palin's waist of $$$$

[texas grass]

Palin bunch travel at Alaska expense
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:34:18 GMT
The State of Alaska paid for the Palin children to watch their father in a snowmachine race.
Republican running mate Sarah Palin has reportedly charged the State of Alaska more than $20,000 to cover her children's travel expenses.

An investigative report by the Associated Press reveals that the State of Alaska paid $21,012 for 64 commercial flights and hotel accommodation for Governor Palin's three daughters after she took office in December 2006.

The children traveled with Gov. Palin to events where, according to some event organizers, they had not been invited to and did not even participate in.

However, three weeks before Palin was surprisingly chosen to run as Senator John McCain's vice president, she ordered changes to previously filed travel expense reports for her daughters.

In the amended reports, the Alaskan governor added phrases such as 'First Family attending' and 'First Family invited' to explain the girls' attendance.

Palin's three daughters once joined her on an official trip to watch their father in a snowmobile race.

Among her other trips, Palin took her 17-year-old daughter with her to New York for a five-hour conference, where they stayed for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel and put it on the state's tab.

The Alaskan law only addresses expenses for anyone conducting official state business and does not allow covering the expenses of a governor's children.








Palin spends big on fashion amid recession
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:08:25 GMT
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin
The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 on clothing and accessories for vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September shortly after Gov. Palin was picked as Senator John McCain's running mate.

The records show the cash expenditures were not only spent on the governor herself, but also her husband, Todd, and her infant, Trig, Politico reported.

A McCain camp spokeswoman, Maria Comella, declined to answer specific questions about the expenditures, including whether it was necessary to spend that much.

"The campaign does not comment on strategic decisions regarding how financial resources available to the campaign are spent," she said.

Only hours later, however, after the story raised concerns among Republicans and angered Democrats, the McCain camp released a 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," read the statement.

"It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign," said spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt.

Democrats, meanwhile, have employed the subject to raise the alarm that Gov. Palin is not like the rest of middle-class Americans as she claims.

"It shows that Palin is not like the rest of us," Huffington Post quoted Tom Matzzie, a Democratic strategist, as saying.

"It [the issue] can help deflate her cultural populism with the Republican base. The plumber's wife doesn't go to Nieman's or Saks."

The financial records indicate that the cash spent by Gov. Palin included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York amounting to a combined $49,425.74.

[stinkyattic]

Hahaha they are going to donate the clothes to charity after, so it's okay? A radio report I heard this morning noted one expense was a $2500 Valentino jacket. I bet some low-income person is going to have a great time wearing that little hand-me-down to their crappy job at the fast food place... WTF!
This isn't, to me, even a political-party issue so much as it demonstrates the serious class divide in our culture. If the Repubs want to waste campaign dollars on that shit, let them. If the State of Alaska doesn't audit their financial records closely enough to note that the governor is abusing her power, more fools they. I'm just glad to see this type of government waste be noticed, so that in the future we the People may feel that our tax dollars are being used for the reasons we are satisfied to pay them: Improvements in the quality of life of the average American. Not to line the pockets of the elite.

[justanotherbozo]

you know, not for nothing but if the RNC hadn't invested in her
wardrobe, sure as shit, the media would be all over her for her
attire.

and considering how much the Dem's are spending on this campaign,
and the number of ACORN offices under investigation, it surprises me
anyone would want to talk about money. you think those suits of
Barry's are cheap?

[dragonrider]

you know, not for nothing but if the RNC hadn't invested in her
wardrobe, sure as shit, the media would be all over her for her
attire.

and considering how much the Dem's are spending on this campaign,
and the number of ACORN offices under investigation, it surprises me
anyone would want to talk about money. you think those suits of
Barry's are cheap?

Ha ha ha ha! Dude, I think they could have prettied her up a bit for a LOT less than $150,000 --- I mean how much lipstick do they need to put on this piiiiiiiiiiiii..... uh, pitbull?

Holy crap! Either they are wasting money, or she is absolutely HIDEOUS without the bling.

And "Barry" as you like to call him, buys his own suits. They are not paid for by his campaign or by the Democratic Party.

I wonder how all those hockey moms, and Joe Sixpacks, and Joe the Plumbers feel about the fact that any donation they may have given to the Republican party this year has gone in part so that Palin can live like Paris Hilton and spend $20,000 a week on a high-end spending spree?

Any one who can spend $150,000 on fashion in less then 2 months is obviously a maverick who can take on the fatcats and keep an eye on wasteful spending! Hahahahahahaha!

Maybe the only thing more ironic than this would be if the Valentino jacket were actually made of Pork!

Maybe as an accessory, she could buy a diamond-encrusted veto pen to cross out wasteful spending items. If she spent S100,000 on the pen and then shopped of the rack, maybe the RNC would be money ahead in this whole deal.

[killerweed420]

She hasn't done anything every other governor in the country hasn't done. Its just she's under a lot of scrutiny. Where to you find an honest politician to run for public office? You don't.

[justanotherbozo]

Ha ha ha ha! Dude, I think they could have prettied her up a bit for a LOT less than $150,000 --- I mean how much lipstick do they need to put on this piiiiiiiiiiiii..... uh, pitbull?

Holy crap! Either they are wasting money, or she is absolutely HIDEOUS without the bling.

And "Barry" as you like to call him, buys his own suits. They are not paid for by his campaign or by the Democratic Party.

I wonder how all those hockey moms, and Joe Sixpacks, and Joe the Plumbers feel about the fact that any donation they may have given to the Republican party this year has gone in part so that Palin can live like Paris Hilton and spend $20,000 a week on a high-end spending spree?

Any one who can spend $150,000 on fashion in less then 2 months is obviously a maverick who can take on the fatcats and keep an eye on wasteful spending! Hahahahahahaha!

Maybe the only thing more ironic than this would be if the Valentino jacket were actually made of Pork!

Maybe as an accessory, she could buy a diamond-encrusted veto pen to cross out wasteful spending items. If she spent S100,000 on the pen and then shopped of the rack, maybe the RNC would be money ahead in this whole deal.

the money was spent on her entire family and if it hadn't been spent,
the media would be all over the Palins calling them all kinds of names.
as has been evidenced already.

oh yeah, Barry was what everyone called him before he entered politics

and, if he gets in, you won't have to worry about the veto pen 'cause
Barry will sign every entitlement bill he sees. that's his answer, huge
government.

[allrollsin21]

the money was spent on her entire family and if it hadn't been spent,
the media would be all over the Palins calling them all kinds of names.
as has been evidenced already.

oh yeah, Barry was what everyone called him before he entered politics

and, if he gets in, you won't have to worry about the veto pen 'cause
Barry will sign every entitlement bill he sees. that's his answer, huge
government.



In true bipartisan form the Bozo is defending the absurd. Truly not calling them how you see them. Both parties make mistakes and it takes an objective and honest citizen to admit it when it happens. I struggle too at times. No always though, when Biden's donation information was made public i agreed with all the right wing bashers that it was Totally disgraceful. i can admit it.

[Breukelen advocaat]

There is nothing wrong with calling Barack Obama by the name "Barry", but he's not known by this in his public life today and it can be confusing. I would think that "Barry" is the name his wife, family and friends call him.

[justanotherbozo]

There is nothing wrong with calling Barack Obama by the name "Barry", but he's not known by this in his public life today and it can be confusing. I would think that "Barry" is the name his wife and family call him.


i call him that because that was his name until he entered politics.
to me, that makes it an affectation and vaguely dishonest.

my intent is also to be somewhat dismissive and derisive

[dragonrider]

the money was spent on her entire family and if it hadn't been spent,
the media would be all over the Palins calling them all kinds of names.
as has been evidenced already.


