Bill Kristol was on Fox this morning defending Sarah Palin, his Eliza Doolittle, and her $150,000 shopping spree. She doesn’t shop at Nieman Marcus, he says. They just went and bought clothing for her to wear, she isn’t responsible for those price tags. How was she to know?
(Palin herself echoed this defense in yet another awe-shucksy corn pone interview, where she claimed her favorite store was a second-hand shop in Anchorage.)
Nice try. Here’s how it works:
A stylist goes to Niemans, Saks and Barneys and "pulls" clothes they think will be right for Palin, because you can’t know until someone tries something on whether it will look good or not. They bring them to Palin and she tries them on — with the price tags on. Yes she likes this, no she doesn’t like that, this looks good but it needs tailoring, etc. Everything that doesn’t work goes back to the store, and the RNC is only billed for the stuff they keep.
So when Sarah Palin is deciding what she wants to wear, it’s got a price tag hanging off of it. Did she not look? Hard to believe, but if she’s authorizing purchases and doesn’t bother to ask "how much," it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in her ability to manage a budget.
Kristol’s game defense of Palin, however, did have one grain of truth — she probably did not devise this plan, and when the shit came down, the McCain staffers who did (and then billed the RNC for it, because it’s not a legitimate campaign expense) scurried into the woodwork when they should have taken the heat. Palin was insanely stupid about the whole thing like the half-smart bumpkin scam artist she is, but it’s a sign of what a disaster the McCain campaign has become that when she was out there on a public limb, they sawed it off behind her.





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The Party of Personal Irresponsibility!
Exactly, Jane – no matter how slim, trim, “I’m a perfect size xx in so and so” a woman IS, she isn’t going to just “accept”(Palin’s word)clothing that is not going to fit. She’s going to insist on having stuff brought to her on a rack(where’d they do it? A hotel room?)to try the stuff on. I’m sure the “Does this make my rear end look fat” was one of the conversation items as well. And I’m also sure she was wowed by the names on the labels.
The clothes fit too well, and are too well suited to her, for her not to have tried them all on, and made her selections. More bullshit from the Grifter Queen.
Does McCain know how stupid he sounds when he says “we’re a couple of mavericks” to Brokaw on MTP? Obviously not.
Damn, I wish I could get someone to do all my shopping and never have to pay the bill. Must be cool.
Hey PW, did the Star-Tribune endorse McCain?
and I’m sure she has no idea that an 24-7 make up artist costs money, must be a volunteer /snark
oooh more Kobe, much less Sarah please
yesterday heard some water boy trot out that she hasn’t even worn most of the stuff, ‘half in storage here, some still in boxes over there’. that particular piece of spaghetti slid right off the wall
whatever
Out here on the Reservation mavericks are just feral horses, and not much use to anyone.
So, how was this presented to Palin, anyway? “Hey, Sarah – how’d you guys like some new clothes to wear at the convention?” I’m sure it was not something like, “Sarah, we think you and your family look sort of “L.L. Bean meets Cabellas and just to clean you up a bit, we’re going to give you some new outfits…”
I’m surprised Brokaw didn’t hold McCain in his lap.
none of this even excuses the hideous outfits this women wars anyway
how on that staff thought a red leather disco jacket would befit a possible president of the united states of American?
It only lacks him waving a cane.
Ha. John McCain has said just bunches of really stupid things. Can you imagine if someone put together a montage of it all? Like the ones I’ve seen of GWB. Actually, it might be too much to handle.
Uhhhhh, she didn’t know …yeah right …like she doesn’t know what the VP does or how Troopergate got on the front page, how she left a small town $20,000,000 in debt, or where the Bridge To Nowhere is going Somewhere after she lied about supporting it …hmmmm. Sounds like the opposite of “Dick “I-am-not-a-crook-that-is-a-war-profiteer-who-micromanages-the-president-and-then-disappears-in-my-underground-lair-for-months Cheney”. Where is the popcorn? I need to have some while I watch …
Cat In Seattle
The caliber and discipline of the campaign staff he has assembled is indicative of the kind of president McCain would be.
