Palin as Barbie. A very expensive Barbie.

[Ysobelle]

Of course, as a Dem, I'm fine with this. It's a few fewer commercials I have to stomach. But if I were a GOP contributor, I'd be hysterical. The Obama campaign is outspending them by G-d knows how much, and their own money has to go into making the Governor look presentable.

Also? Who gives a damn that the clothing will be donated? That doesn't somehow make it free. And doesn't this play all hell with the legality of political gifts?



http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14805.html



RNC shells out $150K for Palin fashion
By: Jeanne Cummings
October 22, 2008 10:31 AM EST

The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.

The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.

The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.

The cash expenditures immediately raised questions among campaign finance experts about their legality under the Federal Election Commission's long-standing advisory opinions on using campaign cash to purchase items for personal use.

Politico asked the McCain campaign for comment, explicitly noting the $150,000 in expenses for department store shopping and makeup consultation that were incurred immediately after Palin’s announcement. Pre-September reports do not include similar costs.

Spokeswoman Maria Comella declined to answer specific questions about the expenditures, including whether it was necessary to spend that much and whether it amounted to one early investment in Palin or if shopping for the vice presidential nominee was ongoing.

“The campaign does not comment on strategic decisions regarding how financial resources available to the campaign are spent," she said.
But hours after the story was posted on Politico's website and legal issues were raised, the campaign issued a new statement.

"With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it’s remarkable that we’re spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses," said spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt. "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign."

The business of primping and dressing on the campaign trail has become fraught with political risk in recent years as voters increasingly see an elite Washington out of touch with their values and lifestyles.

In 2000, Democrat Al Gore took heat for changing his clothing hues. And in 2006, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) was ribbed for two hair styling sessions that cost about $3,000.

Then, there was Democrat John Edwards’ $400 hair cuts in 2007 and Republican McCain’s $520 black leather Ferragamo shoes this year.

A review of similar records for the campaign of Democrat Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee turned up no similar spending.

But all the spending by other candidates pales in comparison to the GOP outlay for the Alaska governor whose expensive, designer outfits have been the topic of fashion pages and magazines.

What hasn’t been apparent is where the clothes came from – her closet back in Wasilla or from the campaign coffers in Washington.

The answer can be found inside the RNC’s September monthly financial disclosure report under “itemized coordinated expenditures.”

It’s a report that typically records expenses for direct mail, telephone calls and advertising. Those expenses do show up, but the report also has a new category of spending: “campaign accessories.”

September payments were also made to Barney’s New York ($789.72) and Bloomingdale’s New York ($5,102.71).

Macy’s in Minneapolis, another store fortunate enough to be situated in the Twin Cities that hosted last summer’s Republican National Convention, received three separate payments totaling $9,447.71.

The entries also show a few purchases at Pacifier, a top notch baby store, and Steiniauf & Stroller Inc., suggesting $295 was spent to accommodate the littlest Palin to join the campaign trail.

An additional $4,902.45 was spent in early September at Atelier, a high-class shopping destination for men.

[WenchLadyKate]

I can see spending some money... after all, she does need to at least look like she's halfway competent. But so much money? Wow... Way to show the American People your budgeting skills. Instead of Saks, go to Off 5th or Marshalls. Okay, so you need a couple really outstanding suits for sure, but go to Jones New York, or something, don't go to Neiman's. WTF?

If they were smart, they could have made her an example. Don't spend more than what the average American does. If the average American spends $80-$100 on a pair of shoes, Palin shouldn't either.

Sorry but a $150,000 donation to any charity would have been a better idea.

I don't have a problem with $300 being spent on the baby... but I wonder how much was spent on the other kids...

I'm also curious how much the Dems spent on clothes and stuff for Mrs. Obama.

[KissMeKate]

I was thinking at first that this was going to be about an actual Barbie doll that looked like Palin, not about her wardrobe.

But I did hear some about this on the news this morning. The comment I thought was the funniest was that supposedly all of the clothing would be donated to charity. My question would be when and in what condition?!?

I thought Edward's hair cuts were a little extreme, but I hadn't heard that Hillary's hair cost $3K for two sessions. That's just insane!

[Bronya]

I think it is obscene. It pisses me off. Let her buy her own dam clothes.

[LauraL]

I'm glad my money didn't go to the RNC. You're right, I would be ticked. She may have needed a wardrobe upgrade for the national scene, but by no means did it have to cost that much.

If the overspending on wardrobe wasn't enough:
$4,716.49 on hair and makeup.

