Us?

GLAMOUR 'FIRST' - New York Post

well, the article said the travel for the hair and make-up was paid privately by the Obamas. And I don't think this is one of those positions that a person takes in hopes of a huge salary---I think it's more for prestige and having your name followed by "stylist to First Lady Michelle Obama".

Unfortunately, in the grand scheme of things, look/appearances DO matter.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Thanks - I skimmed the article but must have missed that part.

I would assume that one takes such a job for both the notoriety and the cash. She is surely well paid, and a notch in your belt like that surely bodes well for future job opportunities.

I seriously can't imagine investing a big chunk of my personal change in my appearance like that when (this will sound so cliche'...!) when there are children starving in Africa. Seriously. Maybe it's a 'faith thing' with me, but I think that my mindset was that if God had plans for my husband to be re-elected in 3 1/2 years that it would happen without me needing to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on my appearance. How difficult can it be to learn to apply your own makeup? I would have to think that a day or two of intense makeup application training would get her up to speed. We're not talking about brain surgery here - it's fake eyelashes, for crying out loud.

It's too bad that they don't think Obama's job performance alone will keep them 'in' with the American public if they don't also *look* the part. M.O. is an attractive woman and paying a make-up artist to travel the globe with her just seems to make the 'job' more of a celebrity gig than I personally like to associate with a 'public service' role.

ETA: It would be interesting to know if she takes a tax deduction for the 'expense' of a traveling make-up artist.

If they're paying for it, who cares? Really.

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Mom to Jake, Zach & Meghan
SJCC STREAKS FOOTBALL!!
CLEVELAND BROWNS FOOTBALL!

I just think it is an interesting use of their money.

We are in dire economic straits as a nation.

If Laura Bush had hired a make-up artist to travel with her in this climate, I have to think she would have been chastised and deemed 'out of touch with regular people'. It would have been hailed as elitist and proof that she believed herself to be in a class higher than that of the masses.

The Bush family doesn't need this climate or a makeup artist to be hailed as such....

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."

I didn't hear about this, but, I think it was on the radio or somewhere that they said the White House was serving $100/lb steak. I haven't looked into it, tho.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

wowitsdark, you mentioned all the starving children in Africa correct???. Were you not thinking of them when ex president Bush was spending millions of dollars each day with the war in Iraq???? Could not that money have been sent to the poorest of countries to help those poor poor innocent starving and sick children??? You are seriously worrying about her make-up more then all the innocent lives that were lost both here and in Iraq, seriously???? . Now do not get me wrong I am not into high glamour either, however she is the first lady of our country and she should always present herself looking professional and pretty , why not, I am not saying to go overboard, but to bring up starving children in the same paragraph about the first ladies make-up is not right... Catherine

Catherine, "children starving in Africa" is a figure of speech often used to imply that there are people in genuine need.... in dire straits to the point of death... and that their problem is something that your money could solve or at the very least, help.

I didn't intend for this to be a thread about Iraq. I still don't, but since you brought it up, I'll say that there were children starving and dying in Iraq long before the war. The U.N. was sending food to Iraq and it was mandated that that food be used to feed the poor and starving Iraqi citizens. If you will recall, Saddam was found to be selling that food to France (and other nations, and for the life of me I STILL do not understand why the U.N. did not sanction those nations for buying it from Saddam!) and using the proceeds to build palaces for himself and his sons, where they held captive many young women with whom they had sex and then murdered. Google a little and I am sure you will find all sorts of information on it.

Our money would not have gotten food to the tables of the starving Iraqi children prior to the war. He found a way to illegally convert food to cash. Straight-up cash would've been even easier for him to convert to a new palace.

Whether you agree with the war or not, I assume that far more Iraqi children have food on their tables now than they ever have. The war was expensive... but they are eating now and they would not be if we had not fought it.

ETA: I agree that first ladies should present themselves well. I just think it is interesting that no other first lady needed to hire someone to travel with her to do her makeup like the artist M.O. has hired. It just seems like a frivolous thing to do during these times when people are losing jobs right and left. Let 'em eat cake and all that jazz.

And yes, they did serve $100/lb Japanese steak at a dinner party in February. So much for that whole "shared sacrifice" thing. I'm guessing the first pooch probably didn't come from the pound, either... correct?

