FACT: This smear originated as the result of erroneous information published by the Alaskan Independence Party. On Sept. 2, a CBS News blogger reported:
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," Clark -- a self-employed goldminer -- tells ABC News. 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."For all the talk about Barack and Michelle Obama's patriotism, John McCain's running mate was a member of a political party that liked the idea of seceding from the United States altogether.
Todd Palin's voter registration from October 1995 to July 2000, and again from September 2000 until July 2002, was for the Alaskan Independence Party, which has been (and currently is) the largest "third party" in Alaska. The AIP's official website has declared, "Todd Palin was registered as a member but never participated in any party activities aside from attending a convention in Wasilla at one time."
After checking her party's registration records, Lynnette Clark has rescinded her previous statement about Sarah Palin and formally apologized for the subsequent confusion. Factcheck.org reports, "The director of Alaska’s Division of Elections, Gail Fenumiai, confirms that [Sarah] Palin registered to vote in the state for the first time in May 1982 as a Republican and hasn’t changed her party affiliation since."
Sarah Palin officially addressed the AIP in 2006 acting as mayor of Wasilla, when Wasilla hosted the party's annual convention. Sarah Palin also officially addressed the AIP via video in 2008 acting as the governor of Alaska. Detractors have argued that Palin's polite, friendly demeanor while delivering these official addresses somehow proves that Palin is "sympathetic" to the AIP's secessionist goals, but this is speculative at best.
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