Michelle Obama likes upscale clothes too

UPDATE: 11/6/08 – Tiffany Wilson has the scoop on Michelle Obama’s election night outfit; prob about 12k. Bet the MSM are preparing stories about it right now.
Actually the whole clothing ruckus involving Sarah Palin is silly and being driven for political purposes. One of the media arms of the Obama campaign, Huffington Post admits as much here:

Beyond the political tit-for-tat, however, the revelation of the clothing expenditures offers what some Democrats see as a chance not just to win several news cycles during the campaign’s waning days but to severely damage Palin’s image as a small-town, ‘Joe Six-Pack’ American.
“It shows that Palin ain’t like the rest of us,” Tom Matzzie, a Democratic strategist told the Huffington Post, when asked how the party would or could use the issue. “It can help deflate her cultural populism with the Republican base. The plumber’s wife doesn’t go to Nieman’s or Saks.”

The footnote to this story that is not being widely reported is the clothes do not belong to Palin and will be given to charity who will probably get thousands in post-election auctions. Furthermore, some news reports suggest that hair styling and make up may be a part of the tab. Palin is under constant scrutiny and probably had little in the way of stylish clothes prior to taking on the VP nomination.
It turns out that Michelle Obama likes pricey clothes as well and has her own favorite designer. One of the dresses Mrs. Obama wore during the Democratic National Convention listed for around $900 and another for about $1500. And of course, Cindy McCain gets the prize with six-figure outfits.
I am aware that Michelle Obama has worn dresses during the campaign costing about $150, but then again Sarah Palin used to shop second-hand.
With dresses costing over $1000 a pop, with accessories and makeup and all that, a six-figure budget might in the ball park for Mrs. O. Where is the big time press scrutiny over that vital tidbit of information?
And I can’t believe this is even relevant to the national press.
If we are going to get into fitness for office based on money spent for appearances and stagecraft, let’s talk how much it cost to rent those Greek columns, etc. for the Obama’s acceptance speech.

17 thoughts on “Michelle Obama likes upscale clothes too”

  1. Yeah, and then take say Churchill or Roosevelt. I’m certain Churchill was a narcist (sp?) As for FDR – I think he needed attention but somehow he did not seem narcissistic (sp?). Both great leaders for the time.

  2. Mary,
    It’s a whole lifestyle. Many people want power over others (politics) and attention from them (Hollywood?) because they need it very badly, anyway, more than others. They’re not necessarily bad leaders (or actors) because of that. If you go to high-class meetings and events, you have to look your best so there’s nothing unusual that Palins, Obamas and McCains pay a lot of money for that. The problem is if their outfits are paid using taxpayers’ money.
    I agree with you that they should be judged only based on their performance. Let’s take JFK, for example. How much of his legendary status comes from his performance and how much from people’s infatuation with the glamour, the story of rich educated families that made the news with their outfits, their big gestures and expensive marriages? JFK was crushed by the Russian president, Khrushchev, in only one face-to-face meeting, according to his own words. Well, expensive upbringing and a smart suit didn’t help him at all in negotiating with a leader born in a peasant family, who learned leadership at the School of Hard Knocks.

  3. Narcissism may be found in many leaders however, it has also been shown that they do not necessarily make the best leaders. The clothes issue may be an indication where the interests are of a certain person. And it would be a good idea to see not their accomplishments in terms of which leadership positions they held but what did they take that organization from and to. Did they really lead succesfully.

  4. this should put an end to lobster-gate:

    THE source who told us last week about Michelle Obama getting lobster and caviar delivered to her room at the Waldorf-Astoria must have been under the influence of a mind-altering drug. She was not even staying at the Waldorf. We regret the mistake, and our former source is going to regret it, too. Bread and water would be too good for such disinformation.

    http://www.nypost.com/seven/10212008/gossip/pagesix/room_disservice_134490.htm

  5. Andrea – Could you provide a link to where this was exposed as a lie. I saw the initial report but have not seen the debunk. Be glad to post if so.
    By now, Palin has cleared up that she did not shop for the clothes, the RNC did and they are not hers.

  6. That Michelle had caviar and lobster at the Waldorf Astoria was exposed as a lie. I don’t remember if facts showed that she was not even at the hotel that night. But the room services charges are a lie, which does not disuade the gullible and careless from spreading it still.
    Palin has been charging the home state a per diem while staying in her own home, yesr-round.
    $92 bought the Palin infant an outfit only part of which was worn on TV–the other part was a hat with monkey ears–gee. Now tell me could the Palin’s not dress their own infant?
    The notion that Palin would be donating the clothes for charity purposes was contrived after the purchases were discovered by a sharp-eyed reporter. I would guess that the real reason is that Palin does not want to be liable for the gift tax rightly owed on the clothes.

