The wardrobe to nowhere

By Weekly Archive On Oct 29, 2008

Woe
is me. I needed a couple of new shirts and ties this week, so I
stopped in at my favorite clothing store, Filene’s Basement. Designer
clothes for bargain prices.

Too
bad I’m not running for vice president on the GOP ticket. No need to
shop for bargains. I could have gone straight to Neiman-Marcus — and
had the Republican National Committee pick up the tab. Just like
Sarah Palin.

Poor
John McCain and Sarah Palin. The more they try to sell themselves off
as average Americans, just like you and me, the more they find
embarrassing stuff getting in the way. First, the news that McCain
has nine houses, 13 cars, and wears $520 Ferragamo loafers. Then,
word from Vanity Fair that Cindy McCain’s outfit on opening night of
the Republican National Convention cost a staggering $313,000. And
now, reports of Caribou Barbie’s $150,000 shopping spree.

As
first revealed by Politico.com, Governor Palin’s first stops after
being nominated by John McCain were the designer showrooms of some of
America’s ritziest clothing establishments. She walked in looking
like a moose hunter wearing Eddie Bauer. She walked out looking like
a moose hunter wearing Valentino.

Economic
crisis? Not for Palin. She dropped $49,425.74 at Saks Fifth Avenue in
St. Louis and New York. While in the Big Apple, she also shelled out
$5,102.71 at Bloomingdale’s, and another $789.72 at Barney’s. She
picked up $9,447.71 worth of rags at Macy’s. Then she really hit the
jackpot, scoring $75,062.63 in new duds from Neiman-Marcus in
Minneapolis. And don’t forget her $345 (frames only) Kawasaki
eyeglasses. That woman has expensive taste!

Of
course, you can’t have a good clothes day without a good hair day. So
Palin spent another $4,716.49 on hair and makeup in September —
which makes John Edwards, with his measly $400 haircut, look like a
cheapskate.

Now
here’s the best part, for Sarah Palin: That glitzy new wardrobe
didn’t cost her a cent. She billed it all to St. Paul Republican fat
cat Jeff Larson, who in turn was reimbursed by the Republican
National Committee, which then reported the clothing expenses as
"campaign accessories."

That
three-way arrangement may serve to get around the law — candidates
are prohibited from using campaign funds for personal expenses, while
political committees face no such restriction. But it also serves to
undermine Sarah Palin’s carefully crafted image as a no-frills,
down-to-earth hockey mom. How can you expect people to believe you’re
just "Jane-the-Plumber," the girl next door, when you blow
more on clothes in one month than most women will spend on clothes in
a lifetime?

Anxious
to dispel any impression that Palin’s living high on the hog, McCain
staffers insisted that her wardrobe windfall is only temporary.
Immediately after the election, they assured reporters, the governor
will donate all her campaign clothing to charity. Sure, she will. In
fact, she’s already picked out her favorite charity: Alaska’s home
for unwed mothers.

Palin’s
clothing binge seems even more extravagant when compared to the
frugality of the Obamas. Appearing as a guest on "The View,"
Michelle Obama laughed when Whoopi Goldberg and co-hosts went wild
over her dress. It was, revealed Obama, nothing but a $148 Donna
Ricco dress, bought off the rack at a local department store. She
told the audience: "You put a little pin on it and you’ve got
something going on."

Barack
Obama himself admits having little interest in clothes. In a June
interview on "Access Hollywood," his wife and daughters
made fun of him for wearing the same pants and belt for 10 years. He
reportedly wore the same shoes every day until his campaign staff
pitched in and bought him a new pair.

Before
his acceptance speech in Denver, Obama agreed to buy a new suit. He
paid $1,500 for a custom-made suit by Hart Schaffner Marx, an
American label based in Des Plaines, Ill. Since then, he’s bought a
couple more. In fact, he could buy 50 suits for what Sarah Palin
spent at Neiman-Marcus alone.

So
let’s get this straight. One candidate has nine houses, 13 cars and
wears $520 loafers. And the other wears the same pants, same belt,
and same shoes for 10 years.

Tell
me again: Which one’s the elitist?

Bill
Press is host of a nationally syndicated radio show and author of a
new book, "Train
Wreck: The End of the Conservative Revolution (and Not a Moment Too
Soon)." You
can hear "The Bill Press Show" at his Web site:
billpressshow.com. His email address is: bill@billpress.com.