Sarah Palin: The Gift That Keeps On Taking

Details of expenditures to make an Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin, presentable to the people of America trickle out like rain off a roof. But rain off a roof this time of year in Alaska makes for some remarkable icicles. Each drop of information layers on the last, and the label of "Governor Grifter" seems appropriate. John McCain's choice seems to have earned him at best a "Senator Sucker" nametag.

The New York Times is reporting $165,000 was paid to the stylists who traveled with the campaign and created the glamour girl few of us recognized. "Wardrobegate" initially reported $150,000 of RNC donations was spent on clothing for Sarah Palin. That figure has now been upgraded to $173,000. Stores that only exist in catalogs in Alaska had her full attention; Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Kate Spade, Brooks Brothers, Escape Skin Care & Day Spa, and now...Victoria's Secret-shhhhh, don't tell.

I've wondered about the reactions of the individual contributors to the RNC.

An ordinary citizen, concerned about gays getting married, or the right to buy cop killer bullets, sent in $100 from his minimum wage job of changing tires. "Joe the Tire Changer" bought fresh panties for the Vice-Presidential nominee? I'm sure he's comforted thinking he got that close to the pretty Palin...but his wife might not feel that way. Her panties come in the multi pack, three colors from Wal-Mart.

A part time worker, full time Red-Stater, a woman who uses L'Oreal "because she's worth it," and believes that Miss Clairol box color 519 is her God given natural hair color. She pulled $100 out of her "in case I get sick" coffee can fund and sent it to the RNC when her church secretary sent her that email about Barack Hussein Obama being a Godless Muslim. I guess she made a dent in Sarah Palin's $68,000 make-up bill, $42,615 hair-do bill, and $54,900 stylist bill. Maybe Sarah could explain to Ms. Red-Stater what a stylist is.

The Grifter List goes back a ways:

312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business; including November 22, 2007-Thanksgiving Day. The expense report explained it as the Great Alaska Shootout. That's the annual NCAA college basketball tournament held in Anchorage. Total per diem $16,941.

The governor's daughters' and husband's travel charges: $43,490. One event in New York City, October 2007, when Bristol accompanied the governor to Newsweek's third annual Women and Leadership Conference, toured the New York Stock Exchange. Alaska paid for three nights in a $707-a-day hotel room.

Palin, before her nomination, accepted gifts valued at $25,367 from industry executives, municipalities and a cultural center whose board includes officials from some of the largest mining interests in the state. Some of the "gifts" included a $2,200 ivory puffin mask, a woven grass fan worth $300 and a $150 ivory necklace. This may explain her pro Pebble Mine stance.

Alaska Grifter Total: $85,798
VP Grifter Total: $330,000
Total Grifter Total: $415,798

Count on the Palinistas to line up and defend the grifting. The per diem abuse has been dismissed by her staff with comparisons to former Governor Frank Murkowski. That's like comparing a bad bartender to Jim Jones' Guyana Kool-Aid Stand and drinking up.

Palin Spokes-model Meg Stapleton recently responded to the New York Times inquiries with, "The decisions reflected in this disclosure are financially poor decisions made by campaign staffers hired by the campaign and not the governor...(Governor Palin) is absolutely appalled at the news and the amount of money reportedly spent on the vice-presidential campaign."

I wonder if Joe the Tire Changer and Ms. Red Stater would like their money back.

It is never Sarah Palin's bad judgment or poor decisions that get her press. It's always the fault of someone else.

And so the drips continue...and a stalactite status icicle hangs in front of Alaskans. Sarah Palin is the "gift" that keeps on taking.

Follow Shannyn Moore on Twitter: www.twitter.com/shannynmoore

Comments

[BigSlick674]

She still has the clothes. People are taking photos and tracking what she has kept and worn in public, and it appears she kept almost everything.

So, here it goes:

1) She is required to report gifts within 30 days of receiving them, and its been more than 30 days since she got her clothes
2) She must also pay taxes on any gifts received
3) Even if she gives the clothes up for charity, or gives them back to the RNC, the depreciation from purchase to sale/return of clothes is taxable; during the time the clothes were in Grifter Spice's possession value has been received that is taxable and must be declared

So, when is the indictment party?

[aloha43]

Sarah Palin: The Gift That Keeps On Annoying.

[VJSleight]

Appalled that she didn't get to keep the clothes!!

[bibimimi]

"(Governor Palin) is absolutely appalled at the news and the amount of money reportedly spent on the vice-presidential campaign."

appalled at the news, not at having spent it.

[PolarisCountry]

Who could have possibly predicted that an incredibly dubious individual would have succumbed to the incredibly dubious machinations of an incredibly dubious party. This story was relevant about a month ago.

