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Go Home The Breakup, Ctd.

THE PLANK NOVEMBER 5, 2008

The Breakup, Ctd.

BY AUTHOR INFO NEEDED

From Newsweek's "Special Election Project":

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end
department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While
publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at
what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said
that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the
convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential
nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories
from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According
to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were
bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin
also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit
cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought
reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands"
more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to
buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently
been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla
hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the
truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its
books.

A Palin aide said: "Governor Palin was not
directing staffers to put anything on their personal credit cards, and
anything that staffers put on their credit cards has been reimbursed,
like an expense. Nasty and false accusations following a defeat say
more about the person who made them than they do about Governor Palin."

McCain
himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign, and aides kept him
in the dark about the details of her spending on clothes because they
were sure he would be offended. Palin asked to speak along with McCain
at his Arizona concession speech Tuesday night, but campaign strategist
Steve Schmidt vetoed the request.

--Christopher Orr

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16 comments

-- Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost.

The McCain camp is also wondering about FedEx bills for several large boxes overnighted to Wasilla.

- ndmackenzie

November 5, 2008 at 5:37pm

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Um... Wow?  I am going to go out and purchase the entire issue on the newsstand tomorrow.  

Goodness gracious.  I'm speechless.

- kerouac9

November 5, 2008 at 5:40pm

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"aides kept [McCain] in the dark about the details of her spending on clothes because they were sure he would be offended."

And that's what we really look for in a president: Someone who surrounds himself with people who hide potentially unwelcome information from him.

- rhubarbs

November 5, 2008 at 5:54pm

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"Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast" ...

And these guys called Obama elitist?  

"McCain himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign" ...

Now, that's judgement you can believe in.

"$20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband" ...

Who'dda thunk Todd was a fag?

"Palin asked to speak along with McCain at his Arizona concession speech Tuesday night" ...

Remember once a grasping incompetent newly-minted legal sex-kitten in our office asking to plead in a multibillion dollar case, a full three months after joining the team as a proof-reader and glorified legal assistant.  When it was brought to her attention that she was not yet called to the Bar, did not know anything about the case, had no background in economics (this was a complex finance case) and had not even understood our arguments, she stormed out, calling us sexist and telling me in particular, "you'd be no fun on a dinner-date, so you know."  We had to send her home after she left the court to fly to a nearby city for a, um, dinner date with some guy she had met in the courtroom ... :-).  True story.  Everytime I saw the Palin on the stump, she reminded me of "Little Miss Muffet", as the female head of our team called the sex-kitten once.

There is only one good thing out of this: by tapping this white-trash moosemama for his running "mate", McCain ensured everlasting and deserved ignominy for himself.  Good riddance to both of them.

- icarusr

November 5, 2008 at 6:00pm

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nd: :-)

Kerouac: but seriously, why would you be speechless.  Did you expect more of this harridan?  She was Tom DeLay in drag, for God's sake.

- icarusr

November 5, 2008 at 6:03pm

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HAHAHAHA.  

And it begins.  I've been waiting for this campaign's dirt to emerge for months.  My Pavlovian response is somewhat embarrassing, to be honest.

- csmiller

November 5, 2008 at 6:06pm

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They shouldn't have kept it from him. It would have been an excuse for him to drop her in favor of Romney or Pawlenty, it would have increased his chances (from about 5% to about 15% but still), it would have restored his brand, and it would have probably, if handled right, excised what David Brooks describes as the cancer.

- miceelf

November 5, 2008 at 6:14pm

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Her level of dishonesty is something, isn't it?  

- Wandreycer1

November 5, 2008 at 6:16pm

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icarusr: I'm intrigued by your tale.  Do you still have the contact information of this Miss Muffett?

I mean, I guess that there is a bottom to the ridiculousness of the short national nightmare that was Sarah Palin's vice-presidential run.  I just kind of thought that we would have reached it by now.  The outrageous moments that were laid up were piled on atop the other.  It was nearly unbelieveable.

I hope that McCain thought he'd settle in to read the history of his candidacy at the Biltmore last night and this was the way he heard about that woman standing next to him.

- kerouac9

November 5, 2008 at 6:22pm

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And some people wonder why more women didn't like her. These people are called men. Men are idiots, and this kind of thing happens to them all the time. All due respect.

- psantillana

November 5, 2008 at 7:24pm

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somewhere Dan Quayle is stepping much lighter, Sarah Palin has jumped him up quite a few notches in the whole VP department.

- blackton

November 5, 2008 at 7:46pm

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psant - 'zackly. She is someone some men would think appealed to women because she appeals to them, while women can't stand her.

- epicciuto

November 5, 2008 at 8:08pm

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epic!  I'm offended you'd think she'd appeal to me.  What kind of neanderthal do you think I am?   Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a "dinner date" with a Little Miss Muffet.  

I am with csmiller on this.  I can't wait for all the dirt.  

- boneill

November 5, 2008 at 8:17pm

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Wow! I can't wait to hear more. I want to see this echo around Alaska.

icarusr, loved the story. Others have already used all the good lines in response.

psantillana, epicciuto. Yes, you have it right. We men are idiots. But how else would the Sarah Palins and Little Miss Muffets get their fancy wardrobes and jewelry? Certainly not on their own merits. (I chose a wife who hates fancy clothes and doesn't wear jewelry, but if I hadn't gotten lucky there I would probably be revealed to be just as dumb as the average man.)

- JEFF FREY

November 5, 2008 at 8:57pm

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Girls, if it's jewelry you want, marry sub-continent like I did.  They give you IMO beautiful jewelry (though some find the shiny and deep yellow 22K gold gaudy) on your engagement and wedding dates.

It was funny because I always fancied myself egalitarian, but even when single thought it would be nice for a man to give me jewelry.  Well, the man's family did.

- satyendra

November 5, 2008 at 9:52pm

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Amusing yet sad.  

The whole bit about staff hiding stuff is probably because of McCain's notorious temper.  I've worked in environments with hot-headed leadership.  When a leader loses his/her temper over many things - consequential or otherwise, it sets a tone for the staff and managers.  People tend to hide the unpleasant information until they can find a positive way to spin it or until it goes away because they don't like their arses being handed to them, even when these things are potentially damaging to the overall cause/effort.

Perhaps McCain can reflect on the "lessons learned" and write a book on leadership.

- wchobbs

November 6, 2008 at 2:04am

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