Cinderella Shops for the Jewish Vote

I have to confess I disliked her from the moment she opened her mouth.  The snarky sneer.  Torturing the language.  Delivering lies with a straight face.  Discussing hot button issues with ice cold emotions.

Sarah Palin was a star the instant she stepped onto the national stage--and became the flashpoint of the election.  Maybe it's living so close to the North Pole that makes her so polarizing--magnetically attracting attention both pro and con.  Partly due to her prose, her pros are diminishing and I've watched with satisfaction as most of the country came around.  Until suddenly, I find myself spinning in the opposite direction.

So she believes she can stare down Putin from her front porch.  So she believes evolution is new age fiction.  So she believes in witch hunters and forcing women to have the babies of their rapists.  Underneath the beehive hairdo and behind the sights of her rifle, Sarah is just a woman like me, and I've dug deep into my soul to find a little sympathy for her.

Finally, this week, I found common ground: at Neiman Marcus.  I have to confess that at times, I too have allowed my shopping to get out of control.  I would be happy to let the Republicans pay for my splurges.  Not to mention having a professional makeup artist on call.  But I think the core connection between Sarah and many women is this: who can resist the lure of the Cinderella story?

It was a fantasy in Pretty Woman when Richard Gere handed Julia Roberts a free pass to Beverly Hills and she morphed into appropriately attired arm candy.  But for Sarah Palin it was real--the Republican fairy godmother really did wave the magic wand and Sarah found herself in Gucci instead of the Gap.  And is there any doubt that the modern version of the glass slipper would be labelled Manolo Blahnik?

So I forgive Sarah for her emergence as the Victoria Beckham of politics.  And for proving that if she does read, it's InStyle Magazine rather than the Wall Street Journal.   I even forgive her in advance for keeping her goodies rather than giving them to charity.  With two teenage daughters, I doubt any designer clothing will ever make it out of Wasilla.

But there is one lingering issue that bothers me about Sarah's shopping habits.  She is obviously an expert at hunting for moose--so I wonder why she's not hunting for bargains.  I can assure Sarah that there is a sale going on right now at Neiman Marcus--and also at Saks.  And she also might have tried that magic word she is obviously familiar with: Ebay.

Her failure at bargain shopping is especially pertinent since one of the few states still considered a tossup is Florida--home to so many Jewish voters.  McCain and Palin are working hard to reel in this group--while lots of alarming emails are flying around the Jewish community, inflaming rumors about Obama secretly being a Muslim. 

So Sarah Palin had her opening into the hearts and minds of Jewish women like me.  But when the truth came out--our hearts and minds snapped shut.  She lost not only our votes but completely lost our respect--because she committed the one absolutely unforgiveable sin during her shopping spree--she paid retail.

Comments

[Cindy La Ferle]

You hit the nail on the head! I was aghast when I read about Palin's ridiculous wardrobe expenses on HuffPo recently. Wasn't there a $2,500 Valentino jacket (or some such)? I find it pathetic that she's aligning herself with Joe the Plumber and his hockey mom wife while sporting designer duds like that -- and in the midst of an economic crisis. Clothing aside, I find little to admire about Sarah Palin. Her narrow, neo-con views should be enough to frighten and worry everyone, except perhaps those who attend her own church.

[Darryle]

Thanks Cindy--and yes the Valentino jacket is a drop in the bucket. Wonder how those hockey moms feel about her wearing a pair of shoes that cost more than it would cost to feed an entire hockey team for a month.