Sarah, the First Dude, and the 5 kids, makes it $20,000 each with $10,000 left over to clean up Bristol's baby daddy, which is only fair, because he is ALMOST family. So yeah, thanks for pointing that out, because spending $20,000 EACH in 2 months is much more reasonable!

I hear that Joe the Plumber is going to buy a business that will allow him to spend $10,000 a month on clothes for each member of his family too, and that is why he is concerned about taxes --- don't want to have to cut back to $9,000 a month! That would be un-American!

[Breukelen advocaat]

i call him that because that was his name until he entered politics.
to me, that makes it an affectation and vaguely dishonest.

my intent is also to be somewhat dismissive and derisive
I realize that is your intention, but it doesn't work in this case. Barry actually sounds better than Barack. :)

If he had used Barry as his name in politics, rather than his real name Barack, then some of his opponents would call him Barack as an insult.

[stinkyattic]

May I remind everyone that nicknames and given names each have their place; the ever-classy Mrs. JFK was Jacqueline when the situation required, and Jackie when it didn't. I've got no particular issue with anyone going by a shortened, affectionate version of their name in informal situations- it seems a silly detail upon which to dwell.

[dragonrider]

This whole thing is a PR fiasco more than anything, and it points to the mentality of people in politics, and the hypocrisy of campaigns.

McCain's whole pitch has been that he and Palin are different from the Republican pigs that have been wallowing around the stye and gorging themselves at the trough under Bush. He talked about the wasteful excesses of his fellow Republicans at the convention, and he said, "They elected us to change Washington, but we let Washington change us." And his campaign since then has been mostly about how he and Palin are a different kind of Republican, they are reformers who are going to eliminate waste.

This kind of thing goes completely counter to that argument. Maybe Washington can actually change a person before they are even elected to Washington? Or maybe Palin didn't change and that is just the way she really is.

[headshake]

he probably always went by barry because it sounds more white and less muslim and threatening. he probably only switched it to barack for politics because it sounds more powerful and commanding. i mean say it outloud, barry's in charge, or barrack is in charge.

not to mention it helps get the black vote. and probably the muslim vote somewhat. think about if he was going by barry. how many black people would call him a sell out and a cracker n***a. if it's good enough for your wife to call you that and your family and friends why can't the country call you that?

there are plenty of politicians that go by nicknames or accepted shortening of names of names. hell we got one in texas named kinky. the lady running against him wanted to get grandma put on the ballot. i'm pretty sure barrack wouldn't have been an insult if he was going by barry.

i go by a nickname, not my given, and i don't feel insulted when someone calls me by my given name.

-shake

[justanotherbozo]

I realize that is your intention, but it doesn't work in this case. Barry actually sounds better than Barack. :)

If he had used Barry as his name in politics, rather than his real name Barack, then some of his opponants would call him Barack as an insult.


possibly so, it doesn't change the direction he wants to take
us in and i for one am frightened at what will happen when we
have no-one in charge but liberal Democrats like Pelosi, Dodd,
Frank and Obama.

[JaySin]

So because I introduce myself to people as my given name instead of one of my nicknames, it is an affectation and vaquely dishonest? Sounds a little backwards to me.

[stinkyattic]

It would only be a dishonest affectation if you introduced yourself as The Honorable Reverend Doctor JaySin. lol. I fail to see how a nickname that does not imply advanced degrees or some other elevated status would be dishonest. Hell, I got one 6'4 buddy who we often call Shorty. I guess THAT is less than accurate...

[justanotherbozo]

It would only be a dishonest affectation if you introduced yourself as The Honorable Reverend Doctor JaySin. lol. I fail to see how a nickname that does not imply advanced degrees or some other elevated status would be dishonest. Hell, I got one 6'4 buddy who we often call Shorty. I guess THAT is less than accurate...

it must be just me.

it's like if Billy Joel decided to run for office under the name William
Joel, while it would in fact be his given name, it's not the name he
has always been known by and so, it would be an affectation and
therefore, dishonest.

and my calling him 'Barry' isn't the point anyway, it's just my way
of being somewhat derisive and dismissive, regardless of whether
others agree with me or not, which is a lot less nasty than the
things that have been said of McCain and Palin by many of the
members here.

some of the folks here have been down right nasty and mean spirited.

God forbid someone should question the anointed one,
they open themselves up for an extreme outpouring of
the most vile vitriol i've ever seen.

[Breukelen advocaat]

Goldwater isn't turning over in his grave - he was cremated. :thumbsup:

[justanotherbozo]

Goldwater isn't turning over in his grave - he was cremated. :thumbsup:

lol, now there was a 'Barry'

[headshake]

It would only be a dishonest affectation if you introduced yourself as The Honorable Reverend Doctor JaySin. lol. I fail to see how a nickname that does not imply advanced degrees or some other elevated status would be dishonest. Hell, I got one 6'4 buddy who we often call Shorty. I guess THAT is less than accurate...


af·fec·ta·tion (āf'ěk-tā'shən) Pronunciation Key
n.
1. A show, pretense, or display.
2.
1. Behavior that is assumed rather than natural; artificiality.
2. A particular habit, as of speech or dress, adopted to give a false impression.

i'm not arguing with you stinky, i think you are one of the smartest, most educated people on this board (sorry, been going through some of the LED grow light forums mess), but to me that sounds like affectation to me.

if you are an individual such as barack, with different ethnic backgrounds, and barack hussein obama II is your given name and you introduce yourself as barry (which sounds like an attempt to separate from your african heritage, just an assumption obviously) is that not a habit to give a false impression?

when he goes to predominantly black schools and starts talking this "we are gonna do this and we are gonna take over the whitehouse" i'm pretty sure he's not talking about his party. this is gonna be a ground breaking election either way, but if barack does get elected will it only be a half as grounbreaking because he is only half black? at least palin is 100% woman....as far as we know. (maybe the $150,000 wasn't for clothes. and there was more than just a conference in new york.)

i personally would want people to call me by my nickname and not my given name, even if i decided to foray into politics. (which is where i'd like to end up someday actually, but for the RIGHT reasons!) there are several reasons for this, one is i don't particularly like my given name. also, i'm a third, and i don't like my dad at all. okay, i don't know my dad at all. why would i want to go by a name given to me to carry on a tradition when there really is no tradition to carry on with no dad there? so i will not stop going by my nickname if the political career does happen to materialize. why would he?
if fellow politicians decided to call me by my given name it wouldn't bother me.

once again, if it's good enough for your friends and family why is it not good enough for a nation you want to lead? as soon as you get into politics you decided to go by your given name and for what reason? his campaign message is change right? i guess that meant change your name, not the country! maybe, like me he didn't like his dad? (i don't know much about barack's personal life.) but in my opinion, he more than likely did it to get the black vote, and the muslim vote too.

personally i don't care what color you are or what they call you, as long as you can lead this country in the right direction. take control away from corporations and put it back into the hands of the people. the lobbyist situation in washington is getting out of control. stop putting people that have the right to protest on terrorist watch lists. America is heading down a bad road indeed. Dark days. i believe that we will see civil war in my lifetime. i'm 29. if not mine, my kids for sure. and it's gonna take a lot more than a name, campaign slogan or anything else to get it done.

we need health care for everyone. we have to take the power from the large drug companies. i think that would help alleviate a lot of the economical problems that this country has. well obviously not as much now, thanks to all of this mortgage crap. where was washington then? oh yeah, they just gave them all of OUR money to bail them out. and maybe the can make some money out of this ordeal (but this is our government we are talking about, they did just add a paper dollar sign to the national deficit counter so they could use left-most display to add another number!) what took so long? that's America for you, one big corporation! it's disgusting and makes my stomach hurt.

