GOP Strategist On Palin's Clothing Allowance: Real Outrage Is "Obama Taking A 767 Campaign Plane To Visit Grandma" (VIDEO)

Republican strategist Brad Blakeman, responding to a question about how John McCain could square his opposition to wasteful spending with the RNC shelling out over $150,000 on clothes and accessories for Sarah Palin, said that the real outrage is Barack Obama "taking a 767 campaign plane to go visit Grandma." This is the same grandmother who raised Obama and who is very seriously ill. Blakeman continued, "Forget about the energy that is wasted, what about the hundreds of thousands of dollars to take a private trip when this guy should be humping his bags on a commercial plane or taking a smaller plane. Taking a 767 of campaign money from people who could least afford it is more of an outrage in my opinion." Anchor David Schuster, laughing, replied, "That is one of the most valiant tries I have ever seen in this entire debate about Sarah Palin's clothing allowance."

[WATCH]

Comments

[Oonagh]

Guess he wanted Obama away and out of the picture longer... Today we all know how long it takes to go from here to there on a commercial flight .... I think that $150,000 spent on clothes do not compare to a flight to see an ailing grandmother.....no matter what way you spin it. Shame on him..

[bentenrai]

I guess some republicans can't identify the difference between $150K spent out of vanity, and the same amount spent out of love for your family. I wonder what that kind of republican means by family values.

[lipstickedrottweiler]

Brad Blakeman is a hollow man.

[xmw]

Brad Blakeman is hollow. He's no man.

[AnotherNCnative]

I can certainly identify with Obama having also been raised by my grandmother. When she was gravely ill several years ago, I dropped everything; nothing mattered more. Though it threw my budget out of whack, it didn't matter, because this was a woman who sacrificed everything for me. I am so grateful that I got a chance to care for her during the final weeks of her life. I'm sure that if it weren't for the election, he'd be there by her side too. I commend him for taking time out to visit his grandmother and honor her sacrifices. I would never have been able to forgive myself, if I hadn't been there for her and I'm sure he wouldn't either. As for Blakeman, I feel sorry for him that he has such a hardened heart. It's too bad that there are others like him without any compassion.
I'm glad to see so many campaign contributors supporting his decision.

[GeezerusMaximus]

This sort of insensitive statement from Brad Blakeman comes as no surprise, his record of despicable pronouncements borders on libel. He is a man bereft of decency and humanity. He should be shunned by decent humans. Any campaign that would use such a person should be yaken to task for it's lack of humanity.

[desertbloom]

Palin has expended more than $150,000 on clothing and has billed the people of the state of Alaska for her family's travel expenses.

Obama took some time out from his campaign to visit his dying grandmother.

One is self-serving; the other is a model of true family values.

Mr. Blakeman, your judgement is deeply flawed.

[tonyeastwest]

Palin's plane is foreign made -- a Brazilian Embraer. Country first?

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?regsearch=N239JB&distinct_entry=true

[tonyeastwest]

This may have already been pointed out but Obama's plane is a single-aisle narrow-body 757 not a twin-aisle wide-body 767 -- quite a bit different. Nonetheless, the notion that he could have taken a commercial plane for this trip is ludicrous -- can you imagine the logistics of accommodating him, his staff and the secret service on a regularly scheduled flight?

Take a look at Barack's handsome Boeing 757 at this link:
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?regsearch=N755NA&distinct_entry=true

[ganmerlad]

That was exactly my first thought. He isn't a simple celeb who is spending money to charter a plane for their 10 suitcases, their make up artist, entourage of 5 and a dog...this is a person with a huge group of people in tow and incredible security issues. I am sure the secret service would not LET him on a commercial flight. To avoid using his private plane, he would have had to not go to Hawaii at all.

[AlaskanWannaB]

In honor of Barack's grandmother, please consider making a contribution of $8.60 (age of Obama's grandmother, 86). This is not my donation page, I just made a donation to the page in honor of Obama's grandmother. The donation page belongs to Mike Urbonas. His goal is $8600. And, here is the message that he sent to me after my contribution:
----------­----------­----------­---

Thanks very much for your kind donation to the Obama-Biden campaign through my special donation page. I am very grateful for your support.

