State GOP accused of using 'racist' cartoon

From Journal Sentinel reporters and The Associated Press

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

Madison -- Forest County Potawatomi Attorney General Jeff Crawford accused the state Republican Party on Tuesday of putting a "racist and derogatory" cartoon on a Web site the party created to criticize Gov. Jim Doyle.

The cartoon criticizes the gaming compact Doyle negotiated with the Potawatomi. It depicts a tomahawk flying through the air at a Wisconsin taxpayer. The voice-over says: "As taxpayers, we got scalped."

Republican Party spokesman Chris Lato said the cartoon was not meant to be disrespectful and was intended to point out the flaws in the agreement.

The Potawatomi compact has no expiration date, allows the tribe to offer new games such as craps and roulette, and removes some restrictions on its casinos, including on the number of slot machines. In return, the tribe expects to pay the state an estimated $340 million over the next 10 years.

"Legislators should be working to balance the budget, not to trash the people who are helping to solve a problem that Indian tribal governments did not create," Crawford said in a statement released Tuesday.

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