  7. 2006, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) two hair styling sessions $3,000.
    Democrat John Edwards’ $400 hair cuts in 2007.
    Republican McCain’s $520 black leather Ferragamo shoes this year.
    Michelle Obama; 447.39 Room Service at the Waldorf (hmmm the basic prescription cost for some of our elderly). Can you return consumed food?
    At the end of the day unless either one of the candidates has had to scrape that extra dime out of their pocket to purchase that gallon of milk for their children. Or use some of their food or utility bills to pay for that NEEDED doctors visit then they have NO business being PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! How can you be for the people when you have never lived LIKE THE PEOPLE. How can you represent something that you do not understand. Michelle Obama certainly is not concerned about how the average AMERICAN struggles in this CRAP ECONOMY this is clear when she is ordering LOBSTER TAILS at the WALDORF! I am sure she slept well that night! Guess that nakes her a NOW PROUD AMERICAN….!

  8. katiekat–
    There are two acceptable spellings for ‘whiny’. It’s either that or ‘whiney’. The spelling you chose is the sound a horse makes. I prefer my judges to be educated.

  9. Sorry to burst your bubbles, but all of you sound like the spoiled, whinny Americans that you are!

  10. “Did you guys forget all the whining you did about leaving the candidate’s families alone or when Edwards charged a $400 haircut to his campaign?”
    AMEN! AMEN! The right harped relentlessly on Edward’s $400 haircut, and then they spend endless time and money trying to rationalize Gov. Palin’s million dollar expenditures on herself. LOL How does one donate hair and makeup indeed! 🙂

  11. I find it interesting that McCain has felt it necessary to chastise Gov. Palin for these expenditures 🙂

  12. Not being widely reported? Google News shows over 600 stories for “palin clothes charity.”
    As Eddy points out here and I implied in a comment response to an earlier post on the same issue, we have no way of knowing whether the intent was always to donate to charity, and it’s at least as likely that such a claim is simply damage control.
    Jilly has made most of the other relevant points.

  13. At this point, we’ll likely have no way of knowing whether ‘donating the clothes to charity’ was part of the original intent or whether it was a quick grab for damage control.
    But the real point is that while the Republicans keep trying to promote the point that they represent ‘your average Joe’, they did their shopping spree at the stores in the Twin Cities that are notorious for being the priciest. I work within a block of these stores and have never been able to afford a single item–not even a tie or pair or underwear. Truth be told, I won’t even walk through them, even though they are a part of our famous skyway system, because the snooty attitudes of both their staff and customers is a reminder that ‘I’m not one of them’.
    LOL. They had some sense that image was important or they wouldn’t have gone shopping…and yet, they missed the point that they were sending this other message.
    Anymore, when we speak of “Joe the Plumber”, we’re not really talking about Joe W.; we’re talking about that image that Joe is supposed to represent. That’s all muddled. Their original “Joe the Plumber” was that $250,000 a year guy who was going to be victimized by Obama’s tax-plan. Now, their morphing that with “Joe Six-Pack” and “Average Joe”. I contend that the latter two are making less than $50,000 a year, about $100,000 less than their “Joe the Plumber” symbol. The latter Joe’s and/or their wives can’t afford Sach’s or Neiman Marcus. They’re trying, by use of the familiar ‘Joe’, to pretend that they are speaking to and speaking for all of us. The three handles represent two economically distinct Joes.

  14. “The footnote to this story that is not being widely reported is the clothes do not belong to Palin and will be given to charity who will probably get thousands in post-election auctions.”
    How does one donate hair and make-up?
    “Palin is under constant scrutiny and probably had little in the way of stylish clothes prior to taking on the VP nomination.”
    Well she was wearing Burberry and $400 glasses (which she owns several pair of) in her Governor’s photo.
    “It turns out that Michelle Obama likes pricey clothes as well and has her own favorite designer.”
    Does the campaign pay for her Michelle’s clothes, make-up, and hair, or does she spend her families money like nearly every one else in America?
    “Where is the big time press scrutiny over that vital tidbit of information?”
    I know you righties like to make up injustices, but Michelle is not running for public office. Did you guys forget all the whining you did about leaving the candidate’s families alone or when Edwards charged a $400 haircut to his campaign?
    “If we are going to get into fitness for office based on money spent for appearances and stagecraft, let’s talk how much it cost to rent those Greek columns, etc. for the Obama’s acceptance speech.”
    Ended it the typical rightie way. The closer you guys get to losing the more shrill you get.

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