Ruth Marcus: Dolling Up A Pit Bull.
Dolling up a pit bull
Ruth Marcus
WASHINGTON -- I didn't want to do it.
I didn't want to write about Sarah Palin's $150,000 shop op.
Then my husband called to say that this was just up my alley. (Given the state of our family budget, I'm not sure that encouraging me to think about buying expensive clothes was entirely in his self-interest.)
And my (male) boss raised it at our morning meeting.
I was planning to spend the day doing some Very Serious Reporting about how to handle the upcoming presidential transition, which is going to be awfully tricky to navigate no matter who wins.
But, hey, if these guys insist on frivolity, so be it. Between reading a treatise on transitions past and clicking around the Neiman Marcus Web site to figure out how Palin actually managed to drop $75,000 in one expensive swoop -- well, even though I am, alas, not one of those Marcuses, the latter's a lot more tempting.
It is true -- just ask Hillary Clinton -- that it takes a lot more time and money for a woman politician to be in the national spotlight than it does for a man.
But assume that even though she is the governor of Alaska, Palin's pre-nomination closet was nothing but North Face fleece and she needed to build a wardrobe from scratch. Assume she's got a little over two months on the campaign trail, and her handlers said it's simply not fashionable to wear each outfit more than twice.
So, say, 35 outfits -- jacket, skirt, shoes, the whole shebang -- which seems like an awful lot. At $150,000, that would be $4,285 each. I'm on the Neiman Marcus site now, and I'm having a hard time managing to spend that much. Here's a lovely Armani Collezioni asymmetric jersey jacket ($1,635), white blouse ($775) and classic pencil skirt (a bargain at $475). Throw in a pair of Christian Louboutin Simple 100 Pumps -- I found them online at Saks for $575 -- and you're still not there.
Talk about a proven capacity for executive decision-making. I'm impressed, really, that she could manage to spend so much so fast.
Did they not think anyone would find this stuff buried in the Republican National Committee reports -- when these things are electronically searchable?
That even if she needed new clothes and maybe wasn't interested in putting it on the Palin family MasterCard, it was a good idea to drop this big a bundle on Mrs. Non-elitist Hockey Mom -- even assuming this is a legitimate use of campaign funds? Hint: Macy's has some handy 20-percent-off coupons. Hey, there's a giant outlet mall in Virginia that has some great buys -- and it's in a swing state!
That it's a good idea, when the shopping spree turns up on the campaign reports, to say: "The campaign does not comment on strategic decisions regarding how financial resources available to the campaign are spent"? Strategic decisions -- like what, St. John vs. Dior?
The later explanation -- "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign" -- reminded me of the Reagan White House scrambling to explain Nancy's "borrowed" designer clothes.
For all that maverick reformer talk, Palin seems to have a problem with the walk part. The Associated Press reported Tuesday on Palin's habit of inviting her kids along on expensive official trips -- and billing the state.
"In October 2007, Palin brought daughter Bristol along on a trip to New York for a women's leadership conference," AP reported. "Plane tickets from Anchorage to La Guardia Airport for $1,385.11 were billed to the state, records show, and mother and daughter shared a room for four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House hotel, which overlooks Central Park."
Given their governor's taste in clothes, I guess Alaska taxpayers should be relieved Palin was frugal enough to share the room.
All of which leads to an update of the governor's famous convention quip. What's the difference between Sarah Palin and a pit bull?
Lipstick and $150,000 worth of designer clothes.
Ruth Marcus is a columnist for The Washington Post. Her e-mail address is marcusr@washpost.com.
Editor's comment: NONE of my money went to the RNC this time, so I really do NOT care about SILLY Sarah Palin getting all that money to get "doodied up".
But if your money is involved, feel free to tell us how you are taking it.
Ruth Marcus
WASHINGTON -- I didn't want to do it.
I didn't want to write about Sarah Palin's $150,000 shop op.
Then my husband called to say that this was just up my alley. (Given the state of our family budget, I'm not sure that encouraging me to think about buying expensive clothes was entirely in his self-interest.)
And my (male) boss raised it at our morning meeting.
I was planning to spend the day doing some Very Serious Reporting about how to handle the upcoming presidential transition, which is going to be awfully tricky to navigate no matter who wins.
But, hey, if these guys insist on frivolity, so be it. Between reading a treatise on transitions past and clicking around the Neiman Marcus Web site to figure out how Palin actually managed to drop $75,000 in one expensive swoop -- well, even though I am, alas, not one of those Marcuses, the latter's a lot more tempting.
It is true -- just ask Hillary Clinton -- that it takes a lot more time and money for a woman politician to be in the national spotlight than it does for a man.
But assume that even though she is the governor of Alaska, Palin's pre-nomination closet was nothing but North Face fleece and she needed to build a wardrobe from scratch. Assume she's got a little over two months on the campaign trail, and her handlers said it's simply not fashionable to wear each outfit more than twice.
So, say, 35 outfits -- jacket, skirt, shoes, the whole shebang -- which seems like an awful lot. At $150,000, that would be $4,285 each. I'm on the Neiman Marcus site now, and I'm having a hard time managing to spend that much. Here's a lovely Armani Collezioni asymmetric jersey jacket ($1,635), white blouse ($775) and classic pencil skirt (a bargain at $475). Throw in a pair of Christian Louboutin Simple 100 Pumps -- I found them online at Saks for $575 -- and you're still not there.
Talk about a proven capacity for executive decision-making. I'm impressed, really, that she could manage to spend so much so fast.
Did they not think anyone would find this stuff buried in the Republican National Committee reports -- when these things are electronically searchable?
That even if she needed new clothes and maybe wasn't interested in putting it on the Palin family MasterCard, it was a good idea to drop this big a bundle on Mrs. Non-elitist Hockey Mom -- even assuming this is a legitimate use of campaign funds? Hint: Macy's has some handy 20-percent-off coupons. Hey, there's a giant outlet mall in Virginia that has some great buys -- and it's in a swing state!
That it's a good idea, when the shopping spree turns up on the campaign reports, to say: "The campaign does not comment on strategic decisions regarding how financial resources available to the campaign are spent"? Strategic decisions -- like what, St. John vs. Dior?
The later explanation -- "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign" -- reminded me of the Reagan White House scrambling to explain Nancy's "borrowed" designer clothes.
For all that maverick reformer talk, Palin seems to have a problem with the walk part. The Associated Press reported Tuesday on Palin's habit of inviting her kids along on expensive official trips -- and billing the state.
"In October 2007, Palin brought daughter Bristol along on a trip to New York for a women's leadership conference," AP reported. "Plane tickets from Anchorage to La Guardia Airport for $1,385.11 were billed to the state, records show, and mother and daughter shared a room for four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House hotel, which overlooks Central Park."
Given their governor's taste in clothes, I guess Alaska taxpayers should be relieved Palin was frugal enough to share the room.
All of which leads to an update of the governor's famous convention quip. What's the difference between Sarah Palin and a pit bull?
Lipstick and $150,000 worth of designer clothes.
Ruth Marcus is a columnist for The Washington Post. Her e-mail address is marcusr@washpost.com.
Editor's comment: NONE of my money went to the RNC this time, so I really do NOT care about SILLY Sarah Palin getting all that money to get "doodied up".
But if your money is involved, feel free to tell us how you are taking it.
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