Does anyone care about Palin's $150,000 wardrobe?

Sorry friends on the left. I really can't believe that with such critical issues facing Americans like our economy and two wars, that the media is spending one minute of its valuable time on the cost of a VP candidate's clothes! I guess this is somehow just as important as the magazine's Palin reads! Gimme a break! I don't recall any of these questions being lobbed in Hillary's direction, who I might add also wore very expensive clothes on the campaign trail, or at Biden who may or may not read Men's Health. Why is this so important with Palin? Whether you like her or not, I think it would benefit every American to at least focus on issues that will affect our country. For God's sake, at least PRETEND to be unbiased.

Indeed, there has to be some midpoint between her usual North Face down Jacket and a $2500 pantsuit. Fine, if the McCain campaign is so ashamed of here wardrobe, ask John and Cindy to refinance one of their seven houses, or sell one of their fourteen vehicles, and buy her some duds. The Dems all seem to be well turned out on their own dime -- using contributions from us, the little folk, to play Barbie with Sarah is certainly beyond the pale. The GOP is truly clueless. Middle class is defined as $250,000 a year, John? Can't remember how many homes you own, John? $150,000 of donated money to dress Sarah AND her family? Obama in 08. Take it back from the clueless and let's be represented by someone who has demonstrated a consistent pattern of intelligence and integrity.

Whether she wears expensive clothes creates no qualms with me. However, the funding of those clothes does create an issue. Why would she take $150,000 of money that supporters have donated to simply better her look. I would have to believe that for $25,000 she could buy herself a new, not-embarrassing wardrobe. $150,000 just seems plain excessive. And to use this money while the national spot-light is on her. I did not expect her to make such a stupid decision.

Most of us could care less what she spends on clothes. Except for one thing: the Republicans and Karl Rove have consistently used this non-issue to harass the Democratic candidates for years. They even had lots to say about Bill Clinton's hair cuts. NOw this is backfiring on them and they don't like being in the hot seat. Guess what? People in glass houses ought to remember by now to not throw stones. Thank God for all this Palin and the $150,000 wardrobe crap. Maybe now we will have news people and pundits talking about real issues, instead of all the bs they have been throwing out there for about fifteen years. I am sick of the candidates treating us all like we are ignorant boobs. So have at it. Tear her apart. Then move on and talk about how a journalist from Wasilla compares to a law school graduate and Constitutional lawyer. I am sure their educational comparisons out do the "experience" thing.

I see no reason for to spend any funds donated for party activities to be spent on a candidate and their family's wardrobe, however I might understand this in the Palin's situation...if it were not for the amount. The amount spent and type of clothes purchased are clear indicators of arrogance to common sensibilities. It shows that RNC and it's candidates continue to abuse the authority granted to them. This is yet another example of bad decision making. Just like the decision to pressure staff to fire an ex-inlaw.

I would have been impressed if the Palin's said "Take this all back, this is not who we are." It is a slippery slope to start on with the first "yes" to an abuse of power...that it appears Ms. Palin has started upon with her actions as AK's gov.

The comment that the clothes will be donated to charity is nothing but a tacit admission that the situation is wrong, wrong, wrong.

re: "It's puzzling. What would she do as vice president?" - good question, sadly it is a question that she doesn't seem to know the answer to either.

There is a vast, vast middle ground between Saks Fifth Ave. and the Goodwill that you neglect.. I'm not even saying it should have been KMart.. but Neiman-Marcus? Come on. $150,000? That's 60 outfits at $2500 EACH. It is more than most families spend on clothes in a life time. It is an amount most people can only dream of affording on 30 year payment terms. It is inexcusable.

Yes, it is fine that someone went for shopping for her, I don't think that anyone has seriously brought that up as an issue.

The fact that people are making a big deal about this is rediculous. Why aren't we also talking about how much has been spent on designer suits for Obama and Biden. Because nobody cares.

I wouldn't care if the RNC bought her a few top of the line outfits for special occasions like the convention, and for meeting heads of state, and the extremely few interviews she's done. But she's supposed to be the down to earth all American just-like-Joe-the-plumber hockey mom. She could campaign in jeans and a sweater with some nice accessories and the crowd would still go wild. She can't pretend to be like that in Dior and Gucci. So it's the hypocrisy and the excessiveness. Any business woman who has to dress similarly to what Palin has been can tell you that you can be fully outfitted with a suit, blouse, shoes, scarves or other accessories for $500 or less. On a budget of $150,000 that would be 300 outfits! It's also that it is donations from Joe the plumber and Jane the secretary with their meager pay that instead of going to electing candidates is instead welfare and socialism for the RNC's one woman earmark. I disagree that Republicans won't care. The few hardcore any excuse for a Republican candidate ones won't, but the grandmother on a fixed income who is having a hard time paying for groceries, but sent in $20 anyway? Yes, she will care. Too many of us are struggling in this economy to watch the RNC play expensive dress up games with their new doll and not care about it.

