by Teh Nutroots | Times may be dark, my friends, and Bush might still be president, but the comical finger-pointing and red-faced apoplectic screaming among former allies of the far right seems bound to continue for yet awhile. Let's have a round of very slow clapping for our perpetually furious friends on the far right!
All the stories about Palin's wardrobe? Turns out---that is, if you want to believe Politico's Jonathan Martin, and you betcha I do---that it was all true, and much worse than you probably thought:
NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.
A Palin aide said: "Governor Palin was not directing staffers to put anything on their personal credit cards, and anything that staffers put on their credit cards has been reimbursed, like an expense. Nasty and false accusations following a defeat say more about the person who made them than they do about Governor Palin." (Newsweek; emphasis added)
Think this isn't significant? Think it doesn't show something about Palin's perspective? For your consideration--- Exhibit A: right wing levity over John Edwards' $400 haircut. Exhibit C: Right wing "outrage" over Michelle Obama's remark that the $600 economic stimulus might be enough to buy "a pair of earrings." Exhibit C: The whole "arugula" meme. Exhibit D: The faked up story about Michelle Obama's Waldorf Hotel stay, complete with "Iranian caviar," which a red-faced New York Post had to retract with vague threats of dire retaliation against their seriously mistaken "source."
You can draw your own conclusions about Palin's venality. I prefer to see this as further evidence of pitiable naivete. A rich donor gave her a credit card! Aides took her shopping! What it shows me is that poor little Palin-in-Wonderland was presented with a credit card and an invitation to treat herself to a new wardrobe, and just assumed all her birthdays had come at once, bless 'er heart. She probably reckons Republicans in the Lower 48 all dress at Neiman Marcus.
Or maybe Jon Stewart is right and the Wasabillies really are a bunch of grifters. (Princess Sparkle Pony has evidence!)
Anyway, whatever: it's funny as hell. You've especially got to love this. She didn't do any of that, but even if she did, they've all been paid back.
A Palin aide said: "Governor Palin was not directing staffers to put anything on their personal credit cards, and anything that staffers put on their credit cards has been reimbursed, like an expense. Nasty and false accusations following a defeat say more about the person who made them than they do about Governor Palin." (Newsweek; emphasis added)
Note the use here of passive voice: "anything that staffers put on their credit cards has been reimbursed." Not, one infers, by Todd and Sarah. I don't think people have yet really had time to focus on this delightful and hilarious anecdote. Details! Enquiring minds want details!
And harassed Republicans who think these stories aren't going to come out are due for an even ruder awakening when the Bush Administration officially closes and all the tell-all books start coming out. It's pretty interesting to see anguished and perpetually angry nutjob blowhards line up behind Palin, who stands for everything they represent: guns for everyone plus, er, "the right to life"!
Shame, shame, shame on the McCain campaign, Malkin fumes, for not appreciating the way Palin "energized the base" and scared---literally---the bejesus out of Republican moderates!
Wonkette's got a pretty funny summary of the finger-pointing "No, you're a rogue!" "YOU are!" back and forthing between campaign operatives no one any longer gives a damn about.
Not to mention the froth-mouthed fury of Palin's true disciples.
[T]his one sentence sums up everything that’s happening: Freepers have called for a boycott of Fox News.
…the hell are they going to watch instead? (Wonkette)
Princess Sparkle Pony writes:
Haw, wheee! Did any of you troll around the GOP interwebs and snicker like I did? Fun! Also: scary! But, you know, looking at places like Free Republic, that hilarious parody that almost seems real, is just too easy. For my money, this analysis of why McCain lost, by dunderheaded Jennifer Rubin at Pajamas Media, is the best, because she got everything so totally, hilariously wrong that you will just laugh and laugh for the rest of the day. Soooo good!
Let 'em eat each other, I say. In this time of economic crisis, we Dems might as well enjoy the media bread-and-circuses diversions while the consequences of eight years of Republican rule continue to unscroll before us.
Meanwhile, the young Republicans are looking for a new way to rebuild their party, according to Ambinder:
Tonight, they're launching a website, www.rebuildtheparty.com, and will ask RNC chairman candidates to support their platform, which puts a premium on Internet organizing and technology.The signatories include Patrick Ruffini, a former senior Republican official; Erick Erickson of Red State; Phil Musser, the former executive director of the Republican Governors Association, Republican fundraiser and former Jeb Bush aide Justin Sayfie, and others.All of them are under 40; they have affiliations with different prospective 2012 presidential candidates; they had different opinions of Sarah Palin; they're interested in building a permanent grassroots volunteer infrastructure (apart from state parties if necessary) and candidate recruitment.
That sounds like fun! Let's all sign up and be Neoneocons! Make 'em eat health care!
Also meanwhile, the aforementioned Eric Erickson is busy organizing a right-wing enemies list of people who are being mean to Palin. (Wonkette: "RedState is literally creating a list of advisers to kill.")
With Bush leaving office and Palin on the way out, we're going to have to look elsewhere for our comedy. Such as this "angry whine" by Bill Kristol (h/t Wonkette). Conservative Obama supporter Andrew Sullivan comments thus: "The man most responsible for the Palin fiasco is now fighting for his career."
Comedy gold! From Neiman Marcus! Charged to an anonymous donor on a platinum credit card made out of real platinum! (Sullivan: "Any columnist who sounds that much like a politician is in fact a propagandist.")
Meanwhile, Andrew Sullivan---not being a Dem---ain't finding any of this half as funny as I do. He argues that the reason we didn't know all about this sooner is that the mainstream press didn't do its job.
They let the rules of the game over-rule their duty to tell the American people the truth as they began to discover it. The truth is that Sarah Palin had no business whatever being on a national ticket. It was an insanely reckless choice. She could never adequately perform the job of president at a moment's notice, and the McCain campaign and their media enablers were putting this country and the world at serious risk by perpetuating this farce. (The Daily Dish)
According to me, we did know. It just didn't matter to the proud ignoramuses of the Republican base. It still doesn't matter to them.
But I do agree with what he says about the rubber-glue effect of anything McCain's operatives say about Palin.
It was a farce. And it was a potential threat to national security if anything happened to McCain in office. But they couldn't admit a mistake because it would have killed their campaign, destroying our impression of McCain's judgment and management skills. So they kept this farce alive for two months, putting the country at potentially great risk to massage their own careers. Now they are doing all they can to dump on her. But the dumpage goes both ways. The McCain camp picked Palin and stuck with her far longer than any people who put country first would have. Every reason why she should not have been picked is a reason why McCain should never have been president.(The Daily Dish)
Jonathan Martin dishes up the dirt at Politico.
Memeorandum has more here.
Yeah. Check this out.
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