Palin denies accepting $150,000 in designer clothes

Visions of the future. Right wing happy families living well off the sweat of others. McCain has given us yet another vision of the future. Dressing up his party members while people in the US could have used that $150,000 to send a couple kids to college for few quarters.

Nicely done Palin and McCain.

At least you can sell them on ebay when you lose the election.

"They’ll be donated at end of this campaign."

I'd wager they'll be donated to the society for well-dressed, losing vice-presidential candidates.

Taka

Dont forget guy one ad in a state cost more then that, and between the two candidates they have spent over a billion dollars on it... That buys a lot more school then 150k for clothes...

I think before we say shame on Palin we should be saying shame on Obama and McCain for spending so much money on stupid hate and lie ads... Obama and his party 750 million McCain and his party 400 million.. seems we forget those numbers too easy....

In the meantime, let the games begin . . .

http://wvgazette.com/News/200810180380

Capone got caught for Tax Evasion.

Palin could be caught by her underwear. (If any of the shopping included undergarments she could be in trouble as there may be some health regulations about donating such items to charity. - You can't return swimsuits or underwear to a store)

Perhaps McCain should have asked, socratically, "Why are the American people so concerned about image?". Palin has to dress well to win, and it has to do with the shallowness of voters.

Would everyone have been happy if she dressed as well but saved some money by comparison shopping? I doubt it. Instead we would have had a story about how Palin the clothes horse wastes all her time shopping and is therefore unfit to be VP.

So if you think the amount spent on clothes disqualifies her, think again. She is doing precisely what the voters demand, only the voters are in denial about their own expectations. That is not the fault of Sarah Palin "around with terrorists". Its other things that disqualify her. --Cirroc

It's funny I keep thinking someone is driving the final nail in the coffin of McCain's bid for the White House and they keep finding more nails. It seems that at this point the coffin is more nails then coffin.

What do you think of your polls slipping even more, Senator?

"It works that they'll be donated to charity. Nothing bothers me"

Ummm... how about that you are losing key battleground states?

"It works that ... sizzle ... no-no-nothing bothers me.... it's charity..."

Sarge is moving to endorse Obama HAHA

dress well to win, and it has to do with the shallowness of voters.

Well said CavemanLawyer. Obama has clearly demonstrated that people vote for good looks and image over substance. He's the definition of an empty suit.

goodDonkey - I was just about to type the same thing. How many final nails can they have?

She's obviously spending a lot more than Obama or Biden or any other Democrat. I don't know that for sure because I haven't done any research on it, but since the media isn't reporting the numbers I'll just go ahead and assume it's a lot less.

Helter_skelter: "Well said CavemanLawyer. Obama has clearly demonstrated that people vote for good looks and image over substance. He's the definition of an empty suit."

HAHAHAhaha! Desperation! McCain himself can't even answer the people's questions on his running mate. Can't really blame the cantakerous old fool; I mean, he brought in a totally inexperienced woman who will cost him the election, and it's not like he can give her the boot NOW.

LikingJapan,

She's probably wearing good Republican cotton underwear.

everton: "Sarge is moving to endorse Obama HAHA"

That would NOT be a good thing! It would be kind of like asking Palin to join your ticket -- in other words, a guaranteed loss (and plenty of laughs at your expense!)

McCain's on to something here - from now on answer every question by mumbling "clothes..charity"

More to the point, I really don't care how much McCain, Obama, Biden and Palin (in probable order of wealth) spend on clothing. I would prefer that they buy their own clothing, but I certainly understand the need to look one's best and I understand that Palin can't campaign effectively as a roustabout. Clothing upgrade? No problem.

The problems that I see are four:

(1) Palin is something of a knockout. She'd look good in stuff from Land's End. There was no need for the level of expense.

(2) She and her husband have assets of about $1M and income of over $100K and that is pretty sure to rise. It is hard to understand why she really couldn't find the money to upgrade her own wardrobe if she has a commitment to being Vice-President. OK. So that's my old est training rearing it's head. (Thank you, Werner.) But even as Sun Tzu observed, the correct order of things is be-do-have and not have-do-be.

(3) It's poor judgment to criticize others as elitists and to then show up in apparel that is only within reach of the elite. If she didn't want to go Land's End there are a host of mid-range designers that would have outfitted her quite stunningly. This is not the Oscars or the Emmys. And this isn't quite congruent to her claims of cost-cutting.

(4) As I observed on yesterday's thread, if these clothes need be sold or given to charity, they are not in any sense of the word her clothing. They are costumes. It is close to Halloween, but people are not supposed to play tricks with an expectation of a treat.

That being said, I really don't care about this issue. But it seems to me that the only correct read on this is that the Republican Party felt it needed to present her in an image which she, personally, was not willing to underwrite. As far as I am concerned, Palin presents another problem that looms so large that this one is pale in comparison.

Great post SezWho2. The only thing I would add is that the suggestion to buy the clothes probably did not come from Palin herself. I think there is a good chance it was somebody else's "bad" idea, and being busy, Palin did not consider all the ins and outs and just went ahead with the idea. In fact, she may have never seen a price tag nor even knew the general prices of the places she was being taken. --Cirroc

I'm waiting for Biden's terse reply on Obama's $961,000 TV ad.

This is boring. As I have said many times, I cannot get past the feeling that McCain has been shafted by his own party and its selection of Palin as his running mate. Talk about putting a ball and chain around his leg. Isn't there anybody else for VP in the GOP at the current time? Is the talent pool really that shallow? Having Palin as his running mate has resulted in McCain being almost exclusively on the defensive. Not from attacks from Obama, but trying to make excuses or develop run-arounds for mistakes made by Palin. Gotta feel for the guy!!!

Caveman: "I think there is a good chance it was somebody else's "bad" idea, and being busy, Palin did not consider all the ins and outs and just went ahead with the idea. In fact, she may have never seen a price tag nor even knew the general prices of the places she was being taken."

I wouldn't be so sure; after all, Palin is also under fire for using state money to fly her kids on trips where they were not needed, putting them all up in the most expensive hotels with lavish dinners, and then on shopping trips while supposedly taking care of affairs with state. She was well aware and went out of her way to use the tax-payers money to front ALL of this, so why would she not feel obliged to abuse the money of her own party and easily make excuses as to why she is justified in doing so? Seems to me the woman knows exactly what's she doing -- in so far as spending is concerned. It's just a shame for her, her party, and people around her that she can't see the damage she is doing by being such a dimwit about the consequences of not practicing what you preach.

suggestion to buy the clothes probably did not come from Palin herself." This election has been, even since Hillary days, nothing more than a media blitz. So, I would say you are probably right. Especially since she is from Alaska. What does anyone living North of the border know about fashion.

This is starting to sound like travel gate II

why aren't we hitting all the people, why just Palin? We have Obamas over at the Waldorf Asoria, we have seen 28,000 per plate dinners, massive ads (I wish I was in advertising, those guys are making out big time).

Having Palin as his running mate has resulted in McCain being almost exclusively on the defensive.

You don't think the media had just a wee bit to with that? After all they've only crucified her in the public arena the very day she was picked as his V.P.

A better question would be, Does anyone who really values their credibility would be able to honestly post that Palin has gotten anything close to a fair shake from the media?

I think the answer is pretty obvious on that one and the reason why McCain is always on the defensive about his pick. Hard not to be when the Media has pretty much made it clear about their bias and that everything thing about Palin was fair game and nothing off limits in the Governors life or for that matter her entire family and none of it was going to presented in a positive manner.

Compare what we know from the media about Palin's family as compared to what we know about Obama's? Pretty much sums it up there I'd think.

Interesting article in today's FT which mentions that a lot of McCain's recent grouchiness and frustration may be the result of having to play to the republican right to gain votes, going against his more moderate views. He really wanted to pick Lieberman as his running mate, and it's killing him.

Having said that, I, and probably a lot of other people would have had a lot more respect for McCain if he had made a better VP pick - one that went with his own principles.

skipthesong: "why aren't we hitting all the people, why just Palin? We have Obamas over at the Waldorf Asoria, we have seen 28,000 per plate dinners, massive ads (I wish I was in advertising, those guys are making out big time)."

