department 'gave Benitez authority' to conduct investigations into unfair labor practices that were 'issues of importance to Abramoff clients.' For Mr. McCain, Mr. Benitez raised $50,000 to $100,000, according to the McCain Web site." [New York Times The Caucus Blog, 7/16/08]

On Health Care:

McCain Today: "I believe every American should have the opportunity to have affordable and available health care"

McCain Facts: His Promise of More Bush Policies Won't Reduce the Ranks of the Uninsured.

McCain Health Plan Just Like Bush Plan. "President Bush proposed a similar idea" to the tax credits in McCain's plan, which was dead-on-arrival in Congress in early 2007, because the plan only awarded those who purchased insurance in the private market. [Wall Street Journal, 10/11/2007; Washington Post, 1/25/2007]

Mark Mellman: McCain's Health Care Plan Mirrors Bush's Proposals. In a column for The Hill, Mark Mellman notes that "by adopting President Bush's plan," McCain "offers incontrovertible evidence that he represents a third Bush term here at home, as well as in Iraq…Asking up to two-thirds of the American public to relinquish health insurance they like, provided through their employer, puts the McCain-Bush plan on life support." [Mark Mellman Column, The Hill, 5/7/2008]

McCain Plan Resembles Bush Proposal. According to the Washington Post, "McCain's proposal is similar to one that Bush put forth in his 2007 State of the Union address. That plan, which would have replaced employer tax breaks for health insurance with a $15,000 tax deduction for married couples, flopped in Congress, failing to get even a committee hearing." [Washington Post, 4/30/2008]

McCain: I Believe We Should Grant Tax Credits to Individuals and Families for Health Insurance. McCain said: "I believe that everyone should get a tax credit of $2500, $5000 for families, if they have health insurance. It is good tax policy to take away the bias toward giving workers benefits instead of wages. It is good health policy to reward having insurance no matter where your policy comes from." ["John McCain on Health Care," Des Moines Rotary Lunch, 10/11/2007]

Bush: We Should Give Tax Credits to Individuals and Families Buying Health Care. During a speech in Madison Wisconsin, Bush outlined his proposal of the tax credits for the uninsured. "For those with limited means, my budget will provide new credits to afford health coverage -- up to a thousand dollars for an individual, or $3,000 for a family," Bush said. [Bush Remarks on Health Care Reform, 2/11/02; White House Fact Sheet, 2/11/2002]

On Police Funding:

McCain Today: "We need to help the COPS program. We need to provide them with the technology."

McCain Facts: McCain Repeatedly Voted Against the COPS Program, the 1994 and 1992 Crime Bills.

1994: McCain Voted Against the Landmark $30.2 Billion 1994 Crime Bill. In 1994, McCain voted against the Crime Bill which has authorized $30.2 billion over six years for crime related programs, including the hiring of additional police officers, prison building, helping communities prevent crime, and an assault weapons ban. [1994 Senate Vote #295, 8/25/1994]

1992: McCain Twice Voted Against 1992 Crime Bill Which Expanded Handgun Control Measures. In 1992, McCain voted twice against invoking cloture on the 1992 Crime Bill, which mandated a five day waiting period and background check for handgun purchases. The bill also provided additional grants to state and local law enforcement. [1992 Senate vote #53, 3/19/1992; 1992 Senate vote #262, 10/2/1992]

2005: McCain Voted For Corporate Tax Breaks Instead of $1 Billion for COPS. In 2005, McCain voted against providing $1 billion for the COPS program, offset by closing corporate tax loopholes. [2005 Senate Vote #70, 3/17/2005]

2004: McCain Voted To Keep Tax Breaks For Millionaires Instead of $1.1 Billion for Law Enforcement Programs. In 2004, McCain voted against increasing funding for COPS and other local law enforcement programs by $1.1 billion, offset by reducing tax breaks for taxpayers with incomes over $1 million. [2004 Senate Vote #44, 3/11/2004]

2003: McCain Prioritized Bush Tax Cuts Over Funding For $1 Billion for Police Programs. McCain voted against increasing spending on Community Oriented Policing programs by $1 billion, offset by a reduction in non-reconciled tax cuts. [2003 Senate Vote #78, 3/21/2003]

