Latest / Follow the Leighder / Veterans, Tribal Sovereignty, and a Senate Run | Michael Black Wolf
Transcript
- Leigh/@followtheleighder: When I did this with Cleveland Russell on the other side of the divide, he's running for, uh, his did the same thing. It was like, I had to like stitch the podcast together from five different cuts. So why is that is real. But, uh, I think you were just about done and not done. No, you were finishing. You had, you were like in the middle of a thought. I can't remember if you had finished the sentence or not. Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: you Leigh/@followtheleighder: Yeah, well, sorry folks, there was a technical glitch. We were just wrapping up the question about veterans in Montana and Mr. Black Wolf's very intentional leadership. So thank you again and just folks, just to jog y'all. ⁓ Michael Black Wolf: That's it. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Well, howdy folks and welcome back to another episode of Follow the Leighder I'm your host, Leigh Larson. And from Hayes, Montana, folks, I bring to you Blackwolf. Welcome to the studio. ⁓ Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. ⁓ yeah. Yeah. Thank you for having me, we appreciate it. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Absolutely. So folks, Michael Black Wolf is here joining us today. He is running for US Senate here in Montana. He's on the eastern side of the divide. So he's going after Dane Seat, going after Hummert, Bankhead, competing against, I guess as you say, ⁓ Hummert and Bankhead and Neal for Dane Seat. And I'm super excited that you have thrown your hat into the ring. Michael, you, you are, A good 10 % of Montanans are veterans and a good 18 % work for the VA and then as mentioned some of the highest capacity of not only Americans but also Native Americans are here in Montana that have served the military. So a lot of military involvement participation by all for a long time. is and Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: ⁓ the water and stuff, you know. And so, you know, ⁓ again, what I just stated though, obviously, you know, one of the things I am is I'm an absolute realist and I know that, you know, business does have to happen. ⁓ Agriculture has to happen. ⁓ Both crops and livestock, you know, in order for our economies to function. And so finding that middle ground. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Yes. What you were talking about are crafting more policies, particularly for veterans of combat. an enrolled Gros member, member. You're Fort Belknap, the reservation. Talk to a little bit about your upbringing and your roots here in Montana. ⁓ Michael Black Wolf: Yeah, yeah. And so just to finish that thought, again, like I said. Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: is going to be key. know, our, our, way or the highway mentality that we have adopted in, in politics over the, like I said, the last 10, 15 years has just been, you know, super detrimental. And so I think that I'm in a unique position to where ⁓ I think that I have the, the, the, the, the real Michael Black Wolf: you know, our combat veterans, you know, they have to go through their rating, you know, to get their hard earned money. And to me, was, if we're going to, you know, if we're going to be as patriotic as we are, the claim we are as a nation about our military and our veterans, if you're a combat veteran, it should just be a done deal. You prove that you served in combat, 100 % rating, just like that. I guess, so then moving on to kind of what you were talking, Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Yeah, absolutely. Again, once again, thanks for having me. ⁓ You know, as you said, I'm an enrolled member of the Gros Ventre tribe here at Fort Belknap. ⁓ You know, for those that don't know, we're like right smack dab in the middle of north central Montana. And we have two tribes here at Fort Belknap. We have the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre tribe. My mother is ⁓ a member of the Gros Ventre tribe and my is a member of the ⁓ tribe from the Rocky Boys Indian Reservation, the Chippewa Cree tribe ⁓ Rocky Boy. ⁓ Like to be able to just sit down and say, you know, I'm not going to be able to please everybody all the time. You know, I'm not going to be able to please the agricultural industry 100 % of the time. I'm not going to be able to please the conservation people 100 % of the time. And that's just the reality of politics. And I think people need to be truthful and honest about that. You know, we have to because, you know, I could talk the toughest game about Michael Black Wolf: we were, I think we're gonna get into was about our military and our budget. You know, I think that, you know, everything, ⁓ everything needs checks and balances. And unfortunately, I think that, ⁓ you know, in our ⁓ society that we live in, is, you know, that Montana, United States, United States is a capitalistic society. And obviously, from a capitalistic standpoint, ⁓ the less regular Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: was born here and enrolled here at Fort Belknap and at about a year, year and a half old, moved to Rocky Boy and spent my childhood and my pre-teens and my adolescence and my young adulthood. Graduated from high school in Rocky Boy way back in 1989 and from there went off to college, met my wife and we started our family. ⁓ providing this and that and I am a die-hard conservationist and I will die on my hill, you know, and then I get into Washington DC and I have to compromise. Well, all those die-hard conservationists are now going to turn on me. And the fact of the matter is that we do have to compromise and that's just the reality of it. You know, not everybody's going to win 100 % of the time and everything that