Palin sorts clothes to see what belongs to Republican Party

What I really don´t understand is why GOP voters defend their peers WRONG acts so fiercely, even if they are crystal clear. And worse, they try to make them sound RIGHT. Ostriches with their heads in holes? One can defend the leaders they worship. But there´s a point where common-sense comes into play, and common-sense has to be the judge. Or one is risking to be a complete fool.

Boy sounds like it sure took her a long time to sort the clothes, me guesses the $150K worth was very well integrated into her personal stash & that she was having a VERY hard time sorting things or maybe she was crying too much & dinna wanna give it all bbbbbbbbback

Palin was a freak show, car wreck. Everyone had to watch to see what happened next. She was Cinderella. RNC really needed someone with wisdom like Madeleine Albright, or Margaret Thatcher. They would have stood up, and said something is wronge with the campaign. Not let things progress as bad as Palin did. The crazy expensive clothes shouldn't have been bought in the first place. I would hope someone an elected office would have had wisdom to know things will be accounted for. Why the headache? If the RNC sells palin's clothes, maybe the cross dressers will get a good price.

"Some mistakes were made", she flat out accuses your hero of being a disaster for the party and her election chances. Now answer me, if you can... whom do you agree with? It's an easy question; was bush right, or is Palin?

May I say, that's an excellent question. Funny how we haven't had an answer for it yet, though.

This is ridiculous. Palin never wanted nor requested these clothes.

According to the article here, she says she never "forced" anyone to buy them. However, she "allowed" them to give them to her.

We can't know what Palin wanted. And as far as what she requested, we can know that only in so far as the public record permits. God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. It's hard to say what would happen if Palin had said, "I betcha I could sell this better if I only had a better wardrobe."

DXXJP: "Oh that would only add up to 12 bucks forget it."

Only if you guaranteed that they would remain anonymous, otherwise you'd probably get less than $5 out of them -- no one wants to be associated directly with a loser like Palin.

Why dont all her supporters donate a dollar so she can pay and keep them?

Oh that would only add up to 12 bucks forget it.

sarge: "This is ridiculous. Palin never wanted nor requested these clothes."

If she didn't want them, why didn't she turn them down. I don't accept something I don't want; or if I do, out of the desire not to appear rude, I may take said something and simply not eat/use/wear it. Palin not only WANTED the clothes, but has clearly appeared in anything BUT clothes of her own. She has said time and time again, "If I had known it would be such an issue" (or something of the sort), "I would have worn my own clothes." This implies she did not, which in turn means she wore nothing but the clothes you purport she 'never wanted'.

Never requested? That may be so, but never wanted; you can't prove it whereas her own statements prove the opposite to be true. What's more, the fact that she cannot sort them from 'her own' clothes means that she has accepted them as her own and not, for example, separated them previously.

Sorry, sarge, but what you WANT her to not have wanted, and what she actually wanted (but you don't to hear), are something else altogether.

As to the bush question, you simply didn't answer it. I asked you what you think about the fact that Palin says the loss is 'all bush's fault'. She doesn't squeak around it by using the passive voice and saying, "Some mistakes were made", she flat out accuses your hero of being a disaster for the party and her election chances. Now answer me, if you can... whom do you agree with? It's an easy question; was bush right, or is Palin?

The thought of Palin sorting out the clothes she obtained from Republican expenditures reminds me of The Three Stooges. Curly was doling out the spoils, "One for me, and one for you, one for me and one for you, two for me and one for you . . ."

I predict Sarah Palin is going to have the last laugh. She is one of the hottest entertainment and literary prospects going.

Entertainment "yes" literary "no." JTP has a book coming out as well, on American values (presumably it doesn't address the responsibility of citizens to pay their taxes in a timely fashion).

Once you cash in on your 15-minutes of fame, you lose all claims to represent the loftier ideals of public service.

While the Obama campaign undeniably had more money, the fact that the highest paid staffer on the McCain campaign was a make-up artist underscored the fact they thought surface was more important than substance. It may hurt the RNC's fund raising efforts.

