Did Sarah Palin once wish to secede from the Union?

[mintjelly]

Members of 'Fringe' Alaskan Independence Party Say Palin Was a Member in 90s
September 01, 2008 6:52 PM

The campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., likes to herald the independence of its new running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

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."

Lynette Clark, the chairman of the AIP, tells ABC News that Palin and her husband Todd were members in 1994, even attending the 1994 statewide convention in Wasilla. Clark was AIP secretary at the time.

"We are a state's rights party," says Clark, a self-employed goldminer. The AIP has "a plank that challenges the legality of the Alaskan statehood vote as illegal and in violation of United Nations charter and international law."

She says it's not accurate to describe the party as secessionist -- they just want a vote, she says, adding that the members of the AIP hold different opinions on what Alaska should be.

"My own separate opinion as an individual is that we should be an independent nation," Clark says. Others in the AIP "believe that being a commonwealth would be a good avenue to follow." Some advocate statehood -- but a fuller statehood than exists now.

She doesn't know what Palin's position was.

"It never came up in conversation," Clark recalls. "But when she joined the party, our platform was right under her nose."

Clark says that Palin left the party and became a Republican in 1996, when she first ran for mayor of Wasilla.

The McCain-Palin campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The AIP platform states that the purpose of the party is to "seek the complete repatriation of the public lands, held by the federal government, to the state and people of Alaska in conformance with Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17, of the federal constitution ... To prohibit all bureaucratic regulations and judicial rulings purporting to have the effect of law, except that which shall be approved by the elected legislature ... To support the privatization of government services ...”

Walter Hickel, a former Republican governor, was elected to the governorship in 1990 as an AIP member -- the third-largest party in Alaska -- with a plurality vote of 38.8%. A Seattle Post-Intelligencer story that year said that "Hickel is running with the Alaska Independence Party, a fringe group advocating that the 49th state declare itself a sovereign nation. But he's not a separatist; he's an opportunist: the Independence Party was the only 11th-hour ticket to the general election."

Hickel returned to the Republican Party in 1994; he endorsed Palin in her gubernatorial run in 2006. Subsequent AIP gubernatorial candidates did not fare as well as did Hickel, garnering less than 2 percent of the vote.

Earlier this year, Palin sent a video message to the AIP for its annual convention, where AIP vice chair George Clark told the small crowd that Palin "was an AIP member before she got the job as a mayor of a small town –- that was a non-partisan job. But you get along to go along -– she eventually joined the Republican Party, where she had all kinds of problems with their ethics, and well, I won’t go into that. She also had about an 80 percent approval rating, and is pretty well sympathetic to her former membership."

Lynette Clark says that Palin is "a fine individual. She's forthright and she puts Alaska first."

She is not a fan of McCain.

"I can't understand why in God's name she has aligned herself with a candidate who opposes the development of our republic and Alaska's resource wealth," Clark says.

Political Punch

[kingcap72]

Palin will fit right in with some of the Republican base in the South that still want to secede from the U.S.

[greysfang]

Again, big whoop. As a Virginia citizen for many many years, I was very much in favor of Northern Virginia seceding from the rest of the state.

[LynnieD]

Yup, like clockwork, every few minutes there is another 'story' about this chick.

I live in Upstate NY and would LOVE to be separate from NYC (sorry everyone in NYC).....just saying.

[witchcurlgirl]

staten island has been trying to secede from NYC for the past few years, so I guess this will garner her votes there

[Fluffy]

Puh-lease. As if Alaska could survive on its own. It receives more federal aid than any other state.

[greysfang]

Please, Russia would invade so fast their heads would spin.

[twitchy2.0]

She doesn't know what Palin's position was.

No surprise there. Has the woman expressed her position on anything?

[Grimmlok]

haha more on this, with video!

John McCain has a problem with patriotism -- he keeps talking about putting America first, but his running mate, Sarah Palin, was member of the Alaska Independence Party, a political party would put Alaska first by seceding from the U.S. She addressed that group -- this year. This is a very serious issue. Jed has the details and the video:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Re0vmbtHK8[/YOUTUBE]

Okay, imagine, just imagine, a Democratic candidate being a member of a party where people say they're not Americans. It would be over. Over.

This also means another warped GOP attack off the table, too. While McCain should have been vetting his running mate, he was instead attacking Obama's patriotism. That's over. McCain can never again even raise that issue when his running mate wanted her state to be its own country.

John McCain did not vet Sarah Palin. His running mate belonged to a party that wanted to secede from the U.S. When was the last time anyone on a ticket wanted that? 1856? 1860?

AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth

it's true.. if it was a Dem, the shit would be over. Why the double standard

[kingcap72]

Considering that Republicans keep trying to call Democrats' patriotism into question every chance they get, this is more proof that Republicans can't keep hiding behind the flag.

[cheetopia]

Again, big whoop. As a Virginia citizen for many many years, I was very much in favor of Northern Virginia seceding from the rest of the state.

A-MEN, now that is a separation I could stand behind. Let the rednecks fend for theyselves..


I am curious to see what other bizarro stances shes taken in previous years.

[Grimmlok]

Guess what guys: The Alaskan Separatist group has ties with white supremists LOL

[cheetopia]

Guess what guys: The Alaskan Separatist group has ties with white supremists LOL

And you are surprised why? Lots of the more out there Christians are white supremists in disguise.

[greysfang]

This is my shocked face.

[cheetopia]

I didn't say All Christians, just the so right they are almost leftist most fundie ones tend to be linked up with the supremists. Across the board, not just vanilla variety Christians either, look at the extremists of all religions/races, they all tend to be against any race but their own.

Perfect example? Fundamentalist Mormons, they actually teach that blacks are evil and bear the mark of Cain.