Yes, how frivolous to hire someone when people are losing jobs right and left

Let’s just hope Mrs. Obama is getting a better deal than that wannabe VP whose makeup artist was paid $22,800 for 2 weeks! I wonder how many starving kids that stack of cash could have feed.

Ugh, talk about being petty. Mrs. Obama is spending her own money on herself. Horrors!

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Reading is Fundamental.

She's getting rave reviews from the press. I don't care either way, but can easily see the unfair parallels the press drew when they slammed Palin for her personal dress/appearance/cost etc., and yet MO got more press (and positive) on the European trip for the same things. They are fast to compare her to Jackie O as if it makes everything else ok, especially his comments demeaning the USA.

What the first lady wears or does is not newsworthy over current event news, but they've made it that way. I find it a distraction and one many citizens are falling for.

dl

iam very eficient your post reading but iam also a obama fan he very encourage man and very knowledge man iam glad to say he is a super hero of america

We could all say the same thing about a lot of things. What right do I have to drive to visit my family and spend all that money and waste gas when I could have contributed to the homeless or hungry?
Why should I eat extra virgin olive oil and organic fruits and veggies when my neighbor may not be eating at all?
Why should I have nice purses and clothes when someone else has no shoes or clothes?

This is not the way to live life. We can do what we can and what we choose to do. If I could afford someone to do my hair and makeup every day and if I could afford the nicest clothes and shoes specifically tailored to me I would have them.

If I could afford an indoor swimming pool I would have it.


There is nothing to feel guilty about. I do what I can and what I choose to do for others however I work hard to earn my money and my husband works even harder so we have the right to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

NEVER feel guilty about what you work hard for.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

wowitsdark, I truly truly hope as you mentioned that the children in Iraq and the women are eating better. As we are all too aware women and children are considered second rate citizens . It is also truly sad to think that it is 2009 and so many millions and millions of babies starve each and every day, wish I could feed them and all the neglected animals as well. I totally totally understand and feel that point. I was also thinking of Jackie O when she was married to the late president JFK, she was the one who changed the fashion industry with all those famous gowns and dresses and hairdo's she wore. Also she was the one who decorated portions of the white house interior, who paid for all that way back in the early 1960s. LIke I have mentioned before I was not for this war and never will be.On a personal note one of my daughters friends just got back from a trip to Africa with her family. Her sister is in the peace corps, anyway they visited 3 different places. One being Johannesburg, the pictures of the hotel where they stayed looked like it cost a zillion dollars, yet once you got outside people were living in tin shacks and the little children were wearing no clothes. She also said no one wears or in fact owns shoes.. So so sad, she said while they were walking always with a tour guide children and adults were begging for food... You just want to reach out and feed them all.... I just feel all that money we have spend on this war could have gone elsewhere like right here in America where so many people have lost their jobs and homes... Peace... Catherine

She is spending money on herself.. HER MONEY... I dont see anyone complaining when some of the big celebs are throwing money out the window.

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Be careful what you wish for.....

Dannic while we do not agree most times , very well put......I might get flamed but as Annadrose and you did its her money, her life, her choice, life is all about choices as I have mentioned before over and over again. Does anyone remember ex president's wife Jimmy Carters wife, Rosalind, she wore the same dress 2 times omg. I do not know if they would do something like that today??. Again the war is a big issue for me and always will be on so many levels. While I care and worry and wish I could truly truly feed all the starving people in the world I know I cannot. However to compare the personal make-up artist with all the billions of dollars spend on the war so far makes no sense. Also we as a nation truly should take care of us first and then try our best to help other nations , because right in American millions among millions go to sleep on empty stomachs so sad.... Peace. Catherine

If you had the opportunity to meet both Obama and Bush.. I wonder who would come off more elitist? Didn't Obama refuse to meet or shake the hands of the military when he visited Iraq before he was elected?? Now that he's president, I doubt he's come back down to earth.

I met Bush once before he was president, and just before he decided to run the first time.. and I can tell you that he seemed VERY down to earth. (and no, I don't think that I *know* him because I met him once... it's just the impression I got)

I don't at all argue that it's her money and her right to do with it what she wishes. I also don't think it is productive for anyone to feel guilty about what they have so long as they didn't obtain it illegally.

