# GOP Spends $150K To Dress Up Their Caribou Barbie Doll **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 22, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048 "2008-10-22T13:40:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/1 "2008-10-22T13:40:40Z")
From [the Politico](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14805.html): > [@](#): > > The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August. > > 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. Damn, she really _is_ the gift that keeps on giving. $50K at Saks, $75K at Nieman-Marcus, and the rest at other swanky places, I’m sure. That’s going to go over really well with those blue-collar Reagan Democrats. It’ll be a huge boost to their efforts to come from behind in Pennsylvania, I’m sure! Dear GOP: you’re doing great! More like this, please! 😃 Your fan, Rufus ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/2 "2008-10-22T13:42:37Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > From [the Politico](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14805.html): > Damn, she really _is_ the gift that keeps on giving. $50K at Saks, $75K at Nieman-Marcus, and the rest at other swanky places, I’m sure. > > That’s going to go over really well with those blue-collar Reagan Democrats. > > Dear GOP: you’re doing great! More like this, please! 😃 > > Your fan, > Rufus Well, it’s very different from an expensive haircut. Maybe that’s why the Drudgewing network hasn’t gone electric with this item. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/3 "2008-10-22T13:49:29Z")
The $400 haircut was a big enough deal back in the day. This, not so much I would imagine. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/4 "2008-10-22T13:51:39Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Well, it’s very different from an expensive haircut. Maybe that’s why the Drudgewing network hasn’t gone electric with this item. Oh, come on. She gets her hair cut at the same places as other big-money celebrities. Bill Gates and Donald Trump spring to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/5 "2008-10-22T13:55:44Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Well, it’s very different from an expensive haircut. Well, apparently she got that, too: > [@](#): > > The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/6 "2008-10-22T13:56:45Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > That’s going to go over really well with those blue-collar Reagan Democrats. It’ll be a huge boost to their efforts to come from behind in Pennsylvania, I’m sure! That ought to cement her “hockey mom” image, you betcha! ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/7 "2008-10-22T13:59:05Z")
Do you really expect her to wear [this](http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36552/thumbs/s-TRIG-PAXSON-large.jpg) on the campaign trail? I have no doubts that the men on the campaign trail, McCain, Biden, and Obama, have spent a good chunk of money on nice suits. The sad truth about our culture is that appearance is so important. And it seems expected that we have our leaders play dress up. There just is so much other stuff out there to rip on Palin for. This just doesn’t raise many flags for me. It’s not taxpayer money, it’s Republican money. Let them spend it however they want. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/8 "2008-10-22T14:06:19Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Do you really expect her to wear [this](http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36552/thumbs/s-TRIG-PAXSON-large.jpg) on the campaign trail? I have no doubts that the men on the campaign trail, McCain, Biden, and Obama, have spent a good chunk of money on nice suits. The sad truth about our culture is that appearance is so important. And it seems expected that we have our leaders play dress up. > > There just is so much other stuff out there to rip on Palin for. This just doesn’t raise many flags for me. It’s not taxpayer money, it’s Republican money. Let them spend it however they want. It would raise red flags if I were a Republican donor…I’m not sure I’d want my $$ going towards a wardrobe for Sarah and the entire Palin clan when it could be spent printing more “Obama is a terrorist” fliers. Or putting a staffer or two in states like North Carolina, Indiana, and Wisconsin. It comes at a bad time for the campaign as they just recently realized that they were outraged at the excess of Wall Street, had become populists, and made Joe the plumber the centerpiece of their stump speeches. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/9 "2008-10-22T14:06:51Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Do you really expect her to wear [this](http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36552/thumbs/s-TRIG-PAXSON-large.jpg) on the campaign trail? I have no doubts that the men on the campaign trail, McCain, Biden, and Obama, have spent a good chunk of money on nice suits. The sad truth about our culture is that appearance is so important. And it seems expected that we have our leaders play dress up. > > There just is so much other stuff out there to rip on Palin for. This just doesn’t raise many flags for me. It’s not taxpayer money, it’s Republican money. Let them spend it however they want. It’s not the money, it’s the disconnect between message and reality. I said the same thing in the threads about her per diems, her travel expenses, and now here. It’s not the money, it’s about the false image she’s presenting to the world. Maverick cost cutters don’t charge the state for their daily commute. Fiscal Reformers don’t charge the state for her daughter’s stays. And hockey moms don’t have more than they make a year spent on clothes. It’s the false front, the crap swallowed by the ignorant masses, not the money, that is my issue. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/10 "2008-10-22T14:09:13Z")
Was pig lipstick included in those makeup charges? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/11 "2008-10-22T14:10:30Z")
I wouldn’t get too worked up on this. Cindy McCain drops that amount on her outfit for one night at the convention. That frock you linked to, **NurseCarmen** , is just hideous. My daughter wouldn’t let her mom out of the house dressed like that. And I really hate the up-do. She looks a lot better with her hair down. I guess I’ll have to get one of those Palin dolls and experiment with her “look”. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/12 "2008-10-22T14:14:36Z")
