It is a common misconception that the 'American Independent' party designation represents true political independence. It doesn't. In fact, many voters may carry this designation without knowing either the history of the party or its political ideology. Do you?

The California American Independent Party was officially founded on July 8th of 1967 in Bakersfield, California. Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama was the first with big dreams of running as an independent candidate, but the party wasn't on the ticket yet. To actually qualify as a party on the ballot, an organization needed either 66,059 voter registrations, or a petition with over 660,000 valid voter signatures. The deadline to qualify was January 2, 1968 and by October, the prospects for Governor Wallace were not looking good. Come November, Wallace spent much of his time in California organizaing and participating in no less than 3 rallys a day. And by December 28th 1967, the Party had acquired 100,000 voter registrations.

Here is the Party's declaration of principles.

"A new party is urgently needed today because the leaders of the two existing parties, Democratic and Republican, have deserted the principles and traditions of our nation's founding fathers. Both of the existing parties have become the proponents of big government, crushing taxation, dictatorial federal power, waste and fiscal irresponsibility, unwholesome and disastrous internationalism, compromise with our nation's enemies, and authoritarian regimentation of the citizens of this Republic. Control of the government, under the domination of these two existing parties, has left the hands of the people our government was created to serve."

And here is the party platform.  Sound independent to you?

We Acknowledge the Creator's Gracious GiftsThe American Independent Party gratefully acknowledges God as the Creator of all and appeals to Him for help in protecting all He has graciously given us. With all these gifts comes the right to use them justly. Hence all such rights are the gifts of God—as affirmed in our Declaration of Independence. These include the right to life and liberty.Declaration of Independence Rights are God-GivenAll rights are unalienable in that none have a right to take them unjustly. Liberty includes the pursuit of happiness, which is the possession and exercise of virtue. Liberty includes the right to use and claim as an individual possession any unclaimed thing received from the hand of God, in or upon or above the Earth. This right to any possession includes its entire use, that is, its exchange, control, protection, and entire disposition. And the first and greatest of these possessions is our life.God-Given Duties to IndividualsGod gave Man this earth to make of it a well-tended Garden—not to leave it an uninhabited wilderness. He gave us our lives—not to be lived to ourselves alone—but in love to one another. And the duty to love certainly includes the duty not to act hatefully towards others. Therefore, we have a duty to be at peace with each other. Our duty to love one another includes a duty to protect each other from unjust harm. We have further a duty to cooperate with each other in the fulfillment of these duties. Such duties are the basis for just government.As the only creature made in God's image and likeness, all men have an equal duty to love themselves and others to honor that image of the God they are commanded to love. To obliterate that image by unjustly taking a life is the highest crime that one may do to another. To take a life justly is the most somber obligation God ever imposes.Our Constitution Enables Us to Protect Our Rights and Fulfill Our DutiesTo secure and fulfill all God-given rights and duties, governments are instituted among men. To fulfill those duties and protect those rights, We the People of the United States of America ordained and established a Constitution for ourselves.Rights and Duties of Association, Including that Forceful Association—GovernmentGod created Man with two great dimensions—individual and social. In so doing He gave us the right to associate with each other to take advantage of our rights and to fulfill our duties. The right to associate includes the right to choose one's associates, but does not include the right to force others to associate.God has imposed on men a duty to associate in governments to put a justified fear into the hearts of evildoers. These duties are given for the good of all—but not to deprive any of the rights they are designed to protect! Governments should never commit the crimes they are created to prevent!No association of men has any rights of itself, but only by reason of the rights contributed to it according to the covenant established among its members. That fundamental limit on associations includes the greatest and most forceful of all human associations—government. However, among all our rights we find those derived from our duties, for we all have a right to justly pursue our duties.Therefore:The Constitution: the Original Contract that America has with ItselfThe American Independent Party is the party of ordered liberty in a nation under God. We believe in strict adherence to written law. We believe the Constitution is the contract America has with itself. Its willful distortion has led to the violation of our Tenth Amendment guaranteed right to limited government—which inevitably requires oppressive taxation. Its faithful application will lift that awful burden.Freedom from "Liberalism"Freed from the lawless oppression of Liberal rule, we may then compassionately and justly use our energy and ingenuity to provide for ourselves and our families. We will then establish truly free and responsible enterprise and reassert the basic human right to property.The Protection of Life, and the Duties and Rights of FamiliesWe believe in protecting all human life however weak, defenseless, or disheartened; we endorse the family as the essential bulwark of liberty, compassion, responsibility, and industry; and declare the family's right and responsibility to nurture, discipline, and educate its children. We maintain that all humans are persons from the beginning of their biological development and especially deserve our love and nurture when they are weakest and most dependent.Marriage Between a Man and a WomanWe insist that marriage is between a man and a woman and assert the role of the law in establishing and reinforcing the mutual rights and obligations of that God-ordained contract.The Individual and Common DefenseWe assert the absolute, concurrent Second Amendment guaranteed individual right to self defense against impositions by other citizens or our government, coupled with a strong common defense, a common defense which requires a national sovereignty not damaged by imprudent or un-Constitutional treaties.Opposition to Illegal Immigration and Support of Secure BordersWe oppose all illegal immigration. We support secure borders and immigration policies, inviting the best of the world to join us in freedom. We emphatically demand that our borders be protected against intrusions by that most straight-forward and practical means, a fence, reinforced by all the necessary manpower and electronic surveillance. We also insist that those who violate our immigration laws—be they illegal immigrants or their employers—be punished for their crime in a way that will deter them from future offenses.Our Great Pro-Life ConstitutionThe Republic established by our Constitution is the greatest of all pro-life institutions. In the first place, it protects our lives from the impositions of foreign nations and internal disorder. Our Constitution in its Fifth Amendment also forbids the government to take life—or liberty or property—unjustly. The Fourteenth amendment requires all States to apply all the protections they provide for life equally to all visitors or citizens, and to all born or unborn persons within the territories governed by their laws.Public Servants, Not Public Masters! All Governments Under GodIn consequence whereof, we call upon all men who value their God-given liberty to join us in pursuit of these political convictions!