I just find it a bit hypocritical, I guess. The image they put forth during the campaign was this, "We're the common people just like you" image, and they blasted Sarah Palin for the money that the campaign spent to keep her looking fresh on days when they had stop after stop on the trail. The RNC spent a crazy (IMHO) amount of money to keep her looking photo-op perfect, but I guess in her/their defense, that was during a campaign and I think both sides would acknowledge that the rigors of that sort of a schedule pale in comparison to the day-to-day operations of being first lady. And also... those expenditures were not even anything Palin herself mentally addressed. McCain said, "Wanna run for Veep?" and she said, "Sure!" He said, "Get on the bus. Cecile will pick out all your clothes, your bath is run by Mrs. Greer. That will give you and I to talk about where we stand on the issues."

I would have to think Laura Bush had a busy schedule during her stint as first lady... but nothing like the schedule she had while on the trail campaigning to be first lady.

With the Obamas, they started out with Michele giving that talk to a crowd of financially challenged moms, saying she knew exactly how difficult it was to be in their shoes because she lived in them, too. The prices for dance lessons and what not really had the Obamas strapped, I guess! Then, when that attitude didn't seem to play well in Peoria, they made a big deal of dressing the girls in clothing from The Children's Place and of Michele dressing in... was it clothing from Kohl's? Or Target? The image they were selling was, "I'm just like you, ladies - no designer lifestyle to be found in the Obama house!" Meanwhile, they mocked Palin for the appearance-related staff provided her by the McCain campaign.

Now that the Obamas aren't selling an image to us anymore, it's back to business as usual. She probably hasn't been clothes shopping at Target since November, huh?

A news article I googled up just now from October said the following of Palin having a paid stylist:

Of course... it can't be said with certainty that that critic of Palin speaks for all those here who were critical of the amount of money spent to keep her looking campaign-ready. I guess that means it's okay for those here to just speak for themselves.
What It Costs to Dress Like Palin

"However to compare the personal make-up artist with all the billions of dollars spend on the war so far makes no sense. Also we as a nation truly should take care of us first and then try our best to help other nations , because right in American millions among millions go to sleep on empty stomachs so sad..." So are you saying that she should not spend that money on herself and she should feed the homeless with it?
Tell the same thing to the celebs....

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Be careful what you wish for.....

Wowitsdark, while I personally did not want Sarah Palin in office... I personally saw her as a women who was of high standards just by how polished she always appeared. Perhaps I am not being fair in judging her by appearance by her personal look, because I honestly feel you should not judge a book by its cover... My principal of my school is a elderly lady, she has held this position for 41 years now . She is in her late 70's, makes alot of money for sure, it public knowledge her salary that is. Now for what we see every day with her, she wears the best of the best clothing and looks like at 7:30 a.m.she stepped right out of the beauty salon, her nails, make-up and all. Now some people in my community argue she makes so much money , but there are always budget cuts... Why does she not give back some of her money into the budget????. I know this is off topic and I apologize for that. However getting back to op, I personally feel if Sarah Palin would have been elected into office, she would be wearing the best along with hairstyles and make-up and jewelry etc etc..... Along with how the late Jackie O was which I have to admit she was a class act personally speaking and Rosalind Carter was a plain jane personally speaking. Which in the end does not make either one of any of the ladies mentioned bad or good.. Just a personal choice again in the end.... Peace. Catherine

I think there is a big difference between a celebrity and someone who essentially lives their lives in a leadership role. I realize he is the pres, not Michelle, but the first family has the ability to set the tone and tenor of the national mindset to some degree. The agendas they choose to promote, etc., do set the stage for 'us' and the topics we as a nation broach. Nancy Reagan was blasted for the china introduced to the White House during her tenure as first lady by those who said it was untoward to do something so frivolous. She was also blasted by the left for the money she spent on fashion.

Palin Wardrobe Flap Reignites Frugality vs. Fashion Debate

Anna, reading your post it had me thinking that even tho they can afford it, doesn't mean they should do it (at this time). The first family sets an example, that many tend to follow. Much like the Royal Family in England.

It could be said that people would interpret the use of a make-up artist, and the extent of spending, is sending the message that it's OK to do these things when the economy is so bad. I know, I know, I KNOW.....it's not bad for everyone. However, as the first family, I personally think they should be setting a better example.

And, on a side note, if I hear one more time how MO "buys off the rack....." I'm going to HEAVE!! Whoopty doo, it's "off the rack"....she still spent $2 grand on a dress, or a coat, or whatever. Most of us could not do that.

I think it boils down to sending the wrong message.