Here, I just got my hair cut at the local beauty school.

[Mylilpinkpig]

I wonder how much SNL spent outfitting Tina Fey....I am sure not $150,000 and they looked identical.

[surlywench]

I'm sure she could have gotten those items for less.

Am I surprised she didn't? No. Not really.

Am I surprised at the total for the hair and make-up for the month of september? Not at all. How many appearances did she make? How many hours did her hair and make-up people clock? How much product did she actually use?

Guys, my instructer can get $800+ for a full day of playing 'personal hair and make-up team' to a bride - so $4k for a month? I'm really not shocked at all.

[BlueValkyrie27]

Somehow the "charitable donation" thing doesn't sit well with me. IMHO It seems to me this situation can only go one of two ways:

She, oops, I mean McCain, doesn't win and all those pretty suits go to Goodwill or Salvation Army... or whatever. But that doesn't (to me) excuse the fact that money was spent wrong in the first place. If the people contributing money to the campaign wanted to send clothes to those in need they would have sent clothes to those in need. But they didn't, they sent money to a political campaign.

Or the second option...

They do win. And because they said the "campaign clothes" will be donated, they have to follow through and donate. But Palin will still be in public view if she's VP, they would still feel that same pressure to dress her... If that ends up happening I'd rather her just keep the ill-bought clothes she has now instead of keeping up this pace.


I just don't see why this has to be a fashion show. I want to know how the candidates minds' work, what they feel is best for the country and what they plan to do about it... I don't care where they shop. *shrug* just my 2 cents.

[Bean]

Gotta have Caribou Barbie looking good, don't we??

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Whether or not it was legal isn't even the issue.

When you are going around bleating about how your opponent is an "elitist" who is "out of touch" with "joe sixpack", it's hard to not come off looking like a douche when you're doing it while wearing a $150,000 outfit.

You'd think Palin could have just rumaged through MCCain's closets for an outfit, I mean, he's got 7 houses worth of closet space.

[surlywench]

Gotta have Caribou Barbie looking good, don't we??

soda? meet monitor.

::rofl::

[LauraL]

Here is something interesting:

McCain on Palin's "Slush Fund"
by georgia10
Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 07:30:05 PM PDT

Let's pretend we have a time machine. And let us travel back in time to visit wise words from the John McCain of old. Let's travel back to May 25, 1993, specifically, when the old John McCain stood on the floor of the Senate and presented the following eloquent condemnation of the abuse of campaign funds (PDF):

Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, the amendment before the Senate is a very simple one. It restricts the use of campaign funds for inherently personal purposes. The amendment would restrict individuals from using campaign funds for such things as home mortgage payments, clothing purchases, noncampaign automobile expenses, country club memberships, and vacations or other trips that are noncampaign in nature.

Madam President, I want to emphasize I will be citing some examples of how campaign funds have been used which are extremely egregious, but I want to point out they are not illegal, and the purpose of this amendment is to restrict the use of those campaign funds because, if we are truly going to have campaign finance reform, I do not believe that campaign funds should be used for such things as country club dues, tuxedos, vacations, and other purposes for which they are now almost routinely used by certain Members of both bodies.

I point out that Senators and Members of Congress currently earn $139,000 a year, which means that Members of Congress are in the top 1 percent of wage earners in the country. So let there be no mistake, Members of Congress do earn a good wage, a wage that does not leave them poor.

I think it is worth contrasting a Member's salary and perks with that of a typical American family.

According to the U.S. census, in 1990 the median family income in America was $30,056. With that $30,056, the average American family was expected to put a roof over their head, feed their children, and send them to school. It seems to me that we should be able to survive as well at a salary level of $139,000 per year. [ed. note: Sarah Palin's salary as Governor of Alaska is $125,000 per year]

The use of campaign funds for items which most Americans would consider to be strictly personal reasons, in my view, erodes public confidence and erodes it significantly.

Sara Fritz, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, in her book `Handbook of Campaign Spending' calls campaign funds that are used for personal reasons nothing more than a slush fund. [...]

Under House and Senate ethics rules, Members of Congress must use campaign funds for political--not personal--purposes. Yet the commonly accepted definition of a political expenditure has grown so broad and enforcement of the rules has been so lax that congressional campaigns now routinely make purchases that on their face appear to be personal, such as resort vacations, luxury automobiles, expensive meals, apartments, country club memberships, tuxedos, home improvements, baby sitting, and car phones.

I want to point out again, Madam President, that the examples I am going to cite are legal and they will seem egregious, but the fact is, in my view, they should be severely restricted.

