The full article by Max Blumenthal and David Neiwert may be found HERE.
Sarah Palin addressing the AIP in 2008:
Remember that Sarah Palin's inauguration as governor of Alaska took place in the AIP-leaning town of Fairbanks instead of liberal Juneau. She was the only governor in Alaska's history to take the oath of office in another place, away from the state capital.
Real American Sarah Palin resorted to "guilty by association" slurs during the 2008 campaign, accusing Obama of pallin' around with terrorists. Her association with secessionists goes beyond pallin', as she's married to one!
This article, published on September 02, 2008, makes Todd's affiliation to the Alaska Independence Party very clear:
Gail Fenumiai, director of the Alaska Division of Elections, tells ABC News that regardless of the impression given to members of the Alaskan Independence Party, "Gov. Sarah Palin first registered to vote in the state in May 1982 as a Republican, and she has not changed her party affiliate with the Division of Elections since that time."
That said, Fenumiai says that Palin's husband Todd was a member of the AIP from October 1995 through July 2002, except for a few months in 2000. He is currently undeclared.
Sarah Palin tried to lie her way out of her very close secessionist ties, according to this July 2009 article:
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 (all of the e-mails are reprinted below as written).
"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."
This clear cut response from the campaign's top dog carried an air of finality, but it did not satisfy Palin. She responded with another e-mail, adding five more names to the "cc" box, all of whom traveled on her campaign plane. They included her senior political adviser Tucker Eskew, senior aide Jason Recher, the lone traveling aide from her Alaska office Kris Perry, press secretary Tracey Schmitt and personal assistant Bexie Nobles.
Palin's insertion of the five additional staffers in the e-mail chain was an apparent attempt to rally her own troops in the face of a decision from the commanding general with which she disagreed. Her inclusion of her personal assistant was particularly telling about her quest for affirmation and support in numbers, since the young staffer was not in a position to have any input on campaign strategy.
"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."
Palin was attempting to bend the facts ever so slightly to fit neatly into her version of events. In truth, the box that Alaskans have the option of checking when registering to vote states the full name of the party, "Alaskan Independence Party," not "Alaska Independent," which would make an error by uncommitted voters more plausible.
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."
Schmidt's rebuttal to Palin's suggestion that reporters had asked her about the issue was particularly blunt in that it implicitly questioned her truthfulness. Furthermore, his unwillingness to budge an inch on the matter was a remarkable assertion of his power to pull rank over the candidate herself.
Palin was silent after his second e-mail and the campaign did not issue the statement she demanded.
This is the section of the voter's registration form where people tick their preferences. Please note the absence of the box Sarah Palin mentioned in her e-mail, the one Todd ticked by mistake:
We all know that Sarah Palin is an opportunist who will use whatever helps her forward her own ambitions. She used the AIP and they used her to advance their own agendas. Regardless of her beliefs and allegiances, her association with the AIP was very strong, she was more than pallin' around with them.
I don't think she has any allegiances other than to herself and will gladly leave Alaska behind in favour of Arizona or any other place that will have her. Sarah Palin will continue to rewrite her own (and American) history, lying about anything and everything, distorting the facts and wriggling out of any tight spots, depending on how things are going for her.
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| It snows in Arizona also, too... |
Sarah Palin's history and her record as governor of Alaska are very well documented, so she and her minions can rewrite, edit and tweak Wikipedia entries to their hearts' content, but the facts will remain the same...
