-
Chapter 6: The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians: Indian Gaming and Its Impacts on Statewide Politics
- University of Nevada Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
122 chapter 6 The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Indian Gaming and Its Impacts on Statewide Politics denise k. von herrmann Lobbyist Jack abramoff used money from a Mississippi tribal client to set up bogus Christian antigambling groups, according to e-mails and testimony made public by the senate Indian affairs Committee at its June 22, 2005, hearing on the activities of abramoff and Michael scanlon, a public relations executive and former spokesman for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX). according to aaron stetter, a former scanlon employee, “scanlon and abramoff sought to whip up opposition to casinos proposed by rival tribes by setting up bogus Christian phone banks.” He told senators that callers would identify themselves as members of groups such as the Christian Research Network or Global Christian Outreach Network and urge voters to contact their representatives (schmidt and Grimaldi 2005, a1) In October 2002, scanlon sent $500,000 to then-candidate for governor of alabama Bob Riley. These funds apparently flowed through the Republican Governors association and the Republican National state Elections Committee, increasing to $600,000 by the time Riley received them. Riley won a narrow victory and became alabama’s governor (Edsall 2004, a17). m i s s i s s i p p i b a n d o f c h o c ta w i n d i a n s 123 Why was Mike scanlon so interested in the successful candidacy of Bob Riley in alabama? What reasons did the Choctaw have for their role in the scene? a likely explanation is that Riley’s opponent in the race, the incumbent Don siegelman, was intent on opening up alabama to casino gambling. since the alabama border is only about an hour by car from the Mississippi Choctaw tribe’s casino, this possibility posed a threat to the Choctaws’ casino revenues, from which scanlon was benefiting. Hence a victory for Riley was a victory for abramoff, scanlon, and the Mississippi Choctaw Indians. an interesting question is the motivation behind this relatively new political contribution activity by tribes. since tribes are considered sovereign and not subject to state government control, what motives might tribes have for contributing to statewide political campaigns? The adoption of tribal gaming has been reasonably well documented in the public policy literature (Corntasell and Witmer 1997, 2000; Mason 2000; McCullough 1994). The size and scope of campaign contributions by the tribes, and the possible linkages to policy impacts, has not. When Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory act (igra) in 1988, it created a new set of relationships between the federal government and Indian tribes, and spawned a new phase of what some scholars have termed “forced federalism” (Corntassel and Witmer 2000). Forced federalism would require that states negotiate with tribes essentially as peer governments (not unlike requirements for interstate compacts). This chapter presents a case study of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, examining the explosive growth of their gaming operations in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and detailing the extent and uses of their political contributions. Contributions to both relevant federal and statewide campaigns will be examined, and possible explanations offered for the giving patterns established by the tribe. Implications of the study findings for other tribes will also be considered. background to tribal gaming a variety of economic development activities have been adopted by tribes, with only little to moderate success (Vinje 1996). In an effort to create a dependable source of revenue, several tribes established various gaming enterprises in the late 1970s, with tribes in Florida and California taking [3.227.252.87] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:47 GMT) 124 t h e n e w p o l i t i c s o f i n d i a n g a m i n g the lead and opening high-stakes bingo halls. “When the states threatened to close these gaming operations, the tribes sued successfully in Us federal courts. In 1987, the Us supreme Court ruled in California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians that once a state has legalized any form of gambling, such as lotteries or bingo, Indian tribes within that state had the legal right to offer the same form of gambling without governmental restrictions” (Gonzales 2003, 124). Congress reacted in 1988 with the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory act (igra). igra allows tribes to operate a variety of forms of gaming, but the gaming is restricted to federally recognized trust land. Importantly, tribes must sign compacts...