Further, Ms. Fritz later concisely points out:

In many cases, in fact, [the use of campaign funds for personal purposes] has transformed middle-class politicians into members of the country club set, isolating them from their constituency.

One major reason the public does not approve of Congress is that they believe we are isolated and nonresponsive, and we, of course, do not want to maintain a policy that encourages the Congress to be even more separated and disconnected from the people.

If we in Congress learned one thing from President Clinton's $200 haircut last week, it should be that the public does not approve of its elected officials being treated as royalty. We should be no different.

The solution to this problem is simple; restrict the use of campaign funds solely to campaign purposes. [...]

According to Ms. Fritz, campaign funds have been used to buy items such as globes and trips to exotic locales such as Thailand, Taiwan, and Italy, tuxedos and an unexplainable $299 for bow ties.

I cannot imagine being able to justify to the public what will soon be the use of tax dollars in this fashion. [...]

I point out these abuses, in my view what are abuses, because they are certainly not what the average contributor intends for their funds to go to.

And the old, principled John McCain reiterated his stance on the issue in January of 1994 (PDF):

Mr. President, I do not believe the general public is aware of how their campaign contributions are being used. I think it would be fair to say that if they did, they would be outraged, and well they should be.

According to Ms. Fritz, campaign funds have been used to buy such items as a jumbo illuminated globe from Hammacher Schlemmer, for trips to exotic locals such as Thailand, Taiwan, and Italy, and for tuxedos and an unexplainable $299 for bow ties. [...]

Mr. President, it is time to break with the norm. What is occurring is wrong, and it must be stopped. T[...]

It is time the Congress, and those whose privilege it is to serve there, learn to live within its means. Restricting the use of campaign funds for personal purposes is a vital first step in that direction.

And what does the new McCain have to say about Sarah Palin's "abuses" and "erosion of public confidence"? The campaign said it was "remarkable" that people were even discussing the issue. Apparently, if the new McCain has a time machine of his own, he would travel back in time and tell the old John McCain to shut the hell up.

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Mike Murphy, the chief strategist of the John McCain's 2000 campaign (you know, back when McCain still had a soul) has been somewhat critical of the McCain campaign of late.

Here's what he had to say about Palin and the $150,000 shopping spree.

Murphy's latest critique of his former boss is a post (http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/10/bling_zing.html) on Time's Swampland blog offering sarcastic potential responses to the news of Palin's $150,000 makeover: I saw the RNC statement on Gov. Palin's $150,000 clothing bender on the RNC's tab. This caper is gonna make for a long day at the office for the good folks at the RNC/McCain press operation. Thought I'd offer a little help in a humorous vein; some other possible spin lines for the RNC.

1.) What you sneering critics in the liberal MSM fail to see here is... a Jobs Program! Saks floorwalkers, cashiers, a team of sweating porters to haul the merchandise from the store to the motorcade... chiropractors to treat those porters. Sarah Palin knows how to create jobs!

2.) What's the difference between a Pit Bull and a Hockey Mom? You can feed a pit-bull for 483 years with 150 grand.

3.) Still cheaper than Mitt Romney's hair products. We're saving money here...

4.) William Ayres is a terrorist!

5.) New ad slogan: "Clothes for Gov. Palin? $150,000. Time machine to go back two months to late August and ask what the Hell were Schmidt and Davis thinking when they cooked up this idea and sold it to McCain? Priceless."


*rotfl*

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

I just thought of a funny "Daily Show"-style tagline for this story.

The Lyin', The Bitch, and The Wardrobe

:-D I hope they steal it from me.

[Ysobelle]

"Oh, you're so sexist! It's all the media's fault! I don't have any new clothes! You didn't say this about Hillary! Obama's a terrorist!"





Palin denies accepting $150K in designer clothes

The Associated PressPublished: October 24, 2008



ORMOND BEACH, Florida: Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is blaming gender bias for the controversy over $150,000 worth of designer clothes, hairstyling and accessories the Republican Party provided for her and her family, a newspaper reported Thursday.

"I think Hillary Clinton was held to a different standard in her primary race," Palin said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune posted on the newspaper's Web site Thursday night. "Do you remember the conversations that took place about her, say superficial things that they don't talk about with men, her wardrobe and her hairstyles, all of that? That's a bit of that double standard."

The Republican National Committee spent about $150,000 on clothing, hair styling, makeup and other "campaign accessories" in September for the McCain campaign after Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin joined the ticket as his running mate.

News of the purchases of designer clothes, largely from upscale Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, contrasts with the folksy image Palin has crafted as a typical, suburban mom.

