Your Look, Your Money
An interesting commentary by CNN’s Campbell Brown appeared on CNN.com yesterday about Brown’s outrage that people are making such a big deal that Sarah Palin bought $150,000 worth of new clothes and footing the bill was the Republican National Committee. Brown rightly points out there is a double standard when it comes to men and women in the public eye and how they look. I don’t think anyone questions that.
We know she didn’t use tax money, that’s not what most are in an uproar about. The problem also isn’t that she used Republican donor money for her clothes. I mean, if the donors themselves aren’t ticked at such frivolous use of their money then in my opinion, they can afford to have their donations spent on clothes.
The problem, I believe, lies in Palin purporting herself to be just like “the rest of us” middle class Americans. Now, I’m not sure about you, but $150,000 is about five times what I make in a year. It’s about twice as much as my wife and I make in a year combined. As I understand it, our combined incomes place us in the “middle class” along with millions of other Americans. So my question and I think most everyone’s complaint is this: what person, claiming to be a Jane “Hockey Mom” Sixpack, Middle Class American, just like the rest of us, goes to Neiman Marcus and spends $75,000 a month on clothes? That’s my question, and that is the problem we have with Palin spending $150,000 on clothes and I think it goes directly to her qualifications. If she is so passionate about being just like us and knowing the struggles we go through on a day to day basis and wanting to reform government to be more in touch with said stuggles, instead of an obscene $150,000 at Neiman-Marcus, make it $1500 at Walmart, or $3000 at Target.
Oh, Ms. Brown? I understand there is a double standard in this country when it comes to how men and women look when in the public eye and I don’t like it either. Perhaps instead of complaining about how many emails you get if you have a bad hair day on TV, maybe you should reply to your emailers and tell them that how your hair looks has no impact on how well you do your job. Maybe draw attention to the double standard and openly criticize it, instead of telling everyone “it’s just part of the job.” Unless you think the Federal budget should have a section for “Vice-presidential Wardrobe”.
