Clinton Counts on Indian Country to Boost South Dakota Hopes
The drive from civilization to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is a long and desolate one — no to mention cell-service free — but it’s a necessary one for politicians hoping to win the state. The last two Senate races have been decided here; Tim Johnson earned the margin he needed with high turnout, while then-Senate leader Tom Daschle failed to turn out the vote in Indian Country, losing the state to John Thune.
So there was ample political reason for Hillary Clinton to make the drive here, even if her event outside the Little Wound School in Kyle, SD drew only about 100 people. As befitting her surroundings — Kyle is located in the most impoverished county in the nation — Clinton delivered a solemn address highlighting the failure of previous politicians to deliver on their promises of economic help.
“I’m not here to make a big speech. I’m not here to tell you things that I have no intention of trying to make happen. You’ve seen too many speeches, you’ve heard too many words that never translated into reality,” she said. “I don’t need to tell you that despite promises going back many, many years, we, the United States government and the people of the United States, haven’t done nearly what we should have to address the challenges here in Indian country.”
Unlike those politicians - and, perhaps, unlike her rival for the nomination, Clinton said her bond with Native Americans runs deep. “My commitment to Indian country did not start last month or last year. It started more than a decade ago, about 16 years ago, she said. “Indian country will have a seat at the table in my White House.”
With her chances at winning the nomination declared all but dead, Clinton’s slim hopes of seeing any benefit from a turnout advantage here rest on making an electability case to superdelegates. She argued that case in front of this crowd as well. “This has been the closest presidential primary contest in history. Right now, I’m leading in the popular vote, my opponent is leading in pledged delegates - less than 200 out of 4400,” she said. “It is so close, neither of us have the number of delegates necessary to be the nominee.”
“What we have to do is determine who would be the best president, and who would be the stronger candidate against Senator McCain. I believe I am, and I believe the states I have won and the electoral votes I will win make a very strong argument for that.”
“The question for people who want to see a Democratic sworn in as president next January, is who is most likely to win. That is the ultimate question to ask yourselves. because if you look at the electoral map. If you look at the states I have won, these are the states that form the base of a Democratic victory.”
After her speech, she made the same case in a closed door session with tribal leaders, whose influence can make all the difference on Tuesday.
Tags: hillary clinton, native americans, south dakota
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Guess they don’t want all hillary’s and obama supporters on here anymore
test
Tribal Leaders, please don’t let Hillary make a fool out of your. She says all UNEDUCATED people vote for her. What are she saying, that she can make afool out of people who don’t have the education to know better. And other words she can promise you any thing and your will fall for it.
This woman is an expert lyers, Please don’t let her make a fool out of your people.
go
qwe
What did you mean American Woman?
Wow. I think I discovered what you mean AmWomn. That’s some heavy cen+so*ring… Wow.
Obama’s the one who called us uneducated not Hillary I may not be educated but smart enough not to vote obama. He can’t buy me either like the delegates.
Hillary is they only person care about the working class.
To Mary - I hate hearing people make comments like “your people” - what’s your people - odumba cult followers? obama is the only one who makes fun of lesser educated people where have you been mary? Custer was well educated to like obama and look what he did to the Mighty Sioux Nation.
To the Great Sioux Nation - DON’T vote for obama, the Sica Wastensi.
Mccain backers
Every time liberals come up with an new idea. You guys bash it bash it. Then 10 years later you @dapt it as your own and no one elses.
McCain for the last 8 yrs voted along Bushes policy 90% of the time.
You think there is much diffrence in thinking your wrong.#ctions speak louder than words. Same Bush different season.
Conservative is a man who sits and thinks but mostly sits.he will probably ask his grandmother
when in doubt.
If you vote for McCain you vote for bitterness not better change,
mccains great economist Mr Grahm. More lobbyist . Who is looking out for you?
Obama 08
To Mary - you know nothing of the Great Sioux Nation. Don’t insult them with your lies. Guess you think you are educated - it is liars not lyers and the only liars are obama and his cult followers.
TO THE GREAT SIOUX NATION - DON’T VOTE FOR obama, THE SICA WASTESNI.
Hey Mccain backers
Every time liberals come up with an new idea. You guys bash it bash it. Then 10 years later you taket it @s your own and no one elses.
McCain for the last 8 yrs voted along Bushes policy 90% of the time.
You think there is much diffrence in thinking your wrong.actions speak louder than words. Same Bush different season.
Conservative is a man who sits and thinks but mostly sits.he will probably ask his grandmother
when in doubt.
Obama 08
Hey Mccain backers
Every time liberals come up with an new idea. You guys bash it bash it. Then 10 years later you adapt it as your own and no one elses.
McCain for the last 8 yrs voted along Bushes policy 90% of the time.
Obama 08
think
Every time liberals come up with an new idea. You guys bash it bash it. Then 10 years later you adapt it as your own and no one elses.
McCain for the last 8 yrs voted along Bushes policy 90% of the time.
McCain for the last 8 yrs voted along Bushes policy 90% of the time.
Obama 08
good
Did obama buy Fox with all those zillion dollar campaign funds. lol
good evening
To am woman - think they are letting obama supporters on here. Did somebody buy FOX
Senator from Arizon voted 90 percent of the time in the last 8 yeasr for the status quo.
vote Obama 08
still not working my friends.
Wow. I think I discovered what you mean AmWomn. That’s some heavy cen+so*ring… Wow.
they havent figured it out yet
To mary -obama is the only one making fools out of everyone. You can talk down to the Mighty Sioux Nation if you choose but I’ll bet you everyone in the Great Sioux Nation is smarter than you.
lets see if I can actually post here..so far I would say 9 out of every 10 things I post gets censored.
