# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/121 "2008-10-23T00:45:55Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Was pig lipstick included in those makeup charges? Maybe its ‘Maybellene’… > [@Antinor01](#): > > Damn it. Now I want $150K and my own caribou barbie. Dress up on that scale sounds like a blast. Scrubbing all those Evil/Ignorant Ideas out of her brain: Priceless. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/122 "2008-10-23T01:05:22Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I can’t believe I’m actually getting involved in this thread, but I feel compelled to point out that the comments on that Gawker photo indicate that the bag is probably fake. Yeah, I just want to point this out again. Looking at the pattern on Piper’s bag, it’s plainly _not_ Louis Vuitton, and is just one of those look-alikes that are ubiquitous on street corners in Manhattan. It probably didn’t cost her $20. I have to agree with Green Bean re: shopping at Filene’s. Frankly, if I was going to be on stage in front of the entire world and I had some money to throw around, I would not decide that it was time to bargain hunt. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/123 "2008-10-23T01:15:31Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > Looking at the pattern on Piper’s bag, it’s plainly _not_ Louis Vuitton, and is just one of those look-alikes that are ubiquitous on street corners in Manhattan. It probably didn’t cost her $20. Whew! So it _is_ just a respectable Republican cloth handbag. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/124 "2008-10-23T01:20:20Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > Yeah, I just want to point this out again. Looking at the pattern on Piper’s bag, it’s plainly _not_ Louis Vuitton, and is just one of those look-alikes that are ubiquitous on street corners in Manhattan. It probably didn’t cost her $20. So, she’s supporting intellectual property theft. Didn’t Sen. Orrin Hatch once compare such people to terrorists? > [@](#): > > I have to agree with Green Bean re: shopping at Filene’s. Frankly, if I was going to be on stage in front of the entire world and I had some money to throw around, I would not decide that it was time to bargain hunt. And why should you think any different when it comes to planning the Federal budget? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/125 "2008-10-23T01:27:58Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > I can’t help but wonder how much it would’ve cost to dress Hillary Clinton if she had been selected as Obama’s VP. “…but Clinton would have, potentially, in an alternate timeline have done the same thing!” Holy fuck, people have gotten pathetic. -Joe ---
**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 23, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/126 "2008-10-23T01:41:14Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > I wouldn’t say “reasonable” myself - I get it. I know where it went. I find the idea of the RNC buying her clothing perfectly justifyable. I find it understandable instead of “how in the hell could you spend that much on clothes!” But I think it would have to be about half that much before it seemed a “reasonable” amount to me. Palin could wear the same outfit twice (and she probably does, but they’ve also likely overbought). She could have (or rather, her shoppers, because I don’t believe most of this was bought by her) bought some really cute jackets that would have been wonderfully appropriate at Nieman’s for $300 rather than $1300. Well, yeah. I can agree with all this. > [@Lamia](#): > > It’s true that these stores don’t charge admission, but for me it would cost me something just to get in the door because I don’t live in a town with a Neiman’s or a Saks and I never have. Looking at their website now, there wasn’t a Saks in the entire state I lived in for the past few years (I note they don’t have any locations in Alaska, either), and the closest one to where I live now is about two hours away. So for me visiting a Saks would cost, at minimum, the gas for a four hour drive. Neiman Markus is the same story, except that their single location in my state is even further away. For many “Main Street” Americans, these are stores that they’ve never even seen in real life. And so you’re saying that these “Main Street Americans” never travel to “the big city?” :dubious: Sure, some of them never do, and I’m sure that most of those who do don’t bother to go shopping in extremely expensive department stores while they’re there. But lots and lots of them swing by just to check it out. It’s not a matter of whether a given person would find it convenient or practical to shop in one of these stores on a regular basis. It’s a matter of whether a given person would ever even have an opportunity to pay a visit to one and buy something there if they wanted. There are around 50 Saks and 40 Neiman’s in the U.S. They’re not rare. Making a visit to Saks or Neiman’s out to be some sort of esoteric rite that can only be achieved by the rich and powerful? That’s absurd. ---
**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 23, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/127 "2008-10-23T01:49:20Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > Yeah, I just want to point this out again. Looking at the pattern on Piper’s bag, it’s plainly _not_ Louis Vuitton, and is just one of those look-alikes that are ubiquitous on street corners in Manhattan. It probably didn’t cost her $20. Yeah, seriously. The folks at Gawker should be ashamed of themselves for not knowing it. (And no, I’m not being sarcastic.) > [@Tuckerfan](#): > > So, she’s supporting intellectual property theft. I’m with you on that. If she doesn’t know why appearing in public with fake designer goods is bad…well, that’s a real problem. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/128 "2008-10-23T01:56:16Z")
Wait, I’m confused. Are we more angry that she spent a lot of money, or that she saved money by buying a knockoff? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/129 "2008-10-23T01:58:13Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > Wait, I’m confused. Are we more angry that she spent a lot of money, or that she saved money by buying a knockoff? Can’t it be both? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/130 "2008-10-23T02:26:44Z")