they do in their life. Michael Black Wolf: regulations that are in place ⁓ the better off a capitalist society is going to do I mean fundamentally in a theoretical perspective that may be true but in realistically implementing such a thing is that there are those that ultimately have to pay the price for that ⁓ capitalist or that group of capitalistic people or groups or businesses to thrive and Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: and we have three adult children now and six grandchildren, two grandsons and four granddaughters. And we have another one on the way. ⁓ But yeah, so even though I was raised primarily in Rocky Boy, spent significant amount of time with my maternal grandfather here in Fort Belknap and Hayes. And ⁓ I unfortunately did not have the pleasure to know my maternal Politics is no exception. And I think that realizing and doing what is best for the greater good for everybody is something that I think is I'm gonna be able to really ⁓ provide for ⁓ our constituents. And I think that the sooner that I have been telling people this, the more that they will realize that, this guy's a realist and I know that Michael Black Wolf: And that obviously instills the class system, lower class, poor, working poor, lower class, middle class, and so on and so forth. And oftentimes, ⁓ it's those classes that bear the brunt of the financial burden ⁓ for a capitalistic society. so simple, common sense checks and balances on our infrastructure of everything, military. Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: grandmother she had passed away prior to my birth so I was very fortunate though to still have my grandfather ⁓ and he was you know very knowledgeable in the Gros Ventre of life, customs, ceremonies, ⁓ language and so ⁓ even though I didn't grow up here in Fort Belknap ⁓ I you know had a lot of exposure to ⁓ my Ventre You know, I may want him to vote for everything that I'm putting for him 100 % of the time, but I also need to realize that he's probably not going to, and I'm okay with that, just as long as he puts a best foot effort forward to provide what's best for the greater good of Montanans. Michael Black Wolf: You know, do we really have to have a military budget that is as big as it is? You know, ⁓ are good friends on the Republican side of the aisle? You know, they're always talking about being physically responsible and, you know, making sure we're cutting everything where we can, wherever this, and then turn around and dump almost seemingly endless amounts of money into the military. Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: ways and decided to move here in 1995 and this is where my wife and I set up our our roots and we've been here since November of 95 so yeah that's that's kind of me in Hayes Montana and by way of Rocky Boy Montana Leigh/@followtheleighder: Well, thank you for that. Well, as we get closer to the top of the hour, ⁓ can you tell us where folks who are interested in donating, supporting or following you, how can they learn more about you and your campaign? And that's really special that you got to learn so much, ⁓ like you said, of your, I think you called them ways, from your grandfather and keeping that gavant. ⁓ I don't know, I see in the background you have some strings and fabrics. you also like sew and bead? Is that like? Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Thank you. Yeah, so my website is www.blackwolf.com Michael Black Wolf: Again, common sense, let's talk about realistically what do we need, realistically what does this nation need in order for it to provide for our safety and our defense as a nation, not necessarily being the police force of the world. I think that there's a lot of different things that we can look at there. Obviously, we don't need the military. Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: And on there, ⁓ you can watch my little intro video. talked, I think I hit most of the points we talked about here, but ⁓ I'm really proud of that video. That video, think really kind of encapsulates what I am, who I am, I think what I have to offer. I'm not that status quo politician who was just going to get there and do backdoor dealings and whatnot. ⁓ yeah, so that back there is ⁓ the sewing stuff that my wife and I use. My wife does quilting. ⁓ I actually do make ⁓ native regalia. That up there is called a bustle. That's a bustle that I made for my oldest son. ⁓ And so it needs some repairs. That's why it's here at our house instead of at his house. So I got to do some repair work on that for him. ⁓ But no, yeah, so like I said, Michael Black Wolf: ⁓ all the time doing that. We have humanitarian efforts. We had humanitarian aid, ⁓ which I would really push hard for reinstituting should I become the next Senator for Montana. Offering a hand and some food goes a lot farther than pointing a gun at somebody. ⁓ And so I think that there's a lot of room to ⁓ improve on our internet. Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: ⁓ And I may fall on my face, but that's alright, but at least you know I have my ethics and my morals and I'm gonna stick to those ⁓ But also there ⁓ I have a direct link to my ⁓ act blue ⁓ My act blue link is on the website ⁓ Just to let people know ⁓ You know I am keeping this as grassroots as possible this campaign is you know I'm not taking dark money ⁓ I've, you know, just like I said, was immersed, born and raised in my customs, cultures, tradition, and learned, you know, about regalia making, ceremonies and songs growing up, and it's, you know, the only life I've known. You know, I'm a traditional person, and it's not, this is not meant to be, you know, derogatory or upsetting in any form, but I've, you know, I'm Michael Black Wolf: international relations ⁓ moving forward and you ⁓ know after November of 2026. Leigh/@followtheleighder: ⁓ Thank you. And there's so much, like you said, ⁓ too many being global police, ⁓ so much warfare, so much fiscal irresponsibility, like you said. ⁓ And again, it's all, it's very fear-based. ⁓ Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: not taking like super PAC money. ⁓ And so this really is a people powered campaign. And any and all help that anybody can help and contribute is much appreciated. Because like I stated, you know, several times and I really do honestly mean that, you know, I want to be able to provide for the best. never set foot in a church. I've never, ⁓ you know, did anything with the Western religions, Christianity, Catholicism, anything like that. ⁓ You know, but I've been real fortunate to be born to who I was, when I was, where I was, and that includes, you know, being raised and being fortunate to have, ⁓ you know, my paternal grandparents heavily influenced ⁓ who I Leigh/@followtheleighder: I want to move into talking about the next point on your website is ⁓ tribal sovereignty and what this looks like, it's in response to some of what this administration has done or just building off of efforts ⁓ that the tribal representatives and advocates have made. What does tribal sovereignty look like moving forward ⁓ for you and your campaign? Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: the best of my ability to the greater good of every Montanan. ⁓ And I think that ⁓ getting to DC without any big money, big pharma, big oil, ⁓ no APAC, anything like that. ⁓ was my dad and my uncles again a huge influence impact on on my formative years and molding me into the ⁓ man that I ⁓ would become and the man that I am. You know, it just makes it all the more ⁓ real for me to show people that just how honest I am and how real I am about and how serious I'm taking this run for United States Senate. Leigh/@followtheleighder: ⁓ I see that the sense of community is profoundly strong. How does that shape or how did that motivate your call to run? Why throw your hat in the ring to run for politics? That sounds like a crazy thing to do with all due respect. Michael Black Wolf: Yeah, you know, so I guess so. I think that that is going to be one of the unique advantages that I will have obviously over, ⁓ you know, my my three ⁓ democratic hopefuls, you know, is knowing and fully understanding, you know. ⁓ Leigh/@followtheleighder: Thank you so much. I know a lot of people appreciate the grassroots fundraising. And because folks are just exhausted, don't, they don't, what is all of this politics of corporations can just buy everybody. that's what we need is people representing the people. So. Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: ⁓ yeah, absolutely. Since last summer when ⁓ I decided to, ⁓ the idea formulated to actually do this, there's been several ⁓ surreal moments along the way ⁓ from actually just sitting down and ⁓ talking with my wife and my children. Michael Black Wolf: tribal sovereignty via trust and treaty responsibilities between our sovereign nations, all our tribal sovereign nations in the United States government. you know, so again, for those that don't know, the United States entered into treaties with tribal nations to... And this could be a... Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Thank you so much for joining me. there any last words before I wrap up the episode? Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: ⁓ I guess last words. ⁓ You know, I think one thing I wanted to touch on is, you know, I hear you, Montana. I do. I really do hear you. And this was not an easy decision that we came to. And again, I hope everybody notices that I said we and not I came to, because I relied heavily on visiting with my family, knowing what the potential sacrifices will be, are going to be, are right now. But like I said, Michael Black Wolf: day-long seminar in itself. I'm gonna try to make it as simple as possible and shorter. ⁓ So basically what the Native tribes did is we agreed to give up the vast majority of our ancestral homelands to the United States and the United States in turn agreed to provide certain things in perpetuity to tribal nations as long as the United States exists and as long as the United States ⁓ Leigh/@followtheleighder: Nice. Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: I know that the three primary things people are concerned right now about are groceries, utilities and healthcare. ⁓ And you know, those are all intimately tied with the way this country is being run right now. And my appeal to all of you out there is this, even though I am a Democrat and I'm running on a Democratic ticket, this election cycle 2020-2026 is not about the traditional Republican versus ⁓ you know what what prompted me was you know ⁓ we sat there ⁓ I sat there last year I think collectively we sat and watched when this administration took over last January and we just saw this executive order after executive order coming out and Michael Black Wolf: operates. the way that it does and each state operates that it does, then the United States government has a obligation to provide the treaty obligations that they had made with the respective tribal nations. Providing healthcare, that is done via the Indian Health Services. ⁓ Education, ⁓ so there are tribal schools, there are also small grants Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Democrat. It's not that those old-school meet-in-the-middle politics have gone the wayside. We want to get back to that. But what this is about, this election cycle, is about the top, you know, the elite, wealthy Americans versus the rest of us. And I'm really imploring and I'm really encouraging ⁓ they were just like mind blowing, you know, and just like, why, you know, who, what, where, when, why. And, you