Not Stylish, Not Preppy and Definitely UNdemocratic

Courtesy of www.politico.com, we have found out that Sarah Palin has spent approximately $150,000 on clothing, hair and makeup for herself and her family since early September

OK, let's parse this. Ms. Josephine six pack has spent three times the annual income of the average middle class family on clothes, makeup, hair since the beginning of September. That's about a four or at best five week period.

John Edwards's $400 haircut was less than one tenth the $4716.49 spent on hair and makeup by the Palin clan. And as far as anyone knows, he paid this out of his own pocket (edit - he paid for it with campaign money but later reimbursed the campaign for it). The RNC funded the entire $150,000 for Palin's clothing and accessories.

I'm one of the lucky ones - "Doc" and I now have a weekend place in the country. We paid about one sixth of the amount Palin and co spent on clothes, etc. And for a second house.

Similar outfits can be had at a variety of places, to wit Ann Taylor Loft, where you can have this outfit for less than $500 including the cute black patent leather tote and the ankle boots.

Here at one of Michelle Obama's favorite stores, White House/Black Market is a leather jacket similar to the one pictured on Palin, above. Yes, it's black, not red. But from this store one can be sure the quality is good and the price is certainly reasonable for a good leather jacket. From Banana Republic, a black suit with royal purple blouse, and finally from Victoria's secret, a suit in a pretty cocoa brown, and also from Vicki's Secret what is more of a power play than a vivid red suit?

I haven't even had a chance to pop over to www.target.com, or H & M, or even places like Penney's that offer up cute Nicole Miller for Penney's separates. But these are just a few outfits that are similar to clothes Palin has worn on the campaign trail yet all a fraction of the cost of what one would pay at Nieman Marcus or Saks where many of her outfits were purchased. One need not spend money at high end stores to be stylish or look authoritative. Unless one maybe really doesn't have any style.

Now THIS is Gonna Be Good

That Woman is going to be going through West Virginia on a bus tour. You might be thinking this will be her pulpit but stay with me here, I speak as someone whose mother grew up there, whose grandparents lived there and I still have cousins who live in Tucker County.

West Virginians aren't stupid or all married to their parents and/or siblings. West Virginians are actually at the crossroads of the energy issue right now because natural gas companies are looking to tap the coal beds that stretch from north to south and that might well have something in them, something that could help solve our dependence on foreign energy sources. One might think they would be rushing to lease out their land especially when companies come calling with seemingly irresistible contracts and offers to lease. Not so fast; there are at least two citizens coalitions that have formed to help landowners decide how to proceed, this one and one more that does not have a website yet (the one my kin belong to) but the last meeting was so packed they had to move it to a larger location.

If this isn't enough, wind power has arrived in West Virginia, yes turbines, these are about 20 minutes away from my grandparents' town.

My point? West Virginians aren't stupid, they also know a thing or two about energy being affected by coal plants shutting down and giving the go-ahead to turbine farms. They have consistently voted Democratic over the years.

They might run That Woman out of the state on a rail. You heard it here first.

Even a Preschooler Can See The Intellectual Dishonesty

Back to this topic again - God knows I wish I wasn't back to this place but my almost 5 year old made a comment a few days ago when we were channel surfing and found a repeat of the VP debate, which of course I stopped to look at.

Until my kid wise beyond her years said "Turn that off! I can't stand her hyperbole!!!" I was stunned, then scrambling to remember what hyperbole means. It was one of those moments where I instincively knew but if someone were to come up to me, I wouldn't be able to phrase it. So I looked it up and below, from Webster's Online:

Etymology:
Latin, from Greek hyperbolē excess, hyperbole, hyperbola, from hyperballein to exceed, from hyper- + ballein to throw — more at devil
Date:
15th century
: extravagant exaggeration (as “mile-high ice-cream cones”)
— hy·per·bo·list \-list\ noun

Again, the chills ran down my back at just how damn perceptive my eldest offspring is. Then a couple of days later Palin started levelling the now infamous charges that Barack Obama pals around with William Ayers, who was active in Weather Underground during the 1960s and therefore he's a terrorist sympathizer if not a flat out terrorist himself. A quick
fact check from CNN clarifies this, like everything else Palin says as at least hyperbole if not flat out BS.

And how funny the word "hyperbole" is so associated with the word "devil" when That Woman has driven supporters at rallies to behave like mobs of rabid animals.

Palin power my ASS, say hello to People Power on November 4th. Maybe not so coincidentally that's the day my daughter turns 5.

Well Gosh Darn, It's a Noun, a Verb and a Shout Out!

Unfreaking believable. Is she at the MTV Music awards or running for Vice President?

On another note, I am glad Joe Biden had a chance to remind voters that for the first few years he was in the Senate, he was a single father and he understands how tough it is to balance a full time job and family. I think this won him alot of hearts and his command of the issues won the minds of the voters.

My Last Salvo on That Woman - Don't Steal This Look!

What is up with the lipliner outside the edge of her lips?

I know I know, meow, hiss, put the claws away Preppycrat. But still, she DID agree to be McCain's running mate and if she's going to put herself out there front and center her looks are fair game. The looks and sartorial style of the gents have also been fair game.

She's attractive, she doesn't need the overflowing lip color look. Or those shoes.

Still More ID (Intellectual Dishonesty)

I've made it an acronym, that's how much I'm finding. Might as well save some keystrokes.

This is from the Wall St. Journal, no bastion of the liberal left, copied in its entirety and not behind a cut. Do as I say, not as I do, again. What on earth would she end up doing with the federal budget if she, a self proclaimed small government politician, did this to Wasilla's?