[Here’s an article](http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200810u/palin-clothes) about Palin’s shopper, Jeff Larson, a Karl Rove protégé. Here’s a [jpg of some of the expenditures](http://www.theatlantic.com/images/issues/200810u/palin-clothes.jpg). Hey, forget the clothes, looking at that list closely, is Palin getting baby strollers and pacifiers from the Republican donors too? Must be nice. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/131 "2008-10-23T02:30:04Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > is Palin getting baby strollers and pacifiers from the Republican donors too? Must be nice. Oh, wait, [Pacifiers](http://store.pacifieronline.com/) is a baby clothing store in Minneapolis. So yeah, donors are paying for baby stuff too. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/132 "2008-10-23T02:30:24Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Surely this “RNC source” isn’t one of those defeatist surrender monkeys who doesn’t really believe that McCain and Palin are going to win? 😛 Probably a **moose** -eating surrender monkey. ---
**Author:** ![spoike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@spoike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spoike)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/133 "2008-10-23T02:34:37Z")
Well, damn. I knew there was a reason I’m (usually) suspicious of Gawker. Apologies for passing on erroneous information. Out of curiosity, how close does a knockoff bag have to be before it infringes on trademarks? Is the Palin bag close enough? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/134 "2008-10-23T02:50:01Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > And so you’re saying that these “Main Street Americans” never travel to “the big city?” :dubious: If I had wanted to say that, I would have said that. But plenty of “big cities” don’t have a Neiman’s or a Saks. Neither can be found in Milwaukee or Seattle, for instance. > [@](#): > > \*Sure, some of them never do, and I’m sure that most of those who do don’t bother to go shopping in extremely expensive department stores while they’re there. But lots and lots of them swing by just to check it out. It’s not a matter of whether a given person would find it convenient or practical to shop in one of these stores on a regular basis. It’s a matter of whether a given person would ever even have an opportunity to pay a visit to one and buy something there if they wanted. There are around 50 Saks and 40 Neiman’s in the U.S. They’re not rare. \*Well, they’re not rare in certain parts of the country. The Saks website tells me that 17 of those 50 are in California, 16 are in Florida, and 7 are in New York. There’s one in D.C. proper and a couple more in the D.C. area. There are none in Alaska. There aren’t even any in Washington state. So while members of the liberal media elite, Wall Street investors, and Washington insiders could easily shop at a nearby Saks, if Palin’s constituents wanted to they’d have to go to Portland, Oregon. Looks like the closest Neiman Marcus would be San Francisco. > [@](#): > > _Making a visit to Saks or Neiman’s out to be some sort of esoteric rite that can only be achieved by the rich and powerful? That’s absurd._ “Joe Sixpack” does not shop at Saks, does not live near a Saks, and has never been inside a Saks. Neither have I for that matter, and I’m a godless ivory tower egghead liberal elite type. **Equipoise** was correct when she said that “most voters will ever even see, let alone enter, let alone buy something from” a Saks or Neiman Marcus. Could they? Sure, in the sense that there is no law or regulation preventing them from doing so. But do they? No, they do not. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/135 "2008-10-23T02:56:06Z")
> [@spoike](#): > > Well, damn. I knew there was a reason I’m (usually) suspicious of Gawker. Apologies for passing on erroneous information. > > Out of curiosity, how close does a knockoff bag have to be before it infringes on trademarks? Is the Palin bag close enough? IANAL, but from what I’ve been able to gather the standards are pretty _low_ to be considered a trademark infringement. From what I’ve heard people who have to deal with things like trademarks, you’ve _got_ to file suit over some of the tiniest things, because if you don’t, then when someone comes out with a nearly exact copy of your item, you’ll lose as the court will rule you _didn’t_ “protect” your trademark “aggressively” enough. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/136 "2008-10-23T03:01:55Z")
I wonder, incidentally, how much Mr. Obama, Mr. McCain and Mr. Biden spend on their suits. I’m guessing they’re not wearing shit off the rack. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/137 "2008-10-23T03:08:01Z")
I have to say I had NO IDEA hockey outfits were that expensive. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/138 "2008-10-23T03:12:15Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > She looks fourteen and sounds that age or older. It’ll be neat to watch her grow up. DB, just an aside here, but as I was skimming this line stood out to me. It sounds REALLY REALLY Creepy. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/139 "2008-10-23T03:24:09Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > I can’t help but wonder how much it would’ve cost to dress Hillary Clinton if she had been selected as Obama’s VP. I have no idea, but I’m pretty sure Hillary pays for her clothes out of her own pocketbook. Just like most everyone else (except Sarah Palin) does. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048/140 "2008-10-23T03:42:34Z")
I’m not outraged our anything. I don’t care what other people spend their money on. But let’s stop pretended that $150,000 is a reasonable amount to spend on clothes. 150K is about 150% of what my mother paid for her house- which she will spend the next 30 years paying off. 150k can pay the salary for around 130 Peace Corps volunteers for a year. 150k is way more money than I’ve made in my lifetime, and I’m 27 years old. 150k will buy you tickets on a 131 day round the world luxury cruise- every year for the next six years. 150k is, quite simply, a lot of money. I don’t care how many other people pay 150k on clothes or how much fancy bras cost. It’s a shitload of money. There is no way you can construe this to be a reasonable amount of money to spend on clothing in one shot. No possible way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-spends-150k-to-dress-up-their-caribou-barbie-doll/469048.md?page=8)