I don’t know how “Joe Sixpack” will feel about this, but I would think it might kind of piss off some of the Republican candidates who have been seeing their campaign funds cut: > [@](#): > > Because fundraising efforts haven’t gone as well as party leaders hoped, the Republican National Committee is cutting funding to some candidates’ campaigns. […] > > The Republicans’ independent expenditure committee canceled several ads it purchased for Colorado, reducing expenses from $4.8 million to $3.6 million. Democrats are spending $4.2 million. In July, the Republican Senate committee had $25 million versus the Democrats’ $42 million. > > Nationwide, Republican incumbents face more highly contested races than the Democratic party. Nevada Sen. John Ensign issued a statement saying, “I recently challenged my colleagues to step up to the plate and help me provide the resources our candidates need to compete in races across the country. … It has become clear that my call has gone largely unanswered.” Was a Saks Fifth Avenue wardrobe for Palin and her family really the best use for $150K of GOP campaign dollars? After all, it’s not as though they picked her out of a homeless shelter with nothing to wear but a few rags from the thrift store. She’d been dressing up as a governor of a US state for over a year, and as far as I can tell from [these pre-2008 photos](http://gov.state.ak.us/bio.php), her clothes look perfectly fine. My guess is that this spending level reflects the celebrity mindset shared by a lot of prominent politicians of both parties: namely, you don’t dress to impress the voters, you dress to impress the donors. Would the average TV viewer give a rat’s ass whether Palin was wearing something by Saks or a nice little suit from Ann Taylor? No, but the rich-bitch Republican backers who meet Palin at official dinners will notice, and they’ll turn up their noses if she seems to be wearing something too “downmarket”. The bar for what counts as acceptable clothing is set pretty high among the political glitterati, and the hell with Joe Sixpack. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/13 "2008-10-22T14:15:57Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Do you really expect her to wear [this](http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36552/thumbs/s-TRIG-PAXSON-large.jpg) on the campaign trail? My wife dresses a lot better than that without spending $150,000 – which is a good thing, because I don’t make that kind of money. As several people already said, the issue is that Imelda-Marcos-style shopping sprees are utterly incompatible with the “hockey mom” image she tries to present. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/14 "2008-10-22T14:18:49Z")
It just goes to prove the Reps. have no idea about what the middle class goes through. Sarah definitely an anchor, not a sail in the McCain campaign. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/15 "2008-10-22T14:25:53Z")
They’re going for the “fabulous!” vote. We’re doomed. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/16 "2008-10-22T14:32:10Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Do you really expect her to wear [this](http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/36552/thumbs/s-TRIG-PAXSON-large.jpg) on the campaign trail? Holy mother of god, I wouldn’t expect anyone to wear \*that \*outside of the maternity ward. The fuck? The fact that she ever (hell, **recently**!) wore that abomination out of her house is a much better reason not to vote for her than the fact that she’s since spent $150K on real clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/17 "2008-10-22T14:39:03Z")
I don’t see a problem with this. I remember seeing her at the first(?) rally she spoke at, and I was like “jeez, this lady is such an amateur! Her jacket doesn’t even fit her right!” I kind of gave her a pass for that one, because I knew that she was thrust into the national spotlight so very suddenly and I’m sure she didn’t have the time to get her clothes tailored or get new ones. Of course, I wondered why a state governor wouldn’t have clothes that fit correctly, but hey…it’s Alaska–not exactly the fashion capital of the U.S. She hadn’t even been governor for very long, and is not personally wealthy, so it’s not really a surprise that her wardrobe wasn’t up to snuff. In most cases, a state governor would have been on the political scene for a long time, and would have slowly built up a wardrobe, looking to economize where possible, just like anybody else.\* If she were nominated for VP, she certainly would have to buy some new things, but she wouldn’t have had to buy _everything_ all at once. But Sarah Palin really did need everything all at once. And she needed a lot more of it than she did as governor. She probably needed everything from purses to jewelry to undergarments. Boy, does that all add up!! And she needed it fast and she needed it to be done right. At Neiman Marcus and Saks, you pay a premium price, but you get things done right. Places like that also have very skilled personal shoppers available who know how to create a wardrobe for someone.\*\* They (usually) offer expert tailoring on site. It only makes sense for her to shop at places like that. I’m sure the McCain campaign is paying a lot to bring her up to speed, whether it’s policy tutors, speech coaches, or whatever. Higher-than-normal wardrobe expenses is just part of that. And that’s not unreasonable. At all. And dammit, I _liked_ her big glitzy flag pin! On preview: I looked at the pics in **Kimstu** ’s link…the fit on that red jacket is _awful_! Come on now! And you can’t see much of the jacket itself, but it doesn’t look particularly “polished” to me. Great color, though. - Governor Whitman, who _is_ wealthy, was a regular customer in a store I used to work in. It was an outdoor store, so she wasn’t buying suits or anything, but she did shop just like anybody else. She considered value, looked for bargains, etc. And FWIW, she was always very nice and unassuming. \*\* Would that be a personal shopper’s dream job or what? “Hey, you have to build a complete wardrobe for a VP candidate with no figure flaws. Money is no object. Have fun.” ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/18 "2008-10-22T14:41:04Z")
**RTFirefly** , you just don’t _get_ it, do you? You have your Mayor skirts, and you have your Mayor pumps. I can’t even imagine the horror of being caught in a mismatched outfit of a blazer from Wasilla and accessories from Anchorage plus slacks from where, Canada? This season’s VP-turned-President Blazers in no way resemble last season’s Governor-on-the-go pantsuits. DC’s winters pale in comparison to Alaska’s, so the fur accents on the jacket collar would look overdone! Everybody knows that anything above a 3 inch heel is fine for a Governor, but when you wear it as a VP you’re practically begging for it. And god forbid you’re at UN headquarters negotiating a cease-fire with Iran in 2006 Armani glasses, they would laugh her out of the room! ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/19 "2008-10-22T14:44:29Z")
I do not care. If they did not do that ,a donor would pay to have her dressed nicely. Do you want her to come out in her skivvies? Wait ,they might try that at the end. Anything to get votes. ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/20 "2008-10-22T14:49:16Z")
When I saw the news story I knew the Dope would have a Pit thread about it, but I didn’t expect one with such an amusing title. That’s it in a nutshell, from the party that tried to compare _Obama_ to Paris Hilton. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048.md?page=2)