ABC: "Edwards Flattens Coif Controversy"

[flpoljunkie]

Edwards Flattens Coif Controversy

April 18, 2007

ABC News' Raelyn Johnson Reports: You can tell it's political season when people are putting a fine tooth comb to, well hair. A report filed with the Federal Election Commission last weekend revealed that former Sen. John Edwards' D-N.C., presidential campaign twice shelled out $400 for haircuts he received from a Beverly Hills salon.

Just as fast as gossip spreads in the fashion salon, ABC News has learned the money will be returned. "As for the haircuts, the bill was sent to the campaign, it was paid in error, and Edwards will be reimbursing the campaign," says campaign spokesperson Eric Schultz.

The hair cut revelation did little to minimize what some call Edwards' 'Breck Girl' image. Earlier this year, YouTube showcased a video of Edwards fixing his hair before a televised interview, demonstrating the unforgiving power of the site.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/04/edwards_flatten.html

[MADem]

1. Where's MY consulting fee? I earned it--they gotta be reading DU!! See here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=687349&mesg_id=688136

[w4rma]

10. Now, will Hillary reimburse her campaign? (manufactured non-issue)

Hillary Clinton's $1500 Haircuts, Expensed to the Campaign

HILLARY GATHERS AN ARMY
By IAN BISHOP
Post Correspondent

July 24, 2006 -- WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign army has increased its ranks to 50 staffers and more than 20 consultants, specialists in everything from fund-raising to speech-writing to hairstyling and makeup.

Clinton, the likely 2008 Democratic White House front-runner, ponied up nearly $3,000 in campaign cash for her blond tresses to get some presidential pampering from acclaimed D.C. stylist Isabelle Goetz.

Recently released federal fund-raising records show Clinton shelled out $1,500 in April for Goetz to carefully craft her coiffure and another $1,000 for a camera-ready clip in May.

She passed off both styling sessions as "media production" expenses.

Clinton was so desperate for Goetz to style her gilded mane, she picked up the scissor siren's $405 travel tab in April and a $38 expenses tab in May.

Goetz, a fixture at the swank Cristophe salon and the favored stylist of John Kerry, has been clipping the former first lady's locks for years - she's credited for updating Clinton's coif from country to chic. To complement the touch-up of her tresses, Clinton invested another $3,000 for makeup maestro Barbara Lacy to brush on some blush.

Lacy is a Tinseltown pro who applied the makeup to actors' mugs in movies including "Minority Report," "Runaway Bride," "National Treasure" and "In the Line of Fire."

She can also take credit for working the West Wing - the NBC version. Clinton paid Lacy an eye-popping $1,600 for some eye-lining in mid-May and another mind-boggling $1,300 for some makeup two weeks later.

Again, Clinton justified the makeovers as a media production expense.
…
http://www.babalublog.com/archives/003657.html
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=698126&mesg_id=698126

[MADem]

11. She should pull the exact same deal, IMO. If anyone drags it up, she should say something like:

"That is OUTRAGEOUS, and totally WRONG. Geeeeez, I honestly didn't know--that's just terrible, of course I will reimburse, AT ONCE..... and damn, ya gotta tell your staff EVERY fucking thing, doncha, down to the last little detail!! (Dramatic eye roll). I mean, really, WHO in their RIGHT MIND...(dramatic pause) ....would regard that as an appropriate CAMPAIGN expense!! It's clearly a personal expense, and I am going to take care of it, I'm going to speak to the staffers handling my billing to make sure we don't see anything like this again...and I really want to thank you for bringing it to my attention..."

That's how I'd play it, if anyone dragged up that old, stale, chestnut. Of course, I might skip the eye rolling and the "fucking" but I'd play it with that degree of irritation and outrage.

[Hart2008]

18. The story is about vanity and the lack of serious issues. n/t

[ashlarah]

41. Lack of serious issues? You ARE joking, right?

NO OTHER candidate is as clear on positions and plans as Edwards. I suppose, that if you rely solely on MSM for your information, you can be forgiven for not knowing anything substantive about where any of the candidates stand. Just so you know...

Health care: Edwards is the only candidate to present a comprehensive plan on how to get universal health care. Yes, the MSM has actually reported on this, disguised as an announcement that Edwards would "raise taxes." The raised taxes are rolling back the Bush tax cuts on those making $200,000 plus. The plan would create health markets so that everyone would be in a large pool; employers would be required to provide insurance for their employees or contribute towards a plan for those employees; everyone could choose between private insurers and a government plan (cheaper because it would have 2-3% overhead compared to 30% overhead); those who are unemployed or whose income is low will receive tax credits to pay for the insurance, but everyone will be required to be insured; ALL plans, even private, will be required to take everyone who applies and will be required to cover preventive, chronic and long term care; all plans must provide mental health parity and cannot exclude for pre-existing conditions.

Energy: caps on carbon emissions; creating incentives, including in rural areas, for new opportunities in alternate forms of energy; going beyond the Kyoto agreement to set a good example for the world (contrary to our current embarrassing example); requiring auto manufacturers to make cars more fuel efficient; and asking Americans to "be patriotic about something other than war" by taking measures to conserve energy.