And, as for the dog, no, of course it didn't come from the pound. They got a dog "given" to them by Ted Kennedy. A dog that normally sells for $2,000. Now, don't think for so much as a second that there won't be a wave of people running out and placing their order. Sure, if they can afford it....BUT, for those that can't, that's where the problem comes in.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

They got a dog "given" to them by Ted Kennedy. A dog that normally sells for $2,000. Now, don't think for so much as a second that there won't be a wave of people running out and placing their order. Sure, if they can afford it....BUT, for those that can't, that's where the problem comes in.[/quote]

Just want to add a bit here: One or both of the Obama girls is/are allergic, thus they needed to find a "hypoallergenic" dog. Finding one at the pound/Humane Society could have proved difficult if not impossible. So, in this instance the parents were able to provide their children with the thing the children had wanted. Isn't that what all parents should want to do?

Wonder what the Obama's are saving on Nanny's/Governesses since Grandma Obama is living with them???

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Not sure I'd go that far......

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Friends are like butt cheeks.
Crap might separate them,
But they always come back together.

Maybe they haven't seen this:

Keith Olbermann's scathing criticism of Obama's secrecy/immunity claims - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com

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"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

Just want to add a bit here: One or both of the Obama girls is/are allergic, thus they needed to find a "hypoallergenic" dog. Finding one at the pound/Humane Society could have proved difficult if not impossible. So, in this instance the parents were able to provide their children with the thing the children had wanted. Isn't that what all parents should want to do?

Wonder what the Obama's are saving on Nanny's/Governesses since Grandma Obama is living with them???[/quote]

Marilyn, there are many "hypoallergenic" dogs: Dogs Good For Allergy Suffers, Hypo-allergenic dogs

The point I was trying to make was that many people will follow the example of the President and his family.

Now, for them saving money on a nanny with the MIL living with them.....eh, I would think that's a bit of a wash. I mean, afterall, think of the (tax payer) money being spent on the MIL for food, lodging, security, on and on. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a good idea for the girls to have family there for them.

Found this article, which I think warrants some looking into. I found especially appealing the section I bolded.

"



As WND reported this week, Freedom Watch is seeking information from the federal government on who had input into bailout legislation and whether they got anything in return.

Klayman said the reports of the partying at the White House, "with the likes of Steve Wonder and other high priced entertainment stars," will be the focus of document requests being submitted to the General Services Administration. The requests will seek to determine how much taxpayer money is being used.

"Barack and Michelle Obama have been throwing taxpayer funded parties nearly every night with their 'friends' and supporters, with Michelle Obama even exhorting them not to 'break' White House property," Klayman's announcement said.

"This party atmosphere sends the wrong message to the American people. As the Obama-Clinton crowd party on, the American people are suffering greatly," Klayman said.

"It was right to criticize corporate execs for using taxpayer bailout money on bonuses and corporate junkets. In the face of this criticism, it is an outrage for Barack and Michelle Obama to party on, as Rome burns. It's like throwing a party at a funeral," he said.

According to a report by the news and commentary website Politico, many of the parties have been just that – parties, not political and government meetings.

"Using one of the world’s most famous private residences as bait, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are unleashing a bipartisan charm offensive and exploiting every square inch of their new home to make friends and influence rivals. The social calendar suggests a return to the days of Camelot," the report said.

"Since moving into their new digs, the first couple has hosted a half-dozen gatherings – from bipartisan cocktail receptions to a public open house to the more intimate Super Bowl party ... ending many of their days past midnight," the report said.

"Most recently … the Obamas opened the White House doors to House caucus leaders from the moderate Blue Dog Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus. White House aides say the couple hopes to make the Wednesday cocktail parties a tradition."

The report quoted White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers saying the Obamas want to "replicate the same kind of environment they had in Chicago."

"If there was a party or an event [in Chicago], they were there," the report quoted "a friend" saying.

But is anything of government value accomplished?

"You would have felt like a fool talking about politics at this party," said Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said after one major event. "I was surprised how much of a social event it was and how little of a political occasion it was."

Insiders said in the report that the Obama social schedule is busier than any other previous occupants of the White House.

"We haven't seen this kind of entertaining in a really long time," Dee Dee Myers, former White House press secretary to Bill Clinton, said in the report.

According to an ABC report, many of the parties have been on Wednesdays, and the report confirmed one featured a Stevie Wonder concert.

