It's reasonable to expect that a woman would have to spend more than a man would have to, not the campaign's fault there just the expectations of society.

What is NOT reasonable is that ANYONE should stand at a podium after a $150k shopping spree and claim with a straight face to be middle class.

True, but I'm equally taken aback by how much "nice things" cost, especially in New York. I mean, $15,000 for a suit? Sure, it's shantung silk, but... it's not made of butterfly wings, you know?

The thing is the sheer ineptness of it all. It's such a huge number you figure it has to make news. Even if the voters you are trying to reach try to rationalize it, that's about 2-3 years of the average person's income on clothes and it's hard to think the ticket can really relate. It just makes the campaign look like a mess.

If I were selling my mother's wedding ring for enough cash to buy a life-saving prescription, I think my view of Palin's wardrobe "needs" would be jaundiced at best.

Right.

I can't believe that they're paying her makeup artist more than her policy advisor/tutor.

Woman falsely claims to have been attacked by a black man because of her McCain sticker. And she's an RNC volunteer.

WTF?

eta correct link put in. sorry!

What is NOT reasonable is that ANYONE should stand at a podium after a $150k shopping spree and claim with a straight face to be middle class.

Exactly. I know this has all been said before, but no one cares what Cindy McCain wears, because she's never pretended not to be rich!

What ever happened to a good Republican cloth coat?

In re the election, the GOP is charging that Virginia Governor Kain has "padded" the election rolls with felons and other ineligible people to insure the state will go Democratic. sigh.

And for the expensive clothes - no one's making a big fuss about Cindy McCain's expensive wardrobe because she can afford it (I'm assuming she's paying for things herself); but when campaign funds go to a personal expense, then it becomes a public matter.

I remember watching a special episode of What Not To Wear a few years back, when they gave the makeover-ee $25K (instead of $5K) and took her to Paris, where she shopped her heart out at all the best places, including a personal shopping afternoon at Christian Lacroix, and she came out of there with tons of clothes for all occasions. Even if Sarah Palin bought twice as many items as that lady did, it still should have come out to $50,000 at most!

I kind of wish though that people weren't paying so much attention to Palin's wardrobe, because in the overall picture of all the things wrong with her and the McCain campaign in general, this really shouldn't be the thing that gets this much attention.

Hey! It's Friday! What are people doing for the weekend?