Sanders heading to Warren's native state for Comanche event

[left-of-center2012]

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is focusing on reliably Republican Oklahoma with an appearance before the largest annual gathering of the Comanche Nation in the state where rival Elizabeth Warren was born.

The Comanches, who are holding their 28th annual Nation Fair Powwow, are a Plains Indian tribe of about 17,000 enrolled members, with headquarters just north of Lawton, in southwest Oklahoma. Powwows are important social events for many tribes, and typically feature traditional dance, songs, food, regalia and other customs.

Sanders, a Vermont senator, won Oklahoma’s 2016 Democratic primary over Hillary Clinton. The state votes next year as part of the earlier and expanded “Super Tuesday,” which comes on March 3 and includes neighboring Texas.

University of Oklahoma political science professor Keith Gaddie said Sanders’ powwow visit was unusual because the tribe, while well-known, is not a particularly large Native American nation. “There’s no reason, in order to win the state, that you’d have to go down to that event,” Gaddie said. Sanders’ visit may remind some of a sensitive subject for Warren, still criticized after her October release of a DNA test meant to bolster her claim to Native American heritage.

https://www.apnews.com/b3f9a38270754f31ba9182388af549be

[VarryOn]

1. He knows what he's doing...

This will prompt stories and references the coming days reminding everyone of her issue. A cynical ploy.

[redstatebluegirl]

3. I agree.

He is also coming to an event in Norman. I don't plan to attend, I have seen Bernie numerous times, it is the same thing over and over again, nothing new. There are so many people in this state that claim Native American ancestry in order to get different financial perks it is scary. The sad thing is many true Native Americans in our state are not aware of what is available to them, but those who have 1 ounce of blood and look like they came from Norway sure do. What Elizabeth did was wrong but more common than one would think in states with a large number of Native Americans.

I walked a young Kiowa woman through the scholarship process last year, she was shocked at what was available to her if she was willing to look for it. She was not at all comfortable about "exploiting her heritage" but I convinced this brilliant young scientist that she deserved it! We were able to find quite a bit of money to help her get finished with her Bachelors and I hope to help her find grants to help her with her graduate program.

What I find interesting here is the Tribes that were treated poorly forever are now making tons of money off of the white folks who have to go gambling all the time. It seems right somehow that they are now "returning the favor" to those who stole from them over the years.

BTW if you have never seen a Pow Wow you really need to, it is truly amazing!

[DURHAM D]

4. I have never seen any indication that Warren applied for

educational benefits. btw - I thought 25% native was required to get benefits.

[redstatebluegirl]

5. I don't think there is either, but it appears she may have checked the box when applying to school.

The 25 percent rule is the standard but there are some scholarships etc, that it is just proof of Native ancestry. We had a young high school student who worked in our lab a few summers ago under a program for Native American students, he was the son of an ortho surgeon and looked like he came straight from Sweden. Blond, blue eyed light skinned, he took a spot that in my opinion should have gone to a Native American student who needed the assistance, but he had proof that he was 10 percent and that was all that was required for that program.

[DURHAM D]

7. Checked box applying to attend what school?

She started college on a debate scholarship.

[Drunken Irishman]

10. Right. It wasn't to school - she wrote she was American Indian on the State Bar of Texas write-in

[DURHAM D]

12. So she wanted a referral to the American Indian Committee

for the State Bar of Texas. Good for her. All she needed to do was send her money in. Her race didn't matter one way or the other and there was no benefit to that entry.

To join the bar is just about the money.

[Drunken Irishman]

13. Never 'good for her' when they misrepresent themselves or their background.

But it's not the story people make it out to be. The problem Warren will face if she's the nominee is how easy it is to manipulate certain events and spread disinformation on something that might have a sliver of truth to it.

Case in point: Exactly this. The truth is that Warren incorrectly put her race as American Indian on a registration form to join the Texas bar. That's a fact. She didn't do it to advance herself, or to receive any special benefits, and that's a fact too. However, out of that fact is easily pushed lies and half-truths that dog campaigns. That being, of course, that she lied about her race to advance her career. There's no fact to that ... but it doesn't stop the rumors from spreading.

It's very similar to Hillary's e-mails. It was fact that Hillary set up a private server while SoS. There was also truth to the investigation into her e-mails. Where things spun out of control, and the lies were pushed through social media, started as an extension of the truth and that server. But the stories were lies. Lots of misinformation on her e-mails was spread.

Like...the rumor that spread saying there were five million uncounted Bernie Sanders ballots found on her server. It was a joke story but people ran with it to the point Snopes had to debunk it.