Palin said the clothes were not worth $150,000 and were bought for the Republican National Convention.

Most of the clothes have never left the campaign plane, she told the newspaper.

"It's kind of painful to be criticized for something when all the facts are not out there and are not reported," Palin said.

"That whole thing is just, bad!" she said. "Oh, if people only knew how frugal we are."

McCain was asked several questions on Thursday about the shopping spree — and he answered each one more or less the same way: Palin needed clothes and they'll be donated to charity.

"She needed clothes at the time. They'll be donated at end of this campaign. They'll be donated to charity," McCain told reporters on his campaign bus between Florida rallies.

Asked for details on how they'll be donated, McCain said, "It works by her getting some clothes when she was made the nominee of the party and it will be donated back to charity."

Asked if he was surprised at the amount spent, McCain said, "It works that the clothes will be donated to charity. Nothing surprises me."

McCain offered no further comment, except to say that the Republican National Committee doesn't buy his clothes.

Also on Thursday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a private watchdog group in Washington, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Palin, the Republican National Committee and several political operatives alleging that the purchase of clothing for Palin and her family violates the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Asked Wednesday who had paid for the suit he was wearing, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden told WSLS-TV in Roanoke, Virginia: "I pay for my suits. I pay for all of my own clothing."

[Torra]

"I think Hillary Clinton was held to a different standard in her primary race," Palin said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune


Right. Because there were NO statements about the pastel pantsuits, the fact she PREFERRED pants to a skirt, the weird looking faces she sometimes made, and the gigantic media gigglesnort over her appearing on a show with...GASP, some cleavage. All that? Never happened. Like so many other things Palin likes to feel bullied about.

[surlywench]

I DONT WANT SOMEONE WITH A "FOLKSY IMAGE" IN THE FRAKKING WHITE HOUSE. I DONT WANT A 'HOCKEY MOM' WITH HER HANDS ON THE BUTTONS. I DONT WANT SOMEONE DUMBER THAN ME ANYWHERE NEAR OTHER HEADS OF STATE!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA AA

NO

:headdesk:

[lavender r dragon]

"I think Hillary Clinton was held to a different standard in her primary race," Palin said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune posted on the newspaper's Web site Thursday night. "Do you remember the conversations that took place about her, say superficial things that they don't talk about with men, her wardrobe and her hairstyles, all of that? That's a bit of that double standard."

i wasn't even sure what palin meant by this...it was unclear....is she saying hillary had these problems too? is she trying to be sarcastic?

News of the purchases of designer clothes, largely from upscale Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, contrasts with the folksy image Palin has crafted as a typical, suburban mom.

Palin said the clothes were not worth $150,000 and were bought for the Republican National Convention.

Most of the clothes have never left the campaign plane, she told the newspaper.

"It's kind of painful to be criticized for something when all the facts are not out there and are not reported," Palin said.

"That whole thing is just, bad!" she said. "Oh, if people only knew how frugal we are."

oh so they spent all that money on clothes you're NOT going to USE?? :roll:
my rogue said last night that mccain/campaign is stupid and it occured to me HOW - they don't seem to realize about the effect of the internet....we CAN check how much was spent, we CAN (and will usually) find out what you said years ago, people WILL CHECK this stuff:unamused:

McCain was asked several questions on Thursday about the shopping spree — and he answered each one more or less the same way: Palin needed clothes and they'll be donated to charity.

"She needed clothes at the time. They'll be donated at end of this campaign. They'll be donated to charity," McCain told reporters on his campaign bus between Florida rallies.

Asked for details on how they'll be donated, McCain said, "It works by her getting some clothes when she was made the nominee of the party and it will be donated back to charity."

Asked if he was surprised at the amount spent, McCain said, "It works that the clothes will be donated to charity. Nothing surprises me."


if i wanted an outfit outside of my budget the "I'll give it to charity afterwards" line wouldn't help me pay for it! it doesn't matter what you do with it after, if you spent too much on it to start with. and why does it suddenly sound like he can't make a coherent statement? maybe palin's contagious ::tinfoil:?

[Ysobelle]

Exactly. Giving them to charity after the fact doesn't mean a damned thing when they spent such an obscene amount of the party's money getting them in the first place.

[Laurensa]

[I don't have a problem with $300 being spent on the baby... but I wonder how much was spent on the other kids...

I'm also curious how much the Dems spent on clothes and stuff for Mrs. Obama.[/quote]>>

I'm sorry, I DO have a problem with $300 being spent on stuff for the baby. $92 for a romper and a matching hat with ears?