Nope, they went for Obama!
Kristol’s game defense of Palin, however, did have one grain of truth — she probably did not devise this plan, and when the shit came down, the McCain staffers who did (and then billed the RNC for it, because it’s not a legitimate campaign expense) scurried into the woodwork when they should have taken the heat.
As much as I dislike Palin, I tend to think that she probably wasn’t that involved in the clothes idea. This latest story about the McCain campaign has the potential effect of casting the Rove operatives in McCains’ campaign in a more favorable light than they deserve.
Who really cares about Palin? She will probably disappear from the national spotlight after the election.
What would be better for this country is to make sure that the entire Republican machine built by Rove is completely destroyed. That mean’s no more campaign jobs, no more network consultant jobs, and no more uber-connected public relations jobs. I can at least dream…
(For what it’s worth, I don’t think we know nearly enough about how Palin was actually selected; but I doubt that Kristol had much to do with it.)
Kristol trying to write What not to wear.
(just before I hit the mute button) I heard George Stephy introduce Lindsay the Gooper “from Waterloo, Iowa, where he’s campaigning with John McCain today”.
McCrazy’s wasting another day in Iowa?
Is Steve Schmidt really a closet Democrat?
Brilliant move there guys.
Maybe Gramps is just there to announce that his campaign is pulling out of Iowa?
Strangely enough I loved shopping with the ex. The first thing she looked at was the price tag.
The only article of clothing I ever bought for her was a beautiful green silk Chinese dress, high collar and all. She wore it to meet my plane at Tokyo one day and with her natural strawberry blonde hair and green eyes it was stunning. That the dress fit was pure luck on my part, nothing more.
Were Ted Stevens to resign, I suspect that Governor Palin could appoint herself to replace him. (Shudder.)
He’s doing the standard GOP schtick, which is to lie no matter what and count on the media to let it slide.
It still works at least 50% of the time with the press, but it doesn’t work with an increasingly-better-informed audience.
sadly, her current wardrobe does appear to be an improvement over her usual Garanimals for Governors selections
On MTP Brokaw kept bringing up that Obama had opted out of public financing. On ABC, Stephanopoulos brings up raising taxes. I’m glad to see that with the economy in the shitter there has been no disruption of the networks receiving their talking points from the RNC.
Palin was of course the sop to the Fundies, the person picked to ensure they turned out to man the GOP’s get-out-the-vote machinery and do all the other scut work the CorporateCons won’t deign to do.
Now the CorporateCons are going to try and pretend that all of McCain’s troubles stemmed from her selection, as a way to make the restive TheoCons sit down and shut up. But I seriously doubt that’ll work.
I’ve heard the moose in Alaska are already running scared.
And may it be a very, very tall tree from which that limb was sawed!
Were Ted Stevens to resign, I suspect that Governor Palin could appoint herself to replace him. (Shudder.)
Toobz will *never* resign.
And even if he were to do so, Da Dirty Guv would be in a race against impeachment or possible criminal charges to get herself appointed by herself…
Hardly.
While it’s debatable she will have a lock on the 2012 nomination, she’s gonna make piles of cash speaking on the wingnut lecture circuit over the next four years.
Remember, Brokaw’s the liaison for the McCain campaign.
We know that McCain preferred Pawlenty or Lieberman but was somehow talked (arm-twisted) into choosing Palin. However, it was a high-risk choice, and McCain seems to like risk — not a good trait in a president.
Now Steph is showing the “mark my words” ad. But at least Rahm finishes the quote (sort of). And, btw, has Lindsay had some work done?
This was their plausible deniability exercise.
I never saw the price tag, or maybe I don’t remember having seen it…
It was a shout-out to her redneck base. *g*
the linkie – she no work…
it goes along with her claim that she ‘did not accept’ the clothing – it’s as if the question of ‘possession being 9/10s of the law’ comes into play here.