[kdn25]

I couldn't disagree with Shannyn Moore more! I think Sarah is an absolute inspiration! I have been proactively working to get her to the white house for over a month now. Every day I write down what I have done, and I have this amazing calendar that I got at amazon, with 13 months of personal photos of her and the family. It is of a super high quality, and is just a dream! I'm so excited to share it with my loved ones for Christmas!!

[Anandas]

Just what are you disagreeing with? She is stating mathematical facts.

[bilbo8]

You may be on the wrong blog (try Politico)

Just a question:

Also, what is so inspiring about this woman?

Is it the fact that she is clearly personlly profiting from her elected postion (and hence her celebrity). or is the way she's learned how to gain from "working the system".

All admirable traits?

[camanokat]

You're joking, right? Right?

She's an empty headed corrupt ignorant female version of W.

[shelbyd]

I think you may be giving Palin a little too much credit. I mean, W actually managed to graduate from Yale and Harvard.

[justobserve]

All of these inspiring things led some people to the court for corruption. The Palins' misuse of public funds, free gift in the form of free building of their house by the company that got the Wasilla sport center contract, ... FBI should have a look at these blatantly I-am-above-the-law Palins.

[Cil]

I just hope that the FBI and the SECRET SERVICE, will GET ON PALIN'S TRAIL,
just like they did on BLAGOJEVICH! I AM SURE THAT THERE IS A LOT ABOUT
PALIN THAT AMERICANS NEED TO KNOW!

In my opinion, SARAH PALIN is interested in one person and one person alone
SARAH PALIN! I honestly think that PALIN WILL DO AND SAY ANYTHING in her
ATTEMPT TO FURTHER HER STRANGE CAREER!

I sincerely hope THAT YOUR FAMILY are as EXCITED AS YOU SEEM TO BE!
I am sure that for EVERY ONE OF YOU PALIN LOVERS, THERE TEN MORE
PALIN NON-LOVERS!

HAVE A HAPPY PALIN CHRISTMAS!

[aloha43]

Well said!

[sclucie]

I want a lot more than that on Sarah Palin. I want a full-scale investigation on the one-bid, $30 billion pipeline that went to TransCanada - and I want an investigation into the Palin staffer who was formerly a lobbyist for that company. I want to know why a check was written for $500 MILLION dollars - when not one shovel has been put into the tundra.

[Borninsin]

Palin is the gift that keeps on delivering eyeballs for journalists and broadcasters, no matter how irrelevant the story.

[deebell]

You must remember, Alaskans ALMOST re-elected Ted Stevens, a convicted felon.

I think the cold is getting to their brains.

[lstl4]

Just another dumb thing the republican party did. I believe her when she said that she didnt ask for all this "stuff". It was offered and she took it for her and her family. All those nice trimmings didnt make her give smart answers to really simple questions and if it were up to her, she probably would have been happy to campaign in her jeans. I am so glad those republicans kept making stupid mistakes.

[justobserve]

If she was happy to wear her own clothes then how come she continued to spend more after the uproar of $150K first surfaced? The Palins are Wasilla Hillabies just like the pigs in the pigsty. Oink!

[Wake-up]

Because the party wanted her to look more VP like... that's a crime? Yea, the Dems never do anything like that... he-he...

[Cil]

I wonder how all of these GIFTS are going to be reflected in her 2008
INCOME TAX RETURN?

[vgirl1]

Of course the Repugnants try to excuse it. I say to them keep it coming. The longer they keep their heads in the sand, the more it helps Democrats and Independants keep our government on the right track.

[RRundbaken]

We are so fortunate McCain picked this wreck. He'd be getting ready to take office if he picked Olympia Snow or Sue Collins as running mates. Two woman who actually know stuff and would have appealed to a wide range of people. Thank you John McCain for one of the worst decisions a candidate has ever made. You cost yourself the election you were thisclose to winning.

[goodasitgets]

Though more qualified than Sarah Palin, no way what would have been required to take the election away from President elect Obama.....­..........­..........­..........­.

[quick2no]

You must be from Maine. McCain? Who was that. Notice how fast he dropped out of sight in the media? Like a stone to the bottom of the lake.

[Spud777]

The "locals (locos in Spanish)" will keep their idiot Gov there for as long as she can milk their stupidity.

[nddtrader]

What's with this endless stream of meaningless, emotional, and demeaning chatter? No wonder we never really get anything accomplished. We're too busy taking cheap shots to bother to think about actually finding solutions to the pressing problems of the day.

