$150G From GOP For Fashions For Palins?

(CBS)  Since she's been on the campaign trail, Sarah Palin has received a lot of attention over her wardrobe, her hair, even her glasses.

Now, Politico.com is reporting the Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 on clothes and accessories for Palin and her family.

Politico says the expenditures began early last month, soon after Palin was picked by John McCain to be his running mate.

Palin frequently wears expensive designer clothes on the campaign trail now, points out CBS News correspondent Meg Oliver.

Spending records filed with the Federal Election Commission and obtained by Politico show the RNC paid for "campaign accessories" from upscale department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, where nearly $50,000 was spent, Neiman Marcus, $75,000, and $4,700 for hair and makeup.

"The problem with this for the campaign," explains Politico Chief Political Writer Mike Allen, "is it's the kind of thing that can stick in people's minds. At a time when they're cutting back on their own spending, they see a candidate looking extravagant."

And that, observes Oliver, could pose a political risk.

In 2000, Al Gore was criticized for changing his look by wearing clothes with earth tones. Two years ago, Hillary Clinton got some attention for two hair styling sessions that cost $2,500. And of course there were those $400 haircuts John Edwards got.

"This would," Allen says, "make the John Edwards haircut look like a bargain at the same time she's (Palin's) trying to connect with Joe and Jane the Plumber."

The McCain campaign released a statement late Tuesday night saying, "With all the important issues facing the country right now, it's remarkable that we're spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses. It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign."

Politico told CBS News it hasn't been able to identify any similar expenditures on the Democratic side.

[joezap5]

Who are you to say he shouldn''t campaign on the way to Hawaii? His grandmother dedicated her life to his education and career. It probably kill her if he DIDN''T!!!

[joezap5]

It''s the HYPOCRISY stupid!!!! Isnt this the same GOP that raked Edwards over the coals for a $400 haircut?

[joezap5]

USA-No1... your joking right?

[joezap5]

Speakinup21 don''t get all mavericky the world is bigger than a sitcom like suvivor. Try considering the other...I hope your g''ma is doing just fine.

[joezap5]

Of so Obama runs all of Chicago now... when you were a child did you get dropped on your head amanda379? Maybe you dropped out of civics class? Maybe you didn''t go to school @ all... sad.

Well @ least we know how to stop crime, just stop Obama & Co. in Chicago. The birds will sing again and our mail will come early.

I think Urban generational poverty and years of descrimination have a little something to do with it.

You have a comic book conception of the world and I truely hope you are not an adult but a child playing on mommy''s computer.

[joezap5]

With the economy in the toilet, Wall Street plummeting, Foreclosures everywhere- you would think this is an unimportant story.

But once again the retarded NeoCons have MADE it an issue by criticizing Obama as a "Paris Hilton" "Elite". A Celebrity!

Palin is just the Small town ''''''''golly shucks'''''''' hockey mom... ...........my a$$!

It''''''''s the Hypocrisy stupid!

Example: Sexual preference is normally a personal issue... but closet gay homophobic neocons getting busted in gay sexual scandal, after scandal makes the HYPOCRISY to much to ignore.

Neocon hypocrisy always pulls the conversation into the gutter.

[amanda379]

Pull out of Iraq?
Perhaps the U.S. should pull out of Chicago!


Body count:
In the last six months:
292 killed (murdered) in Chicago ;
221 killed in Iraq .
Chicago.... Who Runs it:
Senators: Barack Obama & *** Durbin
Rep: Jesse Jackson Jr.,
Illinois Gov: Rod Blogojevich,
Illinois House leader Mike Madigan,
Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan (daughter of Mike),
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (son of Mayor Richard J. Daley)

.....our leadership in Illinois .....all Democrats.

Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago ....
Of course, they''re all blaming each other!

Can''t blame Republicans; they''re aren''t any!

State pension fund $44 Billion in debt, worst in country.
Cook County ( Chicago ) sales tax 10.25% highest in country. (Look ''em up if you want).
Chicago school system rated one of the worst in the country.

This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois . And he''s gonna ''fix'' Washington politics for us!

Wake Up

[fbla1805]

I do have a problem, however, with Palin''s position on rape, and on rape victims.

Anyone who can spend other peoples'' money so lavishly on themselves, should also show generosity toward female rape victims who report that crime, and not force them to pay for the forensic kit needed in the work-up out of their own pocket, as Palin did while mayor of Wasilla.
(Palin also favors compelling women by law to carry any pregnancy caused by rape to full term and birth.)

I''d appreciate an article about %u201CRape Finally Arriving as a Political Issue%u201D one of these days!

Maybe with an interview by an honest journalist with Palin asking her to explain her positions, and her public record, as noted above?

The downside of the coming McCain/Palin election defeat is that she%u2019ll soon have more time for her hobbies, like shooting defenseless wolves out of planes and helicopters!

[fbla1805]

Is Sarah just innovating again? Does want to end the recession we''re heading into with "trickle down" economics, by spending lavishly on herself?

--$4,716.49 on hair and makeup just through September,
--$5,102.71 at Bloomingdale%u2019s New York,
--$9,447.71 at Macy%u2019s in Minneapolis,
--$49,425.74 at Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York
--and a whopping $75,062.63 spending spree at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis (hey, doggone - this "hockey mom" is goin'' upscale on us real fast!).

Then there''s the $21,012 for her three daughters'' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office as Gov. in December 2006 (thankfully, that bill was paid by the state of Alaska, admirably proving Palin''s credentials as an equal-opportunity biller!).

Republicans used to belittle former Sen. John Edwards'' $400 haircut, but compared to Palin, that looks like chump change!

Even "Joe" (actually Sam) the Plumber must be turning green with envy - Palin''s fashion budget for just these past few weeks is already more than four times the median salary of an American plumber ($37,514).

If elected, maybe she''ll single-handedly spend us out of this big recession Bush has us heading into! Wouldn''t she make a swell Pres.?

John McCain thinks so! Making her the V.P. candidate was his single most important decision going into this election campaign!

Does that make you confident of his judgment if elected President? Or not so much?

[fbla1805]

OH, VA, NC, FL, CO, NV, NM, etc., ya''all need money for investments in roads, schools and bridges? Tax your citizens? Heck no, doggone it! Sarah "Spread the Wealth" knows a better way!

This innovator has single-handedly created a new Republican no-tax but spend model:

--no taxes in Alaska (no sales tax, no income tax),

--hundreds of millions in socialist welfare in Alaska (including thousand dollar checks to all),

--including the "Bridge to Nowhere" (flip-flopping for it before she was against it!),

--even hiring a D.C. lobbying firm to get millions while she was the small-town mayor of Wasilla (pop. 7,000!),

--paying for this welfare socialism (spreading the wealth) by boondoggling taxpayers from the %u201Cother 49%u201D to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars of our taxes each year since taking over as Gov. of Alaska (%u201CI spend, you pay!%u201D),

--and slyly covering her trail by babbling on about "government get out of my way" (%u201Cbut only after I%u2019ve fleeced you dudes of your money!%u201D) in the debate with Biden!