I see that my link above doesn’t work
try this and scroll down to grocery store pic.
ps – could swear Brando wore this in The Missouri Breaks
http://images.huffingtonpost.c…..-large.jpg
Or ‘I don’t remember if I remember having seen it”
Even if she didn’t see the price tag, which I don’t believe for a second, most people know that Sax Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus are high end stores that carry high priced merchandise.
Republican defense to getting caught behaving with reckless disregard, every single time:
“No one could have foreseen (fill in the blank).”
If you’re searching for two words that sum up the Republican Party, here they are:
“Reckless Disregard”
This election is largely about a rejection of the last 8 years. It is Bush’s record that made it competitive. It is the meltdown that put it out of reach.
What I see are the media talking heads tryng to drum up interest in a contest that they know to be virtually over. It reminds me of football commentators who try to keep and audience by saying, “You know, Bob, 3 touchdowns and a field goal and they could be right back in this game.”
If he’s convicted, does he have the option not to.
Right now, Begich is running only slightly ahead of Stevens.
I’ve been trying to put my finger on it, and this nails it perfectly.
She’s not stupid, but nowhere near as clever as she and Todd think they are.
McCrazy keeps deflecting questions about Powell’s endorsement of Obama by saying that James Baker, Eagleberger, etc. support him.
I haven’t seen an interview with Baker in a long time. I wish someone would get him on the record in these remaining days of the campaign verifying his support for McCrazy.
thanks
i’ve got some popcorn right here. i’ll share. pull up a chair.
The simple fact that she is incapable of conveying a thought or idea, that hasn’t been written for her, in a coherent manner says it all.
Watch the names of the people coming out to zing Palin in the next few weeks and months. The first ones — Lieberman, Romney, Crist, and Tom Ridge — have already stepped forward. Now what’s the one thing that ties them together, besides being wankers? It’s that the Fundies don’t like them. Lieberman they see as a Jew, a Jewish liberal, oh and did I mention that they see him as a Jew? Romney’s a Mormon, who they distrust almost more than McCain. Crist has David Dreier Syndrome. Ridge is pro-choice.
If he’s convicted, does he have the option not to
dunno – but I heard Charlie Cook on MTP this morning saying that if Ted is exonerated, he’ll probably win his senate race, but if he’s convicted, “he’ll have a tougher time.”
Ding, ding, ding…we have a winner. Touche, PW…
I give her credit for not sobbing as she said that she would return everything when the campaign was over.
Bachmann: another anvil?
http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pb…../110260039
:-))
A poll in Iowa shows Obama up 54 to 39 – so why is Palin there today and McC tomorrow?
Have they done anything in their campaign that makes any sense?
This woman is a walking disaster area.
Hot butter on what, say what? the popcorn!
Is the verdict expected before the election?
I don’t remember a peep of concern out of the MSM when Republicans held the money advantage for the last thirty years, most of it from lobbyists and the industries they represented.
No, that was okey-dokey swell.
Now that Obama’s run an end around on em’ by getting funded directly by the people (gasp!- the horror!) it’s time to break out the smelling salts.
What I particularly enjoy is how the Very Serious People talk about the ‘huge money advantage’ in very grave tones like Obama just went into his backyard and got the cash off of some tree.
What should be discussed is how remarkable his fund raising accomplishments are, particularly in such a bad economy.
Is the verdict expected before the election?
the jury already has the case, and it’s a pretty simple “did he do it or not”? kind of case, so I’d say yes.
Suprising that Obama can raise much of anything in this economy, particularly since D’s are traditionally lower wage earners.
The tailor for Nieman Marcus came for the try-ons too. The clothes have been tailored perfectly. Full length mirrors all around. I have trouble believing she didn’t go to the stores herself after hours.
In fact, if I were going to bet, I’d say look for a verdict tomorrow or Tuesday.
