A quick early-morning political blog round-up:
At a time where Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama seems to finally be hitting his stride with voters, GOP rival John McCain's campaign has seemed to have made a critical misstep: The political blogosphere
is buzzing about
recent findings by The Politico that the RNC has spent more than $150,000 on designer clothing for Sarah Palin and her family.
Author Jeanne Cummings writes:
According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.
The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.
After initially refusing to comment on the issue, the Republican campaign eventually issued a response:
"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 Republican spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt. "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign."
Still, while fashion may not be the most serious of issues facing our candidates, it is something that has appeared to strike home with Americans concerned with an economic recession and a real need for fiscal responsibility.
"Something must be terribly wrong with this story which claims that the RNC has spent $150,000 on clothes for Sarah "Real American" Palin. This can't possibly be true, otherwise she'd be like the worst hypocrite ever," writes one blogger.
And it appears that liberals are not the only ones to have already picked up on it. The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder
noted on his blog that he has already been e-mailed by many Republican supporters "to share their utter (and not-for-attribution) disgust at the expenditures."
The Boston Globe's Foon Rhee
points out the seriousness of these impact that these allegations may have in the last two weeks of the presidential race:
Meanwhile, in a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that shows Democrat Barack Obama leading McCain 52 to 42 percent among registered voters nationwide, up from 49 to 43 percent two weeks ago, voters also said that Palin's qualifications to be president was their top concern about McCain -- ahead of even continuing President Bush's policies.
Of respondents, 55 percent said she is not qualified to serve as president, and 47 percent have a negative opinion of her, up from 27 percent when she was first picked two months ago.