Fine. Macy’s then. But that’s as high as I go for a public servant. ;-)" Well, perhaps its best we put them all in uniforms then.......

Look, I don't know what it is with me and clothes. I told you before, I'm Latin, and we are, I admit, a bit over the top about our clothes and especially shoes.... so as far as the low incomes you mentioned, I've seen some poor folks put on expensive clothes.

… you better do you best to look better than the rest.

That this comment is linked with spending what most Americans would consider a ridiculous amount of money on clothing for work (see my comments later on this), I’m not even going to touch the elitist subtext of the statement.

Well, where did you think they were shopping?

Honestly, I couldn’t care less where they shop. But they shouldn’t parade it in front of a public that is currently scared out of their wits that they won’t being able to afford a home, food, OR clothing in the immediate future. Not if they want anyone to vote for them.

Well, what is the average American wearing then? I hope you don't think people are wearing flannel shirts, worker boots, and ball caps.

Do you think average Americans are wearing Neiman Marcus or Saks? The average price for just a woman’s suit jacket at Saks is just over under $1,100.00. Fifty-four percent of households in American had incomes of $50,000 per year or less. 25% had incomes or $30,000 or less. At the $50,000 per year income bracket, the average amount of money spent on apparel is $1,297 per household. per year. Are you honestly suggesting that average Americans spend that $1,297 at places like Neiman Marcus or Saks?

Again, I’m not sure what economic demographic you consider your peers, but it certainly isn’t representative of the average American household, not by a long shot. And therein lies my point about the GOP and many of its supporters being blissfully unaware of what’s actually happening outside of their insulated microcosms. I'm not trying to say you're a snob, but seriously, $50k wardrobes? That's the median household income in America.

Dress her in J.C. Penny – Oh come on now. That's going real low.

Fine. Macy’s then. But that’s as high as I go for a public servant. ;-)

while we are going to argue about Palin's clothes, we should be focusing on that new building congress has just gotten 600+ million for..... like we really need another new ugly old style building.

Palin: "No, thanks, let's go for something a little cheaper."

McCain already did. ;)

Pivot -

Palin: "No, thanks, let's go for something a little cheaper."

McCain campaign aide: "Lady, K-Mart sucks!"

LFRAgain :Skip,

You can't be serious? I'm not sure what economic demographic you socialize with, but I don't think many here have a clothing collection in the $50~75k range, unless you're counting every article of clothing bought since the early 90s." Sorry, I thought most here were in Tokyo where I would imagine no one here is working on a construction site. I don't think that range is overly high if you are working in a white collar job. Especially if you have an interview, you better do you best to look better than the rest.

She's a politician and was going for a vice presidential position, what would you guys have done?

When and where did the American perception of what makes a presidential or vice-presidential candidate presentable become aligned with the flagrant display of wealth? When? I must have missed that memo. Last I heard, qualifications were the criteria by which candidates should be measured, not whether or not they picked up their campaign outfits at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus." Well, where did you think they were shopping? These are people who can not only give themselves raises, but get additional salaries depending on sets they are sitting. All those other committees aren't volunteered, they are paid for..

The McCain campaign shouldn’t have taken her on a shopping spree at symbols of economic wealth while simultaneously pitching their candidate as a voice for regular Americans in the midst of an economic meltdown. Or at the very least, they should have kept a lid on it." Ok, I am not going to argue with you there, you are right.

It was just plain stupid of them to do and did more to demonstrate how out of touch they are with REAL average American" Well, what is the average American wearing then? I hope you don't think people are wearing flannel shirts, worker boots, and ball caps..

than anything else they could have done in their campaign – not unlike George H.W. Bush having no idea how much a gallon of milk cost in '92." Well, to defend him, doesn't he own a bunch of cows? All he had to do was go out and get the milk from one of them....