[nddtrader]

Amazing some folks think Palin should get canned over this per deim issue. If tis issue is important, the locals will can her soon enough. If not, best those who would make a big deal about this just shut up. We can't build a future on personal attacks that drive 10s of 1,000s of voters to hear her speak. This "gotcha" comes off like a cheerleader click making a big deal out of ordinary Mary Jane's new dress. Good grief. Why aren't we all concentrating on the revelations coming out of Obama's office every morning. One promise after another shattered by the reality that Obama is a politician like everyone else. We may disagree with Palin's world view but with her what you see and hear is what you get..

[goodasitgets]

And what exactly, pray tell, do you get?

[Anandas]

Exactly the problem- what you see and hear is what you get. Easy.

[sclucie]

One promise after another shattered? Do you want to give some examples? Like taxes on windfall oil profits when those profits are gone?

And I'm not absolutely sure, but I'm pretty sure that Obama is not currently our President, so it would be a little difficult for him to be breaking promises - and I hate to break it to you, but the extremely conservative Wall Street Journal poll out today showed that the vast majority of Americans - including McCain voters are very happy with how Obama is doing.

And what you see with Sarah Palin is what you get? Then why did she need $165K worth of a personal stylist? If only they knew - they could have saved a bundle.

[Wake-up]

Yes, they are happy with Obama because he's not showing "Leftist".­.. and I hate to break it to you but let's talk 6 months from now when you're sad at the facts that he was acting as all politicians do... promising anything to get elected. Less govt. is always better...

[AlFeldzamen]

It seemed a bit mysterious, why Governor Palin's health records were such a secret, and only released on the eve of the election.
She was adamantly determined to keep those personal health records from advanced public scrutiny, a most unusual stance for a candidate for such high office. What on earth was the lady hiding so grimly?

Could it be that, since the date of her first delivery is known and also the date of her marriage, being a public record, is also known . . . that her health records would reveal to all that this first birth was not premature, but full term, and that it strongly indicated the conception occurred before her marriage?

And that is exactly what the medical record showed, that the birth of her first child was full "term," which means 9 months, plus or minus 2 weeks. Yet the lady gave birth only 8 months after her elopement marriage. Such marriages are often rushed, for pregnancy reasons, and that seems to have been the case here.

This certainly would have been damaging in the election for one who professes such fundamentalist views and such personal virtue as the Alaska governor. She, after all, has been an ardent promoter of premarital chastity and abstinence, and an equally ardent opponent of sex education.

Seems to make her a hypocrite, no?

[babaann]

I thought paternal dna of her baby might be questionable. Seems I keep hearing of a large campaign doner who bought her alot of stuff....

Anybody heard any rumors?

[SonyaInTx]

Yes, big time hypocrite.

Elopement + baby born less than 9 months later = shotgun marriage.

[jp5472]

If you remember also, that release of medical records the day before was only a letter from her physician stating that she's healthy, nothing more, and not a single actual record...

From the chatter I see here, plus what this report clearly summarizes is that we should be grateful that she was asked questions that exposed her for what she really was and that 63% of voters said she clearly was not qualified. This report summarizes a pattern of misuse of her office prior to being selected for VP and further misuse of RNC money once in the No. 2 slot. I can see the need to perhaps spruce up with some suits to appear in, the need for someone to do her makeup and hair everyday, but not to anywhere near the extent that this played out. Victoria Secret? Please. Even if the nonsense about RNC aids running around wasting all this money had an element of truth to it, contributors need to buy a candidate underwear? She didn't come with any?

This is akin to giving an irresponsible teenager a credit card and they run out to every high end store and charge up everything they can get their hands on...and what else can I get my hands on for nothing...­oh, I can submit per diem bills, charge to fly my kids and stay at high priced NY hotels..su­re where do I sign....pl­aying the system. She was touted by McCain as just the opposite.

[spinner1]

It seems you see things only one sided.

Obama did drugs when he was younger. Now he speaks out against them. He must be a hypocrite too.

Hey, were all hypocrites - it seems to be a human character trait - including even you AlFeldzamen.

[Cil]

SORRY, THERE IS ONE BIG DIFFERENCE!

Barack Obama, admitted publicly that when he was a wayward teenager
(like so many teenagers are) he turned to drugs!

PALIN HAS NEVER GONE PUBLIC AND SAID THAT SHE HAD
CONCEIVED HER FIRST BORN, BEFORE SHE WAS MARRIED,
NO! SHE CLAIMS THAT THE BABY WAS PREMATURE!

SEE THE DIFFERENCE?

[DocInVA]

With regard to medical records, if the birth of Trig occurred as stated by Palin, her family physician committed malpractice. A complaint to the Alaska Board of Medicine would trigger an investigation.

[Cil]

WOULDN'T PALIN HAVE TO BE THE PERSON TO FILE FOR MALPRACTICE?

I SIMPLY CANNOT SEE HER DOING THAT!

[Chip W]

Please stop writing about my beloved Sarah. If you write, I'll read. I can't break the addiction.