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. The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.The cash expenditures immediately raised questions among campaign finance experts about their legality under the Federal Election Commission's long-standing advisory opinions on using campaign cash to purchase items for personal use. Politico asked the McCain campaign for comment, explicitly noting the $150,000 in expenses for department store shopping and makeup consultation that were incurred immediately after Palin’s announcement. Pre-September reports do not include similar costs. Spokeswoman Maria Comella declined to answer specific questions about the expenditures, including whether it was necessary to spend that much and whether it amounted to one early investment in Palin or if shopping for the vice presidential nominee was ongoing. But hours after the story was posted on Politico's website and legal issues were raised, the campaign issued a new statement saying that "it’s remarkable that we’re spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses" and that "the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign". The business of primping and dressing on the campaign trail has become fraught with political risk in recent years as voters increasingly see an elite Washington out of touch with their values and lifestyles.
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. What hasn’t been apparent is where the clothes came from – her closet back in Wasilla or from the campaign coffers in Washington. The answer can be found inside the RNC’s September monthly financial disclosure report under “itemized coordinated expenditures.” It’s a report that typically records expenses for direct mail, telephone calls and advertising. Those expenses do show up, but the report also has a new category of spending: “campaign accessories.”
And among the payments in September includes to to Barney’s New York and Bloomingdale’s New York. Macy’s in Minneapolis, another store fortunate enough to be situated in the Twin Cities that hosted last summer’s Republican National Convention, received three separate payments totaling $9,447.71. 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. [End of report]
When I first heard this news, I was a little bit surprised because I thought that both the presidential candidates and the VP candidates have to use their own money if they want to look good. I believe that the issue of looking good is an important one even though you are not trying to win competitions like 'America Next Top Model' or 'Extreme Makeover', but still you have to be on your best look whenever you are out there talking to the public or the media because it can sometimes play a part when the voters are deciding on who should become the next president. Their respective party will no doubt do everything that they can to ensure that their candidate become the next president and VP, and one way they do it is by giving their campaign the funds needed for purposes like advertising or organising a rally, which will help to improve their chances of winning the election later. Im not sure if the part of making sure the candidate look good is included in the funds though or whether she is allowed to do that under the Federal Election Commission. Of course the campaign cash can and should be used by them if it is able to help in any way, but I think the question now is whether the RNC had given Sarah Palin the cash for her personal use so that he can use everything for her own gains or whether it was for the purpose of helping the campaign.
If she was given the cash for her own personal use and gain, then that it absolutely wrong but if it was actually meant to improve her way of style so that she can look better in front of the cameras and the people, in hope that they will be attracted to her and vote for McCain, I dont see anything wrong with that to be honest. But I just want to say that the amount spend by the RNC to clothe and accessorize Sarah Palin is a bit extravagant for my liking. I mean you are talking about more than $150,000 worth of campaign cash. Imagine what the McCain campaign can do with that much money especially on areas which he can better spend it because right now, Obama is leading in most of the polls in important states and he much more popular than McCain. McCain needs every money he has now to spend big especially when you hear recent news like how Obama has managed to raise a record $150 million in September, as compared to McCain who unlike Obama, accepted $85 million in federal matching funds for the last two months of the campaign. I dont think what brand of clothing or what accessories a candidate put on will make much of a difference to be honest. In fact, I dont think it was necessary for the RNC to spend so much money on those things, not when you have Sarah Palin on your team. As far as Im concerned, she is already looking good despite what she wear and she is very attractive for someone who is in her 40s. You should just ask any men around and they would agree with me.
Anyway, the money has already been spent. I think the McCain campaign should see it as a kind of an investment for him to win the election later. At the moment though, Sarah Palin is getting more attention than him, some good ones and some bad ones and it is the good ones that they should focus on. If it helps Palin, it will surely help McCain too. Being an Obama fan, I dont want to see that happen of course because I want to see Obama to be the next US President. I just want to say that I really like Sarah Palin a lot, mostly because of her good looks understandably, added to the fact that she has all the things that I am looking for in a girl, a strong sense of determination, hardworking, knows what she is doing, confident and many more that Im too lazy to write. One thing that I dont think she have is the readiness to become the VP, much less the President. I guess that is about it. I know I have said many positive things about Sarah Palin but that doesnt mean I am going to turn my back on Obama. I have always supported him since he won his first primary and I will continue to do so. The big day is coming soon, just less than 2 weeks to be exact! I cant wait for that. For more news on the US election, you can visit CNN Election Center at http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/ . Until then, goodbye.
*The report was taken from POLITICO.com
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