No, it’s not unreasonable to expect someone wealthy to have others do their grocery shopping. But when you’re sworn by oath to protect the interest of ALL Americans, and not just the wealthy ones, it behooves you have at least a basic idea of what the non-wealthy are up against on a day-to-day basis." Ok, again, I am not arguing with you.

What should they have done? Dress her in J.C. Penny and send her out to sell why her Party was the better choice based on policy and ideas, not on looking expensively spiffy." Oh come on now. That's going real low.

Sarge - couldn't Palin simply have said "no thanks, let's go for something a little cheaper?". I suppose she tried hard to refuse them but McCain forced it over her head like we do with babies.

I guess she couldn't say NO to the GOP on such a small matter, which certainly doesn't bode well for her ability to stand up for the important things.

Yo, Obama's still to the right of centre by European and most world standards.

Wow, pretty sad commentary about the rest of the world.

Yo, Obama's still to the right of centre by European and most world standards.

Sarah Palin's a capitalist. Obama's the socialist here. So the real question is why is Obama wearing the designer suits of the bourgeoisie rather than the worker clothes of the proletariat? Is he really just another member of the elite ruling class? Hypocrite!

This is ridiculous. Palin never wanted nor requested these clothes.

"While Palin remains popular"

Palin in 2012!

smith - Sure, their have been mistakes made by the Bush administration, and sure, Palin and McCain were campaigning to bring change to Washington. The right kind of change, not Obama's change.

"moose chili"

I betcha that's rip-roarin' good!

Skip,

You can't be serious? I'm not sure what economic demographic you socialize with, but I don't think many here have a clothing collection in the $50~75k range, unless you're counting every article of clothing bought since the early 90s.

She's a politician and was going for a vice presidential position, what would you guys have done?

When and where did the American perception of what makes a presidential or vice-presidential candidate presentable become aligned with the flagrant display of wealth? When? I must have missed that memo. Last I heard, qualifications were the criteria by which candidates should be measured, not whether or not they picked up their campaign outfits at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

The McCain campaign shouldn’t have taken her on a shopping spree at symbols of economic wealth while simultaneously pitching their candidate as a voice for regular Americans in the midst of an economic meltdown. Or at the very least, they should have kept a lid on it.

It was just plain stupid of them to do and did more to demonstrate how out of touch they are with REAL average American than anything else they could have done in their campaign – not unlike George H.W. Bush having no idea how much a gallon of milk cost in '92. No, it’s not unreasonable to expect someone wealthy to have others do their grocery shopping. But when you’re sworn by oath to protect the interest of ALL Americans, and not just the wealthy ones, it behooves you have at least a basic idea of what the non-wealthy are up against on a day-to-day basis.

In the first ten months of 2008, 1.2 million Americans lost their jobs due to the economic downturn, 240,000 in October alone. And Sarah Palin is wearing Neiman Marcus for the campaign trail. Like I said, stupid.

What should they have done? Dress her in J.C. Penny and send her out to sell why her Party was the better choice based on policy and ideas, not on looking expensively spiffy.

“She was just frantically ... trying to sort stuff out,” Heath said. “That’s the problem, you know, the kids lose underwear, and everything has to be accounted for.

yeah palin is only 12 right? ever heard of a receipt?

$150K" YOu that really isn't a whole lot when you think about it. I am sure many of us here have wardrobes floating around the 50~75k amount. She's a politician and was going for a vice presidential position, what would you guys have done?

Besides, she's a woman. Give my wife that much freedom in New York and she'd do the same and in fact, has come close to spending over 25k in a day on clothes.

The media needs to focus on the real issues affecting America anyway. I am surprised that many of the left here aren't happy she's broke the repubs piggy bank though

The thing that absolutely stuns me in this story (okay, besides Palin's comfort with such quaint English as, "I'm like..." "We're all like..." and "They were like" in national press interviews) is this :

“I think the Republican ticket represented too much of the status quo, too much of what had gone on in these last eight years, that Americans were kind of shaking their heads like going, wait a minute, how did we run up a $10 trillion debt in a Republican administration? How have there been blunders with war strategy under a Republican administration? If we’re talking change, we want to get far away from what it was that the present administration represented and that is to a great degree what the Republican Party at the time had been representing,” Palin said

What the hell? It’s as if she ripped a page right out of the Obama campaign playbook.