Iraq: Start immediate withdrawal of 50,000 troops and bring the rest out in 12-18 months; engage neighboring Muslim countries, including Syria and Iran, in working for stability.

He also has transformative plans for eliminating poverty (here and throughout the world); helping rural America and improving education.

For specifics, see http://www.johnedwards.com/about/issues/

This is vanity? I don't think so--it is mature and intelligent leadership. MSM is simply projecting its own obsessions on a good candidate because it is incapable of anything better.

[bling bling]

38. Ha! I thought of you when I read this story over in GD.

I saw your post yesterday and thought it was good advice. Looks like they agreed with you too.

Be sure and tack on convenience fees for your services.

[MADem]

44. I'm not gonna hold my breath waiting for the check, but it was funny to see them

come up with the same strategy!

[BOSSHOG]

2. I'm neither for or against Edwards but

I think this is much ado about nothing. His campaign is trying to sell a product (him.) Would they not want him to look his best? And would a candidate not want to check his appearance before making a public televised interview? And wouldn't people contributing to his campaign want him to look his best? This is nothing but fodder for conservatives to jack off about.

[Donnachaidh]

5. Didn't this whole 'controversy' start on Rush's radio show?

Everyone who has even mentioned it in my area said they had heard it on his show. As I refuse to listen to him, I can't verify it. But it seems to be the sort of nasty crap he's famous for. :shrug:

[BOSSHOG]

7. Wouldn't it be nice

if he filled his time on the air with something cogent and rational? However, he knows his ignorant trash audience and Edwards hair is much more important to them then a man who may have had mental problems running through a college campus armed because a powerful lobbying force says the second amendment is ambiguous.

[Totally Committed]

8. Right on!

Bravo, Boss!

EYES ON THE PRIZE, people... ISSUES, ISSUES, ISSUES!

TC

[MADem]

12. Pull that STRING!!!!! They have OPPO baaastids in the RNC who do NOTHING but

scruitinize these filings for "sins." Then they let the word go forth in talking point memos to their acolytes, so that they can repeat the sins, often word-for-word.

[John Q. Citizen]

9. No real substance, yet perception is everything in our culture. A non-issue

that none the less provided fodder for Edward's opponants.

[MADem]

45. If it were ten bucks for a haircut, fine. But that much is too much. It doesn't make him appear to

be a person who understands how much a loaf of bread costs (i.e. it puts him in Giuliani's corner) and that is a disadvantage to the themes he is pushing. So he did the right thing by clearing the mess up and putting it behind him. In future, he should pay as he goes--not wait to be "billed." I mean, really--who gets a 'bill' from the barber? You pay when you haul your ass outta the chair.

Of course, each opposing team has a cadre of people who do nothing but go over these filings, line by line, looking for dirt. Hell, if you overpaid for tablecloths at a fundraiser, they'd get ya for that.

That haircut was 'target rich' for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that it brought back the 'angry GOP memory' of Clinton on the tarmac of LAX getting a (much cheaper) haircut--and that was shopped around the media for WEEKS, if not months!

[Totally Committed]

3. Personally, I think this entire "controversy" has made US all look like

nit-picking, frivolous, trivializers. We are (or should be) better than this.

It's the ISSUES we should be using this energy to discuss as fully and as passionately as the bill for these haircuts. That's the only way we are going to get a candidate that will be OUR CHOICE and not the choice of the Media. Stop taking their bait and start discussing the ISSUES!

TC

[The Count]

28. But when your entire campaign is run on personal issues, isn't it natural that

it's personal issues that one may undo such a PR contraption?
I care more about his vote for the bankruptcy law - creating the poor he's asking to vote for him, then the haircut or the house.
But most of his media came from Coulter's attack, wife health (he raised 5.4 million on that one alone). So, I'm saying - non-issues cut both ways.
Kinda like Brad, Jen and Angelina. They all get coverage of it - but some may be negative.

[ashlarah]

39. He was not in the Senate

for the abysmal bankruptcy bill--so how did he vote on it? Link please.

He has the most substantive and issue driven campaign out there. If people stopped responding to the MSM drivel they feed us, maybe they would report on the things voters do need to know.

[Taverner]

4. We all pamper ourselves in different ways

He likes spendy haircuts - he has good hair so its easy to see why.

How is this different than a day at the spa? Or a fine tailored Brooks Brothers Suit?

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. It is different because those things usually don't show up on a campaign finance report

[Ganja Ninja]

6. Maybe he should just shave his head so the media can stop

fixating on his hair or show up at an event with a bald whig on to make a point.

[Rydz777]

14. The problem with this

whole campaign is that the MSM is interested only in process (e.g. polls) and gotchas. There are in fact serious issues that should be debated - but that would be so boring. To Edwards' credit he has gone further than most in trying to run an issue oriented campaign, but what we get is "news" about his hair.

[flpoljunkie]

16. Edwards' $400 hair cuts play into a perceived vanity, like the youtube primping video

Both Letterman and Leno featured Edwards' $400 hair cuts in their opening monologues last night, with no mention that the campaign had paid for the hair cuts or that Edwards' would be reimbursing the money.

