Obama team works the Native vote in N.M.

By David Alire Garcia 11/3/08 11:15 AM

Amber Carrillo, the Native American vote director for the New Mexico Campaign for Change,
has been quite the busy woman over the past few months. And it’s all coming to a head right
now.
From shepherding a near-clean-sweep of endorsements from the state’s 22 tribes to coordinating
voter canvasses and registration drives, Carrillo has been working to galvanize a sleeper
Democratic-leaning consistency that could easily make the difference in a close election.
And if the American Indian vote will make a difference in any state, it almost certainly will be
New Mexico by dint of sheer numbers.
The Secretary of State’s office documents about 63,000 American Indian registered voters in
New Mexico, out of a state population that hovers around 190,000. The registered Native
American voters add up to nearly 11 percent of the state’s general election electorate.
Carrillo has a ready, if predictable, answer to the Albuquerque Journal’s Sunday endorsement of
Republican John McCain, in which it declared the Arizona senator “a champion for Native
Americans.”
“Sen. McCain really doesn’t have a solid record on supporting Native Americans’ needs,”
Carrillo, a native of Laguna Pueblo, tells NMI.
McCain is the past chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and he represents
roughly half the Navajo Nation, the country’s most populous tribe, as an Arizona senator.
Carrillo is unmoved.
“There’s a substantial record that shows he’s denied a lot of funding to various programs for
Native folks. He has denied funding for education programs that are culturally relevant, he’s
denied funding for housing,” she says.
But that’s not the main reason the Barack Obama campaign worker is down on the GOP
standard-bearer.
“McCain said that tribal lands belong to everybody,” Carrillo claims. She says the Republican
made the comment to a closed session of six tribal leaders he met with in Albuquerque on
Memorial Day, all of whom verified the anti-sovereignty remark, she says.
“I see that as a leader who’s not interested in having a government-to-government relationship,”
Carillo adds. “Sen. Obama is someone who is interested in having sovereign nations meet with
him as sovereign nations.”
Several requests to the New Mexico McCain campaign to comment for this story were not
granted. Moreover, if you search on the keywords “Native American” on McCain’s official
campaign Web site, the result is “no documents were found” in red type.
Obama’s home state of Illinois doesn’t have a single federally recognized tribe. But his party
affiliation could make up for it. Carrillo said upwards of 80 percent of Native voters in New
Mexico are fellow Democrats.
She notes that 35,000 American Indian votes have been cast in recent presidential campaigns in
New Mexico, but says says she hopes to exceed that level on Tuesday.
“I guess I get a little competitive,” Carrillo says with a laugh.
The competition ends on Tuesday night.

This video is one of many specific pitches to Native American voters by the Obama campaign.
Carrillo as well as other New Mexico activists are featured in it.
 Apaches Criticize McCain For Poor Job As Senator
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by EricAZ

Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 08:25:11 AM PDT

Many leaders of the White Mountain Apaches and the Hopi Tribal Chairman gave moving

endorsements of Barrack Obama for President at a rally in Whiteriver sponsored by the Fort Apache

Democrats.

Former White Mountain Apache Tribal Chairman Dallas Massey

Past Chairman Dallas Massey ripped into Republican candidate John McCain for failing to visit or assist

the tribe in the aftermath of the devastating Rodeo-Chediski fire.

Councilman Noland Clay spoke passionately about Obama’s pledges to Indian Country, including

improvements for the Indian Health Service and education.

• EricAZ's diary :: ::

The Rodeo-Chedeski fire burned an incredible 723 square miles of pine forest in 2002, devastating the

Apaches' essential timber industry. Massey noted that President Bush took time to visit, but McCain,

the senior sentator from Arizona, couldn't be bothered to aid his constituents.

Councilman Alvin DeClay also spoke passionately in support of Obama before a crowd of several

hundred at the shopping center in Whiteriver.

Hopi Tribal Chairman Ben Nuvamsa gave a rousing speech detailing McCain’s neglect of Indian tribes,

and commenting favorably on Obama’s plans to improve conditions for Native Americans and the

country generally.

Hopi Tribal Chairman Ben Nuvamsa

Apache rapper Gene DeClay told the crowd about his experience representing Native American people

at an Obama rally in Phoenix.

Michelle Clarkson, April Olivar and Marco Burnette, organizers of the Fort Apache Democrats, served

as masters of ceremony and also detailed Obama’s Christian faith, the devastating cuts in federal

spending for Indian tribes, and the disastrous education policies of the Republican administration.

Marco, Michelle and April

Ken Smith, a Korean veteran and senior vice chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party, blasted the

Bush-McCain mistreatment of veterans, denying them health care and opposing the new G.I. Bill.

Franklin Dickens Sr., an Apache veteran, said he was supporting Obama because Obama respected

veterans and supported their benefits.

Holly Hanson, a long-time teacher in Whiteriver and now president of the White Mountain Democrats,

spoke on the need for improved education on the reservation that an Obama victory could bring. Lisa

Perry, Higher Education Coordinator, also spoke on the importance of education and endorsed Obama.

Several Navajo County candidates addressed the Apaches filling the shopping center parking lot.

K.C. Clark, the Democratic candidate for sheriff, explained his qualifications and his willingness to

work with the Apache people on law enforcement issues. Carolyn Holiday, the Democratic candidate

for district judge, explained her plan to make the courts more convenient to the Apache people by

holding sessions outside Holbrook. Linda Morrow, the candidate for school superintendent, discussed

plans to improve education in the county.

Food, donated by the local candidates, was served by the White Mountain Democrats and

ApachesVote.org.

Sorry I don't have good crowd shots. Apaches attend political rallies by sitting in their vehicles and

honking their horns, so it doesn't make for good crowd pictures. The rally was Friday, Oct. 10. Sorry

for the delay in getting the post together.

Tags: Apaches, Obama Rally, John McC