These are precisely the same questions Americans had been asking once the cracks and leaks in Bush's second term became readily visible. Hell, we were asking even before he was reelected, and much to everyone’s profound confusion and dismay, he still won – although by the thinnest of margins.

But because the people asking the hard questions weren’t loyal soldiers of the GOP, they were badgered, hounded, and intimidated with accusations of cowardice, lack of resolve, and worst of all, treason, for not following the Bush Administration’s policies blindly and without question – badgered, I might add by the same Party that put McCain up as their presidential candidate, the GOP.

If any Republicans were to dare criticize the self-anointed “war president,” they were ostracized from the Party in no uncertain terms.

And now Americans are to believe that Palin is suddenly the voice of conscience and reason in the Republican Party? With her well-publicized record on abortion, censorship, “traditional family values,” and pork-barrel-spending, not to mention her ties with some clearly unorthodox (or at the very least primitive) Christianity – what with the witchcraft exorcism and all – she scarcely represents change of any real kind from the Bush Years and it’s not very likely a majority of Americans will flock to the wholly fabricated message she’ll need to sell for votes.

This leopard can’t change her spots in one day, much less four years, and she certainly won’t be able to change a Party by throwing its heroes under the wheels of the bus and burning bridges on her way through town, a Party whose support she will most certainly need if she want any appreciable chance of winning in 2012.

What gets me is how the GOP went overboard. If the GOP had only spent a few thousand dollars, it wouldn't have been such an article. But $150K. That cut against a lot of grains. Even in republican circles. < :-)

I was going to pose a hypothetical to the dems asking what if Hillary had got the $150K to make her look more attractive, but realized it wouldn't be nearly enough money.

How much could a paper bag possibly cost?

I still think Palin should auction off the clothes on eBay, like she auctioned off the plane.

"I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door," Palin said in an interview with Fox News on Monday. "And if there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door."

The Onion cracks me up every time.

While Sarah's rummaging through her wardrobe, it would be the perfect opportunity for Putin to rear his head and come into America's airspace.

That just goes to show how many clothes Sarah Palin tried to screw GOP supporters for!

Actually it points to her um, eh, intelligence. Probably also to her wondering what she can get away with.

"Palin’s father, Chuck Heath, said his daughter spent the day Saturday trying to figure out what belongs to the RNC."

A DAY? That just goes to show how many clothes Sarah Palin tried to screw GOP supporters for!

I think it's wonderful that the media is focusing on this story with all of the other problems the US is facing now.

Heath dismissed the clothes controversy as “ridiculous,” and said his daughter told him the only clothing or accessories she had personally purchased in the last four months was a pair of shoes.

Heh, so Sarah Palin was not just selling lies to the American people, but she was selling dodgy ones to her own Dad???

it would have been a fairly pointless...

Surely you realize that the MSM sells presidential candidates just like any other commodity. Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Obama. And packaging is a everything. Palin needed every advantage to compete against the MSM/Obama advertising campaign. Her makeover made perfect sense. She needed to look presidential, and Hillary's pant suits really raised the bar.

Sorry, that was definitely not meant to say 'our' president, but 'your' (as I said in the next sentence). I would never in my life willing choose to be associated with that failure of a man.

Palin has some good points (a miracle in itself!) when she says that there are more important issues in the world, and that a big reason for the loss was because of many of Bush's failures and the fact that people were fed up with the Republican party as a result. However, in the case of the former, she forgets that all her and McCain could bring up on Obama were a bunch of libel accusations about past associations that were completely irrelevant, instead of spending time and money on the current issues. In terms of the latter, as well as the reason in the last sentence, another reason they lost the election is because Palin was not at all a popular choice by John McCain.

