Okay, that's an expensive haircut

[jducoeur]

[Happy birthday to isisofcool!]

Thanks to the electoral-vote.com Votemaster for pointing out this article in Politico, about Palin's wardrobe and accessories. Apparently, the RNC has spent about $150k on her and her family. I'm a little boggled. Yes, I expect some serious expenses on primping -- the candidate needs to look good. But over a hundred thousand dollars? Jeez, what are they doing -- dressing her in couture every day?

Regardless, it does rather put Edwards' $400 haircut into perspective...

Comments

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

There is also some sniping about future mavrick-son-in-law getting some fine duds as well.

I also read they plan to "donate the clothing to charity" after the election. As if Palin would go naked on election day plus one.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's ridiculous, but I don't think it directly bears on Edward's $400 haircut; it just means both of them are rather off the mainstream of what is reasonable to pay for what, and that's no shocker when it comes to politicians.

[runolfr.livejournal.com]

According to Deceiver.com, the RNC also bought her daugher a $790 handbag. WTF?

[calygrey.livejournal.com]

....but she still can't afford contacts or at least glasses that look better...

[rosinavs.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised that new glasses or contacts haven't been part of that $150k.

However, I'm not too surprised at the price tag. She has never been on the national scene, so it's no surprise that she has no clothing suitable for national coverage. A good suit for a man on the national scene probably costs $500-$1000, and probably more for a woman as she requires more accessories for a complete look. A full wardrobe for a woman is also larger, as the suits she wears for debates and speeches are not suitable for evening events, while a man could change out the shirt and tie and wear the same suit, unless he needs a tux. Her family has also not been on the national scene, but they would require only a couple of complete outfits unless they are all on tour with her 24/7. It probably is costing a minimum of 10k per family member, and she has a large family.

[meiczyslaw.livejournal.com]

Well said, and quicker than me! ;)

I think the glasses look good

[metageek.livejournal.com]

I think the glasses look good, actually. They complement her pointy face. Contacts wouldn't necessarily be an improvement.

[meiczyslaw.livejournal.com]

Five family members ...
Thirty days on the move ...
No expectation that the laundry will catch up with them ...

Now, you're in front of (conceptually) 300 million Americans every day. You'd want to wear a thousand-dollar suit, wouldn't you?

I'd be surprised if Obama's and McCain's wardrobes weren't constructed similarly -- you don't think that's the same suit that they're wearing, do you?

The reason we don't hear about their $30,000 closets is that they've been constructed over multiple years, and not overnight.

(Well, the press did try to make fun of McCain's $300 shoes -- but who's got good dress shoes that aren't at least $150?)

[isisofcool.livejournal.com]

I'm boggled by it, but am hopeful of one things - that someone is keeping an eye to make sure that it is correctly recorded as taxable to her. Based on everything I know (admittedly limited but frequently put to use in my job), since she is receiving goods for her (and her family's) personal use, then she should be paying the taxes on it.

[meiczyslaw.livejournal.com]

Presumably that's part of the reason why the clothes are supposed to be donated to charity.

Even without it, though, it's probably a wash. If it were a movie, the clothes could be written off as an expense, too.

(At least the RNC is picking up the tab, rather than the State of Alaska.)

[hungrytiger]

Yeah, this bugged me as well. It's not so much the expenditure, although given how close it follows the $400k AIG outing it sure doesn't look good, as it is the fact that it gives the late-night comics more Palin material and eats up more news cycles as McCain's time to affect things is dwindling.

Did she need some clothes? Yes. But the size of the expense and the fact that the RNC was outfitting her whole family was over the top.

To put it in perspective, David Gergen from CNN said that a usual campaign allowance for clothing would be about $5,000. I accept that her clotes will cost more, but 30 times more?!

The usual campaign allowance is for men

[metageek.livejournal.com]

That $5K figure is for men. Good women's clothing costs more, especially with the variety problem.

Besides, the usual campaigner is not a lightweight who was picked to be eye candy. Dan Quayle would be the exception.

Re: The usual campaign allowance is for men

[hungrytiger]

As I said, I understand that good women's clothing costs more but thirty times more seems excessive, especially for a campaign that's trying to avoide bad PR.