2003: McCain Voted Against $500 Million For Local Law Enforcement To Help Fight Drug-Related Crime. McCain voted against providing $500 million for local law enforcement grants that provide money to rural law enforcement agencies to fight violent and drug-related crime. [2003 Senate Vote #6, 1/17/2003]

1999: McCain Missed A Vote On Reauthorizing the COPS Program. In 1999, McCain missed a vote on an amendment to extend the COPS program to 2005 an authorize $1.5 billion for the program. [1999 Senate Vote #139, 5/20/1999]

1996: McCain Voted Against $1.8 Billion for COPS Program. In 1996, McCain voted against providing an additional $1.8 billion in funding for the COPS program. [1996 Senate Vote #31, 3/13/1996]

1995: McCain Voted To Eliminate the Successful COPS Program. In 1995, McCain voted for the Republican Commerce-Justice spending bill which included a plan "to dismantle [the] cops-on-the-beat program" [COPS] and replace it with a "block grant program giving local governments control over how to spend crime-fighting money." [1995 Senate Vote #591, 12/7/1995, McCain: N; Chicago Tribune, 12/8/1995]

On the Economy:

McCain Today: "Under my plan, we will preserve the current low rates as they are, so businesses large and small can hire more people. We will double the personal exemption from $3,500 to $7,000 for every dependent, in every family in America. We will offer every individual and family a large tax credit to buy their health care, so employers can spend more on wages, and workers don't lose their coverage when they change jobs. We will lower the business tax rate, so American companies open new plants and create more jobs in this country."

McCain Facts: The Bush-McCain Economy Has Been Detrimental To The African-American Community…

July 2008: Nearly 10% of African Americans Without A Job. In June 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate was 9.7%, up from 9.2% just one month prior, in June 2008. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary, 8/1/2008]

FLASHBACK to January 2001: 8.4% Unemployment Rate Among African Americans. In January 2001, the unemployment rate for African Americans was 8.4%. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary, 2/2/2001]

2006: Nearly One Quarter of African Americans Living In Poverty. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Data, 24% of African Americans in the United States were living in poverty in 2006, representing almost 9.5 million people. [U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Poverty Tables, Accessed 4/23/2008]

FLASHBACK to 2000: One Million Less African Americans Living In Poverty. In 2000, 22% of African Americans or 7.9 million were living in poverty. [U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Poverty Tables, Accessed 4/23/2008]

Gramm told the Washington Times an interview published last week that the economy has "never been more dominant" and said we have become a "nation of whiners" constantly "whining and complaining." The McCain campaign may be quick to throw a top economic adviser under the bus but that does not hide the fact that John McCain offers four more years of George W. Bush on the economy.

We released this web video highlighting the shared belief of John McCain and Phil Gramm that these troubling economic times are "psychological" and a figment of your imagination.

My Indian policy starts with honoring the unique government to government relationship between tribes and the federal government and ensuring that our treaty obligations are met and ensuring that Native Americans have a voice in the White House.

Indian nations have never asked much of the United States, only for what was promised by the treaty obligations made by their forebears. So let me be clear: I believe that treaty commitments are paramount law, I’ll fulfill those commitments as president of the United States.

Read more about Senator Obama and his strong commitment to the American Indian community, and Obamamania in the Crow Nation.

Below are excerpts of the article, which can be found online at:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10464.html

Politico.com
Racial woes: GOP fails to recruit minorities
By: Jim VandeHei and Josh Kraushaar
May 19, 2008

"Just a few years after the Republican Party launched a highly publicized diversity effort, the GOP is heading into the 2008 election without a single minority candidate with a plausible chance of winning a campaign for the House, the Senate or governor...the GOP is fielding only a handful of minority candidates for Congress or statehouses - none of whom seem to have a prayer of victory.

"At the start of the Bush years, the Republican National Committee - in tandem with the White House - vowed to usher in a new era of GOP minority outreach. As George W. Bush winds down his presidency, Republicans are now on the verge of going six - and probably more - years without an African-American governor, senator or House member. That's the longest such streak since the 1980s. Republicans will have only one minority governor, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, an Indian-American, when the dust settles on the '08 elections. Democrats have three minority governors and 43 African-American members of Congress, including one - Illinois Sen. Barack Obama - who is their likely presidential nominee. Democrats also have several challengers in winnable House races who are either black or Hispanic...

