Opinion

One of the more confounding political riddles pundits love to debate is how Democrats “lost” rural America. If the past month is any indication, however, it looks less like the Dems lost rural America and more like they are just lost in rural America.

As if Americans weren’t divided enough, the recent leak of the Supreme Court’s apparent decision on the fate of Roe v. Wade has added even more fuel to the fire, burning whatever political bridges still remain among us. Briefly, it appears that the Supreme Court will overturn the decision that ensured that women would have a legal right to get an abortion and that state laws could not restrict. Now, it appears that those restrictions previously outlawed will be allowed. That pleases some people and terrifies others, just as legal abortion terrifies some and pleases others. The terrorized and pleased have exchanged places.

My grandfather, Melvin Running Wolf, was only 36 years old when all Native Americans finally gained the right to vote in the United States. Imagine that. Only three generations ago, not all Native Americans could vote in elections due to frivolous state laws that acted as barriers to the ballot box. Although Natives gained their citizenship in 1924 and states were allowed to determine voting rights, many states created laws with the intent to interfere with many people’s right to vote. People like my grandfather, who served in the military, was a proud U.S. citizen, a hard-working family man, and a productive member of society, were targeted with these laws.