Geez... it takes a lot of time for the facts to sink in for some. If we are simply talking about spending heaps of money, fine, then we SHOULD rightly be picking on all of them. BUT, Obama, McCain, etc., spend either their own money OR the money raised through donations for the PURPOSE of appearance and campaigning, etc. Palin simply used money from the GOP budget, which was not allotted for that specific purpose. Big difference, and hence the scandal and abuse of yet more power by this woman.

How does Palin's treatment compare with that of the past. In the previous election, when the current incumbent (GW) still had some credibility (or certain elements of the GOP had the main-stream media by the short-and-curlies), his opponent (John Kerry) was pretty much in the firing line. If you remember, in addition to the swift-boat beatup, the media spent a lot of time analyzing Kerry's marriage to the woman with all the money. On the other hand, GW's family was either off limits or declared out of bounds by the rightwing of the GOP.

Fast forward to this election, and it is payback time for the media. They are striking at the McCain campaign's perceived weakest link - Palin. She hasn't helped herself, an unmarried pregnant daughter and shenagins in state politics up in the frozen north. Her hubby also appears to be a "good ol' boy." Moreover, when she finally got a chance to speak (with Couric and Gibson?), to put it politely, she was "somewhat underwhelming."

On the other hand, the media seems to be infatuated with Obama as a person. They don't have the time or inclination to do a hatchet job on his family. One reason is that the family are still young. Picking on small children does not sell newspapers.

I think there is a good chance it was somebody else's "bad" idea, and being busy, Palin did not consider all the ins and outs and just went ahead with the idea.

A bit like she didn't consider all the ins and outs of running for VP, but just agreed 'without hesitation' to a bad idea.

Suppose the world does eventually end up with President Palin (poor McCain surely can't continue to put up with this level of stress for the next four years), someone puts another bad idea in her In tray - like 'Bomb, bomb Iran and/or Spain" - and once more she's too busy to consider all the ins and outs.

I do, do hope American voters get it right this time. They can't have three brain farts in a row - can they?

How much have the Democratic candidates spent on their wardrobes? Still no clue.

I tend to agree with CavemanLawyer: "She is doing precisely what the voters demand, only the voters are in denial about their own expectations."

I think her clothing is more about what the public wants to see as opposed to what she wants to wear.

cleo: Bomb, bomb Iran and/or Spain

McCain wants to bomb Spain?

I'm waiting for Biden's terse reply on Obama's $961,000 TV ad.

I'm waiting for any GOP supporter on this site to understand that hypocrisy doesn't sit well with the general public, or at least not when it's brandished so blatantly.

If Obama had at any point during his campaign pitched himself as the candidate to take on networks for charging $961,000 for political TV spots, then yeah, people might have something to complain about. But he didn't.

Palin, however, claimed to be just a "hockey mom" who would fight for “Joe Sixpack.” Now, unless I’m mistaken, Joe Sixpack drinks Miller and typical hockey moms drive Ford or Chevrolet (or Toyota, if they’re realiability-minded). Neither subset can afford Neiman Marcus or Saks. So, who, exactly, is she representing when she blows nearly $150,000 of campaign money on clothing? The McCain campaing walked into this open-eyed.

To be fair, I doubt very sincerely it was Palin’s idea. This was another foolish idea on the part of the brain trust that is still leading McCain to ruin, and she just went along with it, just as she has with every other thing she’s been told to do or say.

But damned if I can figure out what McCain’s team is thinking. If this were an alternate reality, I’d be tempted to suspect that the McCain Election Team was purposely trying to sabotage the campaign, perhaps out of anger for McCain's outspokenness over the years. Who knows? But it’s been one monumental bad call after another.

I don't think McCain is behind this campaign strategy one bit. In fact, I think it galls him to have it play out as it has. He's been listening to the same ethically bankrupt jackals who did a hatchet-job on his reputation in the 2000 primaries, and they've essentially erased the McCain I and many Americans knew and respected, and replaced him with a man who clearly seems unhappy, conflicted, and unsure of himself. This isn't the real McCain. It never was. GOP supporters should be livid with their own party for this betrayal.

lfragain: "Palin, however, claimed to be just a "hockey mom" who would fight for “Joe Sixpack.” Now, unless I’m mistaken, Joe Sixpack drinks Miller and typical hockey moms drive Ford or Chevrolet (or Toyota, if they’re realiability-minded)." I think you are referring to white trash!

First, let me ask: is spending campaign money on clothes a crime? Additionally, after these campaigns are over what happens to all that cash? Is it given back? If it isn't, then every candidate since Adam should be blitzed by the media like Palin is.

I don't think McCain is behind this campaign strategy one bit. In fact, I think it galls him to have it play out as it has. He's been listening to the same ethically bankrupt jackals who did a hatchet-job on his reputation in the 2000 primaries, and they've essentially erased the McCain I and many Americans knew and respected, and replaced him with a man who clearly seems unhappy, conflicted, and unsure of himself. This isn't the real McCain. It never was. GOP supporters should be livid with their own party for this betrayal.

This is a great comment. In being forced to pander to the right wing (who were all to willing to stand by as McCain's reputation was dragged through the mud back in 2000), McCain seems to have been transformed into something completely alien to himself.

CNN nailed it on the double standards Women have to deal with including Sarah Palin when it comes to wardrobe.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/22/campbell.brown.looks/index.html

Finally some sense from a mainstream Media source on this so called "hypocrisy". Excerpt below, something too really think about another hurdle she has to deal all because she is a woman.

My issue? There is an incredible double-standard here, and we are ignoring a very simple reality.

Women are judged based on their appearance far, far more than men. That is a statement of fact.

There has been plenty of talk and plenty written about Sarah Palin's jackets, her hair and her looks. Sound familiar? Watch Campbell Brown 'Cutting Through the Bull' »

There was plenty of talk and plenty written about Sen. Hillary Clinton's looks, hair and pantsuits.

Compare that with the attention given to Sen. Barack Obama's $1,500 suits or Sen. John McCain's $520 Ferragamo shoes. There is no comparison.

Women get scrutinized based on appearance far more than men. And look, I speak from experience here. When I wear a bad outfit on the air, I get viewer e-mail complaining about it. A lot of e-mail. Seriously.

When Wolf Blitzer wears a not-so-great tie, how much e-mail do you think he gets? My point is for women, unfortunately, appearance is part of the job.

If Wolf or Anderson Cooper shows up on the air without makeup, you think you would even notice? I show up without makeup? Trust me, you'll notice.

This doesn't just apply to TV. All women in the public eye deal with this issue. And it is for this reason that I think the RNC should help Palin pay for clothes, hair and makeup. It is part of the job.

smitty, take a look at abc's 20/20. They had a great piece on campaign financing and what goes and what doesn't. It actually made me think twice about running in the near future.

My point is that I have no objections grilling a politician on anything they do with money that is not theirs but we should not sit in one candidates corner and call the shots. I can't believe people don't even fret over both of these guys getting paid to be senators while they are campaigning for an entirely different position. And just in today's JT we see people being laid off, both of them and Palin talking how they know what its like yet collect not only that senator's salary but other salaries for holding particular seats within the government. Face it, not Obama nor McCain is going to fix the US because people will always decide to find love for one and hate for the other. Case in point, if Palin had been a dem you know this would not come up and if Obama had been a repub, nothing of his past would be coming up. You see, you and people here are really what is part of the problem.

In being forced to pander to the right wing (who were all to willing to stand by as McCain's reputation was dragged through the mud back in 2000), McCain seems to have been transformed into something completely alien to himself.

Mike Murphy, who's now one of the most vocal critics of the current team, ran that campaign. Apparently the lesson was: if ya can't beat 'em then join 'em and he was dumped.

“No one loves John McCain more than Mike Murphy,” said Alex Castellanos, a media consultant who is close to Mr. Murphy and advises Mr. McCain. “I don’t think he has any selfish interest at all.”

Still, other former members of the McCain world have taken a different approach. Mark McKinnon, who stepped as aside as senior adviser because, he told associates, he did not want to be part of a campaign tearing down Mr. Obama, has kept whatever criticism he has to himself. Mr. McKinnon declined a request for comment.

Mr. Murphy, on the other hand, shows no sign of slowing down. On Wednesday night, he posted an item on his blog that began: “In the category of more unsolicited advice they didn’t ask for, are tired of getting, and will certainly ignore. ...”

