Secessionist Palin Story: McCain Camp Pushes Back

Last night, ABC's Jake Tapper reported that officials of a fringe Alaska party once counted Sarah Palin as a member:

Officials of the Alaskan Independence Party say that Palin was once so independent, she was once a member of their party, which, since the 1970s, has been pushing for a legal vote for Alaskans to decide whether or not residents of the 49th state can secede from the United States.

And while McCain's motto -- as seen in a new TV ad -- is "Country First," the AIP's motto is the exact opposite -- "Alaska First -- Alaska Always."

John McCain's campaign reports of her membership in AIP "smears," blaming them on Barack Obama's campaign and Daily Kos. They also sent around Palin's voter registration document, showing her to have been a registered Republican since 1982.

However, TPMmuckraker reports that Palin's husband's affiliation with the group can't be disputed:

This afternoon, the director of Division of Elections in Alaska, Gail Fenumiai, told TPMmuckraker that Todd Palin registered in October 1995 to the Alaska Independence Party, a radical group that advocates for Alaskan secession from the United States.

Besides a short period of a few months in 2000 when he changed his registration to undeclared, Todd Palin remained a registered member of AIP until July 2002 when he registered again as an undeclared voter.

And today, ABC reports that Sarah Palin did attend the 1994 Alaska Independence Party convention:

As part of their pushback against the charges of Lynette and Dexter Clark of the AIP, the McCain campaign says that Palin did not even attend the AIP convention in Wasilla in 1994.

But another former AIP official -- Mark Chryson, chairman of the AIP from 1995 to 2002 -- tells ABC News that "Palin was at the convention in 1994. She was there."

And AIP's Lynette Clark still insists that the governor was a member. "This is like a cat covering up crap in its litter box," she said.

Comments

[BestforAmerica]

I'm curious,
Did the Alaska Independence Party:
-claim Palin has foreign policy experience because Alaska is near the United States?
-claim Palin had more foreign experience than she claimed because she traveled to the lower forty-eight and met with leaders in Washington?

Todd Palin was a member of the Alaska Independence Party through 2002? --an organization that flies a 49-star flag, speaks of the American flag as "their flag, and has a motto of "Alaska First". She supported this group? How does this honor America, the American Flag, the White House, or proud Americans?

[idyl]

Palin speaking before a 49 star flag:

http://mudflats.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/49-stars1.jpg?w=414&h=342

[bilmardre]

Sean Hannity must be outraged about this!!!
Someone who loves America as much as he does, I cant wait to hear him go off on this.
And the good Christian that he is, it must really miff him that they are lying about it.
OK Sean, lets hear your righteous indignation!

[armadillious2002]

This is the big story people - not Palin's pregnant daughter. The GOP are supposed to be all about patriotism. The AIP leaders urge their supporters to change their politics if the have to get elected and then infiltrate the various branches of Govt. This is akin to treason and is the "Big Story"about Palin. Plus - it's all documented on youtube.

[DFutureIsNow]

McCain / Palin '08 Alaska First !

[koyak23]

why does Sarah hate america ?

[DuPageDem]

Palin believes Alaska First and Lieberman believes Israel First. They make a good pair. So much for loyalty.

[jcwtts1]

Can you be Vice President of this country if you don't love it.... if you just want to use it for its money and earmarks but hate the lower 48 and Hawaii. I think it is shocking that John McCain doesn't really love his country. Insane. Picking a secessionist to be a heart beat away from the presidency... shocking....

J

[oaddi]

WHY DOES THE PALIN HATE AMERICA???? TOM Palin was a member of the AIP.

No way, No how, NO PALIN/Mc Cain

[DFutureIsNow]

Why does Sarah Palin hates America?

[alphax]

"Palin the Patriot" ... what a joke!

[DFutureIsNow]

No wonder she knows nothing about America. For one thing she thinks the Pledge of Allegiance was written by the Founding Fathers. She finally is showing her true colors.

McCain / Palin Alaska First !

[MajorKong]

I think it's the six months of darkness up there. Drives them wacky sometimes.

[badfishatlarge]

Her hubby makes Rev. Wright an unquestionable patriot.

Actually, I'd think it is a case 10000 times worse than Wright gate, considering she is living and
sleeping with a seperationist everyday!

[UrsaMajority]

Whether or not she changed her official voting registration, the fact is that she has consistently voiced support for its agenda, and her first response to inquiries about being a VP was, "Will that help the state of Alaska?" Like it or not, Alaska is so isolated as to be its own little world. No wonder that politicians up there don't think that they're subject to the general rules of demeanor that the rest of us insist upon. (Or the First Amendment -- witness Palin's attempt to ban libray books and then can the librarian as one of her first acts as Mayor.) Palin virtually never has left the state and sees the world through its world view -- drill, baby, drill, so we can balance our books (or not, as she left Wasilla with a huge debt despite raising the sales tax 33%). And if the oil revenues fall short, Uncle Ted (Stevens, not Kennedy) will get us our earmarks. (Ooops, better take that endorsement video by Uncle Ted off my web site now that I'm the VP designate.)

Fact is, whether she's registered with the AIP or not, it is still "Alaska First" for Ms. Palin.

[JamesInDenver]

As other posters have mentioned, this is just a non-denial, denial. Nobody is going to find a AIP registration card with Sarah Palin's name on it, but she did give a speech this year presented at the 2008 AIP Convention. In it, she introduces herself as Governor Sarah Palin, and then says she is "proud to welcome you to the 2008 Alaska Independence Party Convention". She then goes onto says "we have a great promise to be a self sufficient state". So it's pretty obvious to anyone with a brain in there head, that she is one of their Soul-Mates. (After all, she could have simply stayed away.)

If you haven't already seen it, here is the video.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/1/4231/18477/878/581881

McCain can push back as hard as he wants, but only die-hard Republicans are going to buy it.

The fact is Palin was never fully vetted, and failing to vet a candidate for the Vise Presidents office, borders on Criminal Negligence. This is just one more example of McCain's Judgment.

[ShamusNYC]

When asked why they believed Barack Obama's team was responsible for the rumor, the McCain campaign replied "Why of course it is! After all, that's what we would have done!"

The source then went on to discuss (off the record) their "evidence" on Barack Obama's background as a Satanist (he once listened to an Ozzy Osbourne CD) and as a past card-carrying member of the KK - K (which, in this case, stands for Kal's Koffee Klub - a frequent buyer program for a local coffee shop in Chicago).

[indyleftist]

"And AIP's Lynette Clark still insists that the governor was a member. "This is like a cat covering up crap in its litter box," she said."

I love how even the people that are members of the group refer to their own organization as "crap"