know, for those of us that are kind of political junkies, you know, we were obviously aware of the Heritage Foundation and all of their partners and their friends and their crafting of, you know, Project 2025. And if you look at... our moderate Republicans, our independents in Montana, to really take a hard look at what it is and where we want this country to go, where we want Montana to go. And the more you take a real hard self-inflection and look at that, I think that you will realize that I can offer more than what the current Republican ⁓ Michael Black Wolf: that are given to tribes who then in turn give it to their students ⁓ who want to go on to higher education. And so that also is another thing that we want to educate people on because vast majority of people that are unaware of how that trust responsibility works with the government is they think that we get anything and everything free, which is just not true. They also think that we don't pay taxes, which is not true. ⁓ Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: most of these executive orders, not all, but most of these executive orders, even though this president and this administration, you know, adamantly, vehemently denied that they had any knowledge or involvement with Project 2025. Really, what they were doing is implementing Project 2025 via executive order. And they pushed that as far as they could. Then obviously they crafted the big, beautiful bill. candidates have to offer. I also think I have offer more Michael Black Wolf: I'm putting off filing my taxes here for another week or two just because simple fact that I owe taxes every time I file taxes. But that responsibility is, and we must understand that in the United States, ⁓ Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: than my competitors, my Democratic primary competitors as well. And I really do feel like I am the best ⁓ candidate and I think that I would be the best Senator in this election cycle for the state of Montana. And so with that, I really do thank you for ⁓ having me and I appreciate having the opportunity to share a little bit about myself with you and with the good people of ⁓ Montana. And that was even furthering the Project 2025 agenda. And now we're seeing potentially the next ⁓ step in that is the SAVE Act. And the SAVE Act is, as we all know, those of us that are worried and concerned about it, is disenfranchisement of ⁓ United States citizens and their right to vote, specifically women. ⁓ Michael Black Wolf: the Constitution, it talks about what treaties are. And treaties are the supreme law of the land. It says it clearly right in the Constitution. And so that's why there's this unique relationship in and among tribes and the United States government and oftentimes, I should say oftentimes, sometimes the tribes are, excuse me, the United States delegates that authority in very rare circumstances to states. ⁓ Leigh/@followtheleighder: Absolutely. I'm grateful to have you and again, thank you for raising your hand to run for office and represent Montanans. And you're in my district. I mean, you would be representing me. It was, of course, not a no brainer to host you. ⁓ folks, I'm really curious what you had to think about this episode. ⁓ know I think I would like to have you back in a non-political campaign ⁓ setting to talk about more tribal affairs and Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: You know, there's a vast majority of our women in the United States who have ⁓ given up their name to take their husbands names. And that, you know, potentially is going to be a, ⁓ you know, a dis... Michael Black Wolf: But that's done very rarely. But more often than not, it's the United States, the federal government. meeting obligations with tribal nations. ⁓ so this government, excuse me, this administration right now is failing at those obligations. ⁓ If you remember last late spring, early summer, when they kind of shut the valve off of all federal funding for everything everywhere, that included ⁓ money that was treaty ⁓ obligated funds for tribes. And then they pushed now, Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: disqualify many women from voting should the passage of this bill take place. I think that Montana's voting laws are just perfectly fine the way they are. There's absolutely no need for implementing ⁓ a ⁓ national law requiring ⁓ all of those extra steps and verification. And really what it boils down to is it's really fear mongering by this administration trying to rile up Leigh/@followtheleighder: educate people because again they don't know but until yeah for my listeners audiences let me know in the comments what you thought of this episode and don't forget to like follow and subscribe you know the drill we do this all the time folks this is your host Lee Larson and this is another episode of follow the leader and until next time see ya Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Yeah, I would love to. Michael Black Wolf: So we have on our on our respective reservation here at Fort Belknap, we have a Bureau of Indian Affairs office and they are the government's representative to help make sure that funding and programs operate in a manner that is beneficial to tribes. And we had approximately 20 Bureau of Indian Affairs employees. And after all these federal cuts via Doge and Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: their base and try to keep the back door open ⁓ when they do lose the house. And I predict they will lose the Senate as well this fall. We have a massive blue wave coming. ⁓ I think everybody that's in the know is pretty much already saying that the house is turning blue. ⁓ But I really do believe that we will flip the Senate as well. Michael Black Wolf: ⁓ other avenues. We only have two employees here at the Bureau of Indian Affairs now, which is making things very difficult for ⁓ those, ⁓ day-to-day operations of the unique situation on how most tribal governments operate. You know, we just can't operate like a traditional business and we can't operate like a traditional ⁓ government, thinking that we're a federal government. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Wow. And possibly with you in the Senate seat. So that is, it's ⁓ a noble call. Thank you for raising. And like you said, you communicated with your family, your community, you looked at the writing on the wall and you said, I have to do something. ⁓ Montana is... Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Yeah. Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: and again reminding audiences listening in. Folks, we're very rural. The whole state is rural, is considered rural. ⁓ Out in Fort Belknap, ⁓ particularly that's where it's real plains, and again folks who are not too familiar with Montana, the yellowstone and the whitefish in the Glacier National Park, that's on the western side, but what we're talking over here is plains, it's farming. Michael Black Wolf: ⁓ You know, we have those responsibilities that we have to do in reporting to the Bureau of Indian Affairs who then is ultimately reports it to the the National Bureau of Indian Affairs and making sure that you know those trust responsibilities are being met ⁓ Via federal dollars that are obligated to tribes so I can honestly say that I'm about 99 % sure that my three competitors don't know that process Leigh/@followtheleighder: And it's often overlooked because it's not a tourist hub. ⁓ And it's very easy for folks to be forgotten by the government out there. ⁓ And while there's plenty of folks who would prefer it that way, that's also very problematic for a lot of reasons in which you talk about broadband internet and workforce development education are one of your leading policies. Can you talk about what that looks like out there? Michael Black Wolf: and don't know exactly what it is that the federal government is obligated when it comes to providing trust responsibilities to tribes. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Thank you so much for that. I know a lot of folks simply don't know. mean, like the myths, the misconceptions, like about particularly when it comes to finances, taxes, benefits with tribal nations is something that a lot of folks just, they don't know. ⁓ And just like you said, there's, I... Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Yeah, absolutely. Again, thank you for leading into that. ⁓ Michael Black Wolf: Mm-hmm. Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: And, I guess, you know, just also to to to let some of the listeners know who may not watch us. You know, we do actually have ⁓ island mountain ranges out here and Hayes, Montana is in the foothills of the beautiful little rocky mountains. So looking about looking at them out my window as we talk, ⁓ you know, and then we have like the snowy mountains, you know, all these the crazy mountains, you know. So it's it's an amazing, amazing landscape that Michael Black Wolf: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: I've noticed too, and I've been watching certain things in other states of tribal nations like playing the same game, same capitalist game because they have to, they're surviving. But how controversial it is even within their own communities of like, do we bring an AI data center here or like, what do we do? You know what I mean? It's just... ⁓ Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: that there's these wide open spaces and plains and then all of a sudden you get these island mountain ranges popping up and they're absolutely amazing. Each island mountain range is absolutely unique in their own way and real special to those of us who live near these mountains. But yeah, thank you for that. And I think you really led right into that. The eastern, I would even say two thirds of Montana. Leigh/@followtheleighder: There's just a lot to it. And it's a totally different, like you said, it's not a traditional government department because it's simply, it's not. And you can't be ran like an American corporate business either because it's not that either. is. Michael Black Wolf: Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yes. Yep. Yeah. Yep. Absolutely. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Well, I know that we are getting towards the end and I wanted to ask you this at least. One of your policies is about conservation and how water is very important not only to use but ⁓ just renewable energy in general seems to be... Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: is primarily plains open. And obviously ⁓ in that landscape, in that setting, agriculture is huge, Agriculture is huge and ⁓ agriculture being Montana's number one industry, and we're talking both livestock and ⁓ crops. so as important as that is, it often, Leigh/@followtheleighder: stigmatized. Talk to me a little bit about your what you're seeing and imagining for your conservation. Michael Black Wolf: Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. And so for me, this obviously is near and dear to me. And this goes back to ⁓ my fundamental teachings of being an ⁓ Indigenous person ⁓ to North America. we often look at ⁓ Western society, often looks at ⁓ everything as a resource. Everything is a resource, whether it's water, Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: our producers often get put to the wayside because of, like we said, the spotlight tends to be on Western Montana, the mountains, the lakes, and the streams, and all that stuff. But our ag producers are really the backbone of this state number one industry. I realize this, that our ag producers Michael Black Wolf: land, animals, plants, ⁓ and they are there for our benefit and for our, the bettering of us, often times as individuals. ⁓ And you know, it, it... Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: By and large, most of them are Republican, and obviously, it's gonna be a hard sell to try to get them to ⁓ look at me as a serious candidate. And so one of the things I've been telling folks is I'm about as real as it gets. I don't do double speak. I'm not gonna make promises on things that I can't or have no idea how to fulfill. And if I truly don't know anything, Michael Black Wolf: It's treated in that process as an infinite. All these things are treated as infinite resources and they're just, they're not, you know. And when you look at things from an indigenous worldview, you know, we're, we're, we're not here to dominate. You know, we're just part of this entire thing that, you know, we call life. ⁓ you know, ⁓ we certainly need clean water, you know, we certainly need food. ⁓ those two fundamental things right Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: I'm going to openly admit it. I'm not gonna try to baffle people with BS. ⁓ I have an amazing team with me, however, and so if I get a question, and I've gotten several of them so far at some of these meetings, people ask me something, and if I truly don't know the answer, I'll say, you know what, great question, I don't know the answer. My team and I will look into this, we'll research it, and I'll be able to formulate ⁓ an opinion and a plan based on that. ⁓ With that said, ⁓ Michael Black Wolf: No food, no water, no life. ⁓ You know? And if ⁓ it is almost too simplistic in its reality for most people to understand. They think that, oh, well, there's clean water over there, so I can pollute this water so that my business can run and I can make a fortune. And this one stream will be, the world will be okay with this one stream being polluted or the ground being polluted because there's millions upon acres and there's millions of streams out there. But you take a million business owners that are out there and they want to do the exact same Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: hoping that our ag producers really take a hard look at me, even though there's a D behind my name in this race. ⁓ I'm very, very, very much a Montanan first before I am a Democrat or even if I was a Republican or if I was an independent, I look at myself as a Montanan first. And my core values just happen to identify and align with the Democratic Party. However, that doesn't mean I am Michael Black Wolf: thing they all want to they'll want to pollute the stream by them or they all want to pollute the ground by them ⁓ then it's a compounding issue and we tend to you know end up with water that we can't use and ⁓ ground that we can't use otherwise and so we are ⁓ Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: going to do or follow what has happened with our politics here becoming so polarized in the last 15, 20 years. And I think that's been a huge detriment to our country is seeing the polarization of our, ⁓ I dare I would even say weaponization of our politics. And it's like turning our two party system into mortal and bitter enemies. And that's not what Michael Black Wolf: You know, and it really is, you know, it comes down to a person's, ⁓ you know, core fundamental upbringing. And I think that, ⁓ you know, good, bad and different. think a lot of democratic ⁓ minded people who are definitely more open minded to the idea of, ⁓ you know, that we need to take care of our plants. We need to take care of our animals. We need to take care of our water in order for all of us Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: America is about, you know, that's not what Montana is about. Montana is about, you know, loving your neighbors, caring for your neighbors, taking care of your neighbors, making sure that, you know, everybody's being helped and we help each other out. We give each other a hand up. ⁓ I understand, you know, the good old bootstrap theory that everybody always talks about, you know, the American dream. You know, it's like I'm doing it. I'm getting it's mine in my way. And that's great. Michael Black Wolf: to live. ⁓ No clean water, none of Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: You know, I'm all for that, you know, and I really do wish that, ⁓ you know, as many people out there do achieve the, you know, achieve the American dream of, you know, reaching, ⁓ you know, financial security. And, you know, that means, you know, making enough for you, your family to buy a home, to buy a car, buy property, whatever it is. But if you are fortunate enough, you know, and you do make it big and you do start making 20, 30, 40 million dollars, then, you know, don't forget Don't forget your humble beginnings and don't forget to almost that pay it forward kind of a mentality. It's like if you're making $100 million a ⁓ year or $100 million in ⁓ net worth, then by God, share that wealth and pay your fair share in taxes. There's no need for a person to be, actually there is no need for any person or any business, not only in United States, but in the world, to be a billionaire. either individual or business. There's absolutely no reason for it whatsoever, none whatsoever. ⁓ so a lot of that mentality, a lot of that mindset that has kind of evolved over the last 15, 20 years has really contributed to the decline of our healthcare out here in the Eastern Montana, the decline of populations. ⁓ I mean, I look back on when I was a teenager in 1980s and when we played schools in what was then the District 9C, which is like heart of North Central Montana, ⁓ almost immediately as I went in as a freshman there were multiple schools. As I was leaving a senior