I understand the need to look ones best under the scrutiny that any of these candidates are under. I have no problems with that. It's entirely logical, however $150,000? What's with that? Seriously, there is a middle ground between Salvation Army shopping and $150,000, or whatever the actual figure is. That's grossly excessive. I doubt it was Palin's decision and that it was the decision of her handlers. So what were they thinking?

However, this is a blip in terms of what actually counts in this election. I hope you don't f*** it up down there in the US. BTW - I've been meaning to ask whether those who think that Democrats are socialists think that Canada is a communist country? FYI: There is a huge difference between a social policy and socialist policies. Figure it out.

Obama and Biden don't use campaign funds to buy themselves clothes. They use their own money. And I doubt if they spend $150,000 a month in clothes anyway.

No, we shouldn't care that she's spending her campaign's money to buy clothes. That's not the point.

The problem is that her and McCain are going for the populist "we're just like you, little people" appeal while spending $150,000 on clothes and accessories in 2 months.

The exact same argument could be presented about the Bill Ayres topic of discussion.

Who cares about an education professor who committed acts of domestic terrorism 40 odd years ago?

There seems to be quite a double standard here, McCain and the GOP can bring up off topic issues and claim they are indicitive of judgment and honesty however it is not ok to apply the same scrutiny to Sarah Palin? I think it's fairly telling about her persona to spend 150,000 dollars on a wardrobe that will be used only for a few weeks in a time of extreme financial hardship in this country. Most ESPECIALLY considering that she sells herself as anti pork and a fiscal conservative.

Anybody home?????

Yes, I care because it goes to both character and judgement.

I am middle class and I sometimes shop at Ann Taylor. They have very nice jackets for around $300 that would have fulfilled the needs of her travels just fine. So, yes, it irks me to know that she's paid $3,800 for a jacket and I will pick up the tab one way or the other. (Earlier this year, I gave money to both the RNC/McCain.) Let's put it into context:

Here are the median home prices for areas within battleground states from this site:
http://www.housingtracker.net/

Indianapolis - $144,600
Columbus - $159,400
Cleveland - $139,700
Tampa - $189,000
Philadelphia - $206,000

So she spent the same amount as a HOUSE on clothes in six weeks -- while giving slandering Obama left and right with phony concerns about "Joe Sixpack" and people worried about their mortgage payments.

It's weird they bought clothes for her family. I mean, she's not a charity case. She's getting a hefty salary paid by the public salary as governor. Talk about 'spreading around the wealth...' we're all giving it to the Palins apparently!

I like that he said your opinion will show how you vote. If you think this is a non-issue you proabaly are already a Republican. Why, I'm sure I don't know. If it were me I'd keep my head down and my mouth shut. What's happened in the last eight years is an international disgrace. Texas should sell their football teams and remove itself from outside contact.
Democrats? You better be lookin at this. If you think that you can get away with anything like these arrogant jerks, you'll be ousted too.
We all know Palin's no hockey mom. She's a career politician with a huge ambition and few scruples. Buying clothes is like an actor putting on a costume. She does it to get her what she wants. She and McBlame don't give three hoots what things cost as long as they win. They have yet to state what, if anything, they hope to accomplish. Republicans rarely care about much of anything past winning.
Obama seems to have a consistant story. Can he pull it off when he wins? We'll see, won't we? Unless Diebold steps in and steals this election too, Obama has it sewn up. Expect eight years of conservative crying and stonewalling. Only this time no one wants to hear it. Let's hope the Democrats have learned something from the Republicans falling on their faces! Personally I look forward to Palin selling her clothes on Ebay to pay her legal bills for the coming trials.