They are in Iowa because they confused golf and politics. They’re trying to take a mulligan and go back to the primary.
Just like we hadn’t heard a peep of concern about the Repubs controlling all branches of government for years (and what a great job they’ve done, not), but now we are hearing mounting horror at the thought of Dems potentially in charge. Hypocrites.
It’s also ticking me off that no one is mentioning all the ways McC is violating the spirit of the bill. I get requests all the time from McC for donations. Plus, they hold fund-raisers. Never mentioned.
Unfortunately I don’t think they have much of a case against Stevens.
I can home last week and someone had put a third floor on our house and didn’t leave a bill.
Seems to be happening all over the country.
Yes, just think of the awe and adulation he would have received from the media if John McCain had raised these amounts.
this was in response to STTPinOhio at 58.
heh. Cokie the Kook wondering why the McLiar campaign *reported* the $150,000 clothing buy. “They didn’t have to.”
It’s also never mentioned that people are free to give their money to either candidate, so if McHoover’s behind, it must be because his message isn’t connecting.
It’s really that simple.
actually, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a Not Guilty.
I think I read that the jury won’t be back until Tuesday due to a death in the family of one of the jurors.
But!!!! Sarah Palin is one of us, now isn’t she? Sarah said so. Why yes, everyone shops of Neiman Marcus, because after 8 years of the Bush Regime, everyone can afford to. Spit.
Glad you brought that up.
How the Very Serious People (today that means you, McBrokaw) mention the coming horror of Democratic control in Washington and not mention the GOP train wreck that’s caused this shift is beyond me.
The closest they’ll ever come is their all purpose get out of jail free statement — “Mistakes were made”.
You can dress ‘em up but ya can’t take ‘em out!!
No matter what you wrap her in she’s still Sarah Palin!!
Pretty well says it all about the slime that passes for talkin’ heads, don’t it?
She’s just another repub who thinks the U.S. Treasury should be their personal piggy bank. She’s robbed the state of Alaska and the RNC. Now, she’s hoping to someday get her hands on the real money.
i guess she does not dress herself. she just wakes up with whatever set of clothes she’s not accepting today.
That is something to remember.
Yes, she says she ‘did not accept’ the clothing. That does NOT mean that she find them ‘unacceptable.’
Exactly.
“Wow! What a mavericky maverick McCain is! He and Palin really must be connecting with the people! This really shows what a solid organization and a mavericky message can do!”
“And he’s done it all without a dime from lobbyists! I’ve got to believe this type of grass roots support is exactly what the Founding Fathers had in mind!”
“Did we mention he was a POW?”
Jon Stewart:
“How do you spend $150,000 on clothes in 2 months? You buy the original Thriller jacket on ebay”
Me neither.
That was just my snarky way of agreeing with you.
She dipped into public funds not only to have her house built, but she charged the state per diems for her to live in it. She flies her kids around at public expense, and government contracts have a way of sloshing to her and her family and friends. So it’s no wonder she is shocked – SHOCKED! – at the premise she would enrich herself at the expense of others.
Find me the moose-slayer’s jackets. Seriously.
Can you point to them in Neiman Marcus’ or Saks’ websites?
I think they did more than have a stylist pull them off the racks. Bet you Mama Cindy made a call, asked for the personal shopping departments of each, told them to “make it happen” for the prom queen, and they did what they do for Cindy.
What’s it like when you’re a big name buyer of Oscar de la Renta? do they really leave the tags on with the price, or do any tags merely say, “Design by Oscar de la Renta”? If you’re buying that caliber of clothing on a daily basis, whipping out the Centurion card to do so, I don’t think they’re bothering you with the price tag, nor are you pestered with the goods we the plebian see on the racks. And I’ll bet that there’s some semi-custom work going on in the background, not the least of which is fitting. (Massively overpriced at $150K for 2.5 months wardrobe, but still…)
Saks-gate makes me wonder if Cindy’s been some of the brains behind McGeezer all along, getting sloppy with the clothing for her new life-sized doll because it’s a detail to which she’s not had to pay attention during her lifetime.
