McCain: Country first! Palin: Alaska first?
September 1st, 2008 at 06:38pm Pat Cunningham
Â
ABC News is REPORTING that presumptive Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her husband were members of a quasi-secessionist political organization called the Alaskan Independence Party in the mid-1990s.
The party’s motto is “Alaska First — Alaska Always.”
POSTSCRIPT: This throws a whole new light on Palin’s already infamous interview with Larry Kudlow on CNBC in which she said:
“As for that VP talk all the time. I tell ya, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me — what is it exactly that the VP does every day? I’m used to being very productive and working real hard in this administration. We would want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we’re trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S. before I can even start addressing that question.”
POSTSCRIPT: At the very top of the Alaskan Independence Party’s WEB SITEÂ — above the masthead even — is this pleasant little quotation from the group’s founder:
“The problem with you John Birchers is that you are too damn liberal!”
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9 Comments Add your own
1. Leatherneck | September 1st, 2008 at 7:06 pm
“I was elected yesterday,” Obama said. “I have never set foot in the U.S. Senate. I’ve never worked in Washington. And the notion that somehow I’m immediately going to start running for higher office just doesn’t make sense.
“So look, I can unequivocally say I will not be running for national office in four years, and my entire focus is making sure that I’m the best possible senator on behalf of the people of Illinois.”
–Barack Obama 11/4/04, Chicago Sun Times
Wait there’s more…
SEN. OBAMA: I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things, but my thinking has not changed.
MR. RUSSERT: But, but—so you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?
SEN. OBAMA: I will not.
–Meet the Press 10/22/2006
2. Pat Cunningham | September 1st, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Big deal. Countless politicians have denied presidential ambitions only to change their minds later. It happens all the time. If the people of Illinois resented Obama doing it, they wouldn’t have voted for him over Hillary in February, and they wouldn’t be sure to vote for him in November. Are you pretending that this is some scandalous example of his lack of integrity? Grow up.
3. Chuck Sweeny | September 1st, 2008 at 9:11 pm
It’s not illogical for politically ambitious Alaskans to consider independence or flirt with an Independence Party.
The things that they generally want to do - exploit their resources to create more wealth for themselves– are opposed by powerful politcal interests in the lower 48 who are trying to protect their environment, the one that we will likely never see.
Remember, this state is about a fifth as big as the rest of the U.S., but with barely 600,000 people. If New Orleans is the Big Easy, Alaska is The Big Empty.
The fact that she and her husband belonged to an independence movement doesn’t bother me and I don’t think other voters will care about that issue, either. frankly, after 8 years of Bush, I think a lot of people would consider independence for their state. Heck, California’s flag already proclaims it as the “California Republic.”
As Charles de Gaulle famously (or infamously) said once in Montreal, “Vive le Quebec libre!”
4. bruce | September 1st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Barack’s whole campaign is based on “change”. He will certainly change his mind, more often than not, when the political winds blow in a different direction. He has already demonstrated this. His concept of change is not very well defined, if he just wants things “different” than they are today I will need to know exactly what is wrong with the status quo. If anyone thinks that there will not be “ups and downs” in anyone’s life then we certainly must get beyond the naiveté that any single man or woman can fix any and/or all problems that may exist. I am pretty sure that I don’t want the US Government trying to take care of me. No, make that “positive”.
WHO is he?
WHAT does he stand for? (besides change)
His voting record as an Illinois Senator leaves much to wonder…
You see Pat, it is a big deal for those of that are not afraid to think for ourselves. If change is what we need then why the criticism of McCain when he changed his mind? I did not vote for Obama in the primary election. Chances aren’t good this fall either…
5. Pat Cunningham | September 1st, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Chuck: Good line. The Big Empty. We Illinoisans — well, me, anyway — can’t relate to the state pride thing displayed by Texans and Alaskans and perhaps the denizens of certain other states. I don’t know of anybody who’s romantically proud of Illinois. The university, maybe. The Lincoln heritage, of course. And Chicago’s great. But the whole of Illinois doesn’t seem to get people’s juices flowing. Some Illinoisans are proud of their own cities and towns, but not the state. Maybe we should take pride in our state’s traditions of political corruption. Y’know, we could put up statues of Paul Powell and guys like that.
6. SNuss | September 1st, 2008 at 10:23 pm
If you want to compare Governor Palin and Sen. Obama, you might try this site:
http://www.redstate.com/diaries/redstate/2008/aug/30/tale-of-the-tape-sarah-palin-vs-barack-obam/
7. Chuck Sweeny | September 1st, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Pat, I’ve often thought the same thing as you about Illinois. There is no sense of the state as a whole. Politically it exists along a line from Chicago and roughly following the Illinois River and the Alton Route railroad line (now Canadian National) to St. Louis.
Culturally, there is no Illinois. The north is baja Wisconsin, the south is Mississippi (They filmed In the Heat of the Night there because Sparta, illinois looked more like the Deep South than anywhere in the Deep South.) we are both north and south of the Mason Dixon Line.
South of Springfield they root for the Cardinals.
And Chicago is a city-state all its own where a columnist once referred to the outer suburbs as “the Land Beyond O’Hare.”.
Who in Illinois who lives north of I-80 (that’s 70 percent of us) has ever been to our State Fair? The only State Fair I’ve been to is in West Allis, Wis.
I tell my friends from up north in Wisconsin that iIn Illinois, the south starts somewhere between Bloomington, where grits begin to appear on the menu and a big freeway restauran on I-55 is called the Dixie Trucker’s Home.
Close to us are some states with a strong sense of pride in their own “state-ness,” Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota.
The feeling in those states is totally different than here. Drive thru Iowa and listen to the radio. You’re constantly reminded that you are in Iowa, and that all in Iowa are so proud of Iowa, and that Iowa is the best place, and blah blah blah.
Minnesota and Wisconsin have their own public radio and TV networks. Heck, Minnesota even has a national radio show, A Prairie Home Companion.
Who would be the state voice of Illinois? Rod Blagojeich? Mayor Daley? Orion Samuelson? Paul Harvey? ………Good Day..
8. Pat Cunningham | September 2nd, 2008 at 7:03 am
Well said, Chas.
9. Peter Gunn | September 2nd, 2008 at 10:44 am
So, Please Explain, WingNuts
Why does Palin Hate America ?
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