I thought this one needed a thread of its own. Unfortunately the journalists were a little to quick to jump the gun on this one, and now look...... it seems to not be true.

Alaska Party Official Says Palin Was Not a Member - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com


I put this in the other thread, now locked, about Palin being a member of AIP.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I'm sure you've read the "back story" on this which is quite interesting and if I were a conspirist I would think even suspicious. Was the NYT set up. nah, never happen. It certainly does play into the liberal media myth giving those who want to believe everything less then flattering that is printed about the Governor as being "FALSE by gosh" cause look at that Times. The Times printed an immediate retraction online yesterday and in the paper this AM. What more can one ask for?

Thank you btw for starting a new thread since it gives me an opportunity to continue my discussion with wowitsdark about the Governor's bridge to nowhere remark during her introduction to the country last week.

Wowitsdark said:

This is the exact wording from her speech that day:

IMO, it's a stretch to "assume" that the average citizen would think, "oh, ok, so she's using that money for other needs in Alaska". I think the average citizen, like me, would think, "oh, wow, good for her", which is exactly IMO what she wanted us to think. Thinking that was her first "fib" to the general public-- business as usual.

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Ana
The Republicans have been putting lipstick on a pig for 8 years. Is a pitbull wearing lipstick an attempt to keep us from noticing the pig?

Great news that Palin wasn't a member of AIP -- it was her husband. He registered twice with that party.

I feel much better about things now.

washingtonpost.com

Key word being abuses.

"Bridge to Nowhere" indicates the uselessness of the expenditure.

She never said she turned down money for legitimate projects.

27 million for a town of 6,700 sounds kind of iffy to me. What legitimate projects did she get with those earmarks that were reasonable for a town of that size?

'Thanks, but no thanks,’ on that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said we’d build it ourselves.” IMO indicates a refusal of the money. Guess it depends on what you want to believe and apparently on how serious you are about doing away with earmarks and/or pork barrel spending.

Edited to add my opinion about her use of the word abuses. IMO, if she was truly concerned about the abuses of earmarks she would have refused the money and retruned it to the US Treasury giving legitimacy to her beliefs. Instead she accepts it and uses it for something else. Kind of like the witness to the bank robbery who picks up the bills dropped by the thief and sticks them in his own wallet. Poor analogy but IMO apt.

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Ana
The Republicans have been putting lipstick on a pig for 8 years. Is a pitbull wearing lipstick an attempt to keep us from noticing the pig?

If Alaska had accepted that money as specified - for the purposes of building that specific bridge - they would have been legally obligated to build that bridge, and to do so in compliance with some federal rules and regs.

The bridge was going to cost $400M.

The feds were giving them $200M.

Who knows? Had they given the full $400M needed (and I'll bet they asked for the full $400M) then perhaps Alaska would now own a Bridge to Nowhere. That would surprise me a bit. It may very well have been that she didn't think it was worth it to Alaska's budget to carve out $200M for that bridge, though she'd have gladly done it if the feds would've footed the whole bill.

Some federal money is welcomed. Other times, not quite so much. You're taking what you want from it, I'm taking what I want from it, and the truth is that neither of us may be correct without seeing the entire picture, from the folks who decided the bill was a good idea all the way to the committee in congress that decided to award $200K and finally to her decision to turn it down for that purpose.

It made a great sound byte, and all politicians speak in sound bytes. Even <gasp> Barak Obama.

No Sir!!!!!!!

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Ana
The Republicans have been putting lipstick on a pig for 8 years. Is a pitbull wearing lipstick an attempt to keep us from noticing the pig?

a few quotes from the article:

"Gail Fenumiai, director of the Alaska Division of Elections, said Todd Palin twice registered under the Alaskan Independence Party — in 1995 and 2000. Some party leaders have advocated secession from the United States, though that is not a goal listed in the party's platform.

Voter registration records show Sarah Palin registered in May 1982 as a member of the Republican Party and has not changed her affiliation. Todd Palin has been registered undeclared since 2002, Fenumiai said."


I personally find this to be a non-issue. Clearly it is with others, as well, since they would rather discuss the "Bridge to No Where" situation.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Well now wait a minute. Joe Vogler, the founder of the AIP did say the following:"I'm an Alaskan, not an American. I've got no use for America and her damned institutions." Jake Tapper, the current leader of AIP says Sarah Palin is "a fine individual. She's forthright and she puts Alaska first."

In a video welcoming the party to it's last meeting she says in part: .. she is "delighted" to be addressing the group, that the party "plays an important role," and wishes them "good luck on a successful and inspiring convention."

I'm not so sure it is a non-issue. She's not a member and never has been but her husband was until 2002.

Link to more information on the Huffington post -- a decidely liberal group but the Governor is on tape saying the above.

RJ Eskow: Alaska Party's Founder: "I've Got No Use for America or Her Damned Institutions"

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Ana
The Republicans have been putting lipstick on a pig for 8 years. Is a pitbull wearing lipstick an attempt to keep us from noticing the pig?

None of that really bothers me. Having lived in Hawaii, I heard "I'm a Hawaiian" all the time. Heck, I'm sure Gov. Lingle even said it. As far as "Alaska first" I would expect that. Would you want a Governor who didn't put your state first?? Again, for me, this is a non-issue. Kind of like when they tried to say Gov. Palin was a Buchannan supporter since she was shown sporting his campaign pin. Another rumor that was squashed.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

So the "I've got no use for America and her damned institutions." remark is off the table? I'll remember that the next time a certain reverend's name is mentioned.

No, I don't want a governor who puts the interests of my state ahead of the interests of the United States. My first allegiance is to my country not whichever of her 50 states I happen to be residing in.

BTW, I heard Pat Buchanan himself say the morning of her selection that the Governor was a member of his "pitchfork" brigade. He may have been mistaken but that's where the rumor started to the best of my knowledge.

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Ana
The Republicans have been putting lipstick on a pig for 8 years. Is a pitbull wearing lipstick an attempt to keep us from noticing the pig?