McCain seems to have been transformed into something completely alien to himself.

Yeah, that's been my issue recently as well. The McCain that I see now isn't the McCain that I've been following for 20 years. He used to be the guy you could count on to do the right thing or make the tough choices (or whatever catchphrase you want to throw in), but now he seems like a guy caught between his ideals and his own party, and he's not doing a very good job of pleasing either one.

From what I've been reading a lot of McCain supporters are upset about Palin. One guy pointed out that it was always "America first" but with the selection of Palin it changed to "campaign first."

Women are judged based on their appearance far, far more than men. That is a statement of fact.

Absolutely true. It also costs more for a woman to maintain her appearance so direct comparisons to the expenditures of male candidates are not appropriate. (A lot of the "outrage" over John Edwards' hair stylist tab reflected the view that "real men" don't need to prettify themselves in contrast to "the Breck girl" as he was dismissively referred to in some circles.)

But this shouldn't obscure the hypocrisy here; identified by an Israeli newspaper:

"[T]he [McCain] campaign that has played the 'elitist' card with reckless abandon, and has made a central issue of their campaign the idealization and ownership of working-class 'small-town values', hard-to-pin-down ideals that presumably cannot be found within a hundred miles of a Saks or Nieman's branch....

In Palin's case, even if she was just following the advice of campaign handlers with blank checks who wanted to spruce up her image, the fact that she would take part in such a breakneck spend-a-thon at some of America's ritziest stores while the country is on the verge of depression, shows a bewildering level of obliviousness...

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1030915.html

I remember back during the Dem convention in Denver reading a story about how there was a shortage of limo's available for the convention due to the demand that was required. So I guess that is just no comparison to Palin and her expensive make over. But then again, I seem to recall all of the Dems going on about the dangerous effects of global warming, couldn't they just take the bus like the rest of us commoners.

I think this is a non-issue. Not that I am totally for the Republicans just like I think some of the issues that they are bringing up against Obama are really none issues. I would like to see them really discuss what they will do about my taxes, and the economy and illegal immigration rather than how much it costs to "dress a pig up."

I remember criticism of the Reagans in the 1980s who showcased, or restored, lavish living to the White House. Wealthy friends were constantly contributing this and that (just as the RNC owns the 150 grand wardrobe rather than the Governor who wears them). Yet they never claimed to be anything other than what they were which was essentially, "we've earned this and we're going to enjoy it." OK. That's quite different than extolling a lifestyle you've left behind.

There's nothing illegal about this top of line makeover. Far more serious was the audit which revealed Palin had charged her children's travel expenses to the Alaskan taxpayer for what were essentially private junkets which Joe Sixpack is unlikely to be able to afford for his family.

someone puts another bad idea in her In tray - like 'Bomb, bomb Iran and/or Spain" - and once more she's too busy to consider all the ins and outs.

Nobody who is sane or managed to pass jr. high school has their priorities so out of whack that just because they did not pay attention to their clothing bill means they would not pay attention to an order to bomb they are about to sign.

Plenty of things to smack Palin "around with terrorists" for without grasping at this straw. And I stand by that statement and I approve of this message. --Cirroc

And every bit of attention on the $150K clothing purchases just distracts from the McCain message.

Cool!!!! < :-)

But then again, I seem to recall all of the Dems going on about the dangerous effects of global warming, couldn't they just take the bus like the rest of us commoners.

Sounds great right up until you start to think about security. Not surprisingly, it is more likely someone might take a shot at those people. You might argue that armored cars would be better than limosines, but then that would also be like painting a target on their chest. Limosines provide privacy and a degree of anonymity. If they started putting smoked bullet proof glass on Yugos that would also be like painting a target on their shirt.

And I don't think they make limosines that are Spartan on the inside.

So, I do not begrudge them the limosines. However, I do take issue with the four star hotels and use of the facilities at our expense. That is totally uncalled for.

And, of course, I think they could buy cheaper clothes, but its not high on my list of priorities. --Cirroc

McCain's most recent assertion is that OBAMA will say 'anything' to get the vote; a statement in itself so utterly full of hypocrisy. He has just proven that there is little lower he can actually fall and betray. Palin never had any dignity to begin with -- well, once she opened her mouth to speak, anyway -- so there was no real room for her to fall, but still.

Common you people, who cares? She's free to buy she wants.

I just heard that the clothes she bought were made with child labor in a third world sweatshop and that she chortled when she found out. I also heard that she gloated with glee knowing that the new duds weren't made from some unionized garment factory in the good ole USA. Unconfirmed but a very close informed source said he overheard her say, "Take that all you Norma Rae Obama supporters".

Just going with the slime Palin anyway you possibly can and thought I'd help the cause. If ya can't bet them join em I always say (why wouldn't suprise me if that really was the next hot topic in the world of the Kos Kiddies, Palin supports Child Labor, Hates Union Workers). :)

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

...anymore; not since I whored myself out of the big-government neo-cons.

Palin: "“It’s kind of painful to be criticized for something when all the facts are not out there and are not reported."

ohhhh.... poor, poor, spoiled little Palin. It hurts when someone bad talks Jesus, but if you bad talk someone using Jesus you are doing his work. It hurts when people talk about things and don't have all the facts, and yet everything that has come from your mouth has been nothing but lies and extreme exaggerations of anything but the smallest of facts, if even fact at all.

I guess, bottom line, Palin just can't take what she dishes out. Not at all ready to be VP, let alone president. Not one bit. Poor little baby.

Palin doesn't just deny this, she is just simply in denial... period. She and her family are 'an open book'... just as long as you don't EVER ask them anything! She is more than willing to tell the truth.... just as long as it's limited to situations in which no one can refute her or ask any kind of questions, particularly as to the actual 'truthfulness' of what she declares to be fact and what is fiction. How about McCain's opinion on all this? Well, he just blew a gasket or two and did not at all deny it was the truth.... "it'll go to charity... it'll go to charity... nothing bothers me now... nothing bothers me now..." hahaha. Within a couple of years he'll be chanting these words over and over in the old folks senility ward.

A better question would be, Does anyone who really values their credibility would be able to honestly post that Palin has gotten anything close to a fair shake from the media?

Yeah, Sail, it's a liberal media conspiracy.

The fact is, she out-Quayles Quayle, who was also righly pillloried in the media. When you put forward a scarcely vetted candidate of scant qualifications and dubious ethics, the media is not going to roll over and ask for its belly to be scratched. Thoughtful conservatives admit she's an emabarrassment. She has been called the weakest VP candidate ever -- and called this by Republicans. It boggles the mind that people try to deny this.

I feel sorry for Sarah. Her boss announced that she will have to give away her new wardrobe when she returns to being an Alaskan hockey mom. Poor Sarah.

Maybe she can sell the clothes on e-Bay.

I'm sure there's some oyaji willing to pay top dollar...they might even make a profit.

Some classics of Palin: http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=NrzXLYA_e6E&feature=rec-fresh

McCain has already copped to this claim. Now they are retracting?

These two are a model for how to torpedo a campaign. In the future the GOP will issue a handbook of what not to do when attempting to win the presidency. It will list the following.

Never choose your VP based upon political tendiness. Never choose someone from a town no one has heard of. If you are saddled with such a VP partner, hide them somewhere until after election day. Try to have at least one consistent position on a real problem. Make sure you have at least 20 gimmick lines. People grow tired of just three or four. Try not to look like a mad scientist's side kick when participating in debates.

and most importantly.

If you are a GOP candidate and not cut off the same powerful stuff of character and leadership as Abe Lincoln. Don't run. GWB's two terms were an anomoly. People do usually expect a lot more from potential presidents.

Never choose your VP based on political trendiness. (sorry ;)

LOL. The irony of the media, deep in the tank for Obama and the Party of The Rich, going after Governor Palin.

What do Keef Olbermann's suits cost?

I think you are referring to white trash!

Whooaa there, Skip. Are you saying that American’s who drink Miller are "white trash?" Or Americans that drive Ford/Chevy/Toyota? Let's not put you in charge of any national campaigns in the near future, shall we?

First, let me ask: is spending campaign money on clothes a crime?

Short answer: Ethically dubious, yes. Criminal? No.