not to mention we need education for everyone, immigration and taxes fixed (the irs still owes back taxes i believe). that's just to name a few. medicare and social security are set to run out soon. in the next couple of years (i can't remember, maybe '09 one will be paying out more than it is taking in and the other one will follow suit shortly). and by what, 2030 or whatever it was, maybe a little later, they will be out of money in the surplus for those programs. they knew it would fail when they setup social secuirty. WTF! thanks lbj. the whole insurance fiasco was probably one of the worst decisions in the history of america.

don't get me started on the prison system overhaul that needs to happen, as well as the reform of laws between the federal and state levels. especially drug laws (our favorite herb legalized being number one!) how is it that we can have state and federal laws that are in direct confliction?

maybe an eye for an eye mentality would help some there?

i'll stop ranting now. sorry. i'm just passionate about this country (i was a marine, and i've been around the world, i've seen some real sh*tholes and bogus governments.) it just pisses me off to see americans taken advantage of and lied to. and i hate seeing the seperation of classes expanding. there is enough money for everyone to live comfortably. but we have to do what they say when we are under there thumb.

if barack wins, he will be the first senator to become president since jfk if i'm not mistaken. and i think we all remember what happend to him.....

-shake

[justanotherbozo]

af·fec·ta·tion (āf'ěk-tā'shən) Pronunciation Key
n.
1. A show, pretense, or display.
2.
1. Behavior that is assumed rather than natural; artificiality.
2. A particular habit, as of speech or dress, adopted to give a false impression.

i'm not arguing with you stinky, i think you are one of the smartest, most educated people on this board (sorry, been going through some of the LED grow light forums mess), but to me that sounds like affectation to me.

if you are an individual such as barack, with different ethnic backgrounds, and barack hussein obama II is your given name and you introduce yourself as barry (which sounds like an attempt to separate from your african heritage, just an assumption obviously) is that not a habit to give a false impression?

when he goes to predominantly black schools and starts talking this "we are gonna do this and we are gonna take over the whitehouse" i'm pretty sure he's not talking about his party. this is gonna be a ground breaking election either way, but if barack does get elected will it only be a half as grounbreaking because he is only half black? at least palin is 100% woman....as far as we know. (maybe the $150,000 wasn't for clothes. and there was more than just a conference in new york.)

i personally would want people to call me by my nickname and not my given name, even if i decided to foray into politics. (which is where i'd like to end up someday actually, but for the RIGHT reasons!) there are several reasons for this, one is i don't particularly like my given name. also, i'm a third, and i don't like my dad at all. okay, i don't know my dad at all. why would i want to go by a name given to me to carry on a tradition when there really is no tradition to carry on with no dad there? so i will not stop going by my nickname if the political career does happen to materialize. why would he?
if fellow politicians decided to call me by my given name it wouldn't bother me.

once again, if it's good enough for your friends and family why is it not good enough for a nation you want to lead? as soon as you get into politics you decided to go by your given name and for what reason? his campaign message is change right? i guess that meant change your name, not the country! maybe, like me he didn't like his dad? (i don't know much about barack's personal life.) but in my opinion, he more than likely did it to get the black vote, and the muslim vote too.

personally i don't care what color you are or what they call you, as long as you can lead this country in the right direction. take control away from corporations and put it back into the hands of the people. the lobbyist situation in washington is getting out of control. stop putting people that have the right to protest on terrorist watch lists. America is heading down a bad road indeed. Dark days. i believe that we will see civil war in my lifetime. i'm 29. if not mine, my kids for sure. and it's gonna take a lot more than a name, campaign slogan or anything else to get it done.

we need health care for everyone. we have to take the power from the large drug companies. i think that would help alleviate a lot of the economical problems that this country has. well obviously not as much now, thanks to all of this mortgage crap. where was washington then? oh yeah, they just gave them all of OUR money to bail them out. and maybe the can make some money out of this ordeal (but this is our government we are talking about, they did just add a paper dollar sign to the national deficit counter so they could use left-most display to add another number!) what took so long? that's America for you, one big corporation! it's disgusting and makes my stomach hurt.

not to mention we need education for everyone, immigration and taxes fixed (the irs still owes back taxes i believe). that's just to name a few. medicare and social security are set to run out soon. in the next couple of years (i can't remember, maybe '09 one will be paying out more than it is taking in and the other one will follow suit shortly). and by what, 2030 or whatever it was, maybe a little later, they will be out of money in the surplus for those programs. they knew it would fail when they setup social secuirty. WTF! thanks lbj. the whole insurance fiasco was probably one of the worst decisions in the history of america.

don't get me started on the prison system overhaul that needs to happen, as well as the reform of laws between the federal and state levels. especially drug laws (our favorite herb legalized being number one!) how is it that we can have state and federal laws that are in direct confliction?

maybe an eye for an eye mentality would help some there?

i'll stop ranting now. sorry. i'm just passionate about this country (i was a marine, and i've been around the world, i've seen some real sh*tholes and bogus governments.) it just pisses me off to see americans taken advantage of and lied to. and i hate seeing the seperation of classes expanding. there is enough money for everyone to live comfortably. but we have to do what they say when we are under there thumb.

if barack wins, he will be the first senator to become president since jfk if i'm not mistaken. and i think we all remember what happend to him.....

-shake

lol, i don't know shake, are you for or against?

[stinkyattic]

Headshake, I'm not ignoring your valid points, I just don't have time to discuss any deeper- I gotta get moving; supposed to be slinging Polynesian cocktails in 5...4...3...2...



it's like if Billy Joel decided to run for office under the name William
Joel, while it would in fact be his given name, it's not the name he
has always been known by and so, it would be an affectation and
therefore, dishonest.Dude. It's the name on his drivers' license. How the heck is that dishonest? Not tracking... lol.

I'm concerned about substance over title. You want to pick an issue, this one is at the very BOTTOM of the importance barrel IMVHO.

A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet...

[justanotherbozo]

Headshake, I'm not ignoring your valid points, I just don't have time to discuss any deeper- I gotta get moving; supposed to be slinging Polynesian cocktails in 5...4...3...2...

Dude. It's the name on his drivers' license. How the heck is that dishonest? Not tracking... lol.

I'm concerned about substance over title. You want to pick an issue, this one is at the very BOTTOM of the importance barrel IMVHO.

A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet...

lol, i agree completely that his name is completely irrelevant to the discussion.

his name only came up as a side thing between Breukelen advocaat and i, here is the post i refer to

"Breukelen advocaat -- There is nothing wrong with calling Barack Obama by the name "Barry", but he's not known by this in his public life today and it can be confusing. I would think that "Barry" is the name his wife, family and friends call him."

and my response

"justanotherbozo -- Quote:
Originally Posted by Breukelen advocaat
There is nothing wrong with calling Barack Obama by the name "Barry", but he's not known by this in his public life today and it can be confusing. I would think that "Barry" is the name his wife and family call him.


i call him that because that was his name until he entered politics.
to me, that makes it an affectation and vaguely dishonest.

my intent is also to be somewhat dismissive and derisive"

lol, i had no idea that would result in such a long discussion of his name.

[JaySin]

Barack was not made famous under the name 'Barry'. So it is hardly being dishonest. It is a nickname between a smaller group of people. Now if it was a nickname that the whole country new him by and he ran with his real name instead of his nickname, then it may be dishonest. If that were the case, then I would suggest something like Barack 'Barry' Obama.

[justanotherbozo]

ROTFLMAO

[JaySin]

Nice response.

