The Palins and the Alaska Independence Party

[struggle4progress]

September 03, 2008 12:25 PM EDT

... As part of their push to prove that McCain's candidate doesn't have ties to the radical AIP, they released Sarah Palin's voter registration records <PDF> since 1982. And yes, those records confirm that she has been a registered Republican since that time ...

The McCain campaign may have hoped that the release of voter registration records would put an end to these inquiries, but those records fail to explain away the following:
• Palin's confirmed attendance at the AIP's 1994 Convention
• Her confirmed attendance at the AIP's 2000 Convention
• Her videotaped address to the AIP Convention in 2008, and
• Her husband's almost decade-long membership in the organization ...

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977438188&grpId=3659174697241980&nav=Groupspace

[skooooo]

1. I agree...

..there are many more questions that need to be answered!!!!!

[NJmaverick]

2. Of all the scandals and issues, I think this is the most damning

She can't even get security clearance.

[Blue_In_AK]

3. AIP is a bigger deal to Lower 48ers than it is to Alaskans.

They're really just a bunch of cranky old guys who think the Republicans and Libertarians are too left-leaning for their tastes. I'm not trying to defend Sarah in any way, but my guess is she was pandering for their votes.

But, please, continue to make a big deal of it down there, because whatever we can use to defeat this ticket is fair game, I say.

[struggle4progress]

4. Since Hickel won the governorship for AIP in 1990, this issue may not be completely moot

[Blue_In_AK]

5. He did, but that was only because the Republicans

weren't happy with the candidate that the Democrats picked for them in the open primary (which has since been closed for the Republicans). Arliss Sturgelewski was a strong moderate Republican pro-choice candidate, and she just didn't sit well with the good old boys. Vogler persuaded his candidates, John Lindauer (who ran as a Republican a few years later and was disgraced) and Jerry Ward (a crook who will probably be indicted soon in connection with Bill Weimar's guilty plea) to step aside so that Wally could switch parties and run as AIP. Everybody knew he was really the candidate that the establishment Republicans wanted at the time. AIP is still a joke -- they're just shadow Republicans or shadow Libertarians. Everybody knows it.