From the start it's been apparent that Sarah Palin's chief recommendation for the job of Vice President is that she accessorizes well. Several observers have noted that on the campaign trail she wears a new, high couture outfit every day; some estimated that the cost for these clothes must run into tens of thousands of dollars and have wondered who is paying for them.
This evening The Politico's Jeanne Cummings reveals that the Republican National Committee has been picking up the tab for Palin, to the tune of $150,000 during September. No doubt the RNC is paying for all the Palins' trips to high-end stores at McCain's behest; it would have been (even more) unseemly for McCain's taxpayer-funded campaign to foot the bill for Sarah's expensive new wardrobe.
This will do serious damage to what is left of Palin's public reputation.
The details won't resonate well at a time of extreme economic duress for many Americans. In fact, Palin's luxury shopping sprees call to mind the high lifestyle that Wall Street executives have been treating themselves to after taxpayers were dragooned into bailing out their firms.
Here's what the Politico uncovered about Palin's RNC expense account:
According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.
The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.
[...]
Politico asked the McCain campaign for comment, explicitly noting the $150,000 in expenses for department store shopping and makeup consultation that were incurred immediately after Palin’s announcement. Pre-September reports do not include similar costs
McCain's campaign refused to comment, however. The RNC listed these expenses among its "itemized coordinated expenditures" in September's report.
It’s a report that typically records expenses for direct mail, telephone calls and advertising. Those expenses do show up, but the report also has a new category of spending: "campaign accessories."
McCain's campaign accessories have grown stranger and stranger since he nominated Sarah Palin, the most costly accessory of them all.
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