four years later, many of our schools along the Highline were already starting to have to combine their schools. Basically because we were starting to see populations of Montanans starting to... emigrate out because of the lack of support, the lack of funding. I mean, there's a whole litany of things we can go on and into, but really, we're just not seeing the support there for our rural communities, our rural healthcare. ⁓ And really that is coming down to ⁓ administrations choosing ⁓ to side with ⁓ those who ⁓ contribute most to a candidate's. ⁓ campaign and you know, whatever and then there's the dreaded political good old boy system, you know that we are subjected to and I'm absolutely all about bucking that I'm not going to, I'm not a good old boy, I'm not going to be a good old boy and I won't be a good old boy because I want to be here for every single Montana and even if, even if I'm lucky enough and fortunate enough to become the next Senator for United, for Montana, even for those that didn't vote for me, maybe even for those that don't like me, I'm still going to go to bat for them. I'm still gonna go to work for them and I'm still going to do what I have to do to make sure that their lives are. as comfortable as possible and that they can achieve that American dream in agriculture or else in healthcare or whatever chosen profession, teachers. Unions are huge in Montana as well. ⁓ And so I hope that I can really break through to the common sense people in knowing that I'm gonna be here for the greater good of and not just a select few people here and there are, you I'm not going in and just saying, I'm just voting for, I'm just gonna go in and I'm just gonna do anything and everything for a select group of Montanans and everybody else can just go to hell. ⁓ You know, that's not what this is about. That's not what real politics and real political leadership is about. That leadership is about... doing the best that you can for the greater good of everybody every day that you are in office and every day that you are ⁓ doing your best to make sure that every Montanan has a fair chance at a great life. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Well, and I appreciate that too, because going back to the original question, that broadband internet, that workforce development, that education, that health care, that's nonpartisan. Like that's bringing up the whole community. Like that's not you should just get these because you voted for me. I want the whole community to be able to be connected, educated, and formed. Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Absolutely. Absolutely. so, you know, we here at Fort Belknap, we barely got broadband a few years ago, like two summers ago. The all the fiber optic was laid over a couple of years here at Fort Belknap. And so, you know, that that white that, ⁓ you know, the fiber optic that was ⁓ laid ⁓ in here, ⁓ you know, obviously we've had high speed Internet throughout Montana for, you know, better part of a decade for most places. Well, we just got it in. and you know a few years ago and I know that there are many more places that need it as well and so broadband fiber optic improving those opportunities. I mean, it only opens the door even more when we have broadband and fiber optic in place in all of our rural communities. It just really, really lends to the ⁓ entrepreneurial spirit that most Americans have and really need the opportunity and have the internet and the speed, the data, the ability to store all the data and all that stuff to really help people to ⁓ many more doors that may not have been there, ⁓ you know, ⁓ just a couple years ago. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Absolutely. Yeah, completely a whole new world. And that's what the government should be advocating for. know that Americans love the free market and it has a lot of benefits. But one of the things about the free market is it's not going to come to places, the rural market, rural areas, unless the government steps in and puts pressure. And the government is us. It's the people. It's us. you've got to do this. Can you talk a little bit about, just while we're talking about reservation, what have you seen or heard in relation to DHS or ICE in your area or by your constituents? Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so I know that ⁓ DHS had ⁓ come and visited with ⁓ each respective tribal government over the last several months. And I think that, you know, I wasn't in those meetings, not really privy to them, but I think what they were doing was, you know, trying to explore ⁓ potential cooperative agreements ⁓ with tribal nations ⁓ in regards to, ⁓ you know, illegal immigration and and all of that, you know, stuff that going along like that. And I think that it was, ⁓ for better or worse, was, you know, kind of ill-timed. And I think obviously it was a reactionary thing from DHS. I think that because of what was going on in, you know, we were seeing happening throughout, you know, the cities where they were ⁓ beefing up the ICE enforcement and presence, you know, and particularly Minneapolis. the Twin Cities area, which by the way has a huge native population. And to my understanding is they are still detaining actual members of federally recognized tribes and they are still not releasing them. And why they're retaining, detaining them, I don't know. ⁓ But we, ⁓ You know, there are a lot of things, I think, a lot of factors behind that, but really I think when we look at a situation like this, I think that, you know, it comes down to basically just fundamental human decency, you know, just being a decent human being. And we tend to forget that from a political perspective. in regards to it almost allows us to dehumanize those that don't agree with us. ⁓ And I think that that