Is it outrageous, or even surprising, that the RNC shelled out nearly $150,000 in "party" clothes -– no pun intended — to make Sarah Palin look even more glamorous? And where do I get that job?
It doesn't seem like such an outrageous sum, alas, if you live in New York or Hollywood and have a high-profile job in politics or entertainment, which are increasingly indistinguishable. And it was for her kids and husband, too, after all. You can say this about the guv –- she's got great taste. Or her personal shopper does. (That red leather jacket is a knockout.) And why should our-woman-of–the-people shop at Target, or Wal-Mart? She's clearly come a long way from Wasilla.
While this may seem an odd subject for my first FOX Forum piece, it's not. I am, after all, a woman. So, I shop — in the sales in November and whenever I can find time. Besides, why not focus on America's love affair with the fantasy candidate rather than dwell on Yahoo's depressing headlines -– "Wall Street tumbles as investors weigh corporate forecast, world leaders to meet in Washington about financial crisis," "Russia modernizing missiles in response to U.S. defense sites," or the fact that the Iraqi government is now having second thoughts about the draft military agreement with Washington that it clearly needs to survive. It's far more amusing to focus on the distinctly Hillary-esque pants suit that Palin wore in Waukesha, Wisconsin, at a rally on October 9, as Politico, which broke the story, disclosed in its photo fashion display today.
If a serious journalist like Jeanne Cummings, a recruit from The Wall Street Journal who has covered five presidential campaigns, can break news about Palin's shopping spree, why can't I comment? Cummings did raise that sticky issue about whether the clothing and accessories were legal since the Federal Election Commission bars using campaign cash to buy items for personal use. But GOP spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt was ready, albeit several hours later, with a comeback: "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign."
But that raises more questions. Where do I go after Nov. 4 for that ‘08 campaign vintage clothing sale? How much would I have to pay for that red leather jacket second-hand? How does she manage to walk around in those five-inch-heeled boots photographed in the New York Post this morning? (The Wall Street Journal warned last week that even fashion models were breaking ankles and toes at a breathtaking rate thanks to the fashionistas' latest torture inflicted on hip women.) And finally, why are we all focused on what Palin is putting on her body rather than what is in, or more accurately, not in, her head?