Bad, bad optics. Unless they plan to have a job fair or a canned food drive before the rally, how utterly tone deaf of Karen Handel’s campaign to plan Monday’s event with Sarah Palin for the Buckhead Intercontinental, a place most Georgians can’t afford to park their car much less eat or stay overnight. (In case you want to know, regular parking is $20, valet is $30 and a room is $159 at the low end. That’s more than many Georgia families spend a week for groceries.) Since she’s Sonny’s handpick, I’m sure he would’ve let her use that horse barn in Perry. Heck, Palin’s been there before.
I can’t even imagine the conversation in the campaign conference room when they made this boneheaded choice. To have a signature event at an elite Buckhead hotel sends the message that Handel is out of touch with everyday Georgians, many of whom are unemployed, under-employed or furloughed. It looks like her lipstick is Chanel and the handbag? Gucci.
12 Responses to Tone Deaf
Help Daniel
The sad thing is that for the GOP faithful, it never seems to matter much. But that’s exactly how their ‘Divine Sarah’ travels too, as stipulated in exacting detail by her contracts for such appearances. The other sad thing is to realize that seemingly, according to the new tools below, we 2 seem to be alone here on a late Friday night/Sat morn & just before a crucial election too. JMP
It’s a Republican Fund Raising event. The best way to get conservatives to give you their money is to convince them you already have a lot. It makes them think you’re on their side. With that in mind, the location makes perfect sense.
I get that in her world the makes sense, but for a woman who
wants to govern the whole state to define her campaign this way
is actually insulting. What’s the campaign slogan going to be?
Let Them Eat Cake?
Hyperbole aside, it would be a huge mistake to attempt to make this a campaign issue. This show fund-raising works, and I’m sure it wouldn’t be any great chore to find a Roy Barnes event that comprised of something similar (Sarah Palins aside).
Preach it!
Candidates have fundraisers that are press-quiet at all sorts of places, sure, but this is a very public rally. Palin may have dictated the location, but I think it was a mistake.
I agree. When you’re having such a huge event the day before an election–fundraiser or not– you’re sending a message.
Well put, Amy! Now if we could get Georgia voters, most of whom are poor-middle class, to realize just how out of touch they really are, we could cruise to victory!
Roy Barnes should travel all over Georgia and ask folks if they could afford $250-$2,000+/night for a room at the Intercontinental Buckhead!
Not tax-payer funded so what’s your point? How much did the U.S. Govt spend on the First Lady’s “private” trip to Spain? How many rounds of golf has Prezbo gotten in lately? Tone deaf indeed.
Dan, the First Lady reimbursed the government for the hotel she stayed at, and for the air travel, plus every single family in the White House is responsible for paying for their meals, except for State Dinners.
President Bush took more vacations than any other president in American history, so whats your point? Obama, with all the problems that he has had, deserves a break every now and then!
LOL – does the microchip that causes you to invoke Bush any time Obama is criticized give you any discomfort? Classic! “Bush did it first mommy”! Sigh… But leaving that aside, you dodged the question of taxpayer expenses. That’s okay though, the WH seems reluctant to give out details. Getting back to my original point (thanks for asking!), re-read the blog entry at the top and consider the attached article. Pot, meet kettle.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012557439_mobama07.html
Troll alert (DanH)