[selkiechick]

I understand the importance of appearances, and the expense of an appropriate wardrobe, (particularly for women) and what that entails, but I think it galls me more because of how aggressively they are pushing the "just plain folks" image on every other level.

[duchess0511.livejournal.com]

I have to admit when I saw the story earlier today I didn't even blink over the amount. I figured she is up for Vice President and is a female who has never been in "prime time", she would need to be outfitted completely. Armani and Valentino which I hear she has been wearing is very expensive. Getting your hair done, makeup, and fashion consultations are very expensive as well. Not to mention coats and footwear and accessories.... I think they did a great job, her wardrobe is very sharp looking and honestly image is everything. People are going to scrutinize everything she does and wears and I know if that was me, I'd at least want to look good while they do so :-)

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, as a friend of mine pointed out, they didn't help pick her scarf.

[hungrytiger]

A funny follow-up to this that I caught on Anderson Cooper last night...

Why did the RNC pay for her clothes themselves rather then the money coming out of the McCain/Palin campaign fund? Well, it turns out that presidential campaigns are forbidden from using campaign funding to purchase clothing for the candidates.

Why aren't campaigns permitted to buy clothing? A prohibition against campaigns purchasing clothing for candidates was established as part of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act.

Bwah-ha-ha.

Seriously though, I don't really have a problem with either the campaign or the RNC buying clothing for the candidates (especially now that it's known that they will be donating the outfits to charity). The bigger issue is that it's just another sign that they're out of touch with where the masses are right now economically (it joins up with McCain's 7 houses and 14 cars) and that their campaign has a serious problem managing public relations.

Overall, I'm much more bothered by the fact that Todd Palin's membership in the Alaskan Independence Party (from 1995-2002) isn't getting more play.

lol.

[meiczyslaw.livejournal.com]

One of many (http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081023/pl_politico/14835;_ylt=AmfV_VfNonIdK8nHDSsFFr8DW7oF) that bother me is Obama's medical records.

Reporters have at least seen McCain's (though experts haven't), and interviewed his doctor; but we've just got a one-page note from Obama's doctor.

Dude's a life-long smoker, and we get a note from his doctor?

Follow-up Article

[meiczyslaw.livejournal.com]

Stylists: Palin's fashion buys worth it (http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081023/pl_politico/14844;_ylt=Al_OFFxKSm4Kz56Iatrtdf_Cw5R4)

Excerpts:

Vanity Fair said that Cindy McCain had worn about $300,000 to the Republican convention — $3,000 for an Oscar de la Renta dress and hundreds of thousands more for the diamonds and pearls that went with it.

Rothman estimated that Michelle Obama’s usual campaign outfits are worth about $2,000 each. Barack Obama accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in a custom-made Hartmarx suit, and the Chicago Sun-Times says he’s bought five more of them since. Retail price: about $1,500 each.

[dryfoo.livejournal.com]

When the RNC offered to buy her all those clothes, I wonder if, before accepting them, she said "Thay-inks, but no thay-inks."

Re: donating them to charity, I think she said "return them or donate to charity." Now it's not uncommon, but at least a little skeevy, for an ordinary clerk or shopgirl to "return" the LBD she "bought" for a one night big event, but how do you suppose those fancy stores are going to like it when La Palin's personal assistant shows up at the Returns counter the second week in November with a bunch of her fancy campaign threads?

Although that's not as amusing as imagining the stuff donated to charity, because the women at, say, Rosie's Place, yeah what they really need are some $5,000 outfits. "Oh, no!" you cry, "you misunderstand. She will donate them to charities to be auctioned off."

Ah, yes, that is much better. Because now I'm thinking about who will bid on the outfits. That's exactly what wealthy banker-class Republican women will want to wear to the country clubs this season: Moose-shootin' Sarah's Duds of Defeat. She's so their kind of people, and the campaign is one they'll want to remember.

Maybe she could peddle them to The Hollywood Elite she's been so sweet to these last weeks? That'd be something at the Oscars in January, wouldn't it? One star after another coming on-stage in a Previously Palin?

Maybe Tina Fey would be interested?