"So who's to blame for this diversity deficit? Jack Kemp, the former Republican congressman and vice presidential nominee, says the culprit is clear: a "pitiful" recruitment effort by his party. 'I don't see much of an outreach,' he said. 'I don't see much of a reason to run.'...In all fairness, Republicans have never been very good at attracting strong minority candidates, especially African-Americans...The dilemma is simple: Who wants to run when the Republican brand is so unpopular and money is so scarce?"

"The historic 1954 decision in Brown vs. Board of Education earned a special place in history by rejecting decades of discrimination and unequal access to America's educational system. More than half a century later, however, the growing economic divide in rural, suburban and urban areas of our nation has resulted in a new form of segregation that yields unequal educational opportunities for America's children, often reflected through race and ethnicity. Fifty-four years later, much work remains before us.

"The Democratic Party is committed to electing a President in 2008 who will work to ensure every child in America has access to a quality education regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic standing. The American people are looking for leadership that puts our nation's best interests first, and that starts by empowering our children with the tools to succeed and reach for the American dream. That includes reigning in the rising cost of attending college, but also insisting that this generation of Americans stop passing on their debt to the generations that follow. And it begins by never forgetting that it took decisions like Brown v. Board to help America move forward."

The decision overturned the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that established "separate but equal," ruling that it was unconstitutional.

Today, we celebrate this glorious decision and reaffirm our commitment to the betterment of our schools and the advancement of equality for all.

Read the full decision here.

The Democratic Party has no list of just Native American as delegates or superdelegates. It is estimated an unprecedented 150 Native American delegates from all over Indian Country. That prospect has Margaret Campbell, a State Representative and Ft. Peck tribal member, excited about the upcoming convention.

“I want to get all together and meet as one,” Campbell said. She is also Vice Chairman of the Montana Democratic Party Executive Committee. The Poplar resident said this election cycle and the growing roles of Native Americans “may be the pinnacle of the Native role, but it feels close to the excitement of the Bill Clinton campaign of 1992,” when so many Indian people became involved at many levels to help him get elected.

Activist Kalyn Free, a Choctaw who ran for Congress, said of the Party:

“The Democratic Party’s values are the values of Indian People: taking care of the elderly, the children, those less fortunate, giving a helping hand to those who need it the most. The Democratic Party is about “We” not “Me,” which is so in tune with our Indian Values. Key Democratic Party leaders like Chairman Dean know and appreciate this. The Democratic Party under his leadership has reached out in immeasurable ways to include Indians at all levels of the Party. Having Indian Delegates at the Convention will showcase that Indians are “coming home” to a place where we are respected, valued, and needed most,” Free said to the Native American Times.

Read the full article and the stories behind several of the Native American superdelegates.

In 1990, McCain was one of the deciding votes in helping then-President George H.W. Bush sustain a veto against the relatively benign Civil Rights Act of 1990.

In doing so, the senator found himself at odds with majorities in both chambers of Congress, most senior African Americans within the Bush administration, and the Republican-led U.S. Civil Rights Commission. He also helped Bush became the first president ever to successfully veto a civil rights measure -- Andrew Jackson in 1866 and Ronald Reagan in 1988 both had vetoes overridden.

But unlike his decision against the Dr. King holiday in 1983, this is one vote John McCain will not apologize for.

"The issue in the early '90s was a little more complicated," he told Fox News Sunday. "I've never believed in quotas, and I don't. There's no doubt about my view on that issue. And that was the implication, at least, of that other vote."

It is, critics say, a shaky defense; one that only a third of the Senate felt comfortable holding on to.

As noted by the Times at the time of the bill's debate, opponents could not produce any evidence that the original ruling in 1971 had led to a rash of quotas. And indeed, as Thomas Homburger of the Anti-Defamation League said at the time: his group historically opposes quotas and the Civil Rights Act of 1990 was "simply not a quota bill."

The measure fell one vote short.

In an e-mail message sent to state Republicans, Kansas Republican Party Chairman Kris Kobach reviewed the party’s accomplishments this year.

In the message, he states: “To date, the Kansas GOP has identified and caged more voters in the last 11 months than the previous two years.”

Mike Gaughan, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, said, “Vote caging is a pretty direct form of voter suppression.”

For more on voter suppression efforts through "caging" methods, check out the Buffalo Blog, the official blog of the Kansas Democratic Party.