Sarah Palin's image has been pierced -- for about the 20th time -- with the revelation about the RNC buying her $150,000 worth of clothing. It's clear the campaign is freaking about how this affects their "Joe the plumber" appeal, the latest dud strategy they thought would carry them through:
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin insisted in an exclusive interview with the Chicago Tribune on Thursday that she did not accept $150,000 worth of designer clothes from the Republican Party and "that is not who we are."
"That whole thing is just bad!" she said. "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 said the clothes are not worth $150,000 and were bought for the Republican National Convention. Still, she has been wearing pricey clothes at campaign events this fall. After the campaign, she said, they will be given back, auctioned off or sent to charity. Most of the outfits, she said, haven't even left the belly of her campaign plane...
...[M]uch of the media attention Palin has received -- on the issue of the clothes, for example -- has not been about public policy issues. She points to that as evidence of a bias against women candidates. "I think Hillary Clinton was held to a different standard in her primary race," Palin said. "Do you remember the conversations that took place about her, say superficial things that they don't talk about with men, her wardrobe and her hairstyles, all of that? That's a bit of that double standard."
No, Sarah, it's not about what you're wearing or your taste and style that people are outraged about. It's the fact that the RNC paid a huge amount for the clothes, and if Hillary Clinton -- or Barack Obama -- had the DNC pay for 150K in clothes, Republican Party would be hammering it from here to kingdom come.
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