Now, if your question had addressed the actual problem with the GOP spending $150,000 of campaign money to make Palin fit an image, rather than this intentionally obtuse dance around the point that you’ve been doing, then we might get somewhere.

Try this: Is spending $150,000 on a wardrobe when your candidate is presented as a champion for average Americans? No, that’s not illegal. But it is pretty damned obnoxious, particularly when unemployment figures are pushing the 500,000 mark, home foreclosures are rising, and the Stock Market is still in freefall.

Look up the word “hypocrisy.” It’s kind of like when Republicans, the self-appointed champions of "family values," extol the virtues of no sex before marriage, then brush off criticism when their own children get pregnant out of wedlock. Oh, wait. It’s not kind of like that. It’s exactly like that.

It’s this simple, Skip: If you present yourself as a champion to the needs of average Americans, then you don’t wear $150,000 wardrobes what are only affordable to the upper 10% of earners.

When you put forward a scarcely vetted candidate of scant qualifications and dubious ethics, the media is not going to roll over and ask for its belly to be scratched.

Are you talking about Obama?

Agreed though the media didn't roll over and ask for it's belly to be scratched for him, it was more than content just with that getting a tingling feeling running up and down its leg instead.

ohhhh.... poor, poor, spoiled little Palin. It hurts when someone bad talks Jesus, but if you bad talk someone using Jesus you are doing his work. It hurts when people talk about things and don't have all the facts, and yet everything that has come from your mouth has been nothing but lies and extreme exaggerations of anything but the smallest of facts, if even fact at all.

Gosh Smith, don't you wish you could just punch her in the mouth?

This will matter on November 5, 2008 in what way? On January 20, 2009 when either is inauguarted as president this will be important why? It will matter if she is the VP, and I am very disappointed by Palin being chosen, and the remarks she has made since being chosen. Palin is flippant, rude, and arrogant. Still under corruption investigation in Alaska. I thought McCain, who I have much respect for as a Navy vet, former POW, who could have accepted being returned home instead of staying in the Hanoi Hilton, had a chance and would have voted for until, Palin's name appeared on the ticket.

It’s this simple, Skip: If you present yourself as a champion to the needs of average Americans, then you don’t wear $150,000 wardrobes what are only affordable to the upper 10% of earners.

No win situation for her.......If she presented herself as a champion to the needs of average Americans and wore Blue Jeans and Flannel shirts to make the point she'd be ridiculed just as bad as some sort of a backward Alaska rube, who wouldn't be fit to be V.P.

Any takers that wouldn't be exactly what would happen?

She's pretty much derided like that anyway but I prefer my politicians male or female to look professional while at work. I think most Americans no matter what income level are in line with the sentiment also.

The Governor is right: Nobody's asked Hilary thiose questions, and they've certainly not asked them of Obama or Biden. However, when Sarah Palin -- the one woman who has shaken up this election process, and somehow is so much of a threat to Obama and Biden that the Liberal American Press has gone to extreme lengths to smear her time and time and time again -- is alleged to have accepted some enourmous amount of money for clothing for the campaign, it's front-page news, she's denegrated, assaulted, attacked, and -- yet again -- smeared ad. infinetum, yet no one whiff of question is brought against Joe Biden, Barack Obama, or (dare I mention her?) Michelle Obama. I wonder why?

Exit Question: What do the Dems and Libs have ot fear from Sarah Palin?

Exit Question: What do the Dems and Libs have ot fear from Sarah Palin?

You've got it all wrong. She just comes across as extremely stupid, cos she's not ready. Nowhere near it. And people like to sink it in, and they are right to do so. Vice President of the United States. Get it?

Only few days to go and American politics is now reduced to hair ,shoes ,clothes...

Lieutenant - If she were merely stupid, the press would leave her alone, and let her mess herself. They've done it before to past politicians (or manufactered the stupidity). In this case, the libs and Dems have gone out of their way to attack her. The fact that she is an energizer to the GOP conservative Base, has VERY strong principles and beliefs (and stands squarely on them), and is a self-made woman seems to have brought a near-earthquake level of fear to the left, especially the feminist left. Here is a woman in Sarah Palin that could easily be the Feminist Standard-bearer (even more-so than Hilary), and they have been her worst attackers. No, it is not stupidity, and if we are going to call experience the standard, Gov. Palin has more executive experience than Obama and biden combined. If Gov. Palin's not ready, then Sen. Obama CERTAINLY isn't...

If she . . . wore Blue Jeans and Flannel shirts to make the point she'd be ridiculed just as bad . . . "

Oh, for Pete's Sake, Sailwind. You know perfectly well this has nothing to do with WHAT she wore, but rather how much it cost.

Again, please have the decency to not insult other posters' intelligence with this coy, feigned bafflement.

SuperLib: "Gosh Smith, don't you wish you could just punch her in the mouth?"

Nope, not at all. But I would take great pleasure in asking her straight forward questions about her hypocrisy and watching her either dismiss it as being 'rude' (ie., 'I have NO way of answering, so I'll try and look the better party), or fumble around like in a Couric interview.

Blue_Tiger: "he fact that she is an energizer to the GOP conservative Base, has VERY strong principles and beliefs (and stands squarely on them), and is a self-made woman seems to have brought a near-earthquake level of fear to the left, especially the feminist left."

You're still living in the convention days of a month ago. The GOP is now wishing that Sarah Palin never existed -- at the very least not in their base. She did indeed energize the base for her convention speech, and within a two week period, when she was FINALLY allowed to be interviewed, she lost nearly half her popular support right then and there. You had news commentators saying on live news that she is an idiot and McCain is right to 'hide her' from others. What's more, she has now lost the single most support for a VP candidate in the short term before an election.... that's the largest drop... with many in the GOP themselves saying she could not handle it if old Johnnie stroked out on stage and she were to be president.

In other words, Tiger, the only thing people on the left are afraid of is that they'll stop making new YouTube adds showing clips of Palin interviews, and that she'll stop opening her mouth to speak -- they all make for great entertainment!

What do the Dems and Libs have [to] fear from Sarah Palin?

That's easy: Sarah Palin represents a pitiful lowering of the bar for what we, as the American electorate, should come to expect - no, scratch that - demand from our national leadership. There is no reason whatsoever that we should have to resign ourselves to the barest minimum of mediocrity from our presidents, much less out vice-presidents. Not in this day and age.

Sarah Palin is not exceptional by any political definition other than the very fact that she was chosen at all to be McCain's running mate. Does this make her a bad person? No.

Does Palin pretending to be qualified to be the VP with no small amount of unjustified - what was the word - hubris, even when GOP insiders alike know she very clearly isn't ready make her a bad person? Well, again, no, not really. But it does make her more than a little bit silly looking for not being able to realize that she's playing at a level considerably out of her league.

if Obama does not have enough experiences ,the media will say :don't worry,he is wise and also plenty of people around him will help to run America.

When Palin did not know" Bush doctrine" (as if it is too famous ,even the unborne baby need to know), the same media will scream on top of their voices :how ignorant , how inappropriate,how bad ,how nut she is...and they keep doing that days after days to make sure the images of Palin is something terrible to voters .

When McCain suspended his campaign to go back to Washington during Wall street crisis,media: weird, strange...instead of dedication to his duty.

When Obama took few days off to visit his sick grandmother, media:silent, not a word.

In other words whatever MaCain/Palin try to do ,if good media:normal ,nothing special; if it is normal,media: outrageous,so bad...

Whatever Obama says ,media: so wise, genious,competent,saviour of America....

George Carlin said it best: "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups." I'm a little afraid of her too.

"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtGrp5MbzAI

Indeed

Professor,

She's free to buy what she wants with her money, wear it and keep it. She's free to buy what she wants with any money the campaign will give her for that purpose, wear it and give it back.

The issue isn't so much whether she was free to do this. The issue has been whether it was appropriate for her to have done this.

It truly is no big deal. However, McCain's response to the issue was dismissive and Palin's was late. It became a much bigger issue than necessary.

To all the Sarah Palin haters here:

Ya'll get ready for Vice President Palin.