Now that we've gone completely off topic, (Seems to be the typical republican defense) maybe we should go back to trying to figure out why a group of people would need over 20,000 each for a new wardrobe?

[Psycho4Bud]

I'd imagine that the name "Barry" come into play when momma dumped lil' Barack off at grandma's doorstep to go romping back to Indonesia. (Whoops, he come from a POOR family right?) "This is my grandson, lil' Barack Hussein"; not at grandma's house! This is lil' Barry.;) Nothing wrong with that, I'm sure if his first name was Saddam grandma would have called him lil' Sammy.:D

Have a good one!:s4:

[headshake]

lol, i don't know shake, are you for or against?

i'm not republican or democrat. i'm a best person for the job person. i refuse to limit myself to a certain train of thought due to a title. but to answer your question bozo, against!

sorry to get off topic guys. and yeah, $150,000 is a bit excessive for clothing. did oprah take her shopping? they should just have donated that money and let her campaign in her "rags".

there needs to be some kind of cap to the amount of money parties can use to campaign. ridiculous.

-shake

[Psycho4Bud]

sorry to get off topic guys. and yeah, $150,000 is a bit excessive for clothing. did oprah take her shopping?

Everybody wants a candidate that can relate to them in a fiscal sense and then when one comes along she's ignorant, etc.. MAYBE the reason that they bought the clothing is to keep her up with the million dollar men that are the other candidates.


they should just have donated that money and let her campaign in her "rags".

Reminds me of the story about cheap Joe Biden's donations:

Gross Income Charity

1998 $215,432 $195
1999 $210,797 $120
2000 $219,953 $360
2001 $220,712 $360
2002 $227,811 $260
2003 $231,375 $260
2004 $234,271 $380
2005 $321,379 $380
2006 $248,459 $380
2007 $319,853 $995

Total $2,450,042 $3,690

But of course, in his words, it's patriotic to give.

Have a good one!:s4:

[thcbongman]

It's Palin's fault that she shouldn't have been so stupid to put it in the states tab from an ethical standpoint. This is a clear case of government waste. However there are certain procedures that she'd have to go through in order to spend excessively on the hotels and expenditures for her children. Someone authorized it.

[veggii]

you know, not for nothing but if the RNC hadn't invested in her
wardrobe, sure as shit, the media would be all over her for her
attire.

and considering how much the Dem's are spending on this campaign,
and the number of ACORN offices under investigation, it surprises me
anyone would want to talk about money. you think those suits of
Barry's are cheap?

here just too remind you where 150,000 of US taxpayers money went,
3 times more money than the majority of americans will ever make in thier entire life !
Sarah Palin: Hockey Mom with $150,000 Wardrobe - Associated Content (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1133408/sarah_palin_hockey_mom_with_150000.html?page=2&cat=7)

close windowThe latest breaking news, down the stretch in the campaign for leadership of the Free World, is that the Republican National Committee has spent $150,000 since Labor Day to keep Sarah Palin and her family looking sharp.

This an odd revelation. Palin primped herself up well enough to win the Alaska governor's election, obtaining her wardrobe from her own family budget. But the story must be true. This vital news first was reported by Politico.com, which is among the minority of political websites because it actually is accurate and balanced.

Palin's people issued no denials in response to the Politico.com account, no further decrying of the liberal media. It would be difficult, after all, to describe the media as "elite" after spending $150,000 on clothing and accessories and hair.

Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella absorbed the first battering from the media after Politico.com released its report. She gravely told the assembled reporters, "The campaign does not comment on strategic decisions regarding how financial resources available to the campaign are spent," said Comella, not exactly forthcoming.

A more senior Palin spokeswoman, Tracey Schmidt, decided to bring the wardrobe issue out of the closet.

"With all the important issues facing the country right now, it's remarkable that we're spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses," Schmitt said. This answer is oblivious to the fact that (a) such expenses would violate campaign finance law, and that (b) people who portray Palin as a down-to-earth breath of fresh air may question spending three times as much as an average family's total annual income.

"It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign," Schmitt added. Now she's talking. Palin's loyalists are very, very loyal, and an auction might raise $15 million, much less $150,000.

pg2

Spending is documented on the Republican National Committee's own campaign finance reports, and so the liberal media did not make this up. The top line item is $75,062 at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, which was the site of the GOP National Convention during the first week of September. Next comes $49,425 from Saks Fifth Avenue stores in New York City and St. Louis.

When people spend this much on clothes, don't they usually try them on themselves? However, such a shopping trip by Palin would have attracted media hordes, so somebody in the campaign must have taken her measurements and gone from there. Either that, or Tina Fey tried on the clothes.

Another $4,716 went for Palin's hair and makeup. Even the baby in the family was included, with a combined $250 spent at Pacifier and at Steiniauf & Stroller.

Give Politico.com credit for political balance. Palin was not singled out. Obama wears $4,000 suits and $300 ties, although there is no evidence that the Democratic National Committee foots the bill. Hillary Clinton was mocked for $1,500 hair-doos, and John Edwards for $400 haircuts. Even McCain himself has been striding in $520 Ferragamo leather shoes. And we may recall the 2000 campaign, when Al Gore abruptly and all too obviously began wearing earth tones in a quest to revamp his snobby image.

Amid all of this, the McCain campaign complains that it lacks competitive funds to keep up with Barack Obama's flood of television advertising. How many ads could $150,000 have purchased?

SOURCES

politico.com/news/stories/1008/14805.html

nypost.com/seven/10222008/news/politics/shop_spree_sarahs_150g_party_clothes_134694.htm


I find it insulting, she outta be shame herselfish :twocents:

[happiestmferoutthere]

Whats that Sarah Palin is saying?! When they asked her about her wardrobe I thought it sounded like she said "Let them eat cake!"

[dragonrider]

Everybody wants a candidate that can relate to them in a fiscal sense and then when one comes along she's ignorant, etc.. MAYBE the reason that they bought the clothing is to keep her up with the million dollar men that are the other candidates.



Reminds me of the story about cheap Joe Biden's donations:

Gross Income Charity

1998 $215,432 $195
1999 $210,797 $120
2000 $219,953 $360
2001 $220,712 $360
2002 $227,811 $260
2003 $231,375 $260
2004 $234,271 $380
2005 $321,379 $380
2006 $248,459 $380
2007 $319,853 $995

Total $2,450,042 $3,690

But of course, in his words, it's patriotic to give.

Have a good one!:s4:

Now when Sarah Palin gives away all her RNC Valentino jackets and Gucci handbags to charity next year, she can claim her charitable donations are $150,000! Ha ha ha ha ha! Maybe Biden should see if the DNC can kick down some Ermenegeldo Zegna suits for him to pass on to Saint Vincent de Paul and boost his charity numbers for ya, P4B!

If anyone is interested in picking up some slightly used haute couture, I'd suggest the Wassila Goodwill sometime in mid November! You'll probably meet Tina Fey there looking for some great bargains that are sure to fit perfectly.

I was thinking that maybe Sarah Palin should try to get on the new Paris Hilton reality show on MTV, Paris Hilton's My New BFF. If Paris picked Sarah to be her new BFF, then maybe Paris could give Sarah some shopping tips so that she could learn to keep her expenses down a bit. I mean, Paris Hilton is filthy rich, but even she doesn't blow through $3000 a day on clothes, EVERY SINGLE DAY! Unlike a politician, a billionaire heiress has to live within her means! Ha ha ha ha ha! In Sarah Palin's case, BFF would stand for Buttload of Free Fashions!