“What should be discussed is how remarkable his fund raising accomplishments are, particularly in such a bad economy.”
It’s a a good point to remember,that Obama’s campaign is supported by “the people”!
Millions of people making small donations.
On ABC’s This Week, they had a Morgan Stanley ad touting their market wisdom. I suppose you do have to be pretty smart to drive the world’s financial system into the ground. Then they had that Chevron commercial exhorting us to be part of the energy solution because, you know, Chevron is committed to things like renewals and conservation. The ad itself is evidence of this policy being recycled crap and all. Some of these ads are so annoying.
i heard palin say the she is going to “return” the clothes after the election.
that’s one heck of generous return policy they got there at saks. wear the clothes for two months straight, then stuff them into a bag and hand them back.
be fun to see her try, though…
It’s just like Ted Stevens saying he did not “accept” all of the expensive gifts he got. He claims these things are just being held at his house, but they are not his. WTF. I guess Sarah decided to use the same logic.
Anchorage, Alaska newspaper endorses BARACK OBAMA/JOE BIDEN:
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/…..ses-obama/
Ouch. That’s gotta hurt. I bet Sarah will go shopping today while in Florida to overcome the pain!
That’s why as I’ve said before she’s not going anywhere; just ask Jethrow Bodine — it’s hard to go back down on the farm after you’ve seen the bright lights of the big city.
And if Cindy knows what’s good for her, she’ll keep her divorce atty. on speed dial.
McGramps doesn’t need her money anymore, and may feel it’s time for her replacement; it’s not like he doesn’t have a history of this, and who better to serve as Palin’s tour guide around Washington?
The clothes fit well because they were custom tailored IMNSHO.
Palin’s problem is that she has realized that the Alaskan capitalism she likes so much is socialism.
Awwww, how cute. Sarah is wearing a PINK business suit today for her rally (on MSNBC right now). Is she a Commie?
Like putting lipstick on a pig???
Awwww, Elisabeth Hasselhoff is wearing a $2.3 million dollar outfit but she wants no one to notice! Yep. She wants us to think she shops at J.C. Penney.
*Hasselbeck. Sorry. LOL
The Party of Personal Deniability
Speaking of the cost of things, how about those gas prices…ba dum bump!
But seriously folks, I’ve heard no discussion on why the price of a gallon of gas has taken a nose dive off a steep cliff. Oh I’ve heard the standard line about how the economy is tanking so gas prices are following the trend and how we’re all using less gas. All reasonable sounding arguments unless you take into consideration that it just happens to be weeks prior to an election in which Republicans stand a good chance of getting their heads handed to them on a platter. Conspiracy theory, maybe, but you have to admit these coincidences of lower gas prices just prior to elections after a while start to look like patterns.
Hasselbeck tells us the media is more interested in Sarah’s close than the issues! Bah hahahahahahah! Another pretty liar for the American Taliban speakeths.
Oops.
Strange, isn’t it? I paid $1 less per gallon this week than I did the last time I bought gas. I’m so grateful to the Rs – not.
Whatever the reason for lower gas prices I’ll take them!
I drive several hundred miles per week in a full sized pick-up I can use a break!
I just hope they don’t go back up after the election!!!!!!
Glenn Smith is upstairs with a new post
Maybe I can afford to shop at Saks now!!!
You might have been right the first time!
Will you be happy when they go out of sight after the election? Shouldn’t a few pointed questions be put to someone about this issue now. The headlines two short months ago were screaming about the high cost of gas but now that it’s taken the most precipitous dive I’ve seen in my life time, barely a peep.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about the prices now, but rest assured, just as day follows night, after this election prices will go up. Now is the time to ask why we can’t have lower prices all the time.
Very astute of you to not believe the ‘economy is tanking’ bullshit.
