One of the many, many controversial stories surrounding Sarah Palin is that she may have supported Patrick Buchanan, who among other things, is notorious for having campaigned heavily in the 1980's to let genocidal Nazi war criminals like Karl Linnas who had falsified documents and obtained citizenship, retain that citizenship instead of facing justice for helping murder thousands of innocent Jewish, Roma, disabled, homosexual, dissident, Polish, etc. men women and children (fortunately, he failed and Linnas was deported and died awaiting trial for war crimes).
While supporting Pat Buchanan (if in fact she did) does not necessarily make Sarah Palin an anti-Semite, it does make her an anti-Semite enabler, and thus an entirely unacceptable candidate for president.
So, did she support Pat Buchanan in his 1996 primary campaign? The evidence turned up by the traditional media so far is unclear; she attended a rally in 1999 and wore a button, but claimed in a subsequent letter to the editor that it was a courtesy she'd have shown any national candidate from any party. Pat Buchanan himself claims she was one of his brigaders in 1996, but so far, the McCain/Palin campaign denies it.
There was another Republican politician at the 1999 Buchanan rally: "Among those sporting Buchanan buttons were Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin and state Sen. Jerry Ward, R-Anchorage" So, perhaps if we can find out more about State. Sen Jerry Ward, we may be able to find more evidence tying Sarah Palin to Pat Buchanan.
From the Associated Press State & Local Wire, March 5th, 1999:
Former Vice President Dan Quayle, conservative activist Gary Bauer and millionaire Steve Forbes have recruited several members of Buchanan's 1996 campaign team.
State Sen. Jerry Ward is heading Buchanan's campaign in Alaska. Buchanan traveled to Kenai to meet with supporters Friday evening and was heading for Fairbanks Saturday.Ul
This tells us two things. First of all, Jerry Ward was a full-fledged Buchanan supporter in, at the very least, the Republican primaries in the 2000 presidential election. Second of all, several members of Buchanan's 1996 team went to milquetoast candidates Quyale, Bauer, and Steve Forbes. As I've already revealed, Sarah Palin co-chaired the Forbes campaign in Alaska in 2000. Was she one of the recruits from the 1996 Buchanan campaign?
From an October 30th, 1998 Anchorage Daily News article we find out that Ward was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor that November (the Knowles/Ulmer ticket won that year), and that the last book he'd read was "''Great Betrayal'' by Pat Buchanan" (though his favorite book, was, of course, the Bible)
He'd been elected to the state Senate in November of 1996, having served in the Alaska state House from 1983-1984.
From the Anchorage Daily News, November 6, 1996:
With more than half of the precincts counted in the highly contentious District E race, which includes South Anchorage and part of the Kenai Peninsula, Salo conceded to Ward. The scrappy former representative overcame the shadow of a decade-old criminal case with repeated attacks on Salo's voting record, which he characterized as too liberal for the district.
And guess what? Pat Buchanan flew in to highlight a campaign rally for Jerry Ward that same year.
Lisa Demer, reporting for the Anchorage Daily News, October 9, 1996.
The rally was for state Senate candidate Jerry Ward, but the star was Republican agitator Pat Buchanan.
Dozens of conservatives crowded into The Castle on O'Malley late Tuesday afternoon to hear Buchanan stump for Ward and talk about his own presidential campaign, which got a big boost from an Alaska victory last spring but eventually fizzled.
...
''It's got to be the first time ever when a presidential candidate comes up for a state Senate candidate,'' proclaimed former Anchorage Mayor Tom Fink, who introduced Buchanan.
Jerry Ward, Buchanan told the group, ''represents conservative values.''
''He's in favor of tax cuts, not tax increases,'' Buchanan said. ''He's against the use of taxpayer funding for abortion, unlike his opponent.''
Of course, Buchanan was just returning the loyal support he'd received from Jerry Ward, who had coordinated his 1996 campaign as well.
From an October 5, 1996 announcement of this rally in the Anchorage Daily News:
Ward, who coordinated Buchanan's campaign in Alaska, said the rally is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Castle on O'Malley Road.
But all of that may be Palin' (ha!) in comparison to this last gem from the Anchorage Daily News, January 1st, 1995:
JERRY WARD:
After making the Hickel-Coghill election possible by resigning as the AIP lieutenant governor candidate, Ward collected a state paycheck longer than the governor. Starting as a special assistant in Corrections, Ward went to the ill-fated Alaska Energy Authority in 1991, then back to Corrections.
His job? "He was a political appointee who lacked definition," said former DOC Commissioner Frank Prewitt, carefully. Although paid by Corrections, Ward "was managed out of the governor's office," Prewitt said.
That's right: Jerry Ward was the Lieutenant Gubernatorial candidate for the Alaskan Independence Party before resigning from the ticket in 1990, clearing the way for former Republican Governor and Nixon Interior Secretary (and current Obama supporter Wally Hickel) to get elected Governor on the Alaska Independence ticket against the ticket of moderate pro-choice, somewhat pro-environment Republican Arliss Sturgulewski (and a weak Democratic ticket).
As you may have heard, despite the McCain campaign's denial, Sarah Palin was, in fact, a member of the Alaska Independence Party in the 1990's, leaving the party only when she first ran for mayor of Wasilla.
Again, this is all circumstantial evidence. But there may be some more "there" there.
After all, Jerry Ward is not the only 1996 Buchananite with ties to the Alaskan Independence Party. A list of 29 Alaska Buchanan coordinators (not featuring Sarah Palin, but not proof she wasn't a Buchananite) includes one Bob Bird, the Alaska Independence Party candidate for president this election.
From the Daily Paul, a press release of a fundraiser for Bob Bird is being held at the law office of 1996 Pat Buchanan coordinator Les Syren.
So who knows? But this needs more investigating.