But then, I also have a problem with billing the state of Alaska over $21000 for travel for her daughters. She wants to take them along on a commercial flight, fine, she can pay for their airfare herself.

[Isabelle Warwicke]

oh so they spent all that money on clothes you're NOT going to USE?? :roll:
::tinfoil:?

Actually, I read that statment as "she doesn't get to take them home, she changes into Wardrobe on the plane. And leaves them there when not on campaign."

[Isabelle Warwicke]

Funny, not once in this thread did anyone bring up Obama's $1500 suits, or McCain's $500 Ferragamo shoes. Double up on standards much?

I think I agree with this woman:

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/js/2.0/video/evp/module.js?loc=dom&vid=/video/politics/2008/10/22/ec.campbell.brown.palin.clothes.cnn

[Phoenix McHeit]

Funny, not once in this thread did anyone bring up Obama's $1500 suits, or McCain's $500 Ferragamo shoes. Double up on standards much?



Were campaign funds used to purchase them?

[Torra]

Were campaign funds used to purchase them?

For the whole family? I remember the debacle about Mrs. McCain's wardrobe, but the big dollar items were not verified as purchased (they could have been heirlooms, or paste) and all the sums were guesses as to actual cost, not proven.

[Ysobelle]

I don't give a damn HOW much they paid for their suits. If my campaign contributions didn't pay for them, the guys can wear $5,000 virgin alpaca coats and million-dollar diamond "Girl Toy" belt buckles. Though Obama might then lose my vote simply because of his terrible fashion sense.

And I seem to recall a media blitz over John Edwards' haircuts, so yes, it does go both ways. But this is not a matter of a haircut or a belt buckle. This is a woman who harps over and over again on her "down home, Main Street, Joe-Sixpack" connection while bilking her own state for over $20k in travel expenses-- the reports for which she then altered to make look legit-- and $17k in per diem expenses for working from home, in addition to spending more of her party's money in a few days on upscale clothing than most of the families to whom she's pandering make in a year. In this economy, while the GOP plays Neiman Marcus dress-up, most families would be happy knowing they'll have enough money for new winter coats for their kids.

It's not the money. It's the blatant, brazen hypocrisy. It's the dishonesty and the backpedaling and the false moral indignation. We've had enough of that in the White House.

[BlueValkyrie27]

It's not the money. It's the blatant, brazen hypocrisy. It's the dishonesty and the backpedaling and the false moral indignation. We've had enough of that in the White House.


Here! Here! Could not have put that better.

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Funny, not once in this thread did anyone bring up Obama's $1500 suits, or McCain's $500 Ferragamo shoes. Double up on standards much?

As others have pointed out, the issues are more complicated than your post suggests. But if you're going to insist on a compare and contrast, I will indulge you.

Here's a picture of Palin's 7-year-old spawn, carrying a Louis Vuitton bag:

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/460/slide_460_11037_large.jpg

And here is Obama, wearing resoled shoes (that are due for a second resoling):

http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/1954/19vt2.jpg

http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0810/callie-bp.html

"Senator Obama was doing press interviews by telephone in a holding room between events. Sometime later as he was getting ready to begin his event, he asked me if I was photographing his shoes. When I said yes, he told me that he had already had them resoled once since he entered the race a year earlier. Providence, R.I., 3/1/2008."You were saying?

[Isabelle Warwicke]

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/460/slide_460_11037_large.jpg


Is is verified that it's a *real* LV bag? You can buy really good knock offs at my local flea market.

[Pathos]

Is is verified that it's a *real* LV bag? You can buy really good knock offs at my local flea market.
Not at Saks, you can't.

8-)

[Isabelle Warwicke]

Personal clothing purchases have also been highlighted on the Democratic ticket. Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s pricey convention suit retails for at least $1,500, according to the Chicago Sun-Times (http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1234832,CST-NWS-obamasuit22.article), although his may have been more since it was custom-made, while Maria Pinto dresses, like the one Michelle Obama wore at the convention, retail for $900-$5,000.

And to be fair, Mr. and Mrs. Obama have been on the public political spotlight for some time now, they have had more time to build their wardrobes and probably had a better closet to pull from.

And who do you think foots the bill to dress the president while he is in office? I can't honstly think that POTUS has enough personal cash flow to pick up a new tux or suit every time he travels

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Is is verified that it's a *real* LV bag? You can buy really good knock offs at my local flea market.

If it's a knock off, does that mean that Sarah Palin pals around with counterfeiters?

