The American Independent Party isn’t doing a very good job broadcasting their party’s platform message. If they were, perhaps Gavin Newsom’s aspiring actress-first-lady-of-San-Francisco girlfriend Jennifer Siebel wouldn’t have registered for it by accident. Just to be clear, the American Independent Party is anti-immigration, anti-abortion, pro-“traditional marriage and family values,” and all for keeping “God” in the pledge of allegiance. Which I guess also means they’re pro-pledge of allegiance.
San Franciscans shouldn’t get their hemp underwear in a bunch too quickly. The mayor’s office assures that it’s an innocent gaffe and Gav’s girlfriend is actually an Independent voter. Independents, typically, have no fidelity to political parties and vote based on candidates and issues. In other words, they do whatever the hell they want. I can see where the confusion lies: There’s no “Independent” box to check on California’s voter registration ballot; merely “Decline To State.” And without predetermined categories, how are Independents ever supposed to know to which group they belong?
—Joyce Tang
