Palin Couture And Biden's Gaffe

Reader Janet:

give me a break-- the only reason a republican would object is because we
know that the MSM will have a field day with this nonsense.  Biden makes the
biggest gaffe of the campaign and the MSM had to change the subject quickly.
What could be more important to focus on than a campaign's clothes budget.

The GOPers who've e-mailed me aren't blaming the MSM, but the point about Biden is one to ponder.

And the answer is: the timing isn't ideal, and the McCain campaign's own choices are complicit.

In the 2008 election we were participating in circa August, Sen. Joe Biden's musings would have traversed the river separating gaffe from Gaffe. If the economy weren't collapsing, if Barack Obama's national security credentials were still suspect, if the conflict in Russia and South Osettia had yet to be resolved, then one can envision a scenario where Biden's comments would be given a gloss a la Gerald Ford's freeing Eastern Europe.

But then John McCain picked Sarah Palin and pushed  pushing this argument off the table. The economy collapsed, and the crisis scenario that Americans focus on is better handled by, in the minds of these Americans, Barack Obama.

Comments

The Republicans don't just do gaffes, they do gaffes that reinforce either a) On the economy, we are absolutely clueless. b) Palin is an idiot. This one works for (a) and doesn't hurt (b). They may well have some gaffes going on c) We actually are clueless about Cuba policy, but who would notice?

I'm a little surprised that this is finding legs but then again, as with Edwards, I can see small donors saying "I put in for the heels? and 2 lipsticks?"

Posted by Deborah | October 22, 2008 9:23 AM

I think the over analysis of this "gaffe" lacks perspective. Any President would be tested during the first six months of office, regardless of who occupies the position.

Why? Because of the inordinately slow process of confirming Presidential appointments. This is part of the reason why 9/11 happened during the first year of Bush's reign. Literally hundreds of positions sit empty and the departments on idle waiting for direction from political appointees.

Take a look at the 9/11 commission report on this very subject: http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/46484.pdf

Turning this into something about Obama is the height of silly season journalism. Take a look behind the surface here, people.

Does anyone really believe that Bin Laden cares who is in office before launching an attack?

Posted by KevDog | October 22, 2008 9:25 AM

If a frog had wings, it wouldn't bump its ass when it hopped.

Posted by KJ | October 22, 2008 9:26 AM

I think the reason why Biden's gaffe isn't catching on is because it simply isn't the major gaffe (or Gaffe) that the right-wing media is attempting to portray it as. Sure, it wasn't the most elegant choice of words, but history has shown that many presidents are tested within, say, the first year of taking office. (See: Kennedy, Clinton, Bush II)

The fact that the right-wing media is latching onto this for dear life merely shows how little ammunition they have left.

Posted by Darius | October 22, 2008 9:33 AM

Biden's gaffes are much less worrisome than the idea of a President Palin. Or even a Vice President Palin, as she apparently thinks the VP can legislate regularly.

Posted by Sara | October 22, 2008 9:34 AM

I agree with KevDog. This is one of those "gaffes," what do they call it? -- there's a specific name, when the "mistake" is one of simply speaking the truth.

If there is, should something tragic occur, a vocal national sentiment that Obama is not reacting correctly, it will be largely fed by the racism and xenophobia that McCain's campaign has so horribly augmented. Way to go, Captain Country First.

I think I'll start re-reading Phillip Roth's "The Plot Against America" now. As I said to my family the morning after Iowa, BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELTS.

Posted by Shimmy | October 22, 2008 9:37 AM

I don't buy Biden's having made "the
biggest gaffe of the campaign." It was a rambling couple of paragraphs which one could willfully misinterpret to mean something vaguely bad about Obama. The kind of gaffes that cable news shows like are short, crisp soundbites that can be willfully misinterpreted to mean something impolitic. Remember "lipstick on a pig"?

The idea that "the MSM" collectively chose to ignore Biden's remarks out of some conspiracy to help Obama is absurd. It just made a boring story. No one who would want to sit through the whole thing to find out the exciting conclusion.

This Dress-For-Success-Gate has legs not because it's about a Republican, but because it allows tv news anchors to play the outraged everyman (or everywoman), striking a blow against the excesses of the ruling class. It's John Edwards' haircut, but larger by several orders of magnitude.

Posted by rufustfyrfly | October 22, 2008 9:38 AM

Joe Lieberman said in June on Face the Nation that whoever the president was, other countries would "test them" the first year. That means, Republican or Democrat. I agree that this was taken off the table when Sarah Palin was picked....Dick Cheney was practically calling the shots on 9/11, can you really imagine Sarah Palin doing the same? And- gasp- does that mean that the Republicans are saying that they failed their own test of 9/11? That would mean owning up to something. Bush, Clinton, Bush senior,Reagan, Carter.. they were all tested when they were still considered new..