I swear to God, if I had $150,000 to spend on clothes, it would last me more than 2 entire lifetimes. What the hell could it all be for? Really. Seriously. I am very curious about this. I want to know how a person could spend that much on clothes, even for an entire famly of people who have to look their very very best every single day. Maybe someone is running some kind of fake budget item thorugh Sarah's clothing expense account, and the money is really to buy weed for RNC accoutants. I certainly hope so.

[dragonrider]

I wonder if any of the "elites" spend $3,000 every day on clothes, or if that is only something that goes on in the "real America."

[JakeMartinez]

You can go to Wal*Mart and get a month's worth of professional looking outfits for under 10,000, so it's not a question of "She would have been made fun of" or anything like that, it's the gross contradiction of someone running as the average person who's been abducted from her hockey mom duties (she's been a politician for what, a decade? She's no longer anything close to a regular person anymore) to run for vice-president spends 150,000 of her party's money to feel like a rock star.

If I were a Republican donor, I'd be pissed. Really.

[Psycho4Bud]

I swear to God, if I had $150,000 to spend on clothes, it would last me more than 2 entire lifetimes. What the hell could it all be for? Really. Seriously. I am very curious about this.

I also wonder how much Obama has spent on them tailored suits he's always wearing. Seems funny that when it's about the RNC you find this type of thing as an "issue" but in regards to subjects like Rev. Wright and William Ayers you don't.:wtf:

........and still no mention of "Cheap Joe Bidens" charitable contributions.

Have a good one!:s4:

[justanotherbozo]

first, to veggi, ths money that was spent on her cloths wasn't
taxpayer money so it didn't cost you a dime unless you voluntarily
donated to the republican party.

also, she isn't keeping those cloths forever, nor is she just gonna
bag them up and toss them in the Goodwill bin. she gets to wear
them for a week and then thay are stored so they can be auctioned
off later. they will probably bring in more than they cost and that
money will be donated to charity.

lets try to be fair and understand that the Palins are the only ones
in this race that aren't millionaires.

oh yeah, Jaysin, if they had gone to Walmart and spent the entire
$150,000.00 they'd still look like rubes in the eyes of the media.

and happiest, why don't you eat cake, or maybe you
should stop eating cake

and anyone that wants to make an issue about her traveling with
her family should remember that she sold the former Governor's
private jet, i suppose she could have kept it and then no-one
would be talking about the cost of her having her family with her,
but that wouldn't have been the right thing for Alaskans.

and why is it that no-one here is outraged at what a cheap prick
Joe Biden is? think about it, out of 2.4 million, he gives $3,600.00,
what the fuck is that? i guess, in truth, he isn't very patriotic.

thanks for the heads up boss

[texas grass]

I also wonder how much Obama has spent on them tailored suits he's always wearing. Seems funny that when it's about the RNC you find this type of thing as an "issue" but in regards to subjects like Rev. Wright and William Ayers you don't.:wtf:

........and still no mention of "Cheap Joe Bidens" charitable contributions.

Have a good one!:s4:

why dont you go to the dnc and show where obama and biden used campaign money to buy 150k worth of clothes

this thread is about waist of money not ayres or wright

[justanotherbozo]

why dont you go to the dnc and show where obama and biden used campaign money to buy 150k worth of clothes

this thread is about waist of money not ayres or wright

it wasn't 'campaign' money dude, and it wasn't taxpayer money
either, it was money donated to the RNC by people that want America
to remain free. and i guess you didn't bother to read the previous post
explaining how those cloths will be auctioned off for more than they cost,
with all proceeds going to charity. so it wasn't a waste.

oh, and just so you know, 'waist' is where you put your belt, and
'waste' is what it is reading your words

[stinkyattic]

Tailoring is more common and less expensive than you would expect.

Very few people, male or female, can buy a suit or formal dress off the rack and have it fit perfectly without tailoring.
Last time I had alterations done on a business suit it cost me about $30. An evening gown re-hem cost $15.
You wanna get Barack 'Barry' Obama's 'look'? He's a sharp dresser; but that doesn't mean he spent $2500 on a Valentino jacket! Try this- go down to the local last-season retailer (marshalls, tjmaxx, filenes basement, burlington coat factory, etc), spend $100- $150 on a nice suit (yes, this is an accurate price range for a non-couture designer suit from these types of retailers), spend another $50 (being generous) to have the sleeves done and the slacks taken in and hemmed, and you have a perfectly reasonable business suit that fits as if it was made for you. This is what us normal everyday cubicle-monkeys do... hell, I even had them do my motorcycle leathers! Rrrowr!

[justanotherbozo]

Tailoring is more common and less expensive than you would expect.

Very few people, male or female, can buy a suit or formal dress off the rack and have it fit perfectly without tailoring.
Last time I had alterations done on a business suit it cost me about $30. An evening gown re-hem cost $15.
You wanna get Barack 'Barry' Obama's 'look'? He's a sharp dresser; but that doesn't mean he spent $2500 on a Valentino jacket! Try this- go down to the local last-season retailer (marshalls, tjmaxx, filenes basement, burlington coat factory, etc), spend $100- $150 on a nice suit (yes, this is an accurate price range for a non-couture designer suit from these types of retailers), spend another $50 (being generous) to have the sleeves done and the slacks taken in and hemmed, and you have a perfectly reasonable business suit that fits as if it was made for you. This is what us normal everyday cubicle-monkeys do... hell, I even had them do my motorcycle leathers! Rrrowr!

what sucks is how everyone is making an issue over money that was spent
so the media wouldn't say they were dressed like 'cubicle monkeys'.
keep in mind that the Palins are the only ones in this race that aren't rich,
even by Obama's standards.

and don't kid yourself, those suits cost at least $2000.00, ask any guy
who's ever shopped for a suit.

man, here we are talking about cloths rather than about this Obama
character who began his political career in the living room of a domestic
terrorist. or how he bought his house, with a $300,000.00 price break,
from a thief, or how he spent 20 years listening to a radical preacher!

i'm completely flabbergasted that anyone would even consider
electing this guy. shit, he's gonna get elected simply bedause
he's black for God's sake. i guess that'll prove we're not racists.

he has no experience at all and he hangs around with some awful
shady characters and, when asked about it, he pretends ignorance,
if he's really telling the truth that he didn't know about Ayers past
then hes a fool because Ayers is very open about his beliefs, even
to this day. he must be the only person in America that didn't know
about him, he sure ought to have known if he planned a career in politics

so, he's either stupid, or a liar, either way, he's undeserving of the
presidency!

[happiestmferoutthere]

happiest, why don't you eat cake, or maybe you should stop eating cake
First off all that doesn't make sense. :wtf:
and second of all I can't barely afford cake any more. Maybe the repubs will throw me some crumbs?! Doesn't seem like it. I'm starving here!!( figuratively speaking, of course)
I realize you think I should vote for the guy whose plan won't help me at all, but I'm not into that. I have an idea. You can send all the extra money you'll save with Obamas plan and send it directly to John McCain. That way I'll get my tax break, and you can still give all your money to the Republicans.:thumbsup: I, for one, am done with that.
Oh, and bozo, Sarah Palin did a new interview on FOX. Maybe you should watch it and find out about this Aryes guy. I'm sure they uncovered something new.(insert sarcasm here) He sounds shady to me!;)

[justanotherbozo]

First off all that doesn't make sense. :wtf:
and second of all I can't barely afford cake any more. Maybe the repubs will throw me some crumbs?! Doesn't seem like it. I'm starving here!!( figuratively speaking, of course)
I realize you think I should vote for the guy whose plan won't help me at all, but I'm not into that. I have an idea. You can send all the extra money you'll save with Obamas plan and send it directly to John McCain. That way I'll get my tax break, and you can still give all your money to the Republicans.:thumbsup: I, for one, am done with that.
Oh, and bozo, Sarah Palin did a new interview on FOX. Maybe you should watch it and find out about this Aryes guy. I'm sure they uncovered something new.(insert sarcasm here) He sounds shady to me!;)

i already watch Fox hon, and MSNBC and CNN too. which means i already saw that interview.

and you're so busy hating Bush and painting McCain with that brush that
you aren't really looking at this guy Obama and what he's gonna do to
your wallet once he gets in.

or maybe it's just that you're too young to have lived through the '70's.

maybe you should study some history so you'll know where Obama wants
to take you and your family, what kind of world he wants to 'provide' for
your children. or maybe you don't care about thier future.

think about it, what if you are wrong? do you think we'll be able to just
'go back'?

