Palin's $150,000 Wardrobe!

Well folks, this goes way beyond John Edward's $400 haircut and John McCain's $500 Ferragamo shoes. We are talking about a whopping $150,000 spent on Governor Palin's wardrobe, hair, makeup and family in just one month, paid for by donations made to the Republican National Committee for the McCain/Palin ticket by presumably some hard working Republicans, and Corporate America.

The legalities of such an expenditure are left to campaign finance experts to figure out. I'm sure there is some gray area that can excuse this kind of spending on items for personal use. I can even understand fixing the candidate up for her first national appearance at the convention. Yes, Mr. and Mrs. America that sort of thing goes on all the time, even in local politics. Professional makeup for the cameras for instance, doesn't qualify as "personal use." Shopping sprees at Neiman and Marcus, Saks, Macy's and Barneys however, do. You can be assured that there will be no returns of merchandise after the campaign.

$150,000. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars! One month! We're not talking about J.C. Penny's here.

So, how exactly did this happen?

In early September, according to campaign records, Saks received $49,425.74. Also in September, the campaign spent $75,062.63 at Neiman Marcus. Then we have $4,716.49 spent on hair and makeup. Apparently while in New York, $5,102.71 was spent at Bloomingdales and $789.72 at Barneys. Atelier, a top men's store got $4,902.45 and $9,447.71 was spent at Macy's. A mere $295 went to baby stores.

Does the Palin family look good in front of the cameras? They certainly do. And according to one of the McCain campaign's spokespersons the items are intended to go to charity after the election. What the Palin family will wear, especially Sarah, should they be moving to Washington in January is up in the air.

Is it me or does this all sound just too ridiculous for words? I mean if this is intending to be a temporary fix, why not shop at Sears or Target? Well at least for the baby stuff. I know you can get a decent looking suit at Penny's I've done it. A quick trip to Annie Sez in New York or Syms and the Governor could have even gotten a few Jones of New York or other name brand outfits for far less. Middle America may have appreciated that. If she wore a different outfit every day during the month of September, at $100 each, well do the math.

Of course the amount of money spent isn't the entire issue. The Republican National Committee's monthly financial report according to Jeanne Cummings at Politico.com, has a new listing called "accessories" in it's itemized section, along with the usual telephone calls, mailings and so forth. This isn't the first time eyebrows have raised over candidate expenditures. Hillary Clinton spent $3000 on a couple of haircuts in 2000 according to Politico.com, and I'm sure there have been others. Interestingly, according to todays article the Obama campaign doesn't seem to have done any similar spending.

I personally make it a habit not to contribute to election campaigns. Oh, I've bought a ticket to an event here and there in my past, but actually sending a candidate or a political party a piece of my paycheck for whatever suits their purpose? Nope, not me. However, if I did I would hope the money was well spent on things like bumper stickers, signs, mailings, paychecks for staff, traveling expenses and all the rest of what I would consider appropriate. Wouldn't you? And I sure as hell can think of some more appropriate things that could have been spent on. I for one expect a public official to have certain skills. Signing her up for a class in public speaking without winks and hand waving is one that comes to mind. How to complete a sentence that includes a subject, noun and verb, might be another one. Introduction to the United States Constitution is another. And last but not least, The Duties of The Vice-President. I'm certain these are lessons that can be had for far under $150 grand.

Oh what the heck, she sure does look good, and I hope Corporate America appreciates it.