Shopper of the Year

In early December 2008, the Republican National Committee filed a new campaign spending report with itemized expenses for the candidates and the Republican Presidential campaign with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), as required by law. The final tally for spa treatments, clothing and accessories for Governor Palin and her family, according to FEC records viewed by reporters for Politico.com, was $180,000, an increase of $30,000 over the original report of expenses totaling $150,000 for Palin’s wardrobe.

Listed between expected campaign outlays for media buys, direct mail, and polling expenses, were bills from shopping excursions to Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Limited, Foot Locker, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and Victoria’s Secret, in addition to outlays at big department stores and boutique clothing shops, including Macy’s, Nordstrom, Nieman Marcus, Kate Spade, and Saks Fifth Avenue, for Palin wardrobe upgrades during the campaign. Also listed in the RNC report were expenses for clothes and accessories purchased at Brooks Brothers, The Gap, Express, Radio Shack, and J.C. Penney, presumably, for other members of the Palin family.

Reactions are Swift

Republican donors reacted angrily to news of the extravagant shopping tabs paid for by the campaign. Usually, campaign accounts are used to expand the reach of advertising and increase voter turnout efforts. But a spokesman for the RNC attempted to quiet the critics by stating, “The accessories have been returned, inventoried and will be appropriately dispersed to various charities.”

Governor Palin derided critics of her extravagant shopping behavior as cowards and jerks, and insisted she never asked for the expensive wardrobe purchased for her use on the presidential campaign.

“I never asked for anything more than a Diet Dr. Pepper once in a while,” Palin said as she returned to the governor’s office after her two-month adventure as the GOP vice presidential nominee. She added that the Republican National Committee paid for the clothes and accessories.

“Those are the RNC’s clothes. They’re not my clothes. I never forced anybody to buy anything,” Palin said.

More Than Lipstick for a Pit Bull

What of new reports in the NY Times and elsewhere of additional payments of more than $165,000 paid to a wardrobe consultant and personal makeup and hair stylists traveling with the governor, whose day rates are paid by stars like Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Lopez?  Palin’s spokeswoman said she had not authorized the services and was “appalled” at the huge amounts of money spent.

The latest Federal Elections Commission filing showed that over the final nine weeks of the campaign, Palin’s fashion consultant was paid $54,900, her traveling makeup artist $68,400, and her traveling hair stylist $42,615. It remains unclear, according to the Times, how the transactions occurred and who made the actual purchasing decisions.

In an era of billion-dollar election campaigns, Hollywood-style rollouts of political candidates, chosen for their looks if not their command of the issues, is likely to be with us for a long time. But campaign strategists as well as candidates might be wise to avoid extravagant expenditures when the country is being rocked by high unemployment, high rates of home foreclosures, and bank failures.

Just ask Joe the Plumber!