"That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."
-- Thomas Jefferson

"With all these blessings, what more is necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people? Still one thing more, fellow citizens -- a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities."
-- Thomas Jefferson, from his First Inaugural Address

"The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced; the arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced. If the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt, people must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."
-- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 55 BC

[flyingimam]

i already watch Fox hon, and MSNBC and CNN too. which means i already saw that interview.

and you're so busy hating Bush and painting McCain with that brush that
you aren't really looking at this guy Obama and what he's gonna do to
your wallet once he gets in.

or maybe it's just that you're too young to have lived through the '70's.

maybe you should study some history so you'll know where Obama wants
to take you and your family, what kind of world he wants to 'provide' for
your children. or maybe you don't care about thier future.

think about it, what if you are wrong? do you think we'll be able to just
'go back'?

"That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."
-- Thomas Jefferson

"With all these blessings, what more is necessary to make us a happy and prosperous people? Still one thing more, fellow citizens -- a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities."
-- Thomas Jefferson, from his First Inaugural Address

"The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced; the arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced. If the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt, people must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."
-- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 55 BC

nice quotes, will ya get real for a sec? in the last 8 years we have had the largest growth in government spending and this is totally a conservative govt

just cuz 200 years ago some party had some values it does not mean they are sticking by it anymore, cuz u can see that very few influential people are for the original small fed govt intended for us by the 4 fathers among the right, they keep talking about it but in action almost everyone votes in a way that indirectly or directly has led to this gigantic and manipulative govt we got now, revoking some of our most important rights, running undeclared wars, and running big deficits

there is a reason for all the "bashing"

[stinkyattic]

oh, and just so you know, 'waist' is where you put your belt, and
'waste' is what it is reading your words
This sort of comment is NOT cool and is considered a personal attack. FYI.
If this thread degenerates into attacking other members it is GONE so if you want to keep on arguing/debating I suggest you do it with more respect for the other people on this site.
Thank you.

Edit: Digging deeper, we have an ongoing issue.

[justanotherbozo]

nice quotes, will ya get real for a sec? in the last 8 years we have had the largest growth in government spending and this is totally a conservative govt

lol, i guess the dot-com bubble bursting, 9\11, 2 wars and the near colapse
of the entire economy don't explain some of that spending, something 'real'
you seem unable to credit.


just cuz 200 years ago some party had some values it does not mean they are sticking by it anymore, cuz u can see that very few influential people are for the original small fed govt intended for us by the 4 fathers among the right, they keep talking about it but in action almost everyone votes in a way that indirectly or directly has led to this gigantic and manipulative govt we got now, revoking some of our most important rights, running undeclared wars, and running big deficits

there is a reason for all the "bashing"

and, with all due 'respect', those guy's in that party 200 years ago,
with those values? those were the founding fathers of this country
and it was those values that have made this country the greatest
country on the planet, even now.

the bigger the government becomes, the less free you are, that's the reality.

"A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away."
-- Barry Goldwater

[dragonrider]

Seems funny that when it's about the RNC you find this type of thing as an "issue"

I know it's not a REAL issue, but it is a hillarious laugh riot! She's passing herself off as a maverick reformer, out to cut wasteful spending, just an ordinary hockey mom, not one of the elites, part of the "real" America --- and she is spending $3,000 a day on haute couture!

Hypocrisy can be funny!


it wasn't 'campaign' money dude, and it wasn't taxpayer money
either, it was money donated to the RNC by people that want America
to remain free.

Apparently it was money donated to the RNC by people who want Valentino, Gucci, and Armani to remain free.

If you believe McCain and Palin, their support is among Joe the Plumbers across the nation, so if Joe the Plumber wants to donate to the RNC so that Sarah Palin can spend more money on clothes in a month than Joe makes in a year, that's Joe's perrogative. But if Joe resents that, I can see why.

[Psycho4Bud]

I know it's not a REAL issue, but it is a hillarious laugh riot! She's passing herself off as a maverick reformer, out to cut wasteful spending, just an ordinary hockey mom, not one of the elites, part of the "real" America --- and she is spending $3,000 a day on haute couture!

Hypocrisy can be funny!

I agree that hyupocrisy can be funny like the statement cheap Joe made about giving up your money for the common good is patriotic. For somebody that gives less than MANY middle income people this dude should win an award for hypocrisy.

Have a good one!:s4:

[stinkyattic]

Things have changed a bit since the time of the founding fathers. Welfare and other public assistance, for example, were not as big an issue in a young country that had not had time to become overpopulated, and where there was more work than there were people to do it. While their philosophical approach to a government for the people is timeless (ironic that one of their problems with the Monarchy was frittering away money on expensive crap, and that's how the French nobility lost their bewigged and powdered heads during THAT revolution of the same era- LET THEM EAT CAKE! *chop *thud), trying to apply that philosophy in the modern world takes a far deeper understanding of its tenets...

OBVIOUSLY the wars are a major outlet for government spending- unpopular wars, that The People are having a hard time digesting, as tehy were shoved down our throats with the lubricant of National Security and Patriotism...

Edit: Anyone remember that the early settlers of this fine country were so appalled by the excesses of the contemporary monarchy, that the wearing of something so simple as silver coat-buttons or any type of jewelry was considered scandalous in some communities?

[Dutch Pimp]

LET THEM EAT CAKE! *chop *thud),

Louie XVI's girlfriend gave good head....:thumbsup:

film at eleven

[headshake]

the clothes thing is getting a little old. bottom line, it wasn't any or our money (unless you donated).

we should spend more time worrying about the issues at hand. like the TAXPAYER money the government used to bail all of these people that bought houses they couldn't afford or signed mortgages that were ridiculous in the rhetoric.

for everyone out there who thinks obama has a plan, for the economy and for taxes, wake up. he has a plan, sure. they all do to get elected. but they either change there mind onece they get elected or they can't get it passed in congress. you must realize the president doesn't have that much power. all of this must go through the congress. so he can have wonderful ideas. so what. the bottom line is they must be real world ideas. ones that will actualy work.

for all the mccain haters out there you need to show that man some respect. he spent 7 years in a cage so you can type your rants on this forum. not to mention he's beaten cancer like 4 times. he is a real american hero. i'm not saying that should make you voter for him but show him some respect. when you sign up for the military you basically sign your life away. you do what your told whether you like it or not. so don't argue about "i don't stand for that war, blah blah blah". bottom line is there are 17, 18, and 19+ year old kids dying everyday. and your congress voted for war. and we are worrying about $150,000. come one. what did barack ever do? get harrassed for being half black? whoa!

-shake

edit: and you guys do realize that if obama gets elected and blows it how much that is gonna set minorities in politics back? sure he's a slick talker, but so is the devil! (and i'm not calling him the devil.)

and you can get suits tailor made in thailand for $100 US.

[dragonrider]

and don't kid yourself, those suits cost at least $2000.00, ask any guy
who's ever shopped for a suit.