Posted by Erin | October 22, 2008 9:44 AM

The Biden gaffe didn't get traffic because the Biden-Gaffe book has already been written and re-written.

People (and the media) are so used to Biden saying stupid things it isn't even news. It's like when Bush misspeaks; they show it, have a laugh, then move on to serious business.

It's the nature of the beast.

Posted by joe | October 22, 2008 9:49 AM

The bottom line is that the ticket marketed Palin as the folksy, girl next door, straight off of Main Street everywomanness.

I live three blocks from Main Street, and there aren't but a couple dozen houses in my town that cost $150,000, and there is noone with a six figure wardrobe, let alone one that they acquired within a month.

This cuts against the narrative that the Republican ticket was trying to create. They have noone to blame for this but themselves.

Posted by Curtis | October 22, 2008 9:54 AM

A real Gaffe is like a joke, if you have to explain why it's a gaffe it's not a Gaffe.
If you have to manipulate a statement (in Biden's case omit that he said Obama was more than able to handle a crisis) it's not a gaffe.

In the case of Palin's VP duties statement, her actual mistake may be over the heads of most voters, but no one had to take the words out of context to make them a gaffe. Little g gaffe.

The RNC/Palin Sak's shopping spree is a Gaffe, capitol G, major league.
No one needs to explain the joke.

Posted by msw | October 22, 2008 10:02 AM

I was listening to McCain rant about how Obama's not been tested and he has. McCain just doesn't seem to get that when the financial crisis hit, Obama passed the test, while he failed it. Throw in his execrable judgment in picking Palin (his other big failed test) and I think it's pretty clear why McCain is losing, and why Biden's comments don't seem to be a serious gaffe to anyone who's not a hard-core Republican, willfully blind to their candidate's failure.

Posted by Maggie | October 22, 2008 10:21 AM

Yeah,,not like the $5,000 suits and expensive Italian loafers Obama/Oprahama wears.
Whoever got Michelle Obama a makeover did the WORLD a favor,,,he would have been sunk from the beginning if they had gotten a look at her;
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/barackobamaedwardsaid2.jpg

As for Biden,,,I can hear the spin from Obama Nation now,,,,VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY!!!
Just like Joe Plumber was a Republican plant to TRICK The Great Messiah/Obama into spilling his evil plan to "spread the wealth" around.

Don't worry,,,,Biden has advised Obama to reinstitute THE DRAFT to weather the storm. He has already hinted that he's going to give Osama Bin Laden, and any and all terrorists who have attacked the U.S., in order to achieve a REAL PEACE.

I swear,,you can't make this stuff up! roflmao!

Posted by blondegenes | October 22, 2008 10:27 AM

blondgenes, get back to us when the DNC is found to be picking up the Obama's clothing tab. I don't really care about this since I donate to the DNC, but I would be disturbed if I were a Republican...couldn't the money be better spent on down ticket races, etc? It just seems a bit extreme.

Posted by Erin | October 22, 2008 10:31 AM

It isn't a big gaffe at all it is pretty much conventional wisdom. I don't think it is such a big deal that the RNC spent a lot on Palin's wardrobe. I really don't like Pallin, I think she's a farce. At the same time she's in the public eye a great deal and her appearance is a big part of her limited appeal. It might be strategically bad to spend an amount that people would find upsetting but I don't personally find the revelation troubling.

Posted by Michael Foody | October 22, 2008 10:32 AM

i thought the republicans preach small government and here they go spending hard earned tax payers money on wardrobe of a whole family,,,PATHETIC

Posted by gillian | October 22, 2008 10:35 AM

Biden's remarks actually have some historical precedent, what with 9/11, the first World Trade Center Bombing, etc. Plus they are nothing Lieberman hasn't said already.

Posted by flounder | October 22, 2008 10:35 AM

Or even a Vice President Palin, as she apparently thinks the VP can legislate regularly.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Chair. NOW." --Harry Reid

The shopping scene would work great in a movie like Enchanted: The fairy godmother, having magically elevated the every-gal governor to the national stage, hands her an RNC credit card with no preset limit and sends her off the Sacs Fifth Avenue. A giggly aid or two could accompany her. (Or Schmidt? Doesn't work somehow.) Isn't one of the GOP senators up for re-election--maybe the one running against Franken?--in trouble for letting his backers clothe him?

Oh, and I agree with those who don't think Biden made a gaffe, outside of making a truthful observation the GOP can work itself into a tizzy over if they extract key phrases and ignore both context and common sense. I'm not sure the threat that world leaders might be afraid of what random response McCain would pop off with balances the threat that we in the US are unsure about what McCain will do at any given crisis, too. "We are all Georgians now."