"This is a pretty big house, so we get lonely," the report said Obama announced. "It's hard for me to move around out there some times so I got to bring the world to me." Published reports said the Jonas Brothers were on hand in the White House for a special event for the Obama daughters, Sasha and Malia, on inauguration night.

Dinners have featured lavish menus including "Celery Soup, Wild Mushroom Crisps, Steelhead Salmon with Citrus sauce, Crispy Spinach, Toasted Saffron Couscous Pearls, Baby Iceberg lettuce with Maytag Bleu Cheese and Yogurt ranch dressing and for dessert, Milk Chocolate velvet cake" – all served on gold-rimmed china.

Klayman has taken on the establishment in Washington several times, including when the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee interviewed Sen. Hillary Clinton for her appointment by Obama as secretary of state.

The senators, however, ignored the shady parts of her background involving "Chinagate" and "Filegate," he said.

In the Chinagate scandal, documented on the website for Judicial Watch, which Klayman previously led, technology companies allegedly made donations of millions of dollars to various Democratic Party entities, including President Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign, in return for permission to sell high-tech secrets to China.

"Filegate" developed when President Clinton and Hillary Clinton were accused of violating the privacy rights of their perceived political enemies by wrongly accessing and misusing the FBI files of staffers in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, among others. "

White House nightlife under investigation

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

As the old saying goes "Do As I Say -- Not As I Do." Man of the people, huh? A lot of people can't even put food on the table.

Obamas fly in chef 860 miles... just to make pizza
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 12:37 PM on 10th April 2009


When you're the president of the United States, only the best pizza will do - even if that means flying a chef 860 miles.
Chris Sommers, 33, jetted into Washington from St Louis, Missouri, on Thursday with a suitcase of dough, cheese and pans to prepare food for the Obamas and their staff.
He had apparently been handpicked after the President had tasted his pizzas on the campaign trail last autumn.

Great honour: Chris Sommers will make 20 pizzas for the Obamas and their staff at a White House dinner
'It's surreal, it's a huge honour,' said Mr Sommers, who owns Pi restaurant in St Louis.
'It will be a casual lunch and hopefully we'll have a chance to say hello to the president.'
Mr Somers was accompanied by his business parnter Ryan Mangilardo who will help prepare the dinner for 140 this evening.
It will feature his signature dishes - ten deep dish and ten thin crust creations.
He is also planning a pizza especially for the president - the Hyde Park topped with chicken and hot sauce.

Mr Sommers's Pi restaurant in St Louis, Missouri, is known for its deep dish and thin crust creations

What? There wasn't a pizza joint in Washington?? Wonder what the carbon footprint is of this 'pizza' jet?

Yeeeks!

Man of the people?

I think... not.

I'm rather surprised too.

I'm sure other presidents have done extravagant things too, but was the economy THIS bad during their presidency?

I don't remember things being this bad since the 70's. I was so little then, I have a vague memory of gas shortages, but that's all I knew about it. Heck, I can't recall if that had anything to do with the economy, or something else altogether.

When I think of the last time this country was that bad off was the Great Depression. Doesn't seem like we're too far from that now.

This pizza thing is good example of just NOT using common sense.

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The major differences between Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Palin, IMO, are that Mrs. Obama is paying for her items and Mrs. Palin did not pay for hers; Mrs. Obama doesn't pretend her clothes are from consignment stores when they're from high-end designers; and Mrs. Obama doesn't claim the clothes she wore are going back to the stores or being donated to charity when, in fact, they're still sitting in bags long after the America people said "thanks, but no thanks" to her.

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Reading is Fundamental.

Link to info about Palin's clothing sitting in garment bags, please.

Seriously - your bias is showing if you don't see the comparison.

Palin was running for office. She had 20-hour days, sleepless nights, made 10-12 stops a day, and had a platform to sell. During the course of that work, given that she was essentially supposed to be a walking advertisement for McCain's message, it makes perfect sense to me that the McCain campaign would be responsible for making sure that the people who saw her on the trail at the end of the day got a lady who looked as refreshed and ready to talk to them as the folks who saw her bright eyed and bushy-tailed at 8:00 A.M.. Let's face it - a campaign on either side of the aisle wants the voters to 'get' the image a candidate represents, because that *image* is the very essence of who they are. Some of it is showmanship... some of it is just done out of necessity because anybody running through a campaign trail schedule is going to get bags under their eyes, sweat down their clothes, and runs in their pantyhose.

