McCain aide cites 'failure of management'
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/11/14/art.davis.gi.jpg caption="Davis managed McCain's campaign."](CNN) - Rick Davis, the campaign manager for former John McCain's White House bid, came to Sarah Palin's defense in an upcoming interview with the National Review, saying the now-infamous $150,000 clothing tab for the Alaska governor was caused by a "failure of management."
In the interview, set for publication next week, Davis notes Palin's appearance at the Republican convention came only days after she was named to the GOP ticket, and the Alaska governor had few clothes on hand that were appropriate for the event.
“We flew her out from Alaska to Arizona to Ohio to introduce her to the world and take control of her life. She didn’t think ‘dress for the convention’, because it might have just been a nice day trip to Arizona if she didn’t click with John. Very little prep had been done and if it had, we might have gotten picked off by the press. We were under incredible scrutiny."
"We were under incredible scrutiny," he added. "We got her a gal from New York and we thought, ‘Let’s get some clothes for her and the family.’ It was a failure of management not to get better control and track of that. "The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing, what it was worth or where it was going. No one knew how much that stuff was worth. It was more our responsibility than hers.”
News of the pricey tab caused a media firestorm days before the presidential election, and McCain aides appeared to blame Palin for the mishap, while the Alaska governor said she was forced to buy the clothes.
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Lets face it, they were hoping that some eye candy would get them the votes and shake up their base at the same time.eye candy sells and is still selling airtime.Americans love .their bimbos.I must be honest,im still waiting for the swimsuit portion of the contest.
So, we have a minor issue, getting clothes for Sarah Palin, and it became a management screw-up. I am really glad that Obama won. McCain's people never heard of the Scottsdale Mall! Are you telling me these guys do not have the contacts to arrange for after hours shopping! What a bunch of amateurs! Oh, I know! You guys needed to keep this a secret prior to showing up in Dayton, Ohio. Well guys, you announced in Dayton that Sarah Palin was vetted by the FBI, which backfired on you when the FBI explained that political nominees are not vetted by the FBI. I think that made you look more foolish than the clothing screw-up. All in all, the McCain Campaign will now become the number one training tool for all future candidates and their campaign teams.
They admit they couldn't manage a campaign, but expected people to have faith they could run the country??? Scary how many people did actual vote for this crew. Just what our country didn't need: Another incompetent administration.
This is not the (dis)organization I want in charge during an economic crisis. They can practice getting their act together while an actual organizer keeps the country together.
The more I find out about the lack of organization and coherence in the McCain campaign, the more I think we dodged a bullet. Mr. Obama will have a tough time of it, but at least he doesn't seem to be in over his head, as McCain and co were.
WOW A DEN OF DEMS ...ALIBABA WILL BE WITH YOU SOON !!
Is there any reason why her youngest daughter needed a Louis Vitton bag? Is that the imagine of family that the RNC wanted to portray?
Let's face it, the RNC DID vet Palin, at least when it came to her clothes. Apparently that is all they really cared about. Making sure that she looked good. Forget about everything else...
Elections are all about money and image. Look at the results across the country. Those with the most money won in all but a few contests. Incumbent or not, if you outspent your opponent, you win.
As far as the image, don't think for a moment that all of the candidates had handlers and were told what to do and say and wear. President-elect Obama smokes. Did we see any pictures of him with a cigarette in his mouth? Nope. Did we see pics of him in sweats, sneakers, and his White Sox hat? Not until after the election.
I wish him and his administration the best. He is the president of my country, so he is my president. But don't think that the man you saw during the campaign is the real Barak Obama. Any more than the Sarah Palin we saw was the real Sarah Palin. And that is sad.
"Very little prep had been done" "The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing, what it was worth or where it was going. "
Rick Davis said it all.
Please, I really hope that once our fine next President Obama is sworn in, stop talking about this unremarkable, mediocre slob from Alaska. All these things combined are why the right lost and lost big last week. The beginning of the end for the neo con traitors was the 2006 mid terms and then sealed with Obama's victory and the Democrats thank God, sweeping the right wingers out of control of congress. It will most likely be a generation before the Republican Party ever gets a majority. They need to go back to being the party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt instead of Limbaugh and Hannity.
I despise republicans, because they ignore the lies, support these policies, and don't care who suffers, or who dies, simply out of dogged blindness and willful ignorance. Furthermore, the Republican party has forsaken its grand traditions, and allowed itself to be taken over by a hard-right version of protestant christian fundamentalism that preaches bigotry, supports racism, sexism, and homophobia. They seek to impose an orwellian prison state upon america, because they see it as their god-given duty to "occupy the land." Their main goal, in life, politics, and faith, is bring the world into a fiery armageddon, after which they will all be brought unto the bosom of their lord, while the rest of us burn in their vision of hell.
and to the few righties left after your deserved defeat, GET OVER IT!