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Again, no one is begrudging her her six-figure wardrobe.

The problem is where she has a six-figure wardrobe when at the same time she claims that her opponent is an "out-of-touch elitist" while she herself is one of those "real Americans" from a "pro-America" state (whatever the fuck that is).


Look, I get it. You prefer McCain to Obama. And I think it's valiant the way you're standing by your man. But can you honestly believe that Sarah Palin is not a huge fucking embarrassment on a multitude of levels? You don't even need to answer, just to thine own self be true.

[AnnaFaerie]

Personal clothing purchases have also been highlighted on the Democratic ticket. Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s pricey convention suit retails for at least $1,500, according to the Chicago Sun-Times (http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1234832,CST-NWS-obamasuit22.article), although his may have been more since it was custom-made, while Maria Pinto dresses, like the one Michelle Obama wore at the convention, retail for $900-$5,000.

And to be fair, Mr. and Mrs. Obama have been on the public political spotlight for some time now, they have had more time to build their wardrobes and probably had a better closet to pull from.

And who do you think foots the bill to dress the president while he is in office? I can't honstly think that POTUS has enough personal cash flow to pick up a new tux or suit every time he travels

But the Obamas paid for their own clothes so who cares what they cost?

And when you are saying you are an every day kind of woman...just like all you poor folks out there that need to vote for little ol me...you don't say it in a wardrobe that cost $150,000.00. Talk about "out of touch".

[Bean]

My assumption about dressing the President is that designers give him clothes, just like they do for stars for red carpet events. You don't think that Jennifer Aniston and others actually buy their dresses........

[surlywench]

My assumption about dressing the President is that designers give him clothes, just like they do for stars for red carpet events. You don't think that Jennifer Aniston and others actually buy their dresses........

Most of those are loaner gowns, but even when you see them walking around on a daily basis, most stars have designer labels on. It's not all that uncommon tho - most people in that wage bracket don't think twice about dropping money on LV, D&G, Prada, whatever.

I'd actually be sorta interested in knowing what label Bush's suits come from, and how that's handled. I mean, the Pres *does* get a salary, ffs. But it's not all that much, compared to what private industry execs make.

[Bean]

Yes, he does get a salary, but he does not have to pay for anything else; like rent, utilities, cable, food, staff, etc. All of the extras are paid for by us, the taxpayers. So, his meager salary of what, $150K, can be spent on anything he wants.

[Selena]

dropping money on LV, D&G, Prada, whatever.


*rotfl* So this is how out of touch *I* when it comes to name brands. In all seriousness... I have no idea what the hell you are referring to; "LV D&G." I didn't even know wtf Prada was until Anne Hathaway's movie.

And do I really care? Nope. It's just a label. Fashionista I ain't! :wink:

edit-- but on another note, I sure can tell when I'm looking at name brands of Moresca clothing, Dra, Pendragon, Fantasia or even some of Devlyn's or Yso's stuff.
Hmph!

[Isabelle Warwicke]

And when you are saying you are an every day kind of woman...just like all you poor folks out there that need to vote for little ol me...you don't say it in a wardrobe that cost $150,000.00. Talk about "out of touch".

And if she did stand at the podium in a Wal-Mart (or hell, even Kohl's) she would have been ripped apart for looking "shabby" and not dressing up to the office for which she is running. I'm not suprised that she got polished a bit, it's just politics afterall.

[Phoenix McHeit]

I'm not suprised that she got polished a bit, it's just politics afterall.

I wouldn't bat much of an eye if the polishing you refer to were, indeed, *a bit*... but no one - not even a VP candidate - needs a $150K wardrobe makeover.

Especially when you're presenting yourself as Jane Six Pack.

[surlywench]

*rotfl* So this is how out of touch *I* when it comes to name brands. In all seriousness... I have no idea what the hell you are referring to; "LV D&G." I didn't even know wtf Prada was until Anne Hathaway's movie.

And do I really care? Nope. It's just a label. Fashionista I ain't! :wink:

edit-- but on another note, I sure can tell when I'm looking at name brands of Moresca clothing, Dra, Pendragon, Fantasia or even some of Devlyn's or Yso's stuff.
Hmph!

rofl :) it's all about what you're interested in, I guess. I only know the names b/c I'd worked in retail for so long. Ann Taylor is hardly on a level with the big labels, but we still have to know them b/c women would come in looking for things "like the newest ______ collection"

and:

Louis Vuitton
Dolce & Gabana

I'm just too lazy to type it out, lol

[surlywench]

I wouldn't bat much of an eye if the polishing you refer to were, indeed, *a bit*... but no one - not even a VP candidate - needs a $150K wardrobe makeover.

