[Listening to Bill O'Reilly on the AM radio, driving into Anchorage this morning. He was complaining that the hatred for Sarah Palin over her recent clothing expenditures is a "guy" thing, by guys who don't understand. Trust me, Bill, a lot of women are discussing this, and most disagree with you. Whatever. Here's a fashion slide show of Palin in some of her new clothes.
Here's Jane Hamsher's take.]
Sarah "Shop Till You Drop" Palin: Nothing "Small Town" About Her
--- by Jane Hamsher
So the RNC thinks that during a recession, when people's 401Ks are being wiped out, they're losing their jobs and they can't pay their mortgages, the best thing to do is go out and shop...for Sarah Palin. To the tune of $150,000.
The McCain-Palin team are trying to claim that it's a tempest in a teapot:
"With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it's remarkable that we're spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses. It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign." --McCain-Palin spokesperson Tracey Schmitt on this Politico story.
As Ambinder notes, this kind of spending is unheard of on a political campaign, and more akin to the budget for a movie. Let me tell you, I've made entire movies where the budget to clothe the whole cast was less than that. It's an obscene amount of money. It's absolutely unneccesary, an act of complete excess that shows exactly where her priorities are. If you want to spend that much of your own money on clothes, fine. But she expected someone else to pick up the tab for her to look like a spokes model.
She's Vanna White who wants to be the boss of the Senate.
It's predictable that the campaign would try to blame the media for this, but it won't wash. And it officially ends Palin's ability to run as "small town hockey mom." You don't get to shop like Leona Helmsley and then play that class card. She applied for the job two months ago and she still doesn't know what the duties are, but boy can she charge up a storm! She's regularly charged her family's personal expenses to the taxpayers. Why shouldn't the RNC keep her like the rock star they want her to be?
I do have one question, though. If you're a Republican who gave money to the RNC during this difficult time, is this what you wanted them to spend your money on? So Sarah Palin could be running around in $5000 suits? Is that the kind of excess that you think she should be indulging in on your dime? Are these the people you're voting for because of their "fiscal responsibility?" Do you still buy all that "gee whiz, gosh darn it" crap about small town values?
The dress worn by Michelle Obama on The View, which everyone loved, cost $148. Just sayin'.
Jane's article originally appeared here.
image via Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis, from Pam's House Blend
1 comment:
Just to give another perspective here. Jackie Kennedy was loved for her stylish clothes which cost - in 1960s dollars - a lot more I'm sure.
Vice Presidents meet with heads of state and the kind of clothing worn at that level is not what you can buy in Wasilla. As I recall, Edwards wore some pretty pricey suits too.
Now, it's reasonable to point out Republican hypocrisy for criticizing Edwards and then dressing Sarah up like this, but in the long run, we want our leaders to be dressed well when they go out into the world.
Let's call this what it is - partisan political one-upmanship. This is really not an issue. Only if you can spin it into one.
There are lots of Americans who want American royalty, a Princess Sarah is smashing clothes.
The real question is what is Sarah going to do when she gets back to Alaska and she and Todd can't afford to keep her dressed in the style she's becoming accustomed to. Is some rich Republican Prince Charming going to come on the scene and whisk her away in his private jet into this rich new world she's starting to get accustomed to?
Can she go back to the farm now that she's seen Paree? Watch your back Todd.
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