Sarge, where's your stones? Is Palin wearin' them to match her suit? She needs to get at the back of the line, waaaaaaay back until she goes near VP.

smithinjapan -- That's not what I've been seeing nor reading aobut. What I've seen from conservatives all across the board is that Palin is only growiong in popularity....and if anyone is making huge political gaffes, it's your boy Joe Biden. Guaranteeing that Obama will be tested again by insinuating some disaster will take place? Horrendous!!! And just a few scant months ago, Joe Biden was hawking about how being president doesn't lend itself ot "on the job training"!!! I think those poll numbers for Veep Candidate loss of support are for Biden (abd I'd like to see your sources which say that Palin has lost such support. Again, as I read conservative and Republican blogs and articles, the support is even stronger than when she was first tabbed. Please post references, if you will). When Biden opens his mouth, McCain's numbers go WAY up in the polls! Interesting note, too, about Palin's interviews? Much of what her interviewers spoke and asked have been proven to be bogus, inaccurate, and just plain, flat-out liberal double-speak.

Nicetry, smithinjapan, but Sarah Palin has LOTS of support. If she's losing support from anyone, its the Hollywood elite and democrat liberals who are unhinged that a self-made woman isn't toeing the feminist line....

I wanna know how much Hillary Clinton's wardrobe cost. I wanna know how much Nancy Pelosi's pearl necklace cost. I wanna know...

Blue, don't worry about it. The "losing" they keep talking about? They said the same thing in 2000 and 2004 when polls directly before the elections showed both Gore and Kerry up. See how that worked out for em?

They still can't figure out why spend 150K for clothes, when for just a few hundred thousand more, you could have a Greek Colosseum columns. Clothes to charity is a no-no, but a greek set that is never to be used again is ok...

And they still can't figure out that LIKELY voter does not, and never has, translated into ACTUAL voters. Notice that as we get closer, the lead Obama "had" is getting smaller and smaller....

That IS a lot of money thought. You could buy a 2nd golden toilet for Daisaku Ikeda with that much money.

coulrophobic,

You seem to judge the media as being deep in the tank for Obama, whatever that expression might mean. The last time I saw someone deep in a tank it was Michael Dukakis and it wasn't very pretty.

So, I wonder what you think about the latest study from the Pew Research Center Project for Excellence in Journalism:

http://www.journalism.org/node/13307

The study shows that the media treatment of Obama over the period of the debates was favorable--but only marginally so. It also shows that the media treatment of McCain was largely negative over that same period. The analysis--which I only skimmed--seems to find this phenomena quite explicable, primarily in terms of "horse-race" coverage.

The report finds that coverage of McCain was more positive when he was seen to be winning and less when he was seen to be losing. It finds that it is unclear whether Obama enjoys the benefit of any real media bias. It finds that Palin has not been the primary drag on McCain, that her coverage is fairly balanced and that little of her coverage has been on her personal life. When you look at the issues that have dragged McCain down, the report suggests to me that the person most responsible for negative coverage of McCain is...McCain.

And of course, this report aside, sometimes there are more favorable stories about one candidate than there are about another because one candidate is actually better.

"media-wants-obama"

How does it feel to want?

Doesnt matter sarge they are not running for election.

Now I'm sure all of us have had to go to a interview wearing the best clothes we had, but wouldn't it be nice if the prospective company would give you the clothes you needed for the interview even if you didn't get the job.

I just think Palin is a moron period. Just look at her interviews, hell she still doesn't even know what a VP does, well she thinks she gets to meddle in the senate.

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

And once again Palin returns to the role of victim. "fugal" did she say "frugal," that ship has sailed honey.

There are two related points. Is she the victim of the media? Have people been swayed by the bias media? People all over the internet railed against Palin immediately. If not before the mass media certainly simultaneously internet bloggers and those who comment in other ways flooded the web with their disdain. I personally could not stand her extremist views. I said from day one her views on teaching abstinence were ignorant and it was hypocritical to continue to preach that it could ever be effective. Others argued that no one could control there kids. I said exactly, give them a fighting chance with knowledge of protection. I read up on the charges against her in Alaska in an Alaska newspaper online and felt that she was abusing her office. One can easily say that we drove the media and not the other way around. We demanded further investigation and found out she had a distinct predilection for nepotism. We heard her interviews and as I stated early on she appeared to "less smart" then her intellectual counterparts; of course I would never put it so delicately. Since then she has made claims of socialism, Obama hangs with terrorists, they called me a pig and too many more I care to remember. We brought up her lack of experience. The other side said, "who were we to bring up experience in light of Obama's lack of it." Well they had already had their chance to convince others that he was not qualified and people were not buying it. People like myself believed that his higher intelligence and other qualifications more than compensated. That does not exclude myself and others from from saying she does not have enough experience. Then it is the opposition's responsibility to present a counter argument for her qualifications. Those arguments were rarely if ever heard; the argument I heard over and over was that Obama was not qualified so we could not say Palin was not qualified. The few arguments of her magnificent job as governor I as well as many others, obviously, did not find compelling. Oh, let's not forget the other one, "Palin was has an Executive position in government." That would be redundant to saying she was a governor.

Sorry, I think she is a doofus and I have since I first learned of her selection and saw her. I did not need the media to reach that conclusion but I expect them to share the evidence of my suspicions all along. I think she stumbled in front of the press repeatedly. In the very beginning for instance she refused to an answer questions about the investigation on her. When you are running for V.P. people want and deserve answers. Once you stumble in front of the press they will attack. It has happened to many Democrats in my lifetime and those Democrats went down. As far as I am concerned all this talk about hit pieces and attacking Palin unfairly are people who want her treated special; with kid gloves. That's politics. It disgusted me the way Reagan got a pass. But he learned to schmooze the press from the beginning. Winning over the press is an art. Many Republicans have done it in the past so all this talk of a liberal, bias press is just nonsense.

coulrophobic,

Voters overwhelmingly believe...

On the other hand,

The work of science is to substitute facts for appearances, and demonstrations for impressions.

--John Ruskin

Your report presents an attempt to scientifically analyze what people believe about what is so. My report presents an attempt to scientifically analyze what is actually so.

Your report mentions mine but makes no attempt to reconcile the numbers. I think that the numbers are reconciled from what my report cites as the "horse-race" coverage. Obama supporters, perceiving their candidate as winning, see the media as validating their selection. McCain supporters, perceiving their candidate as losing, see the media as against their selection.

The 13% of people who say that they don't know are the sensible ones in my opinion.

Heh, the Great GOP Implosion of '08 gets funnier by the day.

Obama's campaign should really just sit back, relax and watch the fireworks as the McCain/Palin Celebrity Ticket destroy themselves.

Sorry GOPpers, your sorry excuse for a VP candidate might be believable when she hollers on about being a 'hockey mom' if she wasn't stiffing the middle and lower classes by wearing $3,200 croc skin heels.

Sure, $150,000 isn't much in the overall scheme of things - what is more important is the message Palin is ignorantly sending - she is effectively saying 'I am not like you. I can have a celebrity stylist and splash $150K on clothes, cosmetics and pumps. Just go back to your trailers and vote for me."

The blame game for the coming destruction of the GOP has already started, and Sarah Palin is way up near the top of the hit list.

DXXJP: "I just think Palin is a moron period."

I just think Palin is wonderful!

Get ready for Vice President Palin!

Get ready for Vice President Palin!

What should I do?

"The 13% of people who say they don't know are the sensible ones in my opinion."

The 13% of people who say they don't know are the wishy-washy ones in my opinion.

While it's been fun to read about Sarah Palin’s wardrobe expenditures (which are far out of the league of most members of the middle class), it's a sad reflection on American society that there is more interest in where she shops than her positions on important issues given she's running for the second highest office in the land.

What sort of new regulations for financial institutions does she favor in light of Wall Street's meltdown? McCain has been all over the place on immigration reform, what are her own views? In the realm of foreign policy, what measures would she take to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists?

The best way to take the focus off her threads would be to issue policy statements on substantive issues. Otherwise, the Republicans can't complain if people focus on the superficial given the glaring gap between rhetoric and reality.

Lieutenant at - "What should I do?"

Move to Alaska. That's where Palin is going to after the GOP suffers its most humiliating defeat in decades in 11 days. :-)

Sadly but perhaps not surprisingly, it's the same people who bought the WMD and yellowcake lies, who think climate change is not much of a threat and who support the McCain-Palin Celebrity Ticket who are going to be the most shell-shocked on the morning of November 5th.