dehumanization has gone way too far overboard. And we look at things that, you ⁓ know, immigrants that are here, you know, literally taking and ripping children away from either their mothers or their fathers, knowing full well that that little four or five year old baby is not a drug dealer, they're not a gang member, and more than likely the mother probably isn't either, you know. ⁓ And that's just fundamentally wrong on a human level, ⁓ irregardless of what your politics are, irregardless of where your political stance is, you know, to come and separate a baby from their parent and their caregiver. know that is instilling ⁓ trauma into that child, into those children. Think of all the children right now that are in these detention centers that have been separated from their parents. We are giving those children post-traumatic stress right now as a government. And to me it's absolutely shocking that more people are not upset over that. And now those children will have to live. an entire lifetime with post-traumatic stress. And, ⁓ you know, that's not a good thing. That's not a good thing on us as Americans where we're supposed to be the land of the free. ⁓ You know, and so we need to stop being hypocritical about claiming send us your weak and send us your poor and, you know, this is the land of the free where everybody could come and, you know, achieve the American dream. you know this administration is not is not living up to those those uh those uh standards at which you know the American forefathers laid down for uh you know the United States. Leigh/@followtheleighder: And it's not, and ⁓ it's sickening. know that you talked about her healthcare earlier, but it's... I, the whole having a paramilitary when we already have such and so much of our taxes going to our regular military, when just like you were just saying, like you just want broadband internet, you just want workforce development, like what are we doing with all of these militaries when like the people need resources? And I know that, you you're certain proud of your your son. He is a combat veteran, I believe for the US Army and also historically ⁓ Native Americans have served in every American war since the revolution. Can you talk a little bit about that ⁓ relationship between Native tribes and military? Michael Black Wolf, US Sen (MT) Candidate: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. You know, ⁓ obviously first and foremost, you know, I have the utmost respect for ⁓ any and all veterans, ⁓ both those who just enlisted and served in peacetime and, you know, and our combat veterans. ⁓ I think that especially our combat veterans who volunteered and, you know, weren't drafted into a conflict, ⁓ who willingly stepped up and said, you know, I'm going to do this. I'm gonna do what I have to do to help make sure and ensure that our country, the United States of America, is protected and I'm going to serve and I wanna do it in an honorable way. And like you said, historically speaking, Native Americans have ⁓ served disproportionately higher per capita. than any other ethnicity in America. ⁓ And that's pretty much every single conflict. And even back in World War I, and I believe it was maybe World War II, ⁓ where Native Americans weren't even United States citizens, and they were enlisting in droves. And so it really, there's several things that contributed to that. And I think first and foremost is, you know, ⁓ when you come from a warrior ⁓ society that's, you know, that... ⁓ holds a warrior in such high esteem and that society has been in existence for thousands of years, you just don't shut the switch off on that warrior ⁓ mentality. I would even dare to say it's in our genes. It's essentially us. And so for Native Americans to step up and serve and volunteer ⁓ in times of war for a country that quite honestly didn't really like or care for them at a given point. ⁓ That to me is like, you know, the true definition of a warrior, stepping up and protecting the people no matter what. so... ⁓ Before I get into about the spending on that, I just wanted to make sure and clarify that ⁓ I do have that utmost respect for the military, for our veterans. My wife and I, oldest son, ⁓ he enlisted on his own during wartime. He is a Afghanistan combat veteran and we're very proud of him. And I think one of the contributing factors well why we as Native Americans serve in such a higher capacity is you know there are certain things among our respective tribes and I'm not speaking for all tribes but most tribes if not all we have certain ⁓ ceremonies we have certain aspects of our cultural life that in order to carry on some of these ways we have to have in essence, true warriors, combat veterans in order for these ⁓ ceremonies and these things to take place. And so I think that's also a contributing factor is that's why we have so many Native Americans who step up and serve in the United States military. you know, ultimately, many of them pay the ultimate sacrifice. know, many have, you know, they lost their lives in combat. ⁓ ⁓ Many also come back and deal with post-traumatic stress. you know, ⁓ seeing ⁓ those near and dear to me experience that as well. You know, one thing that I really am going to advocate and push for is should I become, you know, the next senator for Montana is, ⁓ you know, if you are a combat veteran, then you're gonna, we're gonna push for legislation that says combat veteran hundred percent ⁓ disability payment. And I don't even like calling it disability, you know, because that's not, you know, they sacrificed so many things. ⁓ And so as big and as proud as we are about our military and being patriotic, our VA sure treats them like they're criminals and they're trying to cheat and job the system just to try to get money out of them. And so I would personally