To her credit, I think Warren has done a good job calming Democratic voter fears about this issue. But it's something that will again come up if she's the nominee and it could be why her numbers vs Trump aren't as strong as a few other candidates.

[DURHAM D]

14. and sadly, just as Hillary became "but those emails"

Joe will become "but his son".

Voters are easily manipulated.

jftr - the only people I hear trashing Elizabeth about the Native American story are Democrats.

[Drunken Irishman]

15. Absolutely it's possible.

We'll have to see the role it plays in the coming weeks with Biden.

But I mean, your last point is kind of silly. The biggest cheerleader of the American Indian story is ... Trump. He's not a Democrat.

Whether it's as strong of an attack as Hillary's e-mails proved to be is not certain right now. But it is an issue. Just as the Ukraine could be an issue with Biden. It's also an opportunity, tho. Hillary struggled with messaging and it doomed her, at times. Warren and Biden might find the right message that spins the narrative. In regards to Biden, right now, it's Trump who's losing the messaging war - not Biden. The irony here is that had Trump let things alone, and just questioned the business of Hunter, as opposed to, as it appears is the case, trying to talk the Ukraine into investigating him, it would have probably been far more problematic for Biden. But the narrative right now is that Trump potentially committed an impeachable offense.

[DURHAM D]

22. Trashing Warren on the Native issue is happening right in this thread.

Have seen it a number of times on DU.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

17. This was odd. From the Boston Globe. It was changed in 1989

[DURHAM D]

18. I assume that she was asked to be the faculty sponsor

for NALSA at Penn. The organization started nationally in 1989.

Native American Law Students Association (NALSA)
The Penn Law Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) is a student run organization dedicated to creating a supportive environment for Native American students. NALSA is inclusive of all and is committed to educating the Penn Law student body about Indian law, indigenous rights, tribal sovereignty, and peaceful resolution / alternative sentencing options.

The law school probably made that change in your post. Given that she was already a full professor she gained nothing. Glad she made herself available.

[customerserviceguy]

19. She never lived the life of a Native American

in the US. Pretending to be one for any reason calls into question her integrity. Mealy-mouthed "stories" of family legends are something I'd expect out of an uneducated person, not out of someone who has had the opportunities that Elizabeth Warren has had, even if she had to work hard for them.

[DURHAM D]

21. Have you spent any time in Oklahoma?

75% of the long time Okies have been told they have native ancestry. The other 25% have been told they descend from royalty.

Just to live/grow up in Oklahoma means you have some working knowledge of their heritage.

How many powwows have you been to?

[customerserviceguy]

25. I drove through it once last year

and other than stopping at a barbecue restaurant, no, I've not had any conversation with Oklahomans. In any case, family stories or not, was she raised as or regarded as a Native American by people who did not know her background?

I visited one powwow when I lived on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, and I was in awe of the people there.

I expect that the criticism that she has escaped so far from the other candidates will come out, in at least a subtle way in the next debate.

[VarryOn]

8. If Warren ends up on the ticket...

This issue will definitely be in the forefront, rightly or wrongly. Her attempting to take the bullet a few months was a smart move, but it's far from over. She needs to work on her explanation, though. She also needs to fall on the sword and admit what she did am ! $. Most Americans are quite forgiving.

[DURHAM D]

11. What does this mean - "what she did am ! $" ? nt

[VarryOn]

16. Sorry, I was careless and made a typo.

Unfortunately, I do that sometime.

In case my error obscured my point, I was trying to say the Senator will have to deal with this issue again if she is on the ticket.

[customerserviceguy]

20. She'll get called Pocahontas to her face

multiple times if she ends up in a debate with Trump. The October DNA test thing (which stepped all over our message at a critical time during the midterm elections) proved that Trump can get into her head, and he will surely try hard to do that again.

[DURHAM D]

23. Cool - first and foremost Pocahontas was a peace maker. nt

[customerserviceguy]

24. Doesn't matter

Most Americans probably don't know that, and his supporters are not troubled that Trump doesn't know it, either.

The written evidence of Sen. Warren claiming Native American status (for whatever reason) will be featured front and center. It may well have an effect on the mushy middle if hammered home long enough.

[TwilightZone]

26. It's already common knowledge.

For the most part, no one cares. The only people who got worked up about it were Trump and his dopey minions.

[JI7]

6. ugh

[roody]

27. Could it be that he just gracefully accepted an invitation?

[Cha]

9. uh huh.