the "let them eat cake" makeover

While most of us were trying to balance our budget and live with less, "the Republican National Committee (RNC) spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family," according to POLITICO news. What happened to "hockey mom, Joe six-pack, Joe the plumber?" Would "they" spend 150K on clothing? Sure, they could spend that, in a lifetime. But in less than two months?

In these troubling economic times, it troubles me that the RNC would spend that amount of money on designer clothes. People are losing their homes. People are going hungry. People are dying because they don't have health care. Then the RNC spent $150K to clothe their unqualified candidate. As to dress her up, to objectify her. As if a makeover would give her style, make her smarter, more qualified.

What baffles me is that the RNC allowed the funds to be spent for a makeover. What was wrong with the way she looked as the governor of Alaska? Why is it important how stylish a candidate is? Does it depend on gender? Does it depend on party affiliation? Female politicians are constantly judged on what they wear. The media will talk about Hillary's pantsuits, or her many changing hair styles. Men are judged too, but on a different scale. How often does the media talk about what men wear? Amanda Woerner articulated this in her article Washington’s fashion double-standard, "For women in positions of power, news about their appearance usually trump news about their accomplishments." Furthermore, "Imagine a caption reading, 'Dick Cheney, in an Armani suit, at yesterday’s news conference.' It would be both bizarre and irrelevant."

The McCain Palin ticket continually talks about Obama's socialist ideas of "sharing the wealth." Isn't using money from the RNC (from donors) to fund her makeover sharing the wealth? It also hits a sour note on ethical standards. San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer Joe Garofoli said the $150K "might have violated the spirit if not the letter of a campaign finance law co-authored by her running mate, Sen. John McCain." The McCain Palin campaign said, "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign." Sure, I'll believe that when it happens.