Move to Alaska. That's where Palin is going to after the GOP suffers its most humiliating defeat in decades in 11 days. :-)

Yeah it's pretty obvious that's what's happening, so I've already booked my ticket, but for the afternoon of Nov 4 since it will already be over by then, and I want to get a good vantage point to watch her grow old in her office up there.

"after the GOP suffers its most humiliating defeat in decades"

That would be the Democrats.

Get ready for Vice President Palin, Sushi. If you're not sure what to do, ask the Lieutenant.

That would be the Democrats.

Touche. You win Sarge. Well done.

Betzee - "it's a sad reflection on American society that there is more interest in where she shops than her positions on important issues given she's running for the second highest office in the land."

I couldn't agree more!

Betzee, what's worse, I think, is that the GOP has simply given up on engaging in a serious debate about the issues facing most Americans today; in fact the GOP's primary strategy today is to attack the character of a good man - Barack Obama, and then attack some more.

Add to that, their supporters - like Sarge, RomeoRamen, etc. - are not even demanding a serious discussion.

My question is: do they really care about their own country?

My only conclusion is that GOP supporters simply do NOT care about America, they do not care about their futures, or those of their kids and grandkids.

If they do, they would be debating the primary issues in this campaign, instead of barrelling off trying to smear Obama on 'issues' such as Bill Ayers and ACORN, which - let's not kid ourselves - are beyond trivial in the face of a 20-30% drop in house prices, mass layoffs, a wave of corporate bankruptcies and soaring oil and food prices.

And just to back up my point - I bet I am going to be attacked for this post - not debated about it.....

.

Sarge at 08:24 PM JST - 24th October I wanna know how much Hillary Clinton's wardrobe cost. I wanna know how much Nancy Pelosi's pearl necklace cost. I wanna know...

That comment sounds a bit Socialist there Sarge....I bet that Hillary and Pelosi do not need the DNC or their campaign to buy them clothes.

But to question how someone spends THEIR OWN money is a bit on the FAAAAAR left side of the fence.

Going on a shopping spree at Saks Fifth Avenue in St Louis $49,425

Going on a shopping spree at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis $75,062

Being asked to be 72 year old McBush`s VP choice, Priceless.....

Sushi, I'm already hearing word that mccain may lose in Arizona.

That'd be real funny :-)

And Sarah Palin's Alaska seat isn't safe, either.

Here here Sushi. The GOP are a bunch of beatnicks only concerned with petty argument and soundbytes. But it matters not. Democrats heading for a massive victory and the US can start fixing the mess. Palin can fix her hair and deal with her little issues up north.

I'm already hearing word that mccain may lose in Arizona.

I went to Arizona last weekend, feeling it would provide a respite from the campaign. In fact the Op-Ed Page of the Daily Arizonan was filled with the same debates as California newspapers, the same debates we have here for that matter. Then came the news the Goldwater family was endorsing Obama.

My primary criticism of Sarah Palin is that she has relentlessly attempted to divide America rather than unite it in the face of very serious problems.

DXXJP

Somehow I missed your comment but I remembered seeing a blurb on the news. I am so grateful to sarge for mentioning your comment. I was able to get it on youtube. How could she possible be qualified for a job when she does not know what it is and I have for years. No way is she qualified to be a governor in my opinion if she does not understand the basic tenets of the U.S. Constitution. I am very glad I noticed she was ignorant right away. It just shows I have a knack for such things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqP9qmNdYtI

For those of you who are too lazy to go watch it or consider it a waste of time she said:

"But also, they're in charge of the United States Senate. So if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life for Brandon and his family [kid who asked the question] and hes classroom. Its a great job and I look forward to...[blah, blah, blah}.

Look Sarah, Joe Biden, our next V.P., will not be in charge of the U.S. Senate and neither would you had we been stuck with you. The V.P. can't make any policy changes. He or she can cast a tie breaking vote. In the debate she said, "Our founding fathers were very wise there in allowing through the Constitution much flexibility there in the office of the vice president." That may be true within the executive branch but not the separate branch of government in the U.S. called the Congress.

Oh yeah, I am so mean for insulting Sarah for being ignorant.

"But also, they're in charge of the United States Senate.

but...

"But also, they're in charge of the United States Senate.

didn't you know...

"But also, they're in charge of the United States Senate.

the constitution it says...

"But also, they're in charge of the United States Senate.

Okay Sarah, just give the clothes back and get into those moose skin slacks and jacket.

Matter of fact when you go back to Alaska to get those leathers, just stay in Alaska. < :-)

"mccain may lose in Arizona"

Dream on.

Sarge, the only ones dreaming are the ones who still think the GOP is going to win this election :-)

"Okay Sarah, just give the clothes back"

OK, Nancy, just give those pearls back.

Sushi, the only ones dreaming are the ones who still think the Democrats are going to win this election.

Look where the McCain campaign is putting its funds:

Who was the highest paid individual in Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign during the first half of October as it headed down the homestretch?

Not Randy Scheunemann, Mr. McCain’s chief foreign policy adviser; not Nicolle Wallace, his senior communications staff member. It was Amy Strozzi, who was identified by the Washington Post this week as Gov. Sarah Palin’s traveling makeup artist, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday night.

Ms. Strozzi, who was nominated for an Emmy award for her makeup work on the television show “So You Think You Can Dance?”, was paid $22,800 for the first two weeks of October alone, according to the records.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/

Were the pearls Nancy wears bought by the democratic convention?

Who bought Hillary's wardrobe, democratic convention?

They paid for this on their own.

And it's not like the military where you're issued a uniform when you enlist.

I don't think there would be so much said about this if it was $5,000.00 or so, but $150,000.00. Good gawd.

I don't think I'll ever buy $150,000.00 worth of clothes in my lifetime. < :-)

Funny the way the Right has no problems with flipping the bill for their picks.

To be honest 150,000 is a bit waaaaay to much for an average fiscal conservative to be wasting on themselves now is it not?

I think this shows more about McBush`s Girl Thursday than it does about McBush. This shows she has no problem in having the RNC blow lots of cash on her and her family.

Sarge at 10:35 PM JST - 24th October "Okay Sarah, just give the clothes back" OK, Nancy, just give those pearls back.

Darn it Sarge, now your going after Nancy Reagan....What is up with all the Communist leanings these days? Can you not come back to the right and stop attacking Nancy for buying her own Pearls?

Sarge, you've been on the wrong side of every single major issue since the Iraq invasion.

What makes you think you are suddenly going to get in line with real Americans (ones who won't be voting for john mccain) and Europeans and be right about America this time?

Sarge, the only ones dreaming are the ones who still think the GOP are going to win this election.

OK, Nancy, just give those pearls back.

OK, Sarah, just give those pearls back.

Ms. Strozzi, who was nominated for an Emmy award for her makeup work on the television show “So You Think You Can Dance?”, was paid $22,800 for the first two weeks of October alone, according to the records.

I love it, Betz!

"So You Think You Can Veep?"

The only saving grace is it wasn't spent on Crocs.

Hope Obama bought his own shoes, well actually he didn't his salary is paid on the taxpayers dime but what the hey.........His appeal is based on his shoe style..........loafers

Sailwind - are you supporting Kamikaze John?

He is adroit enough at wrecking things or looking like he is real busy doing stuff but actually doing nothing at all (his much heralded 'Return To Washington To Solve The Financial Crisis' was freaking hilarious - he was even bashed by the Rpublicans on that one, ha ha)

Hope Obama bought his own shoes, well actually he didn't his salary is paid on the taxpayers dime but what the hey.........His appeal is based on his shoe style..........loafers

Must be why Palin wears heels.

Sushi

I voted for McCain two days ago through an absentee ballot and meeting the deadline in my home state.

My link is quite the slog but it is the reason I voted why I did and I'll post tne excerpt that gave the reason why. His tax proposal is in the link and the anaylsis is from a left of center but highly respected think tank.

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411749_updated_candidates.pdf

And because the phaseout of the credit increases marginal tax rates for those workers in the phaseout range, it might actually give those workers an incentive to work less.