I have a question for sarge on this: Do you support Palin's statements? I mean, she disses our president outright and says he made many mistakes, so... is she right and your president wrong, or was bush right and Palin wrong. Just curious my friend, and sorry if I have further made your head implode.

. . was going to pose a hypothetical to the dems asking what if Hillary had got the $150K. . .

It would have been a fairly pointless hypothetical, since Hillary didn't pitch herself as hero and representative of "average," "real" Americans, like Palin did. Look up the word "hypocrisy" in the dictionary. It might help bring you to some sort of understanding here.

I was going to pose a hypothetical to the dems asking what if Hillary had got the $150K to make her look more attractive, but realized it wouldn't be nearly enough money.

Betzee,

I'm not so much concerned about who the accounting is for as I am about the best way to put this story to rest. Palin's father does not help when he weighs in with his comments. His little girl no longer needs his protection.

skipthesong,

Sorry. That should read "I can understand that she might not have done anything wrong."

It is pretty hard to believe anyone old enough to vote gets worked up about this.Especially when you look at total expenses and see McCain and Palin were outspent almost 10 to 1. Obama deceived McCain and the entire country on the question of public financing, knowing McCain's sense of honor would compel him to uphold his initial pledge. People tut-tutting the Palin family about their RNC clothing budget seem oblivious to the precedent Obama set.

I predict Sarah Palin is going to have the last laugh. She is one of the hottest entertainment and literary prospects going. Talk show producers and publishers all want this woman. Her SNL double just landed a 5 million dollar book deal.

I thought there was a "personal gain" clause that prevented her from keeping the clothes at all?

SezWho,

The items of clothing for which reimbursement from the RNC is being sought don't favor Palin's explanation. Does the RNC really care what type of underwear her kids are wearing? Ditto for the first dude's silk boxer shorts.

All the accounting is really for the IRS. She's going to have to pay taxes on anything bought on her behalf which she decides to keep. I don't know how the IRS would respond to a "we can't find it" explanation for missing clothing items.

Wolfpack said:

BTW - has Hillary Clinton returned the china and furniure [furniture] she stole from the White House yet?

Hillary gave those to charity.

Palin shouldn't give the clothes back - that's silly. Let her keep them.

She's free to keep them but the IRS will regard them as taxable income.

skipthesong,

I think Palin is trying to put the story to rest. The quickest way for her to do so would be to say that she made a mistake in allowing the RNC to temporarily outfit her for the convention and the campaign.

I can understand that she might have done anything wrong and that she might always have intended to follow the rules. However--as it turned out--it was a mistake.

People forgive mistakes. They do not forgive self-righteousness--especially if they have to keep wondering about things they'd rather not wonder about such as how the Palin kids lost their underwear and whether this is a euphemism for "things have gone missing".

Wolfpack,

Palin did not get horrible treatment from the national media. She received treatment commensurate with what she did and what she said.

Additionally, my understanding is that it doesn't matter whether the money was public or not. I think the rule is that funds cannot be applied for the personal enrichment of candidates.

And, did someone mention Hillary?

That was a waste of money." Not for the Saks Fifth Avenue it wasn't. Actually, I am sure the sales people were happy as hell.

Let's put the story to rest.

Wolfpack - source for the last allegation?

Money wasted on Iraq war should be of prime concern not beautiful woman's clothes.

Hear! Hear! I was already sick of this petty insignificant story the day it broke.

I believe that the Clinton's wound up paying for a certain amount of the stash they took. I don't have proof, but I believe so. < :-)

Palin shouldn't give the clothes back - that's silly. Let her keep them. After the horrible treatment she got from the national meda, the misgynists in the Democrat party, and a few sore McCain supporters, she deserves them. No public money was spent on them. BTW - has Hillary Clinton returned the china and furniure she stole from the White House yet?

Sorting clothes to find naked truth? Money wasted on Iraq war should be of prime concern not beautiful woman's clothes.

That was a waste of money. It drew undue and unwanted attention and looked very poorly on Palin and the GOP. Especially the GOP. < :-)