And again I ask, Who is the celebrity now?
From Politico.com:
The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.
According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.
The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.
…
In 2000, Democrat Al Gore took heat for changing his clothing hues. And in 2006, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) was ribbed for two hair styling sessions that cost about $3,000.
Then, there was Democrat John Edwards’ $400 hair cuts in 2007 and Republican McCain’s $520 black leather Ferragamo shoes this year.
A review of similar records for the campaign of Democrat Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee turned up no similar spending.
But all the spending by other candidates pales in comparison to the GOP outlay for the Alaska governor whose expensive, designer outfits have been the topic of fashion pages and magazines.
…
The entries also show a few purchases at Pacifier, a top notch baby store, and Steiniauf & Stroller Inc., suggesting $295 was spent to accommodate the littlest Palin to join the campaign trail.
An additional $4,902.45 was spent in early September at Atelier, a high-class shopping destination for men.
Yes, Ms. Joe “Pit Bull” Six-Pack spends a lot of the RNC’s money on fancy clothes so she and her family can look sharp on the campaign trail.
Hmmm… Just wondering if this could be considered “pork barrel” spending.
And I guess that lipstick is not the only difference between a hockey-mom V.P. candidate and a pit bull. Now we know that the elite pit bulls also have unlimited expense accounts for designer suits and accessories.
Update from The Caucus blog at The New York Times. Here’s a list of the RNC pork-barrel spending.
-Neiman Marcus (the R.N.C. misspelled it in their campaign finance report as “Neimon Marcus”) on Sept. 10: $75,062.63.
-Saks Fifth Avenue in New York on Sept. 10: $41,850.72.
-Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis on Sept. 10: $7,575.02.
-Bloomingdale’s in New York on Sept. 10: $5,102.71.
-Barney’s New York on Sept. 10: $789.72.
-Macy’s in Minneapolis on Sept. 10: separate charges of $4,396.94 and $512.92.
-Macy’s in Minneapolis on Sept. 22: $4,537.85
-Lord & Taylor in New York on Sept. 25: $349.50.
-Atelier New York, a men’s clothing boutique, on Sept. 10: $4,902.08.
- Pacifier, a high-end baby store in Minneapolis, on Sept. 10 and Sept. 25: two separate charges of $98.
-Steinlauf & Stoller, a sewing supply store, in New York on Sept. 25 (it was rendered in the report as Steiniauf & Stroller): $98.50
-Gap in Minneapolis on Sept. 25: $133.