Suits can be expensive, that is true. The most expensive piece of clothing I ever bought was a suit. I got it at Men's Wearhouse. It was about $300. Then I paid them to have it altered and also bought 3 shirts, 3 ties, a belt, a tie clip, and a pailr of shoes, so by the time I was out the door with a full outfit for three occaisions, I was up to about $700, which completely blew my mind. It seemed like too much, because I was paying for it with my own money, not donations. But my wife really liked it, so it was unavoidable at that point. That was 7 years ago, and I've had a few occaisions a year to wear it, so it amortizes out OK, maybe $30 per event.

But that's just me out here in the "real America." If you are one of the "elite" in politics you really do have to look your best, and maybe the suits do cost $2000. I don't know. In the case of Obama and Biden, they pay for their own clothes, so I guess we could ask them how much. But since they do pay for it themselves, whose business is it anyway?

And I do have to concede the point that if the Palins cannot afford to look like a presidential family, then it makes sense that the RNC pay to make them presentable. Seems to me though that they could do it for less than $150,000, especially if their entire theme is cutting wasteful spending. I'm pretty sure that if anyone is spending $3000 every single day on clothes, there is some wasteful spending in there, and maybe a maverick costcutter should get in there and shake up those fatcats! You betcha!

[Dutch Pimp]

for all the mccain haters out there you need to show that man some respect. he spent 7 years in a cage so you can type your rants on this forum.

the Hanoi Hilton was better than a "tiger cage" POW. Those poor souls never made it out alive. (example..."Deer Hunter")

[allrollsin21]

The idea that if they were to buy cheaper clothes for the Palin family, they would be exposed or laughed at by the media is really funny. Here's why.

1. Politicians spin and here is how this could be spun. First off why not make it public before they buy the clothes that they are spending X amount of dollars, for X amount of reasons, and are auctioning them off after the race and donating the money to charity. Why that actually sounds like a nice way to race some money for the less fortunate.

2. Why not dress her in 300 dollar suits and when the media supposedly laughs and exposes her, respond by saying that this is a spending cut, which us repubs are all about. Now that would be a unique and i believe positive move for the republicans.

In conclusion i believe that they are full of shit on the donation part. Well yeah now they will, but the "plan all along", bullcoughsh*t.
In the hard to imagine chance that Sarah Palin is VP after this election, is she going to donate all these clothes and then wear her Gov. rags to meet with all the world leaders?

[dragonrider]

Maybe Sarah palin should do a stump speech from Neiman Marcus:

"I just love getting out here in the Real America and meeting with all the Real Americans, here at Neiman Marcus, away from all those elites. I love meeting with people like Joe the Tailor, Suzy the Stylist, and Pam the Personal Shopper.

I'm here to tell you that Barack Obama wants to tax the shirt off your back. You betcha! And with shirts going for $3,000 a pop, who can afford that?

Molly the Model and Patty the Pedicurist can't afford that. And neither can Harry the Haberdasher. That's because they are Real Americans, like hockey moms across the nation.

And you know the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? $150,000 worth of couture!"

[Mississippi Steve]

I also wonder how much Obama has spent on them tailored suits he's always wearing. Seems funny that when it's about the RNC you find this type of thing as an "issue" but in regards to subjects like Rev. Wright and William Ayers you don't.:wtf:

........and still no mention of "Cheap Joe Bidens" charitable contributions.

Have a good one!:s4:

Makes one wonder just how many $1500 - $2000 Brooks Brothers and Savil Row suits Obama and Biden have in their closets then add all the $150 ties and $100 shirts.....don't forget the $1500/pr shoes.

[Breukelen advocaat]

Palin favors "small town" culture and patriotism - here's her spin on the expenses.


Palin calls herself a frugal shopper when at home

40 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) â?? Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, on whom the GOP has lavished $150,000 for designer clothes and beauty services, says her family shops frugally back home in Alaska and her favorite store is a consignment shop.

Purchases by the Republican National Committee at high-end department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus appeared in spending reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. They offered a stark contrast to Palin's image as a "hockey mom" who calls herself part of an average, middle-class American family.

"Those clothes are not my property. We had three days of using clothes that the RNC purchased," Palin told Fox News in an interview that aired Thursday night.

"If people knew how Todd and I and our kids shop so frugally. My favorite shop is a consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska, called Out of the Closet. And my shoe store is called Shoe Fly in Juneau, Alaska. ... It's not, you know, Fifth Avenue-type of shopping."

In one shopping spree for Palin, the RNC spent $75,062 at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis. It also spent $49,425 at Saks Fifth Avenue and $4,902 at Atelier, a stylish men's store, and paid $92 for a romper and matching hat with ears for her infant son, Trig, at Pacifier, a Minneapolis baby store.

The McCain campaign reported paying $13,200 in September to celebrity makeup artist Amy Strozzi, who works on the reality show "So You Think You Can Dance." She was paid $22,800 for the first two weeks of October, nearly double what the campaign paid McCain's foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, according to a filing report.

Palin said the clothing purchased by the RNC would be returned or donated to charities.

The Associated Press: Palin calls herself a frugal shopper when at home (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gN2UuEbyF64GtuHQfJzWDqDg7PqgD94105FG0)

[dragonrider]

Makes one wonder just how many $1500 - $2000 Brooks Brothers and Savil Row suits Obama and Biden have in their closets then add all the $150 ties and $100 shirts.....don't forget the $1500/pr shoes.

Clothes this expensive are sort of ridiculous for anyone, but if they pay for it themselves, who cares? Palin's problem is that was not her money and it was outrageously over-the-top waste for a "maverick reformer" whose whole schtick is cutting wasteful spending.

[Breukelen advocaat]

Palin stylist draws higher pay than policy adviser

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press
Oct. 24, 2008

WASHINGTON â?? An acclaimed celebrity makeup artist for Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin collected more money from John McCain's campaign than his foreign policy adviser.

Amy Strozzi, who works on the reality show "So You Think You Can Dance" and has been Palin's traveling stylist, was paid $22,800, according to campaign finance reports for the first two weeks in October. In contrast, McCain's foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, was paid $12,500, the report showed.

McCain's campaign said the payment covered a portion of her work in September and a portion of October. An earlier campaign finance report showed Strozzi was paid $13,200 for a portion of September.

In recent days, McCain and his running mate have tried to douse a furor over how their side spent their money. The Republican National Committee came under scrutiny after the party committee reported earlier this week that it had spent about $150,000 in September on wardrobe and cosmetics after Palin joined the GOP ticket.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune and Fox News on Thursday, Palin said the clothes bought for the Republican National Convention were not worth $150,000 and said most have not left her campaign plane. She also said the family shops frugally.

"Those clothes are not my property. We had three days of using clothes that the RNC purchased," Palin told Fox News in an interview that aired Thursday night.

There was no evidence of additional clothing purchases in the most recent reports.

The Obama campaign has said it paid for hair and makeup costs associated with interviews or events, but neither the campaign nor the Democratic National Committee has paid for clothing.

The reports showed that Barack Obama and McCain enter the final days of the presidential campaign amid dwindling reserves, with Obama hindered by a sudden drop in fundraising and McCain restrained by spending limits.

Obama, the Democratic nominee, spent more than $105 million during the first two weeks of October, according to campaign finance reports. He reported raising only $36 million for his campaign during that period, about half the fundraising pace he enjoyed in September.

The Illinois senator shattered records and dumbfounded Republicans and Democrats by raising $150 million in September. Obama could still do better in October. His more recent report showed he had taken no share from a joint Obama-Democratic Party victory fund that raised about $27 million during the same October period.

But with the election 11 days away, both Obama and McCain, the Republican nominee, are operating with diminishing funds.

Obama had nearly $66 million in the bank at the end of the two-week period and debts of about $2.3 million. The Democratic National Committee and the joint victory fund reported combined cash on hand of $31 million.

McCain and the Republican National Committee reported having a combined $84 million as of last week to spend before Election Day.

The reports illustrated Obama's superior financial position going into October. He spent more than $80 million on media advertising. McCain, using his resources and the Republican National Committee's, spent a combined $38 million on ads.

McCain, who has accepted public financing for his campaign, is restricted in his spending. As of Oct. 15 he had more than $25 million in hand and more than $1 million in debts. The RNC, which has been helping his candidacy, had more than $59 million in the bank.

At McCain's spending rate of $1.5 million a day, the Arizona senator likely has only $12 million to spend in the next 11 days before the Nov. 4 election. He began the fall campaign in September with $84 million in public funds.

Obama is not participating in the public finance system, a strategy he used to advantage in September with a remarkable surge of donations. His October fundraising slowed, even though Democrats had hoped that presidential and vice presidential debates held during that period would have spurred additional giving.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, issued e-mail fundraising appeals on Thursday. The candidate warned supporters that "the margins of victory in crucial battleground states will be small."

Added his wife: "It all comes down to Friday morning when we make the last, tough choices about where we can fight â?? and how hard."

McCain's major expense was advertising â?? he spent more than $19 million from Oct. 1-15 on ads. The RNC contributed an extra $10 million to help with those media buys. It also spent $8.5 million on ads on behalf of McCain that were placed independently of his campaign.

McCain still has $21 million left over from the primary elections that he cannot use in the general but can distribute to Republican Party committees. In October, he doled out $8.5 million from that account to party committees in the battleground states of Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Nevada, Ohio, North Carolina and Florida.

Obama contributed $14 million to Democratic committees in those states and more.

[JaySin]

I'm going to start a charitable orginization. Then with all the money I get I'm going to buy myself clothes and whatever else I want. Then as long as I auction it off when I'm done with it everything will be fine, right?

Oh, and I'm not going to skimp either. Only the most expensive things will work. Remember, I'm trying to be charitable here.

[dragonrider]

My favorite shop is a consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska, called Out of the Closet.

Uh, oh. There goes the religious right --- Out of the Closet is obviously a gay-owned supporter of same-sex marriage! What would Joe the Plumber think!


The McCain campaign reported paying $13,200 in September to celebrity makeup artist Amy Strozzi, who works on the reality show "So You Think You Can Dance." She was paid $22,800 for the first two weeks of October, nearly double what the campaign paid McCain's foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, according to a filing report.

Ha ha! They pay the make-up artist for "So You Think You Can Dance" twice as much as they pay their foriegn policy advisor! Well you get what you pay for, and they do look MAAAAHVELOUS!

Of course, in Palin's case, they might just want to bump up the spending on policy advice just a smidge....


Palin said the clothing purchased by the RNC would be returned or donated to charities.

Please do not tell the that Palin is one of those sleazeballs sho returns the clothes she has worn. What does she do? Tuck in the tags for the stump speaches?

[dragonrider]

[B][SIZE=3]In recent days, McCain and his running mate have tried to douse a furor over how their side spent their money.

MCain campaign budget meeting: Ok, we'll spend a third of it negaitve ads and robocalls, a third on fancy clothes and shoes, and a third whining about how we don't have enough money and how Obama is outspending us.

[stinkyattic]

Please do not tell the that Palin is one of those sleazeballs sho returns the clothes she has worn. What does she do? Tuck in the tags for the stump speaches?
I predict that Saturday Night Live picks up on that and that we see a post-election skit involving Tina Fey as Palin sheepishly trying to return a Valentino jacket, and then, refused a refund, trying to give it to charity...

[dragonrider]

I predict that Saturday Night Live picks up on that and that we see a post-election skit involving Tina Fey as Palin sheepishly trying to return a Valentino jacket, and then, refused a refund, trying to give it to charity...

Ha ha! Hilarious!

This whole thing is a comedic goldmine! I loved your image of the poor schmuck picking up a Valentino jacket at the thrift shop and wearing it to their crappy job bussing tables or whatever it was --- there has to be a skit in that somewhere. And there are a million ways to go with the whole "Real America," anti-elitist, Joe the Plumber, hockey mom with the $150,000 clothing allowance shopping at Saks. They must have had spontaneous orgasms over at SNL when this thing was reported. It is mind bogglingly funny!

[FakeBoobsRule]

I thought this thread was going to be about a string of money strapped to Palin's midsection.

Each side is forking out huge amounts of money during this election so to me it really is a non-issue and a low blow no matter who the candidate was.

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

so do people want solutions, or do they just want to keep creating unnecessary drama by electing OTHER PEOPLE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES???

Think about it.

[texas grass]

remember this thread isnt just about waisting rnc money, which a watchdog group out of washington is now saying palin's actions can be criminal, because under the election laws its illegal to spend campaign/republican money on clothes/personal items


but the other article was about palin using alaska's taxpayers money to send her kids on vacation. and that is way worse and even more criminal

[maladroit]

what's good for the goose is good for the gander!



Edwards' haircuts cost a pretty penny
Candidate's multiple tonsorial stylings cost over $200 a clip

NBC News
updated 12:08 p.m. PT, Tues., April. 17, 2007

WASHINGTON - Looking pretty is costing John Edwards' presidential campaign a lot of pennies. The Democrat's campaign committee picked up the tab for two haircuts at $400 each by celebrity stylist Joseph Torrenueva of Beverly Hills, Calif., according to a financial report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

FEC records show Edwards also availed himself of $250 in services from a trendy salon and spa in Dubuque, Iowa, and $225 in services from the Pink Sapphire in Manchester, N.H., which is described on its Web site as "a unique boutique for the mind, body and face" that caters mostly to women.

A spokeswoman for Edwards' campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

Torrenueva - who specializes in men's haircuts - confirmed in an interview with The Associated Press that Edwards is a longtime client and friend.

"I do cut his hair and I have cut it for quite a while," Torrenueva said. "We've been friends a long time."

Referring to a picture of Edwards published Tuesday in The Los Angeles Times, Torrenueva said: "That's my cut." The stylist said he couldn't vouch for the source of Edwards' haircuts in other photos.

High priced stylings
One reason the cost of the cut was so steep even by Beverly Hills standards is that Torrenueva went to Edwards rather than the candidate coming into the stylist's salon a block off Rodeo Drive.

"I go to him wherever convenient," Torrenueva said. He declined to identify where the cuts paid for by the campaign took place.

Campaign records also show the former North Carolina senator's campaign paid $248 on March 1 to the Designworks Salon in Dubuque.

According to Designworks' Web site, the salon and spa features a wide variety of beauty and health services, including massages, facials, body polishes, self tanners, and rosemary mint and Caribbean therapy body wraps.

The salon's owners did not return a call.

Edwards, 53, who has made alleviating poverty the central theme of candidacy, has been criticized for building a 28,000-square-foot house for $5.3 million near Chapel Hill, N.C. The complex of several buildings on 102 acres includes an indoor basketball court, an indoor pool and a handball court.

Edwards, who was John Kerry's vice presidential runningmate in 2004, is also the subject of a YouTube spoof poking fun at his youthful good looks. The video shows the candidate combing his tresses to the dubbed-in tune of "I Feel Pretty."

In 1993, Cristophe gave former President Clinton a $200 haircut aboard Air Force One as it sat on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport. Late-night comedians and columnists poked fun at the president for the expensive cut.