Daily Archives: Oct. 27, 2008

Not sexist to report Palin spending

Oct. 27, 200811:58 a.m.

It was fair game to talk about John Edwards’ $400 haircut (which conservative commentators did for weeks), because Edwards was basing much of his presidential campaign on poverty issues. So why is it sexist, as Sarah Palin’s campaign claims, for the press to report that the Republican National Committee spent $150,000 in one month on designer clothes and accessories for Palin and her family? Or that her campaign spent almost $23,000 in the first half of October on a makeup artist and another $10,000 on a hair stylist? After all, much of Palin’s campaign speeches are appeals to Joe Six-Pack and Joe the Plumber. As columnist Maureen Dowd noted: “Sexism would be to treat Palin differently, or more delicately, than one of the guys.”

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (176)

Welcome to Wichita

Oct. 27, 20086:03 a.m.

An Opinion Line call last week said: “If you’re sitting at a red light without another car in sight, welcome to Wichita.” How would WE Bloggers similarly characterize our town? The floor is open for suggestions on how to fill in the blanks: “If you’re . . . . . . . . ., welcome to Wichita.”

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Wichita | Comments (64)

Open thread 10/27

Oct. 27, 20086:02 a.m.

By The Editors | Filed under Open thread | Comments (541)

Brownback back on campaign trail

Oct. 27, 20086:01 a.m.

“In the fourth quarter if you’re down a little bit you don’t say, ‘Well, OK, I guess it’s over. It was a nice game.’ No! That’s when you dig in and push harder,” said Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., stumping for his friend John McCain in eastern Pennsylvania last week. Brownback warned that electing Barack Obama would allow “five people in robes” on an activist U.S. Supreme Court to sidestep the rule of law and find new rights in the Constitution. At the McCain-Palin headquarters in Scranton, the local roots of Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden also came up. “I didn’t know Joe was from Scranton,” Brownback said.
“Neither did we,” answered several listeners in unison.

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (35)

Slattery ad wins bronze among worst

Oct. 27, 20086:00 a.m.

More infamy for the “Hosed” campaign ad run by Democrat Jim Slattery against Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan. It came in at No. 3 among Politico’s “Ten worst ads of the season,” having been deemed preferable only to an ad in which an Alaska Democrat shows herself scooping up dog doo and an Illinois Democrat’s remake of LBJ’s “Daisy” ad. Of the “Hosed” commercial’s depiction of a gleeful giant CEO type seemingly relieving himself on voters, Politico asked: “Is it a coincidence that the man holding the hose looks like Roberts?”

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Kansas delegation | Comments (31)