Yes, the economic slowdown is contributing, but as I have pointed out before the main reason has to do with the exit of speculators from the oil futures contracts.
Once their enablers (Lehman Bros., Merrill Lynch, etc.) collapsed, they could no longer get the 35-1 leverage they were using to drive prices up in the first place.
It’s funny how as prices went up to $147/bbl all you heard was “China & India, blah, blah, blah”.
Well, sure China and India’s growth is slowing, but from 8-10%/yr. to maybe 4-6%/yr.
While in the meantime, gas is down more than 50% in less than 3 months.
It was (and I seem to remember Hugh pointing this out as well) all bullshit, and now many of the hedge funds are throwing “Going out of business” sales, which is driving prices of oil (and unfortunately many other stocks) down.
Thanks Jane.
I hope FDL keeps hammering on this. It will be front and center in the Republican primary race for governor of Alaska. It also sends an important message about “conspicuous consumption.”
digg
While I’m not comfortable saying they will stay this low (we’ve got $2.19 regular in some places) I certainly don’t see us going back over $3 anytime soon because the things that forced gas over $4 in the first place just don’t exist anymore.
It never was totally about ’supply and demand’ as we were fed constantly in the first place as I point out in my response to you @108.
The days of 30 or 40 to 1 leverage are long gone.
Now I agree that things should be done to keep prices from running away when supply does become an issue again. There should be no slowdown in alternative fuel projects and vehicles.
If we can keep demand low, this will buy us the time necessary to make the changeover.
I thank you for your replies STTP and appreciate your clarifying some of the reason gas prices are plummeting. However, I’m afraid I just don’t share your optimism that gas prices will stay low after the election. I’m sure there will be something somewhere in the world that they can use for a reason to spike prices again.
Please don’t get me wrong; I know the darkside is always at work.
But the simple fact is the world is awash in oil right now; tankers full of the stuff sit offshore because they have no buyers.
And with demand indisputably down, hopefully they will stay low (below $3/gal) over the next 12-18 months.
One other fact in our favor is the two oilmen are leaving the White House.
At least we’ll have a chance at a sane energy policy going forward.
Here’s a chart that shows the point at which oil began its descent in price.
Definitely speculation, and I’m betting that a few people in the administration made a chunk of money on it.
I LOVE the picture: “Kobe watches Fox so you don’t have to.” (But I am tempted to call the SPCA on you for making him watch! haha)
How does the following connection between McCarthyite Bachmann and Vennes markedly differ from Obama’s connection to Bill Ayers?
Oh, right. Ayers isn’t actually still involved in scheming to bring down the government while Vennes i still ROBBING MIDDLE CLASS people.
“She’s known him several years through some connections with Twin Cities charities,” Marston said of Bachmann’s relationship with Vennes. “She knew about his attempt to turn his whole life around. It would appear that his public act of contrition wasn’t quite what it should have been.”
An FBI search warrant contends that Vennes made $28 million in commissions for recruiting five investors — including Minnesota Teen Challenge — to contribute $1.2 billion to companies Petters’ controlled through the Fidelis Foundation, a Plymouth faith-based nonprofit.
In her pardon letter, Bachmann had singled out Vennes’ backing of Fidelis among his charitable works.
Fidelis serves as an investment agent for other nonprofits, including Minnesota Teen Challenge, a faith-based nonprofit on whose board Vennes served until recently.
Fidelis now holds $27.6 million in Petters Co. investments that may be worthless, including $5.7 million owed to Teen Challenge — a Minneapolis-based drug- and alcohol-treatment program.
In a television interview on KSTP Channel 5 last week, Bachmann said she knew Vennes through her own involvement in Teen Challenge.
‘Everything that doesn’t work goes back to the store, and the RNC is only billed for the stuff they keep.’
Jane,
Don’t forget the restock charge!
Cindy McCain should have given them one of her creit cards for the shopping spree: then it would truly have been “none of our business”. Big Mistake.