So yeah... I can see why a campaign on EITHER side of the aisle would want to hire people to essentially work in the PR side of the campaign by keeping the candidate looking like they want the candidate to look so they can best get across their message.

And the message the Obamas decided they wanted to get across was, "Hey, ya'll! We're just like YOU! We buy our clothes right offa the rack and freak out about the high price of dance lessons. We'll go on The View in our non-designer clothing and relate to you because we are JUST that down to earth. In fact, in college, I, Michelle Obama, wrote an essay about how I really felt all 'wrong' sitting in my Ivy League classrooms with all those rich white people... like I was betraying my poor roots or something. Yup... we're just like ya'll. We really are."

M.O. is jet setting from tea and crumpets to other such places, generally serving as the ambassador sidekick to her husband. No rigorous campaign schedule for her. Her husband is telling the masses how we are all going to share in the sacrifice... while the wife is trying to decide what flavor of pizza she wants, how many pounds of steak she wants shipped in from Tokyo, and sitting in her personal beauty shop chair getting fake eyelashes applied.

Contrast that with Palin, who before she had the spotlight on her and had no aspirations of being the V.P. had let the governor's chef go when she took office in Alaska, saying they knew how to make their own sandwiches.

Anyhoo... link, please, for the story about the Palin garment-bagged clothes. Thanks in advance.

St. Louis restaurant to make pizza for the Obamas
The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- Owners of a St. Louis restaurant called Pi are visiting the White House Friday to prepare a pizza meal for President Obama and his family.

Restaurant owner Chris Sommers says Pi's chefs got a chance to make pizza for Obama last October when he was in town for a rally at the Gateway Arch. Reggie Love, now a top aide to the president, called Sommers and the then-senator got on the phone to say the pizza was the best he'd ever eaten.

The White House communications office on Wednesday confirmed the visit. Sommers says he is picking up the expenses. He previously made a Broccoli O'Bama pie and plans to make a new spicy chicken Hyde Park pizza for the occasion.

St. Louis restaurant to make pizza for the Obamas - Missouri | State & regional - Belleville News-Democrat

Oh, I'm absolutely making the comparison. And Palin is the big loser there. Fraud with a capitol F.

As for the clothes: Palin's $180,000 Campaign Clothes "Stuffed In Trash Bags" At RNC Headquarters: NewMajority (VIDEO, SLIDESHOW)

If you don't like the link, a google search of "palin clothes donated" brings up about 158,000 others.

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Reading is Fundamental.

Thanks for the link.

Sounds like your beef needs to be with the RNC, not Palin herself.

It was well publicized that Nancy Reagan spent about $250,000 of TAXPAYER money on new china for the White House because she did not like the pattern they had on the china that was already there.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I was under the impression that they change the china everytime they change administrations. Am I wrong? Maybe it was the amount of $$ that was newsworthy?

__________________
"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

I read somewhere with Michelle Obama (one "l' or two? I always forget...!) was considering designing the White House china herself.

IIRC, when Nancy Reagan bought new china it was the amount that was startling. I was in middle school then and admittedly don't remember much about it!

I am not of the mindset that parading out a laundry list other politicians/celebrities and their gross spending habits makes Michelle Obama's okay.

In light of the times, her self-serving requirement for a full time beautician is tacky, at best. If her own need for flawless makeup is so high a priority, then what does that say about us, the American people? Does she think we need to see her as perfect-looking? I'd rather she worry about what we think of her actions.

Anyone who is trying to categorize this expense of Michelle's as merely "spending money on herself" is grossly understating what is going on, here. I think Michelle is dangerously confusing her identity with that of an entertainer/celebrity. And what kind of message does this need for a full-time beautifier send to her daughters? That Michelle isn't beautiful "enough"? She's obviously lacking in self-confidence in this area. I hope she doesn't pass this on to her poor girls.

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"The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." - Thomas Russell

The view through reformer rose colored glasses...
Reality:
Palin didn’t let the chef go she transferred her. First the chef was reassigned as a 'constituent relations assistant' in the governor's office, then assigned to the state museum. She ended up as a chef at the Legislative Lounge. Palin had no need for chef at the Governor’s Mansion because she was rarely there. Instead Palin choose to stay home (about 600 miles from the mansion) and collect $60 a day “per diem” for meals and incidental expenses, which did lead to some tax trouble that she had to straighten out.


