I really dislike revisiting a topic that I have already blogged about…but I’ve been finding that a lot of the time the McCain/Palin camp gives me no choice.
Why? Let’s say an interesting report comes out that targets McCain or Palin with an accusation…I research it, read some articles in other publications, and write my blog…
EXAMPLE: A story came out Wednesday that the McCain campaign had spent over $150,000 since September on Palin’s clothes…and her husband’s clothes…and little Trig, too. This included a $50,000 trip to Saks Fifth Avenue, and a $75,000 trip to Neiman Marcus. Donors were upset that their money had been spent in this fashion (no pun intended)…pundits were quick to pounce on such extravagance during hard economic times…fellow Republicans denounced the wastefulness and lack of fiscal restraint…and your average Joe wondered if this didn’t make McCain and Palin sound kind of “elite.” So…I wrote a blog about it.
Now, if they were to come out and admit to what is alleged (of course, spinning it to minimize damage…this is expected from any politician) and then make the perfunctory apologies or counterattacks…well then I would never have to visit the topic again. But no…they deny it. Completely. Despite the presence of videotape, experts, eyewitnesses, and financial records…whatever is alleged, they will deny it…
EXAMPLE: In an interview with the Chicago Tribune Palin denied that she had received the clothing and said, “that is not who we are…That whole thing is just, bad! Oh, if people only knew how frugal we are…It’s kind of painful to be criticized for something when all the facts are not out there and are not reported.” Palin went on to say that the clothes are not worth $150,000 and were bought just for the Republican National Convention. Now…this is kind of a nonsensical denial…wait you did buy the clothes? But they’re not worth $150,000? Yet they are mentioned in the financial disclosure records so either that’s what was actually paid for them…or you submitted false disclosures. I was tempted to address this in a new blog but didn’t want to revisit something so obvious.
Often McCain and friends will then blatantly continue to do whatever it is that they HAVE JUST DENIED DOING. Meanwhile, they weakly dismiss the issue as unimportant, but without any references to facts or reality. Evidence inevitably comes forward showing that their denials are hollow…but they will ignore this evidence and continue denying and deflecting.
EXAMPLE: People started to question the expenditures…and whether or not they might be taxable…or even illegal. So the campaign issued a typical statement: “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 spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt. “It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign.” Well, this might be true…but it certainly hurts the GOP’s stance that in 2006 they went after Hillary Clinton for spending $3000 on a couple of stylist sessions and also dogged John Edwards over the “$400 haircut.” With such hypocrisy looming so large, I had to fight hard to resist the temptation to write another blog…and I succeeded.
Then…always, and as a sign of the campaign’s completely inane failure to coordinate message…they contradict themselves:
EXAMPLE: When speaking to Florida reporters about the clothing expenditures (you know…the ones that Palin denied receiving), John McCain unapologetically stated: “She needed clothes at the time…They’ll be donated at end of this campaign. They’ll be donated to charity. It works by her getting some clothes when she was made the nominee of the party and it will be donated back to charity. It works that the clothes will be donated to charity. Nothing surprises me.” He went on to add, “I pay for my suits. I pay for all of my own clothing.” So apparently they DID buy the clothes for Sarah and that’s ok because she needed them (and apparently nothing less than $150,000 worth would do the trick)…but he thinks it’s important to buy his own clothes. So very tempting…but I held off writing because I knew WHAT WOULD COME NEXT.
In the end…they can be counted upon, through some surrogate or another, to make some outrageous…even inhuman…and unethical attack against Obama to try to “change the subject.” And at this point, I inevitably fall to the temptation to comment once more…
EXAMPLE: Republican strategist Brad Blakeman said that the real outrage, when compared to the clothing expenses, is Obama’s use of the campaign jet for “taking a 767 campaign plane to go visit Grandma.” Yeah…the same Grandmother who raised Obama…who is deathly ill…who doctors say may not live to see November 4th. I’d say it constitutes a disgusting new low…but it’s really just Standard Operating Procedure for the McCain campaign. Here’s the clip:
So here I am…writing a second blog, in response to countless articles about a subject that could’ve been out of the news in a day if the McCain camp had simply chosen to say what we already knew was true: “Yeah…we wanted Sarah to look great for the cameras and we overindulged…sorry.” They could have even blamed it on some low level, inexperienced staffer…and the whole thing would’ve blown over. But that’s the point, isn’t it? This campaign…McCain’s campaign…they CHOOSE to lie to us.
Oh…and the latest update: Palin’s makeup artist is the campaign’s highest paid staffer…$22,800 for the first two weeks of October. I really hope they don’t make me come back to this subject…stop Sarah…please just stop…