Wardrobe-Gate (Sure now that all the GOOD stuff is over).
In case you missed it, Newsweek is reporting some post-election day gems. Nearly all of it would be interesting to even the most passing of political junkies. A few of the juicier tidbits:
- Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family--clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.
- Obama was never inclined to choose Sen. Hillary Clinton as his running mate, not so much because she had been his sometime bitter rival on the campaign trail, but because of her husband. Still, as Hillary's name came up in veep discussions, and Obama's advisers gave all the reasons why she should be kept off the ticket, Obama would stop and ask, "Are we sure?" He needed to be convinced one more time that the Clintons would do more harm than good. McCain, on the other hand, was relieved to face Sen. Joe Biden as the veep choice, and not Hillary Clinton, whom the McCain camp had truly feared.
- On the Sunday night before the last debate, McCain's core group of advisers--Steve Schmidt, Rick Davis, adman Fred Davis, strategist Greg Strimple, pollster Bill McInturff and strategy director Sarah Simmons--met to decide whether to tell McCain that the race was effectively over, that he no longer had a chance to win. The consensus in the room was no, not yet, not while he still had "a pulse."
- The Obama campaign was provided with reports from the Secret Service showing a sharp and disturbing increase in threats to Obama in September and early October, at the same time that many crowds at Palin rallies became more frenzied. Michelle Obama was shaken by the vituperative crowds and the hot rhetoric from the GOP candidates. "Why would they try to make people hate us?" Michelle asked a top campaign aide..
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Here's an even more fascinating link to the entire story.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/167582?tid=relatedcl
November 5, 2008 4:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good link IIOOII. And my absolute favorite:
The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for them during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded saying, "I don't consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, 'You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.' So when Brian Williams is asking me about what's a personal thing that you've done [that's green], and I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees.' And he says, 'I'm talking about personal.' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I f---ing changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective'."
Beautiful.
November 5, 2008 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
When you have more time, it is WELL worth checking out the link in my comment above. About a 7-page read but extremely illuminating.
You know, if you're into that sort of thing.
November 5, 2008 5:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Took me a minute to find, but the 3 chapters they've got up - on top of the highlights - have some interesting stuff. Given how often I used the Pirate theme to describe McCain versus the GOP, I especially loved this:
Mark McKinnon... described the difference between the Bush campaigns he had worked on and the McCain campaign as the difference between the Royal British Navy and Capt. Jack Sparrow's ship in "Pirates of the Caribbean." McCain loved the comparison. He began making guttural pirate noises, punctuating his jokes and one-liners with "Aaarrgh" and occasionally greeting reporters with this oddly cheerful growl. PIRATES FOR MCCAIN T shirts (complete with skull and crossbones) eventually sprouted on the backs of campaign volunteers and even a few reporters.
Not sure if PEET has seen this yet. Competition?
Thanks for the push to go read the whole thing IIOOII.
November 5, 2008 9:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's a great guilty-pleasure article. That's my second favorite Q. My first?
What???
And best of all, it's the first in a 7 part series. ;)
November 5, 2008 8:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. I read Chapter 3 this morning. Can hardly wait for parts 4-7.
November 6, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Fucking right. I'm still a bit dazed and excited to have someone this sharp coming to the Whitehouse.
November 6, 2008 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wasilla hillbillies
What a great characterization!!!
November 6, 2008 8:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
It may sound funny, but I'm glad to know this. Why? Because it tells me the guy is human. He's not some impossibly humble figure being followed by the birds with flowers blooming at his feet. He's good, damn good, and he knows why. Reminds me of Tiger Woods or Kobe Bryant if Kobe knew how not to come off so smug.
November 6, 2008 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. He has exhibited on numerous occasions the ability to walk the fine line between confidence and humility.
November 6, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply | Permalink