Cherokee Nation Nominates Delegate To Congress For The First Time

The supremes have ruled that congress can revoke treaties with native americans whenever they want, but I think they would have to do so explicitly.

I think voting representation would be complicated (perhaps too complicated to implement in a useful way) but a delegate who sits on committees and can introduce legislation and has a budget is a start.

5 Likes

Residents of Puerto Rico do not pay Federal Income Tax on their non US Mainland based income. They do pay Social Security, however.

1 Like

That was easy for him. Let’s see him do a witty aliteration name for Trump with Idi Amin Dada’s name. Or Mobutu Sese Seko. Or Ioannis Metaxas. Or Mengistu Haile Mariam.

Something like Liberace Leonid, or El Gordo Gordillo. Come on, @irasdad, break a sweat. We demand to be entertained.

1 Like

Pumpkin Pinochet?
Cheddar Ceauşescu?
Tangerine Tito?
Naugahyde Noriega?
Kumquat Quisling?
Cantaloupe Caligula?
Mango Mussolini?
Cheeto ChĂĄvez?
Garfield Gaddafi?
Mandarin Marcos?
Dorito Duvalier?
Creamsicle Khrushchev?
Spray Tan Stalin?
Rutabaga Ribbentrop?
Butternut Brezhnev?
Velveeta Voldemort?

14 Likes

I, for one, would love to see Native American tribe Senate seats. I can only imagine the gop heads exploding!

1 Like

Actually Cherokee citizens do have representation - they can vote in federal and state elections the same as any citizen of Oklahoma, or wherever they reside.

2 Likes

There are two other smaller tribes that might. Don’t be surprised if other tribes who don’t have that treaty provision resist the idea of having a Cherokee representative effectively being the representative for all tribal interests. There’s already plenty of tension on that front (cf. relationship with the Delaware).

3 Likes

Two, maybe.

If you don’t know about North Dakota law and voting rights, look into that suppression effort. The GOP put in laws requiring a physical address. Problem is, those simply don’t exist in wide swaths of tribal land, disenfranchising thousands.

7 Likes

I just think that’s awesome and I hope they are accorded all the voting rights like any other representative.

Cheeto-faced Shitgibbon™;
Mango Maniac™;
Ruddy Sphincter™;
Tangerine Goblin™;
Ocre Ogre;
Carrot Cockholster™;
Ginger Git;
Manchurian Cantaloupe™;
Manchurian Combover™;
Combover Caligula™;
Benedict Donald™

2 Likes

Citizens of the Cherokee Nation already vote for their US representative just like anyone else. Should they be allowed to vote for two Representatives who each have a vote? Or do you disenfranchise them from one or the other election, and who decides?

Also, who gets to decide who “counts” as a Cherokee? The tribe recently ejected the Cherokee Freedmen (aka the Black Cherokee) from their rolls - descendants of slaves and former slaves who were brought to Oklahoma, basically any member of the tribe who was marked with that racial designation on the Dawes Roll. Here’s a good summary of how that happened:

None of this is as straight forward as it may seem at first glance.

5 Likes

I have always understood that the US government has never honored any treaty it made with any Native-American tribe. The Cherokee Nation is to be applauded for taking this stand. Perhaps it will inspire other native tribes to make demands for honoring other past broken promises.

We keep hearing about slavery being the “original sin,” so it’s about time that the genocide inflicted on the indigenous peoples is given its proper due. The concept of reparations gaining any real substantive movement without that proper recognition would be laughable.

2 Likes

Oscillating Orange Ogre

2 Likes

Well done to the Cherokee Nation (as long as MoscowMitch doesn*t do anything) .

Also, new Woman of Color in the House, third Native Woman in the House. They’re comin’ for ya, Pumpkin Traitor. Better hide under the bed.

Now you’ve done it.

1 Like

My guess why they did not do so earlier is the hostility we have historically treated the “Sovereign Tribes.”
We, meaning US Government, are very nonchalant about our treaties with the Indians and have historically ignored those treaties with laws and encroachment. Alas, Gorsuch on the bench has been very “respect the treaty” addition to SCOTUS.

“… This trope may well become the 2020 equivalent of HRC’s emails…”

Yes, and you may recall that they started on HRC way, way back, knowing she would likely be the 2016 nominee. DNA shows Warren’s info that the was at least partly NA way back is correct, if remote. This drumbeat vs HRC is why people would say they didn’t trust HRC, but could not tell you why. "I dunno, that’s what everyone is sayin’ ".

Shit, my DNA shows I have a cousin in Ukraine and another in Egypt. WTF?

1 Like