Especially when you're presenting yourself as Jane Six Pack.

I mean, Stacey and Clinton could *totally* have outfitted her for the usual $5k....

god. now THAT would be a show I'd love to see.

[Phoenix McHeit]

I mean, Stacey and Clinton could *totally* have outfitted her for the usual $5k....

god. now THAT would be a show I'd love to see.

I so love you right now - even more than usual, I mean.

:wink:

[surlywench]

I so love you right now - even more than usual, I mean.

:wink:

aw :)

but seriously.


I'm pretty sure Stacey could take her.

[Margaret]

I think Sarah would do better with Finola Hughes - Stacey may make her cry.

Seriously though - yes we do want our leaders to look professional and appropriate. Look at the crap that was delt to Cheney here when he showed up at the Auschwitz memorial dressed in a big furry hat and frumpy suit.

However, as many have said - it's not the issue of image and dress, it's the way it was delt with that went very badly. Don't scream sexism. Don't go all "Oh golly gee, we are so frugal. It wasn't me, it was the RNC."

She would have made this a non-issue if she had just said "It was a line item budget." or had said "I'm a reformer! Take this back!! Staffers, if you need to pick me up a suit, go to Macy's!"

[AnnaFaerie]

And if she did stand at the podium in a Wal-Mart (or hell, even Kohl's) she would have been ripped apart for looking "shabby" and not dressing up to the office for which she is running. I'm not suprised that she got polished a bit, it's just politics afterall.

Are you being obtuse on purpose? Really...I know that sounds mean and I don't mean for it to be, but for the life of me I can't figure out why you keep pointing to the other side and saying, "Look, they wear expensive clothes too!".

That isn't what I'm talking about at all. And I don't think it's what anyone else is talking about either.

This woman is running on the fact that she is just the common soccer mom. I don't know any "soccer moms" that spend that much on clothes. Oh...wait a minute...she didn't pay for the clothes either. Donation money paid for the clothes. Hmmmm...and she keeps pointing to the other side and saying they are out of touch.

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Seriously though - yes we do want our leaders to look professional and appropriate. Look at the crap that was delt to Cheney here when he showed up at the Auschwitz memorial dressed in a big furry hat and frumpy suit.

That was the same memorial that Condi Rice showed up to in the knee-high black leather fuck me boots, right? That was amusing. :-D

[Margaret]

I'm not sure about that Bob - I do know Cheney was there though.

Sure you're not mixing up your fantasies about her and the news stories? ;-)

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

I'm not sure about that Bob - I do know Cheney was there though.

Sure you're not mixing up your fantasies about her and the news stories? ;-)

No... that would be you in the boots. ;-)

I do remember some kind of kerfuffle involving her and an outfit that was a little too hot for whatever she was attending. I'm just not sure what exact event it was.

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Here's an update on this story (my favorite part is bolded in red):

http://www.newsweek.com/id/167581/page/1NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family--clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.more to come, I'd wager.....

[lavender r dragon]

i liked page 2:

The disclosures are among many revealed in "How He Did It, 2008," the latest installment in NEWSWEEK's Special Election Project, which was first published in 1984. As in the previous editions, "How He Did It, 2008" is an inside, behind-the-scenes account of the presidential election produced by a special team of reporters working for more than a year on an embargoed basis and detached from the weekly magazine and Newsweek.com. Everything the project team learns is kept confidential until the day after the polls close.
Among the other revelations from the special project:


The Obama campaign was provided with reports from the Secret Service showing a sharp and disturbing increase in threats to Obama in September and early October, at the same time that many crowds at Palin rallies became more frenzied. Michelle Obama was shaken by the vituperative crowds and the hot rhetoric from the GOP candidates. "Why would they try to make people hate us?" Michelle asked a top campaign aide.

.........

Palin launched her attack on Obama's association with William Ayers, the former Weather Underground bomber, before the campaign had finalized a plan to raise the issue. McCain's advisers were working on a strategy that they hoped to unveil the following week, but McCain had not signed off on it, and top adviser Mark Salter was resisting.

