Trahant Reports

This week Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris will debate in Salt Lake City. Here is one lens to consider: Native American history; there is a curious relationship between the office of Vice President and Indian Country.

A history of the 1919 influenza pandemic by the National Institutes of Medicine concluded there as a lesson to be learned. “In handling any crisis, it is absolutely crucial to retain credibility. Giving false reassurance is the worst thing one can do.” A lesson our government has yet to learn.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a lot of support, good will, and memories from Indigenous leaders. Former Arkasas law dean Stacy Leeds, Cherokee Nation, said “her vote to reaffirm Muscogee (Creek) Nation boundaries on the final day of her final term will long be remembered.”

What’s next? One answer could be found in what happens in Arizona on election day.

President Donald Trump released a batch of names last week that he says are under consideration for a Supreme Court appointment, should he serve a second term. After 230 plus years it seems time for Native American candidates to be considered. There is a deep pool of qualified talent.

Looking back at another census from Indian Country’s past, it reminds me how much tribal nations are losing because of the failed US census that is 2020. Generations from now there is so much we will not know about this time because it’s not recorded.

Are tribes Democrat or Republican? The answer is neither, of course. Both party conventions turned a spotlight on Indian Country.

Slade Gorton was one of Indian Country’s most relentless critics. And a Native vote movement was built to end his career.

A payroll tax holiday is complicated. And what will happen if people have to pay the “holiday” back in a few months?

There are three major challenges that the nation is facing right now: The pandemic, the economic impact from that disease, and the renewed debate about race relations. These are three really complicated, really important issues. Yet other nations around the world have been far more effective dealing with COVID-19 than the United States.

The good news is that scientists are getting closer to a vaccine for COVID-19. That doesn’t mean our problems dealing with this deadly pandemic will go away because there are a lot of open questions, ranging from who gets the vaccine to how much? Even then will people sign up? In the Indian Health Service only about 30 percent of the service population gets a flu shot.