Jeff Larson: Sarah Palin's Personal Shopper Is Karl Rove's Former Protégé

As news of Sarah Palin's $150,000 shopping spree unfolds, The Atlantic reveals that Sarah Palin's personal shopper, Jeff Larson, has an interesting resumé.

Does the name Jeff Larson sound familiar? It should. Larson is the Karl Rove protégé who's a principal in the robocalling firm of FLS Connect (the "FLS" stands for Tony Feather, Jeff Larson, and Tom Syndhorst, all veteran Republican political operatives). Larson's firm is the same one that launched the scurrilous robocalls against John McCain in 2000, and that McCain has now hired to make robocalls connecting Barack Obama to Bill Ayers. He's also well known in Minnesota for leasing his basement apartment at a steeply discounted rate to embattled Republican Senator Norm Coleman. Evidently, Larson also has quite the eye for women's fashion. Even hateful liberals would have to admit that Palin dresses awfully nicely.

Keep reading to see the Schedule F form that lists Larson as the purchaser of, among other things, $75,062.63 in clothes and accessories at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis.

-Or-

See a slideshow of Sarah Palin's $150,000 style transformation.

Comments

[johnospokane]

I can't figure out why this story has more legs than the Palin children's travel charged to the state of Alaska. In that case it was taxpayer funds.

[SurrealPumpkin]

We went after that one weeks ago!

[Lois37]

Sure, some of the DESIGNER clothes are nice, and with that price tag, they BETTER be! I just wanted to let Sarah know that Michael Jackson wants his red leather jacket back from the "Beat It " video....Thanks.

[SuzeC]

Yeeeessssssss! THAT'S where I've seen it before; I knew it was familiar!

Can't wait for Sarah to "beat it" back to Alaska.

[DRaymond]

The question is...why? I am guessing that Larson is being the front for the real mystery shopper because he has no particular expertise. But why would you need to hide the identity of somebody buying clothes? I still guess Cindy McCain because the purchases gravitated straight for the most expensive stores.

[Stephanie71]

Doubtful. My guess is Larson called up his personal shoppers at all those stores to pick items out and then just showed up with Sarah and his Amex Black.

[AZTrueBlue]

What might this imply about Rove?

[ErnestineBass]

Hmmmmm...~snicker~

[TheHighMonkeyMonk]

This certainly puts "What Not To Wear" to shame. Come on Stacey and Clinton! A paltry $5,000.00 vs. $150,000. the RNC is handing out? Time to talk to your network!

[midwestgal STL]

I am 23 years old and I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. The city where the RNC and McCain/Palin ticket spent thousands of dollars on clothes for her and her family at Saks Fifth Avenue.

In St. Louis, MO there is only 1 Saks Fifth Avenue and it is located at Plaza Frontenac Mall. The mall of the richest richy of the rich rich in St. Louis and surrounding counties.

I have never been to Saks Fifth Avenue.......................

None of my friends or family has....................

We are apart of the lower middle class., earning under $ 40,000 a year.

Anybody that me or my friends and family know that shops at Saks Fifth Avenue at Plaza Frontenac is considered rich to us.

Sarah Palin doesnt share my midwestern values.

[robjh1]

Aren't we beyond looking at what she wears? No one comments on Biden/McCain. What would be funny if McCain/Palin wins. It would be a riot! It would be the biggest upset in history.

[nethead]

I agree. History would be very upset with us.

[DBtv]

Quelle idiote!

[AZTrueBlue]

You have missed the point. When Palin rub Obams's nose in "Joe Six Pack's" armpit, she forgot to mention her clothes budget for 2 mos. was more than real Joe's earn in a year, probably two!
To my knowledge, Joe Biden never pretended to be "Joe Six Pack"!

[ErnestineBass]

Try four years...didn't Joe claim to make a little under $40,000 a year?

[orchids8]

Basically no one comments on Obama/Biden because A.) Their families dress mostly in mid-priced attire. B.) The foundation of their campaign is not small town values v. big city liberals. Being from the latter I had no idea that spending lavishly on clothing (even in a big city a $150,000.00 in a couple of months for clothing is a lot) is a small town value.