McCain also was reluctant to use Obama's incendiary pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, as a campaign issue. The Republican had set firm boundaries: no Jeremiah Wright; no attacking Michelle Obama; no attacking Obama for not serving in the military. McCain balked at an ad using images of children that suggested that Obama might not protect them from terrorism. Schmidt vetoed ads suggesting that Obama was soft on crime (no Willie Hortons). And before word even got to McCain, Schmidt and Salter scuttled a "celebrity" ad of Obama dancing with talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres (the sight of a black man dancing with a lesbian was deemed too provocative).


that last ad, i'm glad they scuttled it b/c i fail to see what it has to do with the election....but i think its kinda sad that it "was deemed to provocative". i mean its sad there are still people who would find it provocative (i assume they mean provocative as in "would make the scary people mad" -b/c of a] black man& white woman [b]a lesbian- not sexually provocative?)

[lavender r dragon]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081107/ap_on_el_pr/palin_clothing;_ylt=AkKGdQZbSme4ygz1GtqeMeTCw5R4

(bolding mine)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called her critics cowards and jerks Friday for deriding her anonymously and insisted she never asked for the expensive wardrobe purchased for her use on the presidential campaign.

"I never asked for anything more than a Diet Dr. Pepper once in a while," Palin said as she returned to the governor's office from her two-month odyssey as the GOP vice presidential nominee. She said the Republican National Committee paid for the tens of thousands of dollars in designer clothes and accessories.

"Those are the RNC's clothes. They're not my clothes. I never forced anybody to buy anything," she said.

Republican Party lawyers are still trying to determine exactly what clothing was purchased for Palin at such high-end stores as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, what was returned and what has become of the rest.

She particularly lashed out at the anonymous Republican campaign sources cited in a Fox News report who said she did not know Africa was a continent, not a country, and could not name the three countries in the North American Free Trade Agreement — Canada, the United States and Mexico.

"I consider it cowardly" that they did not allow their names to be used, she said.

Palin said those allegations aren't true. She recalled discussing Africa and NAFTA with aides who prepared her for the vice presidential debate with Democrat Joe Biden.

"If there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about NAFTA, and about the continent vs. the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were taken out of context," she said. "That's cruel, It's mean-spirited. It's immature. It's unprofessional and those guys are jerks if they came away with it, taking things out of context and then tried to spread something on national news. It's not fair, and it's not right."

Palin also said she would not call on Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, to resign, although last month, before his re-election bid, she said he should "step aside" and "play a very statesmanlike role in this now." Stevens, 84, was found guilty on seven counts of trying to hide more than $250,000 in free home renovations and other gifts that he received from a wealthy oil contractor. (he should play a statesman - what does that mean? - role in what?)

Three days after the election, Stevens, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, is about 3,500 votes ahead of Democratic challenger Mark Begich with thousands of absentee ballots to be counted in the next two weeks.

Said Palin on Friday: "The Alaska voters have spoken and me not be a dictator, won't be telling anyone what to do."

When asked if she would call on him to resign, Palin said: "Not after the will of the people has been made manifest via that vote."

Meanwhile, RNC lawyers are discussing with Palin whether what's left of the clothing and accessories purchased for her on the campaign trail will go to charity, back to stores or be paid for by Palin, a McCain-Palin campaign official said Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the campaign hadn't authorized comment.

The sorting should be completed in the next four or five days, the campaign official said, declining to say whether the RNC was sending anyone to Alaska to help take inventory.

The RNC spent at least $150,000 on designer clothing, accessories and beauty services for Palin after she became John McCain's running mate in September. The spending included $75,062 at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis; $49,425 at Saks Fifth Avenue; $9,447 at Macy's; and $789 at the luxury retailer Barneys New York. Some of the purchases were for Palin family members, such as $4,902 spent at upscale men's clothier Atelier and $92 at Pacifier, a Minneapolis baby boutique.

The McCain-Palin campaign said about a third of the clothing was returned immediately because it was the wrong size, or for other reasons. However, other purchases were apparently made after that, the campaign official said.

The spending drew a complaint against Palin and the RNC by a Washington government watchdog group. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Palin and the GOP of violating a federal ban on the use of campaign funds for personal expenses such as clothing.

The RNC didn't respond to repeated requests by The Associated Press for comment Friday.

It's routine for candidates to get professional hair and makeup services at campaign expense before they go on camera, but Palin's shopping spree at GOP donors' expense is unusual. It contrasted with the down-to-earth "hockey mom" image that Palin sought to craft and gave the campaign unwanted publicity in the form of newspaper headlines, Internet chatter and comedians' jokes.

FEC spokesman Bob Biersack declined to comment on the spending beyond confirming that the commission has received CREW's complaint.

___

Theimer reported from Washington.

___

On the Net:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: http://www.citizensforethics.org/

Federal Election Commission: http://www.fec.org/