Posted by Deborah | October 22, 2008 10:47 AM

A whole lot of blather about nothing.

We know new presidents get tested; 9/11 being the obvious example.

And anyone who even looks at Palin knows she's wearing $$$ clothes; otherwise Rich Lowry wouldn't be seeing those starbursts. Who'd you think picked up the tab? She sure didn't dress like that in the gov's mansion. And I'm betting she's not planning on giving the clothes back. (I'm also guessing Todd and the kids got some new threads, props that they are.)

Republicans expect they're royalty to dress the part, though. The masses dress like slobs, the bankers and politicians like rich people. They don't seem to have a problem with this, so why should you or I?

The problem seems to be more with the masses of poor folk who thought they should live and dress like they were investment bankers or entertainers on credit. It's a national conversation I give Palin credit for pointing out, and it's long overdue.

Posted by zic | October 22, 2008 10:47 AM

When has McCain really been tested? He never was an executive responsible for executing policy.
In Kosovo, he constantly militated for ground troops (no ground troops were committed until we had a cease fire agreement with Serbia; Clinton won the conflict using only air power and suffering no casualties).
He failed his first financial regulatory test (Keating 5).
He was one of the first cheerleaders for abandoning Afghanistan and going to Iraq.
And he mishandled the latest financial crisis.

Posted by agorabum | October 22, 2008 11:10 AM

it's simple. biden's doesn't relate to the economy. no one cares.

Posted by mm | October 22, 2008 11:17 AM

Oh, please, the clowns on Morning Joe were still flogging the Biden comment today, while at the same time (initially, by Mike Brezinski) defending Palin's wardrobe.

Regarding the Biden comment, it's not as if Putin and Achmedinajad are going to roll over and wait for McCain to scratch their bellys he's elected.

Posted by DG | October 22, 2008 11:18 AM

"I swear,,you can't make this stuff up! roflmao!"
Posted by blondegenes | October 22, 2008 10:27 AM

You can and you did.

Posted by gocart mozart | October 22, 2008 11:19 AM

Stay focused all you Reformers out there.
Stories like these are designed to distract- and so are the polls.
They are designed to dishearten and discourage us from election McCain-Palin.

The Polls are wrong and YOUR VOTE WILL COUNT.
By their own admission, the pollsters have stated that they have been asking heavily Democrat voters.
This is still America- last time I checked. And the American people will speak November 4th.
Do not stay home- that's what they are counting on.
Meanwhile Obama's group ACORN is busily stuffing the ballot boxes with fraudulant voter registration AND outright voter FRAUD.
If you live in a state with early voting- take advantage of it- so that you won't wait in long lines on Election Day.
Vote with like-minded friends- CARPOOL.
We have to insure that the very fabric of our country is not-railroaded by these insidious people.
And please- as much as it may break your heart not to vote for "your" candidate- be it Hillary, Huckabee, Paul, Romney, Barr or Baldwin- DON'T throw your vote away by voting your heart.
This is a two party system and it's going to be either McCain or Obama.
We cannot have an inexperienced candidate with a questionable background who will surely (by his running mate's own admission) invite a disater like a terror attack on the U.S. or a nuclear strike by Iran on Israel- to "test his mettle." That's because these foreign despots dictators and MADMEN know he is weak and will deliver the United States on a platter to them.
This cannot happen.
McCain-Palin 2008 !

Posted by Alec | October 22, 2008 11:23 AM

Yep ....vote Republican or die ...

Posted by airhead | October 22, 2008 11:44 AM

I am not terribly bothered by the latest Palin brouhaha, although it is a bit over the top. Women especially have to look good when in public. The worst thing you can be in public life is an ugly woman. Although the hair and makeup is a little over the top, she's been everywhere and she has to look good at all times.

They could have really been more efficient with the clothing. She doesn't need to wear Valentino or other couture clothing, or Louis Vuitton bags. All she needed was to look neat and professional, and that could have been done at a fraction of the cost.

But it goes to show that she isn't Jane Sixpack, and that is true of her life in Alaska. She is better off than most.

Posted by Siryn | October 22, 2008 11:45 AM

The problem with "Sarah the Dynasty wannabe" and her clothing budget is that she has reveled in making this campaign about Obama the out of touch elitist vs regular folks like "Helen the teacher" and "Tito the builder" and of course Joe. You can't do that when your clothing budget is blowing through more than that much money in such a short amount of time.

Posted by Carl | October 22, 2008 11:58 AM

Ahh yes, it's a MSM conspiracy because Biden made a gaffe. Give ME a break. The MSM was happy to drop Troopergate. So I'm sure they'll eventually drop Fashiongate too.

Posted by Tessa | October 22, 2008 12:07 PM

What Biden said was not a gaffe. Every new president gets tested by some sort of crisis. So what is such a big deal about it?

Posted by Anita | October 22, 2008 12:09 PM

Count me among those who weren't at all surprised by what Biden said. However, I was surprised that it was being spun as a major gaffe. To me, it was just a statement of fact. And honestly, I think Obama-Biden test better than McCain-Palin do, which is why I'll be voting for Obama.

Isn't that what this whole election thing is actually about...who would be a better captain of the ship in both calm and stormy seas?

Posted by slag | October 22, 2008 12:16 PM

I still haven't figured out precisely what the gaffe is. It was sort of silly and grandiose, certainly, but it was only a rambling way of saying that Obama would face challenges specifically targeted at him and would then rise to meet them. I don't see how that's a criticism of Obama or even all that crazy.

I think the real story here is how utterly insanely desperate right wing pundits are for anything that can turn the race around in the final stretch.

Posted by Bad | October 22, 2008 12:18 PM

Mark - when did Obama's foreign policy credentials become certified? I must've missed that. Did the naivete fairy come visit him one night and give him foreign policy experience that he's never had in his endless campaigning career?

Posted by Aaron | October 22, 2008 12:25 PM

I didn't realize comparing someone to JFK - arguably the most popular president in modern US history - was considered a gaffe these days.

I'm going to have to brush up on my Conservapedia.

Posted by Joel | October 22, 2008 12:26 PM

Palin's utter incompetency is the issue here, not the extent to which the RNC felt it appropriate to use fundraising monies to make that sow's ear into a silk purse. But really? 150K in a month is a staggering, amount of spending, even on top end designer clothes. It defines conspicuous consumption, and is beyond hypocritical when used to doll up a candidate running on her homegrown, Wal-Mart mom roots. Even assuming an outfit cost of 3-4K (before accessories, shoes, etc.), it's clear they didn't buy her a wardrobe--they bought enough to fill a store. Donations of that stuff could run a charity for a year...and you know that idea didn't come up until this news did. Obama, Biden, even McCain (who can well afford it) buy their own clothes, but the stagecraft needed to make Palin look even marginally credible is just a tangible representation of her ticket--all style, no substance.

Posted by Sharon | October 22, 2008 12:28 PM

And Marc --

Three posts on Palin Couture? With Obama off the trail, I suppose its a slow news culture, but your mole in the McCain campaign must be *really* pissed about this if it keeps coming up. I can't imagine many people care (I certainly, don't).

Posted by Joel | October 22, 2008 12:30 PM

No gaffe! They've both been tested over the course of this long campaign. Obama remains a calm thinker. McCain runs around hair on fire waving a couple of six shooters at anything that moves.

Posted by RueDee | October 22, 2008 12:47 PM

The fact that the GOP keeps looking for a "game changing" gaffe underlines its ignorance about the electorate. Gaffe is a Beltway word. It is not a 2008 political world. (The GOP keeps dreaming in the gauzy world of 2000 politics, when a gaffe was drudged and limbaughed and CNN'd until it became some kind of dopey focal point. Think Gore and "Love Story.") In 2008, people want a message and a leader. Not a bunch of wiseacres who talk past the public to each other in hyper-pol-speak. And they also examine the words themselves and see nothing inherently wrong with a veep saying his admin will be tested. That's called "planning." Had Buch & co. been watching out with any diligence they might have read the Aug. 2001 memo titled: "Bin Laden determined to attack inside the U.S."

Posted by eyeball | October 22, 2008 1:58 PM

So I gather the Republican talking point of the day is the vast polling conspiracy, in which all pollsters (possibly in league with the shadowy overlord Nate Silver) carefully skew their questions and pollee selection so as to produce a +11 Dem edge when, in Real America, it's clearly McCain by +20?

Posted by Deborah | October 22, 2008 2:02 PM

What if Sarah Palin's new clothing were a family of four (with a $250,000 mortgage, child care expenses and retirement savings):

Obama tax savings: $1800

McCain tax savings: $200

http://taxcut.barackobama.com/

Posted by william | October 22, 2008 3:00 PM

Just in case anyone cares, if Joe Biden made the "biggest gaffe in the campaign" then Joe "I love me some John McCain" Lieberman beat him to the punch.

See if this sounds familiar

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/21/lieberman-test/

Posted by sgwhiteinfla | October 22, 2008 3:30 PM

The saving grace for Joe Biden is that he's so long-winded that even his blatant "gaffes" are pretty hard to understand and don't leave any concrete impressions a la "the economy is sound" or "the vice president runs the Senate." There's something to be said for being a really windy gasbag, if you're going to be a gasbag in the first place.

Posted by R. Justin | October 22, 2008 4:15 PM