Republican Party opulence

This week, news filtered through that the Republican Party had spent $150,000 (Frw82 million) in upmarket designer stores to dress Sarah Palin for the campaign. Last month, more than $75,000 (Frw41 million) was spent in a single shopping spree at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, and another $9,500 (Frw5.2 million) at Macy’s in the same city - scene of the Republican Party convention where John McCain introduced Palin as his running mate. Another $5,000 (Frw2.7 million) was spent at Atelier, a classy men’s boutique, suggesting that Palin’s husband Todd, jocularly known in Alaska as the First Dude, may also have come in for some sprucing up. Later in the month of September, $50,000 (Frw27 million) was spent in forays into Saks Fifth Avenue in New York and St Louis, on a procession of neat little waisted jackets, pencil skirts, killer boots and patent heels that have enabled Palin to appear in at least one, and sometimes two or three, new outfits a day. The party also spent nearly $5,000 on hair and makeup. The figures have emerged from the Republicans’ monthly financial disclosure report for September, listed under a new heading of “campaign accessories”. Since Palin was unveiled as McCain’s choice for Vice President on August 29, the Governor of Alaska - a former beauty queen contestant - seems not to have been photographed in the same outfit twice. Maria Comella, spokeswoman, declined to say whether it was necessary to spend $5,000 a day on clothes for Palin. There were reports earlier this month that she had been working with a team of stylists and a voice coach on refining her image. What did not emerge until recently was the scale of the outlay, believed to be unprecedented in the annals of American presidential campaigning. Male candidates have in the past come in for severe ribbing over much smaller sums, such as Democratic contender John Edwards’s $400 (Frw218,000) haircuts and McCain’s $500 (Frw274,000) designer shoes. The Republican Party has tried to play down the extraordinary sum it has spent on packaging Palin. “With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it’s remarkable that we’re spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses,” said Tracey Schmitt, a party spokeswoman. There are already complaints that $150,000 to be spent on clothes amounts to misuse of public funds. In Rwanda, such an act would be punishable. As a country that cares about people, it would rather use that money to construct classrooms, equip hospital wards or provide farmers with fertilisers. Contact: ssuuna2000@yahoo.com