Carol you just showed how uneducated you really are. I’m glad all dummies like you stick with hillary.
Forgive the Democrats father, they know not what they do.
People you need to wake up,
You are real ignorance and don’t realized that the adminstrations of the last 20 years
don’t care about the American people. They just care about benefiting from wars and shipping our jobs overseas so the CEO’S of companies get richer. If McCain/Hillary get voted in office. What we have left of a middle class will be completed destroy!!! We will be no better then any other third world nation. The top 5% will have all the money and the rest of us will be low class.
I served my country for 10 years and deployed to Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia.
The writing on the wall!!!
Obama08
OK
this is all bull the dems are no better than repubs ..actually theare worse they disenfranchise their own party hillary 2012
Goodbye Hillary bye
Fire water at the closed door meeting with Hillary—I wonder?
Hillary drinks a lot this campaign. (We don’t need a drinking President!) Can she get up to answer the telephone at anytime of night—much less 3 o’clock in the morining? She says she “was tired” when she make heep big goof.
What has Obama’s excuse for his bigger goofs? No tele prompter working? Not enough white people sitting behind him as instructed by his wife, Michelle? Or, plain does not know what he is talking about! He is a young inexperienced Sen.: only 2 yrs. in Washington. Abscent many votes since in office–not ready to Lead yet.
Go for Experience, Go for the man with the Heart of All of America’s Best Interest in mind.
For All Peoples Everywhere (Native and non Native American alike!)
Vote John McCain 08
I think Barak Husssein Obama might have a shot at this thing now. It’s apparent that the left-wing media, which is northing more than an extension of the extreme left, liberal component of the Democratic Party, has placed itself in motion to begin it’s attacks on McCain now that they have pretty much destroyed Hillary Clinton (although she didn’t do much to help herself).
Check out Blitzer, Olbermann, Matthews, and the other news clowns over the next few months if you want to observe our pitiful excuse for an independent media in motion. They will try to neutralize anything negative that surfaces relative to Barak Husssein Obama, while at the same time highlighting everything they can find negative about McCain.
I think Barak Husssein Obama might have a shot at this thing now. It’s apparent that the left-wing media, which is northing more than an extension of the extreme left, liberal component of the Democratic Party, has placed itself in motion to begin it’s attacks on McCain now that they have pretty much destroyed Hillary Clinton (although she didn’t do much to help herself).
Check out BBlitzer, Ollbermann, Mattthews, and the other news clowns over the next few months if you want to observe our pitiful excuse for an independent media in motion. They will try to neutralize anything negative that surfaces relative to Barak Husssein Obama, while at the same time highlighting everything they can find negative about McCain.
There’s no doubt Hillary is the better candidate. Just why should she be penalized in Michigan because Mr. Obama was so stupid he took his name off the ballot. The states votes have been certified that has to be the outcome this weekend. The party leaders created this mess. There has to be a better way to pick a nominee. This time if Mr. Obama gets the nomination coruption rules. There is no other way to look at it.
I am sorry, but I don’t think Poor Hillary has a chance to win. It had been decided by the DNC the day Obama stated he was running. Even in states she has the most voted, the delegates went for Obama. They are also counting the votes for Obama to make sure, If Fl and Mi are counted, it will make him the winner. I can’t see why they are doing this. If Hillary won this time, it wouldn’t hurt them to try to make sure Obama is what he says he is. This is scary for America. Have any of you saw his mother anywhere? Seems he has disowned her. Your mom is always you mom, And I don’t care what your nationality, EVERYONE Should be PROUD of it no matter what. He has both his mom’s and Dad’s blood and he should be proud. And with everything America has given him he should be PROUD of America. Goodness he has more than a lot of us will ever have.
Don’t worry, most American Indians are very patrotic and love this country even though
they have been mistreated. My husband is an Indian from North Dakota and a veteran
of Viet Nam. Country first and Indian second and will vote for McCain to keep the military
strong.
The real issue is not how well Clinton, Obama, or McCain might do in the closely divided battleground states, but that we shouldn’t have battleground states and spectator states in the first place. Every vote in every state should be politically relevant in a presidential election. And, every vote should be equal. We should have a national popular vote for President in which the White House goes to the candidate who gets the most popular votes in all 50 states.
The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill comes into effect, all the electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).
The major shortcoming of the current system of electing the President is that presidential candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, campaign, or worry about the voter concerns in states where they are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. The reason for this is the winner-take-all rule which awards all of a state’s electoral votes to the candidate who gets the most votes in each separate state. Because of this rule, candidates concentrate their attention on a handful of closely divided “battleground” states. Two-thirds of the visits and money are focused in just six states; 88% on 9 states, and 99% of the money goes to just 16 states. Two-thirds of the states and people are merely spectators to the presidential election.
Another shortcoming of the current system is that a candidate can win the Presidency without winning the most popular votes nationwide.
The National Popular Vote bill has been approved by 18 legislative chambers (one house in Colorado, Arkansas, Maine, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Washington, and two houses in Maryland, Illinois, Hawaii, California, and Vermont). It has been enacted into law in Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland. These states have 50 (19%) of the 270 electoral votes needed to bring the law into effect.
I will support Hillary and I will never change my vote for Obama.The med
I have not been able to blog since yesterday. Why?
Please South Dakota and Montana vote for the best candidate. Hillary will deliver on her promises . Obama will spend the first term of his Presidency training for the job he he was elected to do.
See what I mean? Nothing wrong with my last post but where is it???