That is Obama's tax plan and his vision for America, I can't support that I was never raised that I was owed a life, my core values and his aren't the same.......I tried Sushi to vote for Obama but after what he said to Joe the Plumber and after seeing his tax plan I can't make the jump.

And though this really did not have a major factor in my decision but did play a part........If the typical Obama supporter as evident by J.T are the folks that will be in charge, I'd really rather pass, angry, petty bunch overall and not really the folks I want to see influence the folks that would elected to power .

McCain will say say no to congress and earmarks that I can count own if he is elected and why I cast my ballot for him.

I also know Obama loves my country just as much as McCain, I just can't make the jump toward kumbaya Government, never had never will.

"To be honest 150,000 is a bit waaaaay to much for an average fiscal conservative to be wasting on themselves now is it not?"

Ultimately, the clothes Gov. Palin wore belong to the RNC.

They might go to charity.

With Palin's popularity they might be auctioned.

Judging from the reaction on this thread I wouldn't be surprised if some of the regulars here buy up her discarded togs.

Meanwhile, the mainstream media ignores the illegal millions Obama is getting from overseas donors.

Ness!

Nice! Got me flat footed on that one, anyway with the polls the way they are Obama should be just a shoe in regards to our future discussions.

If the typical Obama supporter as evident by J.T are the folks that will be in charge, I'd really rather pass, angry, petty bunch overall and not really the folks I want to see influence the folks that would elected to power .

I'm an Obama supporter and I know what you mean. You probably will never understand how lucky I feel that the radical Left didn't hijack the campaign and ruin it for people like me.

Meanwhile, the mainstream media ignores the illegal millions Obama is getting from overseas donors.

(Yawn) There are plenty of conservative papers and TV stations that would be all over this story if it had any substance, and McCain's team would have it in every one of their ads. So why is it that they're only criticising Obama for going back on his promise to take funding and not these illegal donations you keep going on about? It's the biggest thing McCain could hit him with, surely?

Here's a couple of links that speak about overseas donations. There are plenty of GOP leaning bloggers making accusations, I'm sure there are bloggers taking the other side also (you know donations for McCain from overseas).

But it appears that most oversseas donations are coming in for Obama. < :-)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-14-military-donations_N.htm

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/05/rnc_to_file_fec_complaint_on_o.html

If Palin's $150,000 shopping spree had Republicans disgusted, then the report that her makeup stylist cost $22,800 for the first two weeks of October should have them livid. The stylist, Amy Strozzi, was apparently paid more than any other McCain staffer during that period.

$22,800.00 for two weeks to paint a mask on a Alaskian moose hunter. < :-)

How many of you posters here don't make $22,800 in a month of work? Two months, 3 months.....6 months? < :-)

Superlib

I'm an Obama supporter and I know what you mean. You probably will never understand how lucky I feel that the radical Left didn't hijack the campaign and ruin it for people like me.

I think I do understand. One of the reasons I wanted to vote for Obama was on one level he represents all that I want America to be. The place that finally was able to full fill her promise that no matter what your skin color or background you can grow up one day and be President.

Problem is he's a Liberal Democrat and the more that I see of his positions and policy goals is one in the worse sense of the word. I cannot make the jump to support him when we need a President to stand up to Congress right now instead of a Obama with a blank check to put us even further in the poor house than we already are. Obama and fiscal conservative are words I have never heard together in relation to him or his policies during this entire campaign.

She goes around pretendingshe's an average person, but she wears designer clothes and glasses. She is so two faced, she is horrid!!!

She makes me want to jump up and down screaming while i tear my hair out, she really does!!

I love the comparison here. < :-)

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f168/ikediggety/priceless.jpg

I wonder if she wears her designer gear when doing her vulgar hobbies. Timmy mallet told me she shoots defenceless animals from a helicopter.

what a ghastly and horrid person, she is a nutcase!!!

Palin has no compassion. She should be taking care of her down syndrome baby and her unmarried preganant daughter, instead of strutting around in an expensive wardrobe with a highly paid make-up artist at her side. She is so tacky and shallow.

adaydream

That was absolutely one of the best links I have seen in awhile. The all important pic is exactly why they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

"She'll be a nobody in two weeks."

No,in two weeks she'll be the vice president elect of the United States.

"former presidential candidate john edwards"

The Breck Girl?

McCain is really stepping us the "socialism" campaign. There are even printed posters now. So I guess we had Joe Biden, Joe Sixpack, Joe the Plumber and now we have resurrected Joe McCarthy.

This is so ridiculous. Now they have time to investigate Palins wardrobe, but still nobody has bothered to interview Bill Ayers or check what the Obamessiah actually achieved in his glorious days of working in Chicago.

The media has always been biased for the Democrat party, but in this season the degree to which they join party politics is embarrassing.

So really why did the GOP buy this moose wrangler new clothes? Did they smell of snowmachines? Was that fox stole just a little to fresh and gamey? < :-)

The media has always been biased for the Democrat party, but in this season the degree to which they join party politics is embarrassing.

Another joy of partisan politics blame the "?-wing" media. That damned left-wing(CNN) media is always baised towards Democrats, switch, That damned right-wing(Fox) media is always baised towards Conservatives. My guess is that the percentage of media bais towards one side or the other is directly related to the percentage of people who vote for Democrats or Republicans (Good business panders to those who pay its bills).

I think most of the news medias are owned by republicans.

Who is that Dick Murdock who owns FOXNews.

Ted Turner owns CNN.

The other are owned by who?

Let's hear about these left-wing media outlets. < :-)

This is so ridiculous. Now they have time to investigate Palins wardrobe..

It's also deliciously funny! Republicans told us that Mr. Edwards' $400 haircut showed that he was no friend of the ordinary working person.

What the media is doing is throwing the same salvo back at Mrs. Joe-Sixpack-Plumber-Hockeymom-Pitbull. And isn't the shattering of that glass house just what the Republicans deserve?

adaydream said:

Who is that Dick Murdock who owns FOXNews.

That is bad grammar. His name is Keith Rupert Murdoch, referred to as Rupert Murdoch. So you should have written a lower case 'd' and added commas. dick comma Murdoch comma.

Good news sarge. A GOP poll states: "John McCain and Sarah Palin stand at 48 percent to Barack Obama and Joe Biden's 45 percent." So you can bank on that.

this is so funny, the final nail in the republican's coffin...although the actual cost of her outfits shouldn't be a big issues in normal circumstances but because of her often delivered "hockey mum" (hey I'm a normal working class mum like all you voters) tag means that this story just throws her image into orbit....McCain must be seriously regretting her choice...he would most likely have been much closer to Obama had they not picked a person who doesn't even know the role of a vice president.

“I think Hillary Clinton was held to a different standard in her primary race,” Palin said in an interview

Way to break that glass ceiling.

Another thing I would like to comment on. Apparently, some people here have awfully short memories if they claim that the media has been biased against her.

I have seen her on TV at least THREE times in the last week (I thought it was four but one turned out to be Tina Fey, they really do look alike) without a flag pin. How quickly we forget the nonsense Sen. Obama endured from this so-called biased media (see: flag pins, hand on heart, William Ayers).

Taka

Hey, what's wrong with spending $22,800 in 2 weeks for make-up?

Sarah Palin is a celebrity. The biggest celebrity in the world, comparable to Tom Cruise, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

Yet, despite all of the fans, paparazzi and media adoration, the American people still have questions: Is Sarah Palin prepared to lead? Is being famous the same as being a credible commander in chief?

On issues big and small, there is a gap between Sarah Palin's soaring rhetoric and celebrity and the facts behind them.  What she says and what she does are often two very different things, leaving the American people to wonder what she actually believes, or if she believes in anything beyond herself.

(Special thanks to Rick Davis, July 30, 2008)

Hey, what's wrong with spending $22,800 in 2 weeks for make-up? Sarah Palin is a celebrity. The biggest celebrity in the world, comparable to Tom Cruise, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

Very true. But they're spending their own money on wardrobes and stylists, not campaign donors'.

Nope, not at all. But I would take great pleasure in asking her straight forward questions about her hypocrisy and watching her either dismiss it as being 'rude' (ie., 'I have NO way of answering, so I'll try and look the better party), or fumble around like in a Couric interview

But smith, she's a Republican, and she's the enemy. It's a war we're in here. Take no prisoners, ne? Win at all costs.

