# Senator Obama, have you ever been a member of ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 9, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114 "2008-10-09T03:04:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/1 "2008-10-09T03:04:57Z")
Yeah, before **Bricker** slaps us all for ignoring yet another news story, it bears noting that Team McCain may be going for the “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the [New Socialist Party?](http://politicallydrunk.blogspot.com/2008/10/web-archives-confirm-barack-obama-was.html)” approach. (The party and Obama both say he never was, but some old archived newsletters seem to have claimed him as one of them. If true.) Will they really go so McCarthyesque you think? If so, will it help or hurt Team McCain? ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/2 "2008-10-09T03:34:22Z")
At this point if you aren’t aware that Obama was more left leaning earlier in his life than you have not been paying attention, don’t care, are enthusiastic about it, or hate the idea. He expressed some interest in some now defunct Chicago-based leftist party. So what. I say this as a wavering McCain supporter. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/3 "2008-10-09T03:38:12Z")
It’d be a windfall for Obama if they did. The socialists may not be too popular, but they’ve never advocated [sucession from the United States](http://www.akip.org/). ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/4 "2008-10-09T03:50:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’d be a windfall for Obama if they did. The socialists may not be too popular, but they’ve never advocated [sucession from the United States](http://www.akip.org/). Cite? Neither was Sara Palin. Her husband was but Sara Palin was not a member of that party. Nor was John McCain. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/5 "2008-10-09T03:59:42Z")
It wasn’t called the “New Socialist Party,” just the “New Party.” The [wiki article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Party_(USA)) them does not say they were socialist, or even particularly radical. Of course, Obama was never a member anyway, but even if he had be, it would be no more damning than having been a member of the Green Party. It’s nothing compared to the Palins’ extremist, anti-American, separatist group with its white supremacist connections. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/6 "2008-10-09T04:05:04Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > Cite? Neither was Sara Palin. Her husband was but Sara Palin was not a member of that party. Nor was John McCain. The Vice Chairman of the AIP says she was a [member before she was Mayor](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NK2sFJebGc). > [@](#): > > She 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% approval rating, and is pretty well sympathetic to her former membership." Her husband was a member for years, and she spoke approvingly at their conventions as recently as this year. If Michelle Obama was a member of a separatist party, and if Barack was a regular attender and supporter of that group, you can bet it would be brought up by the right. Palin pals around with secessionist, anti-American extremists. ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/7 "2008-10-09T04:10:39Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > It wasn’t called the “New Socialist Party,” just the “New Party.” The [wiki article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Party_(USA)) them does not say they were socialist, or even particularly radical. > Of course, Obama was never a member anyway, but even if he had be, it would be no more damning than having been a member of the Green Party. > > It’s nothing compared to the Palins’ extremist, anti-American, separatist group with its white supremacist connections. Cite. She was not a member of the Alaskan Independence Party. ABC News link: [http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/members-of-frin.html](http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/members-of-frin.html) Today on NPR’s Talk of the Nation Ken Rudin said as much. I believe him over you, Diogenes. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/8 "2008-10-09T04:20:13Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > Cite? Neither was Sara Palin. Her husband was but Sara Palin was not a member of that party. Nor was John McCain. Sara Palin was not a member, but she was so involved that higher ups considered her a member: Sarah Palin and the Alaska Independence Party. Palin addresses AIP convention (early this year!) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZwvPNXYrIyI/hqdefault.jpg "Sarah Palin and the Alaska Independence Party. Palin addresses AIP convention") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvPNXYrIyI) > [@](#): > > Dexter Clark, vice chairman of the Alaska Independence party confirming that Sarah Palin was once a member of the AIP. The clips are long, you can skip to 6:00 in to hear the reference to Palin. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_NK2sFJebGc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NK2sFJebGc) > > “Our current governor, we mentioned at the last conference, the one we were hoping would get elected, Sarah Palin, did get elected. There’s a joke, she’s a pretty good looking gal, there’s a joke goes around we’re the coldest state with the hottest governor. And there was a lot of talk about her moving up. She 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% approval rating, and is pretty well sympathetic to her former membership.” > > Clark goes on to talk about the need for AIP members to “infiltrate the major political parties”. Now, the AIP said that she was not a member, and the media just accepted that, but in light of the words of the AIP member, one has to consider the strong possibility that that infiltration required the removal of the name of the infiltrator from their records. ---
**Author:** ![Discordia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Discordia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discordia)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/9 "2008-10-09T04:21:17Z")
I’m confused. In all these “Sarah Palin wasn’t a member of the AIP” cites, the evidence seems to be she’s been a registered Republican since 1982 (they all seem to use the same quote even). Why couldn’t she have been a member of both parties? Probably missing something about the US political system… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/10 "2008-10-09T04:27:21Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > Cite. She was not a member of the Alaskan Independence Party. > > ABC News link: > > [http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/members-of-frin.html](http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/members-of-frin.html) > > Today on NPR’s Talk of the Nation Ken Rudin said as much. I believe him over you, Diogenes. The Party VP Chair said she was a member, she now says she wasn’t. It’s immaterial. Her husband was indisputedly a member and she was indisputedly a close associate and supporter. Whether she was technically a registered member is a distinction without a difference. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/11 "2008-10-09T04:31:58Z")