The issue of the economy is exactly why this is an issue right now. When people are struggling to pay their bills, fill their gas tanks, heat their homes, put food on the table, and worrying about their jobs the idea that someone who purportedly is "a typical hockey mom" and a regular "joe/jane-six-pack" is spending 150 thousand dollars on a wardrobe using taxpayers/donors money is very much an important issue. Hillary does wear nice clothes, but she pays for them with her own money... not out of campaign money. And the Republicans are the ones that went crazy over John Edwards spending $400.00 on a haircut (which he paid back to his campaign). And I guarantee that if Obama were the one who had spent that kind of money out of his campaign funds republicans would be having an absolute field day with it. The McCain/Palin campaign come across as a "do as I say, not as I do" campaign. And that is not the type of leadership that I am interested in.

This is just another example of how poorly McCain has run his campaign. If it was $20k, that would have irked me. This is just ridiculous.

For me, it's the final straw.

On one hand, they complain about how Obama is outspending them. Then, they spend $150k for clothes for his disgraceful pick for VP.

The truth is that if he wasn't running such a negative campaign, MeCain would have a LOT more help from volunteers on his ground game. I volunteered for him earlier, but I just refuse to call people and try to sell the dumb smears they're putting out about Obama.

By the way, none of the candidates have had clothes purchased for them -- except Palin. I did some research; the RNC didn't buy suits for Cheney. (It did have some costs for makeup for debates for Bush.)

It's well known that Cindy McCain spends about $100k a month on her Amex, presumably on clothes.

They're just too out of touch, and to me, McCain went too far with his negative campaign, he's flip flopped too much on serious issues and pandered to the Christian right.

I'm still a Republican, but McCain/Palin do not represent the party that I once knew.

I'm really surprised how many times I've heard the Right saying they want to talk "issues" when this is brought up. A year now and they have avoided the "issues" studiasly to the point of offense. It's too late to bring up "issues" you had your chance. You ignored them as Bush ignored 70% of Americans when they told him year after year that we didn't like what he was doing. All you've done is show us just how much McCain IS like Bush. You only talk about things that you want. Party is always first. America is always second.

I thought this was from the RNC's report for September only? Which means they could still be buying her clothes during October and the price could be higher, it just hasn't been reported yet.

To GOP Woman against Palin --

Wow, I never thought of it that way. I have twelve more years to go on my $160,000 mortgage... and she spent almost that much in six weeks -- on clothes.

In this economic climate, that's just not right.

It's a question of judgment. Or in this case, lack of good judgment. The outrageous price tag, the celebrity image makeover, the high end shopping spree at 7th Avenue shops ... all prove once again how out of touch Republicans are with the -- dare I say -- "real" America.

If Republican voters were chickens they'd vote for the Colonel.

What was spent on her wardrobe is not important. It's all meant to be a distraction from what really matters. I'm more interested on why Barack Hussein Obama will not release his birth certificate? Does he have something to hide? Now that is important!

This is just one more example of how poorly the McCain campaign has been run. They know everything they do is subject to intense scrutiny and this is a huge bonehead mistake. If a campaign is run poorly then it is a very good indication the administration will be run poorly as it directly reflects the leadership skills of the candidate.

her wardrobe does matter! as a conservative i dont like our tax money being wasted like this! how can i believe they are going to cut spending when they act like this. i am wealthy and i posses few nice pieces but i dont ask the rest of the country to pick up the tab. this is just plain wrong. i miss times when republicans were truly conservative with government money.

What happened to the 2000McCain? He would never have endorsed and/or allowed such a disgrace become a his compaign.

As a Republican for the past 30 years, I think it's important for our leaders, who are seen by millions, to be well-dressed and groomed. They have to look like the office.

But Sarah Palin from day one, has presented herself as the frontier woman, Jane six-pack, real-American, small-town, god fearing, child-raising woman. She put herself up there as "real" -- and the Republican fringe went ga ga over how real she was -- one of them. Wel she isn't. Her physical and sartorial presentation is just as phony as her intellectual one. It's all show, a stage-managed sham -- there is nothing real about it. It's not who she is. So her self-righteous attitude and scoffing at "elitist" Obama is now being seen as even more ridiculous and unwarranted than ever. Total liars and hypocrites all the way through.

Oh my, and it's only Oct. 23..come Nov. 4, come quickly!

The Republicans have been trying to paint themselves as champions of the little guy (I know it's preposterous, but they have).

They've been talking about Joe, the Plumber from Toledo.

Now comes the news that they spent more on clothes, hair and makeup for Sarah Palin than Joe the Plumber's house is probably worth.

Wow.

How dumb are these guys?

To "Don't Care"

Here's a link to his birth certificate. Can't believe this is still circulating after 20 months of campaigning... Sheesh.
http://fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate

Can you say FAKE.