Incredible. You guys focus on a $150K clothing bill donated to charity and could careless that Obama wanted $3 million for a projector. A projector? Really? $3 Million? Tax and spend it's the Democratic way.
The election is over. Obama won. Is the Liberal media really that scared of Palin that they will continue to trash her? Will this go on over the next 4 years?
We should be looking at how many millions Obama distributed to Chicago neighborhoods and then look at the crime statistics for those areas. Of course, we know how the money given to Acorn was used.
Don't they have outlet malls or cheaper department stores? I bet there was some nice consignment shops they could of shopped at.
I've never bought one, but even this Josephine6Pack knows that a "Valentino" label is way beyond the 6Pack Family spending limit – you betcha!
As far as trying to take the heat off the new leader of the GOP 'also", you will need Duct Tape for that. HINT – you don't have to have a "gal from NY" buy it for you 'there". Just send the "gal" who gets your lunch to the nearest Home Depot/Lowes/Ace Hardware store.
"The Lady doth protest too much, me thinks."
Are you joking? That was your vetting process. Fly her out to Arizona to she if they "clicked"? Then throw her on stage at the conention a few days later? And we were supposed to vote for you why?
Linda B November 14th, 2008 2:27 pm ET wrote:
"Obama can afford to purchase his own clothes. He is a multi-millioniare. As are the McCains. The Palins are not."
Ah, Linda, let me ask you then, why did Piper need a Louis Vitton bag??
Country First, my a$$.
Make Palin Go AWAY.
Hey...I'm not a Palin fan and would hate to see the party fall into her hands, but she didn't deserve this. You have to see that now that Davis is finally doing the right thing. Funny, he never had the backbone to come to her defense during the campaign though. How terrible would it have been to see them in power.
What was his excuse for all the lies she told on the behalf of the Republicans. She is still spewing the talking points they gave her. It is all she has. She still has to answer to her voters at home. Speaking of which how did that nice home she lives in get paid for and by whom?
and this from the party who said she was ready to take over if GOD FORBID she had to step into the presidency. do you really think the american people are that stupid?? did you people ever hear of a "hockey mom" shopping in neiman marcus?? i don't know of any. but then i shop in target, kohl's and macy's when they have sales. my house didn't cost 150k, but then i only have one. you guys just don't get where "real americans" are coming from. we don't have that kind of money, but you do. gee i wonder why? i pray for obama to be the man i believe he is and to be the GREAT president that this country so desperately needs. after the last 8 years you people should hang your heads in shame for what you have done to this country. shame on you!! now go away, you lost.
No, it was a bad candidate, who made bad position statements and a horrific choice for VP! Because the VP choice saw the writing on the wall, she threw McCain under the bus and began running for 2012!
However, Palin will have to deal with the GOP party regulars in the primary in 2012, which will be a whole lot more uncomfortable than being the surpise VP choice this time around!!!
The issue of "the clothing' is a moot point ... the fact that McCain chose to name such a backwoods yokel to fill the VP slot is a far more important issue, but even that is HISTORY now. Enough of this non-story ... or any other story about the former first runner-up to a meaningless little beauty pagent in Mooseville! Alaskans voted for her ... AMERICA did not!!
Well, that's why you lost. You put a primadonna in a high profile spot, you can't be surprised when it backfires on you and now, you're calling someone ELSE Mr. President.
Goody for ya.
GO OBAMA!!
GO (HOME), PALIN!!!
Let's face it, the RNC DID vet Palin, at least when it came to her clothes. Apparently that is all they really cared about. Making sure that she looked good. Forget about everything else…
the whole clothes ordeal was a bit ridiculous. it was like the john edwards haircut. the focus should have been on the campaign and policy not on how much she spent on clothes. granted, the price was outlandish, but not worth dominating days of news cycles. attack her for being a weak candidate, not for her wadrobe budget, or lack there of.
And you weasels say it is the right that is full of hate and mean?
One one hand, I might be able to understand being caught up in the whirlwind of it all, shopping sprees, handlers, etc.
But... all we heard throughout the campaign was how prepared Gov Palin was for the Vice-Presidency; how much more Executive experience she had over Sen Obama.
What keeps popping in my head is if she has all of this knowledge, experience, judgment, guts to take down the establishment, etc., then why didn't she have enough foresight and simply say 'no.'
Isn't that what a Maverick does?