She may be the running mate but she's only a heartbeat away.

Feel free to forward to anyone you want, dear readers.

Palin's Hockey Rink Leads To Legal Trouble in Town She Led

By MICHAEL M. PHILLIPS September 6, 2008; Page A5
WASILLA, Alaska -- The biggest project that Sarah Palin undertook as mayor of this small town was an indoor sports complex, where locals played hockey, soccer, and basketball, especially during the long, dark Alaskan winters.

The only catch was that the city began building roads and installing utilities for the project before it had unchallenged title to the land. The misstep led to years of litigation and at least $1.3 million in extra costs for a small municipality with a small budget. What was to be Ms. Palin's legacy has turned into a financial mess that continues to plague Wasilla.

"It's too bad that the city of Wasilla didn't do their homework and secure the land before they began construction," said Kathy Wells, a longtime activist here. "She was not your ceremonial mayor; she was in charge of running the city. So it was her job to make sure things were done correctly."

Ms. Palin cited her mayoral duties as partial evidence of her executive experience. Dianne Woodruff, a Wasilla city councilwoman and critic of Ms. Palin's performance, agreed.
"If people are going to be voting on her based on her experience as Wasilla's mayor, then they should know how she did in the job," Ms. Woodruff said, "the good, the bad and the ugly."
online.wsj.com/article/SB122065537792905483.html

Intellectual Dishonesty

Though I'm adamant on this blog being about ideas and style and not me personally, from time to time I will refer to my parents in this blog because they have shaped alot of my ideas. They were older, grew up in the 1930s and both served our country in World War II, Dad then married to his first wife enlisted and fortunately for my half brother and sister who were small at the time was sent to a battleship in the south Pacific, far away from active conflict. Mom had yet to meet my Dad and was one of the many single women who came from all over the country to work for the government when the war broke out. She was an editor at the State Department and when the time came for restabilization efforts in Manila and Okinawa and people were needed to go over there, she went. They loved this country and unfortunately both are gone now, but as a testament to how much they loved America, both are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

We frequently had dinner table conversations about politics, especially in that intense period around 1971 and 1972 where my Dad would complain of President Nixon's habit of "wanting to make one thing perfectly clear" or saying something was "crystal clear". How could he talk like that when he covered up *something* in Watergate, when he may well have erased tape? He would always then go on to say he was intellectually dishonest.

I wonder what my Dad would say today to a Republican party whose candidates for President and Vice President make Nixon look like a completely transparent, open guy. Much has been said about Sarah Palin these past few days but what makes me the angriest is not the family issues but the intellectual dishonesty.

In her acceptance speech last night she spoke of being a maverick, of saying thanks but no thanks to the Gravina Island Bridge, also known as the Bridge to Nowhere. She spoke of refusing to take congressional monies for many things. But what's this? And what would be done, could be done with $91 million dollars. Probably a LOT for teenage mothers.

Even The Heritage Foundation has spoken out against this project. The same group that on its homepage touts Sarah Palin's proposals and grasp of energy issues.

This is intellectual dishonesty at its best, never mind the many MANY other reasons these people do not and MUST not represent our country or be given responsibility of any kind. When I contrast this dishonesty, and her acceptance speech last night with Senator Biden's acceptance speech at last week's DNC, I am as proud to be a Democrat as I have ever been.

Family Values Part 2

The Obama/Biden campaign is declaring children off limits and I agree they should be. My kids aren't teenagers yet but I've seen plenty of my friends struggle with raising them. It's not easy, some never outgrow being teenagers and some do, but have to learn the hard way...alot, before finally becoming adults.

That said, I feel my post about Palin leaving Trig, her 3 day old baby with Downs syndrome to return to work speaks of HER, not of her child. As one of my friends put it over the weekend, a woman isn't even fully recovered from childbirth 3 days after, it takes weeks, not days. And that's assuming the baby does not have health issues. What does this say about Palin's willingness to bond with her new baby? Isn't a primary family value taking time TO bond with a new baby? Most reasonable people would think so. Some of course can't afford to stay home with our new babies for very long and have to return to work, or else. But from all indications, Palin did not have to return to work 3 days after Trig was born.

Most of us regardless of our political beliefs would argue Hillary Clinton is a very very ambitious woman. Those on the other side have done it blatently and brought her daughter into their arguments. But I could never, ever see Hillary leaving a 3 day old baby to go back to work. If anyone feels otherwise, I say look at Chelsea Clinton, Oxford educated, by all appearances a great daughter, and a successful human being.

I think this is the real issue, you just can't say you're for family values if you willingly abandon a baby 3 days after its birth to rush back to work.

What Family Values?

Ok, so Sarah Palin had her baby with Down's syndrome which is admirable when many were telling her not to. She is staunchly opposed to abortions. Who isn't really? The difference is us reasonable people believe in access to birth control so there ARE fewer abortions. But I digress....

But IMO returning to work only 3 days after the baby is born is definitely NOT a family value. Suppose the tables were turned and she was, say, a senator from Delaware who had lost her spouse in a car accident. I somehow could not see her going through the hassles of commuting to and from home each night after work to be with her kids if she had someone else to look after them. Not if she's willing to walk away from a 3 day old newborn and to top that, one with Down's syndrome.

The mind boggles. The mind remembers Barney Frank's quip about life beginning at conception and ending at birth.

Do we REALLY want someone like this a heartbeat away? I don't. I'll take the guy who can and has changed diapers but who's also stood up to Slobodan Milosevic.

I'm a reasonable person.