Originally posted by: Corbett
Originally posted by: eskimospy
Originally posted by: Corbett
How many people does Obama really need to travel with him to visit his dying grandmother? He suspended his campaign so all he really needed was his family and whatever Secret Service he needed for protection.
And like I said, nobody is claiming that he shouldn't have gone to visit her. What I am claiming is that its just as wasteful for him to use his campaign plane and money to visit her and people like you will give him a free pass on it. However, those same people raise all hell when Palin gets a clothing budget to use during the campaign. Its hypocrisy, simple as that.
One person is campaigning as an 'average joe', the other is not. Hint: This is why one of them spending $150,000 on clothes is hypocritical, and for the other it would not be.
Obama did not suspend his campaign in the same way that you are thinking. McCain stupidly decided to shut his whole deal down, he claimed he was pulling his ads, everything. Obama did no such thing, he just said that he himself was going to step off the campaign trail, and that's what he did. Of course he still needs to direct his campaign, and his staffers are still very useful to have around. He just wanted to spend some time to see a dying old lady, does everything really need to be this low?
Obama DID suspend his campaign, he even announced he was doing so.
Can you provide the quote and proper context please for the assertion you just made ?
And as for your comparison..
there are very large descrepancies
Lets look at error in judgement..
Your Barack Obama presidential candidate... your grandmother who raised you is in the twilight of her days and you MUST see her.
As a presidential candidate you MUST .. again .. YOU MUST be provided with security at all times. You are travelling with an entourage and you are travelling with a press corp.
Taking all these considerations into play, especially the logistics of security for a presidential candidate what options do you have ?
A. Take the present aircraft and flight crew that is already prepped .. paid for and is Secret Service/FBI/CIA cleared.
B. Run the risk of having your grandmother die on you while you wait days/weeks to source a new smaller (potentially not even feasable for the range required aircraft) for Secret Service and FBI clearances for both the Aircraft and a brand new flight crew. What i just prevously mentioned cost money for those checks and such ... not to mention the leasing of an additional aircraft.
Also Please make note that while your original aircraft sits idle you
may still have to pay the lease on it depending if its calculated by hours flown or days leased, you for sure will have to pay the airport parking fees on it. .. and if its a wet lease .. you will have to pay the crew too.
C. Fly commercial coach and risk being mobbed/attacked at the airport (This is a non starter)
If you have any other solutions to this conundrum please provide..
In Sarah Palins case.
Sarah Palin needed new clothes ... Why she needed new clothing is a dubious argument at best but ill entertain it for these purposes.
Her campaign decided that they will go shopping for her... Fine, no problem. What were the campaign's shopping choices ?
A. High end stores such as Neiman Marcus, Valentino, Louis Vuitton,Saks Fifth Avenue
B. Middle of the road stores such as Macys, Bloomindales, Lord & Taylor
C. A small and reasonable bespoke tailoring boutique shops (My mother owns one)
D. Arrange them to be campaign donations (if that is legal which at this point i highly doubt but ill put it in there if it is possible)
Here is my solution to this issue.
Choice B.. at first ...
Then Choice C over time since the clothing would be custom and better fitting.
The Mccain/Palin campaign chose A... exclusively
Objectively Corbett: Who used better judgment here ?
Why again is this even an issue?
One candidate had very little option .. so the choice was logical and straightforward .. the other had many options and choices and yes i am acutely aware that Mrs. Palin did not do the shopping herself and this is why i say her campaign. However, that does not completly absolve her from some responsibility however.. she had the option to refuse or direct her minder in getting clothing that was more appropriate to the "message of the campaign".