Like Elba Esther and the hummers, Palin and the Republicans have no shame in spending lots of cash in something not so important (hey, I love clothes, but 150 000 dollars... c'mon, it's just insulting, even more nowadays).
Sarah Palin's new image cost Republicans $150,000
Shopping spree in Minneapolis just before party conference is revealed in campaign records
Elana Schor in Washington
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday October 22 2008 14.49 BST
The Republican party has spent $150,000 (£92,000) on clothes and accessories since late August for Sarah Palin and her family, according to records of party spending.
The Republican shopping sprees, including a $75,000 jaunt to the upscale store Neiman Marcus, began showing up on financial disclosure reports in early September, just after Palin was chosen as John McCain's running mate.
Palin often depicts herself as a homespun product of small-town "real America"on the campaign trail, but she was revealed last month to be working with a secret team of stylists on sharpening her dress sense.
Today's reports on the Palin family's elaborate spending habits – a $295 pram was among the purchases as a treat for baby Trig, according to politco.com – could hurt the Republicans' credibility. The election is less than two weeks away.
The former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards became a national joke last year after campaign financial reports showed him spending $400 on haircuts. McCain and his wife, Cindy, were plagued this year by reports of $500 shoes and a $300,000 party ensemble respectively.
"The campaign does not comment on strategic decisions regarding how financial resources available to the campaign are spent," Palin's spokeswoman, Maria Comella, told politico.com, declining to confirm that the fashion expenses were exclusively for Palin.
No similar shopping trips were reported by the Republican party before Palin became McCain's running mate.
The Neiman Marcus branch where Republicans shopped in September was located in Minneapolis, the site of the party's national convention where Palin was introduced as McCain's running mate. Republicans spent $9,440 at a Macy's shop in the city during the same period. Another $4,900 was registered at Atelier, a men's fashion emporium, suggesting Palin's husband Todd was treated to a new wardrobe.
Palin's makeover was not limited to attire, according to a lengthy story due to be published this weekend in the New York Times. The vice-presidential hopeful worked with Priscilla Shanks, a voice coach and Hollywood actor, to help refine her speaking style before her speech at the Republican convention.
She has billed her home state of Alaska, where she is governor, for more than $21,000 for taking her five children on official trips – even when they were not invited.
Palin claimed $17,000 in per diem reimbursements from her state's government for nights spent at her family home in Wasilla, Alaska. Tax experts have questioned the propriety of those claims, which were not added to her annual income tax returns.
"With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it's remarkable that we're spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses," said the McCain campaign's spokeswoman, Tracey Schmitt.
"It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign.
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