> [@Discordia](#): > > I’m confused. In all these “Sarah Palin wasn’t a member of the AIP” cites, the evidence seems to be she’s been a registered Republican since 1982 (they all seem to use the same quote even). Why couldn’t she have been a member of both parties? Probably missing something about the US political system.. I also see that there is no problem for the AIP to have people that belong to the Republican party as sympathizers, the bottom line to me is that Palin did the Rah! Rah! video for the AIP this year, and **to this day I have not seen Palin reject or declare that her tape was a mistake** , Obama has denounced what Ayers did and there is bupkis of evidence that Obama or Ayers are doing currently any anti-American activities. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/12 "2008-10-09T06:06:41Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > I also see that there is no problem for the AIP to have people that belong to the Republican party as sympathizers, the bottom line to me is that Palin did the Rah! Rah! video for the AIP this year, and **to this day I have not seen Palin reject or declare that her tape was a mistake** , Obama has denounced what Ayers did and there is bupkis of evidence that Obama or Ayers are doing currently any anti-American activities. Yeah, but the AIP is probably bursting with **The Pioneer Spirit** that made this country great, the Weather Underground, not so much. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/13 "2008-10-09T06:40:49Z")
Heck there’s been a Texas secessionist movement for years and years, nobody ever pays them any attention. That doesn’t worry me none. But this stuff with getting anti-witchcraft protection? That’s crazy as a duck on acid. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/14 "2008-10-09T07:43:23Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > It wasn’t called the “New Socialist Party,” just the “New Party.” The [wiki article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Party_(USA)) them does not say they were socialist, or even particularly radical. But I followed the links in the OP’s link; it sure seems that the Democratic Socialists of America were some kind of patron or something (as in [this,](http://www.chicagodsa.org/ngarchive/ng47.html#anchor781435) one of the links highlighted by the OP’s). Oh, and to the OP: Link to the Obama denial, just in case I need to slap someone down with it? ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/15 "2008-10-09T07:53:04Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Heck there’s been a Texas secessionist movement for years and years, nobody ever pays them any attention. That doesn’t worry me none. But this stuff with getting anti-witchcraft protection? That’s crazy as a duck on acid. Yeah well, you don’t need the anti-witchcraft protection until you need it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/16 "2008-10-09T09:04:32Z")
As an aside, returning the conversation again to the OP’s topic, I’ve been thinking about it, and for some reason, I just don’t think the label _socialist_ will resonate among the people whom McCain needs to grab, unlike “Muslim” or even “black” (if he wanted to go there). I don’t have a very solid reason why; it’s purely instinct. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/17 "2008-10-09T13:16:25Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Yeah, before **Bricker** slaps us all for ignoring yet another news story, it bears noting that Team McCain may be going for the “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the [New Socialist Party?](http://politicallydrunk.blogspot.com/2008/10/web-archives-confirm-barack-obama-was.html)” approach. (The party and Obama both say he never was, but some old archived newsletters seem to have claimed him as one of them. If true.) > > Will they really go so McCarthyesque you think? If so, will it help or hurt Team McCain? Link says the [New Party](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Party_(USA)) was founded by the [Democratic Socialists of America.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_socialists_of_america) I was once a member of the New Party, and while its politics were definitely social-democratic (it was consciously modeled on Canada’s [New Democratic Party](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_democratic_party)), and while considerable membership overlap with the DSA would not surprise me in the least, there was never any institutional connection that I ever heard of. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/18 "2008-10-09T13:22:01Z")
BTW: While the New Party is now dead as a national movement, several New-Party-spawned organizations survive at the state level, especially in states whose laws allow for [electoral fusion,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_fusion) such as New York. See the [Working Families Party,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_Families_Party) which is cross-endorsing Obama. Not that necessarily reflects anything about Obama’s own politics; I think the Communists are endorsing him too. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/19 "2008-10-09T13:29:10Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > But this stuff with getting anti-witchcraft protection? That’s crazy as a duck on acid. Besides, it isn’t working. _Somebody’s_ gotta be casting spells to make her say such dumb things. For true anti-witchcraft protection, you need [sheep dip.](http://www.recipezaar.com/289431) ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114/20 "2008-10-09T13:43:00Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Heck there’s been a Texas secessionist movement for years and years, nobody ever pays them any attention. That doesn’t worry me none. But this stuff with getting anti-witchcraft protection? That’s crazy as a duck on acid. Well you’re not seeing a lot of black magic right? Must be the anti-witchcraft stuff at work. I think the same principle is applied by the T.S.A. But the really interesting part of your post concerned ducks on acid. I think I’d like video footage of this. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senator-obama-have-you-ever-been-a-member-of/467114.md?page=2)