We know now that a snowman can question candidates [1] for president. Now, how about Native Americans?

The Democratic-leaning Indn’s List [2] Education Fund (think Emily’s List for Indians) has asked all the Democratic candidates for president to attend a debate in California in late August — the delightfully titled Prez on the Rez [3] event. The debate is hosted by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians [4]; some 2,500 leaders from 500 tribes are expected to attend the Indn’s List conference.

Mark Trahant, a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe of Idaho and editorial page editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, will moderate the debate. Trahant had this exchange (YouTube above) with President George Bush.

The invitations for Prez on the Rez went out six months ago. So far, not many Democrats have accepted. Well, three have, but New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is the only candidate near the top tier who has agreed to come to California on August 23rd. Obama, Edwards and Clinton have yet to say they’ll come. In fact, Sen. Clinton has announced she won’t be there. (Maybe she saw the Bush YouTube.) Indn’s List president Kalyn Free reacted:

The Morongo Casino.
Photo: Ace Copeland [5]/flickr

"Hillary Clinton's willingness to ignore Indian voters on the campaign trail has made it clear that she lacks the courage to change lives in Indian Country. I'm both disappointed and astonished that Senator Clinton has turned her back on American Indians. By refusing to participate in this historic event, she lost an opportunity to inspire an entire generation of American Indians to engage in the democratic process. Sadly, that reflects the hollowness of her rhetoric and the narrowness of her vision."

Free goes on, hoping to bludgeon the senator into appearing. But the story is complicated.

California tribes are in a conflict with organized labor. The tribes want to expand their casinos, and labor wants to organize the casino workers. The expansion of the casinos was held up in the California legislature for months and was only resolved in late June. The tribes were allowed to add more slots, but labor was left out of the settlement. The Democratic candidates may be staying away from the Morongo event to avoid a conflict with organized labor, which is livid at being ignored in the agreement [6].

Free, a member of the Democratic National Committee, told the Los Angeles Times [7] that if Democrats won’t come, she’ll invite Republicans, “and they’re going to have unfettered access to tribal votes and tribal money." Clinton responded by setting up a “Native American Leadership Council" [8] in Nevada, consisting of more than a dozen tribal leaders.

Native American voters live in swing states — New Mexico, Nevada and, now, perhaps, Arizona. And they’ve been reliable Democratic voters. But maybe there’s not enough celebrity on the Rez. It’s interesting that bicyclist Lance Armstrong will hold two presidential forums [9] on cancer policy and research next month in Iowa — just days after the Prez on the Rez date — and he already has five candidates lined up to attend. (None of the top five or six have agreed to the LiveStrong forums.)

Everybody wants candidates to address their issues, and the candidates — justifiably, perhaps — are reluctant to say yes too often. No candidate attended [10] the National Rural Assembly in person, although Sen. Clinton took questions [11] on a video feed.

Maybe it’s a bit too easy to ignore Indn’s List because it’s still a bit too easy to dismiss, or even denigrate, Indians. In February of this year, a Montana state representative called a fellow legislator — a Native American — “chief" and asked if a gavel could be considered a “war club." Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, later apologized on the floor of the Montana House for what he had said to Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, a Democrat from Rocky Boy.

Mark Trahant has been blogging [12] about Prez on the Rez and puts the need for this discussion in context:

“Presidents once spent a great deal of time thinking about native people. One way to think about it: Indian Country was like Iraq (only closer) – war, security and national expansion all wrapped up into a complex presidential problem…. Gradually, though, presidents spent less and less time thinking about American Indians. More and more it was delegated to Congress, the Courts, or the Interior Department.
That is the context for Prez on the Rez. We need to bring back presidents -- and future presidents -- into a discussion about the federal policy as it relates to American Indian tribal governments."