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

That's what I suspected, I can't see the outfits she's appeared in totaling anywhere near 150 grand. (Though they would be far beyond the budget of the average Hockey Mom).

“Oh, if people only knew how frugal we are.”

More like stupid. Why were they purchased in the first place just to collect dust in some closet? That money would have bought a lot of advertising time in swing states like Ohio (and I know a lot of Republicans look at it that way).

For the rest of us, it begs the question: If they bungle clothes purchases this badly how can we trust them to manage the federal budget?

Simon_Foston

Very true. But they're spending their own money on wardrobes and stylists, not campaign donors.

I know..., but you completely missed my point: http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/07/mccain_campaign_mocks_obamas_c.php

Please scroll down and read carefully. Thanks.

Sarge,

If by wishy-washy you mean "failing to have an uninformed opinion", then I'd agree.

Sez - By wishy-washy I mean not being able to make up your mind or to take a stand.

Hey, Palin said in an interview that she would get back to Katie Couric. Did she ever get back to Katie?

Sarah commented thoughtfully, “That whole thing is just, bad! Oh, if people only knew how frugal we are.”

Oh, if only... What a hack. Seriously. Mrs. I Wanna Be In Charge of the Senate...

I agree with sarge, a voice of reason and a true patriot, unlike the immense Liberal bias of most on here.

so what, about palins clothes. she looks great, am i right? You betcha!!!

"she looks great"

She looks better than Tina Fey, doggone it!

Hey, now I hear Palin is being blamed for injuring St. Louis Blues goalie Manny Legace, when he tripped on the carpet laid out for her to drop the ceremonial first puck! But LeGace apparently doesn't hold any grudge against her - Legace: "I'm starting to like her more and more. No grudge."

There is only one way Palin can redeem herself and the Republican Party. She's got to strip off all those expensive clothes in public and throw them at the audience.

Then she would really draw the crowds too.

Maybe she could strip to the "Star Spangled Banner" to keep it all patriotic. In the Bible Belt she could strip to "Jesus Loves You This I Know."

Palin then could go to Iraq and Afghanistan and strip for the troops.

She might start a Republican striptease movement that would tip the scales to McCain.

The Democrats have no way of countering a stripping Palin. Who wants to see Joe Biden strip. Even a stripping Hilary couldn't compete with a stripping Sarah.

Of course, McCain will have to change his slogan from the dull "Country First" to something else.

DXX... Just to fill you in... Palin was CORRECT about the VP's job. Turns out she was using the old "constitutional" definition of VP instead of that one that Biden trotted out during the debates when he was WRONG.

"$150,000 in designer clothes"

How about $961,000 on one TV ad?

An interesting (and thought provoking) interview with Jeri Thompson, the wife of Sen. Fred Thompson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGLagLETYv4

Sarge It's not the amount of money which stinks - it is the amount of hypocrisy

tigris>totally agree....palin doesn't even know what she is about (all we see is a hypocritical PR produced mask)...whats chance of her being a half decent VP? who knows? which must be the point for all voters in the US.

Sarge,

Then we disagree.

To have no opinion does not mean that you are not able to make up your mind. It certainly could mean that. It could also mean that you do not have enough data to answer the question.

To have no opinion does not mean that you are unable to take a stand. It certainly could meant that. It could also mean that you are taking the stand that you will not be forced into taking a stand.

To answer that the media favors Obama is not evidence that you have made up your mind. It could mean that. It could also mean that you are simply parroting what you have heard when in actuality you have never really done the work of analyzing the matter. Ditto wishy-washy. Some folks will have an opinion about anything just to avoid seeming so.

Again with respect to the media and Obama, the Excellence in Journalism study shows that the treatment of Obama has been slightly favorable but overall balanced. Treatment of McCain has been negative and the study concludes that this is not from any discernable bias but from the tendency of the media to respond to shows of favoritism by the public.

In a free-media society, people buy the news they want. That's why FOXNews exists. A news medium will not long survive if it does not supply the news that people want.

So does public opinion slaver after the news media as a dog does its human companion? Or is it the other way around?

New Wardrobe - $150,000

Stylist - $22k in 2 weeks

Watching all the Republican diehards changing their user IDs on Nov 5th - priceless

"Palin... $150,000... clothes..."

Sheesh, when is the media going to start investigating Obama's ties to Bill Ayers and ACORN?

Yes -danged media, curse them and their infernal reporting of facts...

Loki520 at 06:37 PM JST - 25th October DXX... Just to fill you in... Palin was CORRECT about the VP's job. Turns out she was using the old "constitutional" definition of VP instead of that one that Biden trotted out during the debates when he was WRONG.

So pleaaaaase do tell what is this "old Constitutional definition of the vp" job? Where can we find this old definition I would love to see it.

Let us see, Gov Palin`s view on the role is that the VP is the leader of the Senate. The VP gets in there and makes the Senators do their jobs. You know forcing them to pass bills with all the VPs power as President of the Senate......

While Biden`s view is that the VP is te point man for the Administration and not the leader of the Senate.

I think the leader of the Senate is a Senator and not the VP.....

I would love to find where our Founding Fathers said that the VP was the Leader of the Senate and not the tie breaker. Hell they gave the poor VP the title of President of the Senate because they felt he had to do more than just sit and look busy.

If you can point me to this other Constitution I would love to read it.

Turns out she was using the old "constitutional" definition of VP

To be honest I just love that statement......Very funny!LOL

Oh you darn U.S. Constitution! If only the Right Winger could rewrite you to suit their ideas! LOL

Pesky thing that Constitution, it keeps getting in the way of the Republicans!LOL

BTW did I forget to mention, ALASKA!ROTFLMAO

TOOOOOO GOOOOD Alsaka!LOL

I wonder what republican supporters will use as an excuse when McCain and Palin gets beaten in the elections?

...my guess is "this just shows that there are too many foreigners in this country of ours...."

I wonder what Democrat supporters will use for an excuse when Obama and Biden get beaten on Nov. 4?

My guess is "They stole the election, just like Bush did!"

sarge,

We know what you will say when the Democrats win big in November. You will use that tired old line that America had a brain fart.

I can just see sarge now listening to Journey – Don't Stop Believin' over and over on his record player. sarge, be sure to visit rove.com and see how your candidate is doing.

goodDonkey - We know what you will say when the Republicans win in November. You will say "They stole the election! Just like Bush did!"

I can just see goodDonkey now listening to will.i.am's Yes We Can over and over again on YouTube. goodDonkey, be sure to check out the latest AP poll and see how your candidate has lost ground and is in a virtual tie with McCain.

Hey sarge I posted the results of the GOP poll for you. Now you have two polls that can soothe your heart until that "Tuesday tragic Tuesday."

Then you will have over two and a half months to plot your strategy of denial for the Obama future successes.

My favorite Palin was the one where she claimed to have sold her RNC jet on eBay... which, thankfully, turned out to be untrue!

I feel sorry for McCain. He made a bad bet with the VP choice. If he loses, Obama should offer him some position at his camp. McCain is not Palin!

airunwesker> actually thats a pretty good idea...McCain would actually make a great VP instead of Biden (No I am not joking as I am not a McCain hater, I just just disagree with his negative campaigner and the poor choice of a VP)

So, are any investigations out there about Katie Courics wardrobe? Or Hillarys´s?

The degree to which the media have become part of the Democrat party compaign is mind-boggling.

VH1 is already be working on her "Where are they now?" Special.

Willib, Katie Couric isn't running for elected office and Hillary isn't stylish maverick hockey mom enough to spend that kind of money. I do disagree with people that make it look like she spend that much money or even asked for it. I'm sure she didn't. But the fact that the RNC felt that they had to dress her up like that to sell her to their own party says a lot to me.

I agree with airrunwesker and kenchan, McCain was definitely a better man in my eyes before he picked that woman and the straight talk bus started driving in circles with the GOP at the wheel.

McCain would be a good choice within the Obama adminstration. Talk about bipartisan.

Palin is getting ready for her new career on american idol. she has the clothes already courtesy of the repug party.

You betcha ya!!

McCain's bad temper is showing. Meanwhile, this is a good example of a republican - public support (we're buying her clothes, etc., for her) and privatized profits (if she gets the job, she won't be sharing any of her higher income with us).