Over coffee this morning I calculated how long it would take me to spend $150,000 on clothes. The answer: 125 years.
The RNC reportedly has spent this much on clothing and make-up for Sarah Palin in a mere two months. Wow. I mean, what was wrong with her own wardrobe? (Now I think of it, is there something terribly wrong with mine?) On an income that outstrips 98% of Americans, one would think Palin could afford to purchase a nice suit or two in celebration of her nomination. Surely, she had a few things tucked away for important events. But this campaign, which claims to speak to small-town Americans and embrace small-town values, would not truck a small-town wardrobe.
Think about it: $150,000 on clothes at a time when so many of us are struggling not just to make ends meet, but to stay in our homes, put food on the table and manage shrinking household budgets. At a time when families with children constitute the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, John McCain indulges in a glaring, imperious display of wealth.
There are so many things to say. We can see the elitism from space. And the sexism? The stereotype of the younger mistress being showered with expensive gifts comes distressingly to mind. Palin was made over before our eyes, as heavier and lighter make-up, up- and down-do's were tested weekly on national television. Does she now appeal to Mr. McCain's taste? Does he have a thing for 3/4-length sleeves? The Bible Spice look? His campaign cast Palin in the presumptuous "My Fair Lady" narrative it kicked off at the Republican National Convention: a rich and powerful older man invites a younger attractive woman to hitch a ride to the White House. The plot, of course, serves the man's greater goals of claiming an identification with women and small-town values. Not incidentally, the storyline also offers a winking confirmation of the older man's intact virility. But first: about those clothes.
This latest revelation signifies beyond mere gossip; it is not just about fashion. The excess of the expense, the overkill of the make-over expose a disturbing aspect of the relationship between Sarah Palin and John McCain. She's "the girl"; he's lord of the manor. Avuncular and condescending, McCain says he's "proud" of Palin and that she's his political "soul mate." Can we imagine McCain making similar statements about Joe Lieberman? Even forming such thoughts about a male running mate?
Palin’s seen this movie too, and gamely allows her benefactor--oops, I mean runningmate--to bankroll a shopping spree of spectacular proportions. She dutifully reinvents herself as he and his political machine see fit. And this matters. The McCain campaign has seen fit to reinvent Palin as the pretty young thing, the political helpmate/charity case. That she embraces this role says a lot about her opinion of herself and other women.
As blatant incompetence renders Palin increasingly ridiculous, late-night jokesters grow increasingly bold, and I find myself feeling sorry for her. It can’t be easy being her some days.
But I worry more about how she treats women, how she would treat them if she were in the White House. She may be willing to play the role of VP with benefits, and that’s her business. But her politics are all of our business, and as my grandmother always said, “People do what they believe in.” Sarah Palin believes in the role she’s playing, and clearly sees this as the appropriate role for all women. Disturbingly, she also believes in John McCain, his money, his misogyny and, saddest of all, his increasingly obvious opinion of her.
The RNC reportedly has spent this much on clothing and make-up for Sarah Palin in a mere two months. Wow. I mean, what was wrong with her own wardrobe? (Now I think of it, is there something terribly wrong with mine?) On an income that outstrips 98% of Americans, one would think Palin could afford to purchase a nice suit or two in celebration of her nomination. Surely, she had a few things tucked away for important events. But this campaign, which claims to speak to small-town Americans and embrace small-town values, would not truck a small-town wardrobe.
Think about it: $150,000 on clothes at a time when so many of us are struggling not just to make ends meet, but to stay in our homes, put food on the table and manage shrinking household budgets. At a time when families with children constitute the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, John McCain indulges in a glaring, imperious display of wealth.
There are so many things to say. We can see the elitism from space. And the sexism? The stereotype of the younger mistress being showered with expensive gifts comes distressingly to mind. Palin was made over before our eyes, as heavier and lighter make-up, up- and down-do's were tested weekly on national television. Does she now appeal to Mr. McCain's taste? Does he have a thing for 3/4-length sleeves? The Bible Spice look? His campaign cast Palin in the presumptuous "My Fair Lady" narrative it kicked off at the Republican National Convention: a rich and powerful older man invites a younger attractive woman to hitch a ride to the White House. The plot, of course, serves the man's greater goals of claiming an identification with women and small-town values. Not incidentally, the storyline also offers a winking confirmation of the older man's intact virility. But first: about those clothes.
Palin’s seen this movie too, and gamely allows her benefactor--oops, I mean runningmate--to bankroll a shopping spree of spectacular proportions. She dutifully reinvents herself as he and his political machine see fit. And this matters. The McCain campaign has seen fit to reinvent Palin as the pretty young thing, the political helpmate/charity case. That she embraces this role says a lot about her opinion of herself and other women.
As blatant incompetence renders Palin increasingly ridiculous, late-night jokesters grow increasingly bold, and I find myself feeling sorry for her. It can’t be easy being her some days.
But I worry more about how she treats women, how she would treat them if she were in the White House. She may be willing to play the role of VP with benefits, and that’s her business. But her politics are all of our business, and as my grandmother always said, “People do what they believe in.” Sarah Palin believes in the role she’s playing, and clearly sees this as the appropriate role for all women. Disturbingly, she also believes in John McCain, his money, his misogyny and, saddest of all, his increasingly obvious opinion of her.