Ordinarily, It is not something that I would give much thought but I did notice that the family, especially the governor, was extraordinarily well dressed. On a regular basis her attire went beyond that of an upper middle class businesswoman (with 5 children), more often in Cindy McCain's league. I was wondering if that was one of the perks of the campaign.

The governor is very adept at getting perks for her family which smacks more of old time pol than maverick of change. Yes, I know the nuance of hypocrisy and irony is meaningless to those well right of center but the rest of us get it.

[John51]

There have been numerous articles covering Sen. McCain’s $500.00 Italian made Loafers.

[mysterygirl18]

Moose have better taste and Rruin is right she does dress like a hooker with a budget...


http://www.myspace.com/wakeupnowpeople

[Mysticalsister]

@sherylsworld

Stop spreading the rumor about Willow. it is not true.

[LemonMeringue]

I do not share his taste in clothes.

[RRuin]

Sarah Palin doesn't dress like a New Yorker. She dresses like a hooker with a big budget.

[culthero]

FYI Working for FLS was awful, as it is for any place where you gotta make phonecalls, raise money.

It seems like 90% of people who we called had already been called 4-5 times before, were on social security, or older, had strong conservative beliefs but had absolutely 0 money for giving. Yet still we had to ask them a total of 3 times.

The place was staffed with mostly single mothers or people who needed quick employment (as it only took 1 week) to get trained in. Our "instructor" was a man named Chris who explained to us that he was a republican for many reasons, but one that stood out in my mind was due to Minnesotas Conceal and Carry law, that black people could get a gun faster then a "law abiding" white man.

I was 21 or 22 at the time, and I didn't really give a crap about politics as I was in a hard financial spot myself. Ah well, I feel like i've repented.

[nethead]

That's why I'm never nasty to telemarketers. I've had crap jobs like that and they are only doing what they have to do at the time.

[karela]

Well, aside from the poor taste and bad politics of being a Rove-lite, this guy has no taste in women's clothes. She's dressed like a New Yorker all the time. Not there's anything wrong with dressing like a New Yorker if that's where you live and it suits your life style, but in the mid west where I live it looks stiff and dark and contrived. I've really been aware of how much I've disliked her clothes ever since the convention. The only thing I've liked about her ward robe were her shoes. If she seems stiffly dressed to the mid west, imagine how the west and the south have seen her. Her clothes all look like they just came off the wrack and have never been worn. They're stiff with manufacturers fabric stiffeners. Not at all natural. They don't look like a real person's clothes.

[Emlyn]

Can you really dress up a moose and have it look like something other than a moose?

I apologize to the moose of the world for that comment.

[nethead]

I like McCain's plaid shirt under the blazer look when he talking to the "real Americians." Doesn't he understand that he's doing a job interview? I just got back from an interview for a tech job in Seattle and I was the best dressed person there. That's how you play the game.

Now it wasn't that hard considering the "receptionist" was a guy in a hoodie and jeans. I'm glad I didn't wear my tie.

[culthero]

I worked at FLS-DCI when they had a location in Hopkins (I think it was) MN. I worked there for 3 months, quit, then came back, was promoted, then quit again.

Why work there you say? Well at the time I was looking for a paycheck and these guys paid you 12 an hour to read off a script. This was back in 2003 before the presidential elections. The call center we were at called for the NRSC, RNC, And state republican parties. Occasionally we would get to run George Bush lists.

If your fundraising through these lists you do a 3 ask strategy.

This means you call and say "Hi I'm ______ calling from the national republican senatorial commitee, and we're working to ensure that we strengthen our majority in the senate and congress this election..

Democrats blah blah blah blah.. Will you help us out with (first ask) amount?

(If no, then go on to second ask, reiterate call to action)

Then if no you basically low ball them, ask em for 25 bucks or any amount.

The place had 400-500% turnover, and they recruited people usually via newspaper ads promising overtime and 12 an hour.

No matter what when people said no, you had to try and ask them 3 times for ever decreasing amounts of money.

[Haditup2here]

Personal shopper?! He sounds more like her personal P*I*M*P.