It's true the original catalyst for the creation of my donation page was GOP strategist Brad Blakeman's unconscionable remarks mocking Sen. Obama on MSNBC for "taking a 767 campaign plane to go visit Grandma" and making light of Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham's grave illness. But the far more important and enduring reason to donate remains to honor a truly remarkable woman, Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham. Thank you for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers as she nears her 86th birthday (Oct. 26).

Please share the donation webpage link with your friends! Together we can honor Madelyn Lee and, yes, send a little message to Mr. Blakeman:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/EightDollarsSixtyCents

Just overnight, the donation page racked up $4,000 in donations with very little online announcment or marketing effort. My goal is $8,600, and we're already halfway there!

Thanks again!!

Please visit my page and consider making a donation:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/EightDollarsSixtyCents

[babdc]

How SHAMEFUL using Obama's ailing Grandmother as a cheap fundraising tool. You are sick!

[kmbr]

Sick? Exactly how many times are you going to post this comment? I think this is your fourth?
What is your point, what exactly is sick and SHAMEFUL about people (or according to you, SHEEP) who (already have and most likely will continue to) donate to this amazing campaign. Sure, the referenced idea was formed in reaction to the words put forth by a very hollow individual….but can you not see the desire to send a message, make a point, create a symbolic gesture in honor of this wonderful woman? Have you never heard of an Honorarium?

[kjstjohn]

If that's what you think, don't donate. I disagree, so I donated.

GO OBAMA-BIDEN '08

[kkayo]

The owner of my company forwarded this video to me today.I felt compelled to pass it on.
It actually made my husband tear up watching it,which is very hard to do.Please enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=BarackObamadotcom&view=videos
"A chorus of millions".

[og0p0go]

what a jerk-- how can Obama hop a commerical plane and be cheper thn taking his campaign plane. He's got all those extras with him. First he has the security detail and then he has the happy little press corp and then he's leaving from some place where he is campaigning and he's returning to a different place where there is scheduled campaigning-- so how's he top do that?

Not to mention granny is dying-- or do those pigs over there have really no respect at all for life?

This isn't some stupid bundle of clothes-- you can't replace a granny and you can't recycle her by dumping her off in the Salvation Army bin for auctioneering. Also this aint some idiotic Hail Mary from McCain to go rescue the cratering Wall Street by being divisive, is it?

Didn't he suspend his campaign to rush off to Washington DC? And it was a 9hour flight--

Maybe the whole problem is that Obama went, he sat with his granny and then he came back and went right on working. So I suppose his aides were supposed to call three charter planes to bunny hop him about the US and then reserve each of them for full usage... real bargain thinking, isn't it?

Maybe Mr Campaign Adviser, How much did that Alaska State plane lose in value on eBay? Something like 50 percent?

and yeah, Palin's entire family carpet bags... on McCain's plane and on the State of Alaska.

[Grousefeather]

Who but a republican would even listen to this vile serpent of a man?

[Starr69]

I too have donated to Obama. The first time ever in my 22 years of being voting eligible. If my 25 bucks helped him see his grandmother, I am totally fine with that.

And to think the Republicans are supposed to be the Family oriented party.

[SilverTongue401]

Ditto, everyone who said it -- I'm glad I could help.

[MYSTERIOUS]

I've always said that Brad Blakeman is a jerk, but this goes too far. He is unbelievable. Does he really think that Senator Barack Obama would take a commercial plane to visit his gravely ill Grandmother? I donated to Obama's campaign, and I don't mind if he used part of my contribution to go and be with his "Toot." It is my honor and pleaure. But, this is not the first time Brad has said something dumb. This is just worse than the others. He has no class.

[realamericanmom]

Yet another low blow from the Mcsame camp-not surprised at all. I think it is pathetic how even when the host of the show is laughing at them they keep going.