The view through cat eye glasses...
Meeeoowwwwwww

This just cracks me up. Poor confused, insecure Michelle. LOL!

I'm quite confident you would not find any justification for anything Mrs. Obama does.

Confusing her identity with a celebrity? Bulletin, babe -- she is a celebrity, whether you or she likes it or not. Ordinary people aren't on magazine covers. And I can only imagine the shrill cries if she went out looking less than perfect.

Michelle Obama lacking in self-confidence? Jaw-droppingly funny!

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Reading is Fundamental.

I'm pretty sure if I was in a position where every Tom, Dick, and Harry was commenting non-stop on my hair and attire, that I would also line up some help to put my best foot forward. I think that you need to cast some blame and arm-chair psychology at the news media and the American public who feed off it first.

You also need to realize that it's not like she can just drop in the local SuperCuts to get a cut and an eyebrow wax....or stop in the mall to have the cosmetics counter do a makeup job.

Furthermore, I am assuming that her travel and schedule overall might dictate the need for a "full-time" beatuician - on-call if you will. What's the big deal?

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

To be honest, why do we care what she spends HER OWN money on.... I just dont get why some people get so bothered on what other people spend THEIR OWN MONEY on...

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Be careful what you wish for.....

It's not that I "care" what she spends her money on, but stuff like this does reinforce my negative opinion of her.

If I were in the public eye I would want to know that I look good at all times as much as I could. Now I know appearance is way down on the list for a lot of the ladies on this board but for some us it is part of our identity. It is more than just "looking good" it is a matter of pride and makes us feel put together and finished.

You don't expect the first lady to put on the first pair of "britches" that fits her and you don't want to see her with a 30 yr old hairdo.

A person who is in a position like this would scare me if she were stuck in a time warp. If a person's clothes are way behind the times then maybe so are views. A person who is out of touch with reality is so usually in every part of her life.

You Go Mrs Obama.

I don't see how this could reinforce any negative opinion of her. Unless you think women should walk around looking ugly and wearing horrendous clothes.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Here's my best effort at "armchair psychology," CJ. I didn't realize the choices for Michelle were either a full-time make-up artist or a Supercuts dropin quickie...Why the extreme black and white thinking? No gray area here?

Please...You can do better than that...

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"The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." - Thomas Russell

Kellyjef, you said it best, IMHO.

Somehow, until now, every other first lady got along just fine without a full time personal make-up artist. What does such a person do all day? It can't take eight hours a day to apply false eyelashes... but if I read the article correctly, this person is getting a full-time salary.

I guess I always assumed that the first family probably traveled with someone to put a powder puff to their noses, etc., but it surprised me to read that in fact it hasn't been a full-time role (and esp. not for just one individual) until now.

Hillary, especially, really underwent a visual metamorphosis during her years as first lady... but if these reports are true, managed to do so without a full-time personal 'appearance guru' at her side.

I certainly don't expect a first lady to get her haircuts in WalMart. It's just that this, to me, seems to be quite an indulgence at a time when so many Americans are having to cut back in drastic ways. It IS her money, and she DOES have every right to spend it however she chooses. This just doesn't, IMHO, happen to be a spending choice that impresses me very much.

And if McCain had won and it was Cindy who had broken this ground, I have no doubt the left would be screaming, "SHE'S SO ELITIST!!!!!"

Here's a news flash: The people that are elected to higher power offices--by and large, are not like normal folk as it pertains to the "money" aspect. With some exceptions, most politicians came from old money or they became successful and had access to "new" money.

Quite honestly, I think this is the stupidest (if that is even a word) thing to argue about--no matter which side of the aisle your on! And good grief--this is the wife of the President and this is her (or maybe their) money. Seems like an awful petty issue to be bickering about.
How many First Ladies planted veggie gardens on White House property?

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Um...isn't this your 3rd post on this thread????:

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"The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." - Thomas Russell

I can do better than that, but I'm really not that interested in this topic or any of the the bi-partisan bickering to tell you the truth.

I did mention that to have a stylist available to meet the first lady's schedule requirements probably means that the sylists needs to be available "whenever"...in those situations, a full time salary might be paid, but it doesn't mean that the person is doing work on MO full-time. I don't think that's extreme black and white at all.
YMMV.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips