Monday 11 January 2010

Sarah Palin, vetting, AIP... (videos)

Whoever searched YouTube looking for a hot candidate to run with John McCain must have seen this video as well as the one with Janet Napolitano.



I love the way she explains how babysitting and waitressing gave her a good grounding on how to conduct herself in the world of politics. Her choice of books is fascinating... But hey, she jumps off the screen!

Did the internet search miss this video?



Sarah failed to say that the "couple" of legislators who were targetting her consisted of ten Republicans and four Democrats. They chose a VP candidate who didn't know what the VP does all day!

How did they miss this one? Or didn't it worry them enough?



Frightening...

Is being a member of the AIP a good or a bad thing?



This one is hilarious! ( H/T to Barb Dwyer). Please pay attention to the AIP guy towards the end. What did he say about Todd? OK, this one wasn't available during the vetting, but it's too good, a pleasure to watch.

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During the campaign, Sarah Palin must have decided that the AIP was bad news after all.

Palin blasted out an e-mail with the subject line "Todd" to Schmidt, campaign manager Rick Davis and senior advisor Nicolle Wallace, copying her husband on the message.

"Pls get in front of that ridiculous issue that's cropped up all day today - two reporters, a protestor's sign, and many shout-outs all claiming Todd's involvement in an anti-American political party," Palin wrote. "It's bull, and I don't want to have to keep reacting to it ... Pls have statement given on this so it's put to bed."

Schmidt hit "reply to all" less than five minutes after Palin's e-mail was sent. "Ignore it," he wrote. "He was a member of the aip? My understanding is yes. That is part of their platform. Do not engage the protestors. If a reporter asks say it is ridiculous. Todd loves america."

She responded with another e-mail, adding five more names to the "cc" box, all of whom traveled on her campaign plane.

"That's not part of their platform and he was only a 'member' bc independent alaskans too often check that 'Alaska Independent' box on voter registrations thinking it just means non partisan," Palin wrote. "He caught his error when changing our address and checked the right box. I still want it fixed."

Clearly irritated by what he saw as Palin's attempt to mislead her own campaign and apparently determined to demonstrate that the ultimate authority rested with him, Schmidt put the matter to rest once and for all with a longer response to everyone in the e-mail chain.

"Secession," he wrote. "It is their entire reason for existence. A cursory examination of the website shows that the party exists for the purpose of seceding from the union. That is the stated goal on the front page of the web site. Our records indicate that todd was a member for seven years. If this is incorrect then we need to understand the discrepancy. The statement you are suggesting be released would be innaccurate. The innaccuracy would bring greater media attention to this matter and be a distraction. According to your staff there have been no media inquiries into this and you received no questions about it during your interviews. If you are asked about it you should smile and say many alaskans who love their country join the party because it speeks to a tradition of political independence. Todd loves his country
We will not put out a statement and inflame this and create a situation where john has to adress this."
I made a screenshot of the Alaska voter registration form:

Sarah was telling porkers... independent voters don't have box for "independent" to tick!

The Alaska Independence Party website have changed some of their rhetoric since I last visited. On their homepage and introduction, they now put less emphasis on secession than they did before... but they have an interesting Q & A section. Many questions reflect concerns regarding the loss of Federal money, loss of social security, federal pensions, etc. They seem to want the best of both worlds, but the answer to the question about citizenship is quite clear:

Q: Would I lose my U.S. citizenship?

A: Depending on the form of independence, several forms of citizenship would be possible, including the retention of U.S. citizenship or dual citizenship. However, considering the moral, educational, and economic decay of the U.S., Alaskans' who hold themselves to a higher standard might very well decide to at least maintain an arm's length distance from a country in decline.

Independent or not independent? They seem to want to keep all the balls in the air, but they lean towards secession...

And Sarah Palin is hopefully heading to the political scrapheap!

More posts about Sarah Palin and the AIP on palingates.


Phil Munger of Progressive Alaska also thinks it's scandalous that Sarah Palin was considered vice presidential material.
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