Columbus Day for the Conquered: Guess Which Candidate Gives a Damn About Indian Country?:
When you search for "Native American" on Mitt Romney's campaign website, you get exactly nothing. If you search "Indian," you get a few hits, but only in reference to the Indian Affairs Committee one Romney-supporting member of Congress or other is on.

When you search for "Native American" on President Barack Obama's campaign website, you get an entire section for Native Americans for Obama. It even lists Obama's accomplishments for Native Americans, including direct assistance to Indian Country through $3 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or, you know, the stimulus. That renovated schools, roads, and health facilities, all of which brought jobs to tribal areas. This is not to mention things like the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which was made permanent by Obamacare.

In other words, to put it succinctly on this Columbus Day 2012, where we must acknowledge the conquered in the wake of the Europeans' arrival on these shores, Barack Obama gives a shit about Indians. For Mitt Romney, they are merely part of the 47% he has written off.

In fact, Obama gave an interview last week to Indian Country Today Media Network. As they put it, "[I]t is believed to be the first time a sitting president of the United States has conducted such an interview with Native media." It's a wide-ranging interview that covers everything from tribal lands to the Keystone XL pipeline to the Violence Against Women Act. Respect, you know? In fact, there are more than a few lines in there Obama could have used in the debate, like, "Romney refuses to stand up to the Republicans in Congress who blocked these crucial improvements to the Violence Against Women Act."

After the debate in Denver, one Native American offered, "I kept waiting for Romney to say something meaningful to me. He just talked about taxes, taxes, taxes, and that’s not really my biggest concern. I can’t see him connecting in Indian country." Brigham Young would probably approve.