[BeyondGeography]

20. Here's the Letterman clip...He makes a Kucinich joke out of it

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7ZXLwpCw68k

[karynnj]

27. That's actually to his advantage

The assumption of most people will be he paid for it himself - this avoids even bringing up that issue. (look back at the threads here - most people even reading the link ignored that it was campaign money.

I admit I was one - because I only read the post that linked to the early Drudge story - that I did NOT go to - I assumed this was the same FAUX story that Drudge made up - that Harris documents in his book and says positive things about. In that case, the whole truth was Kerry simply had his hair cut for $75 - a complete non event.

I'm glad he paid for it and will no doubt create guidelines on exactly what the campaign pays for. For all candidates, what is campaign and what is personal is likely a tough issue. Haircuts likely should be personal, but makeup for TV campaign. I assume the accounting and rules are very complicated.

[ClassWarrior]

15. "What some call?..."

:rofl:

That lil phrase has come to be a euphemism for Rushbo.

NGU.

[Sapphire Blue]

17. K&R & THANK YOU for posting this!

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[benny05]

19. After reading all of the balderdash here yesterday

and the DK, in which this should be been only on Freeper blogs (since they have zero to contribute in any issues discussion), I'm glad Edwards cleared this up. Personally, I didn't care, but now it sounds like a bookkeeping error to me, and I bet it won't happen again.

[saltpoint]

21. Now benny, there you go again trying to spoil the Edwards-bashers'

fun.

They live to bash Democrats who are electable and who have advanced positions on the issues confronting real Americans living real lives.

And here you are -- AGAIN! -- spoiling their fun.

[benny05]

25. yeah I can see the next headline around here

Edwards supporter spoils fun of those who trash candidates with substantive agendas.

:rofl: :popcorn:

[saltpoint]

26. LOL! And I'm to blame as well for thinking that the prevailing hope

of Democrats and progressives was to replace Bush neocons and nutbags with Democrats and progressives.

Ok, so I'm naive. It's a long fall off that turnip wagon.

[Clark2008]

30. Doesn't spoil my "fun."

I don't care about his haircuts. It's his poor judgment that concerns me.

[benny05]

31. Probably wouldn't

Here, have some.

:popcorn:

[ultraist]

22. Thank you for the FACTS

Hopefully, this will squelch the hysterical knee jerk reactions that were set off by the rightwing nuts.

It seems Democrats should be a little more hip to the fact, that the rightwing nuts use smear stories, premised on lies, to trash our candidates.

Here's a little suggestion: next time the rightwing plays up a story based on their obsession with Edwards' hair, breathe....wait for the FACTS before getting hysterical.

[abburdlen]

24. Wait a sec

are you implying Edwards did not use funds from the campaigns? The FEC filings are pretty clear. It did happen.
Edwards has stated it was a mistake and I'm glad we can move on to more important things but while I agree the story was overblown it's dishonest to say it was based on a lie.

[ultraist]

29. Yes, a lie

Concocting a huge smear story without all of the facts is premising a story on lies.

So called journalists know this---they should research and fact check BEFORE they put out a story. Ever heard the saying "lying by omission?"

[abburdlen]

33. which part is a lie?

A report filed with the Federal Election Commission last weekend revealed that former Sen. John Edwards' D-N.C., presidential campaign twice shelled out $400 for haircuts he received from a Beverly Hills salon.

Was it overblown? Yes. Does it reflect on the shallowness of the MSM? You bet. A outright smear? Looks like it. But calling it a lie is a bit much. Could Edwards sue them for slander? No because his campaign *did* pay for the haircut. His staff has now said it was a mistake so hopefully we'll all return to actual important matters.

[jsamuel]

32. I guess the question is the definition of lie. Is it an untruth or a distortion of reality?

[dk2]

23. I am glad this is gettin cleared up, but

a haircut, didn't bother me, there are too many issues that Edwards leads on and are important to me that he has been leading on.

Edwards is the right choice for hard working Americans.

[Forkboy]

34. Exactly what he should do.

[MGKrebs]

35. I see nothing wrong with where the money came from.

I don't know why he's "fixing" it. If he's going to let every little thing that shows up on a blog or the NY Post make him react, he's in for trouble.

The only way to really address the "image" issue is to not pay $400 for a haircut, but if you are going to, sure, why not have the campaign do it. Big deal.

[seashorelady]

36. He's honest and rectifying an accounting error.

That is the good and right thing to do.

[GreenArrow]

40. or he "regrets" it

because it has turned into a political issue. I happen to believe the latter.

[MGKrebs]

42. That's just it. There is no error. There is no dishonesty to begin with.,

It's a perfectly legitimate expense for a campaign, just like meals or hotel rooms or even a health club membership.

It's just so trivial, I hope he doesn't continue to react to every little thing. I mean jeez, what's he going to do when somebody complains about the car he uses, or finds out where his clothes are made. There's a point at which it's just silly to respond.

[Cha]

37. Lots of errors in the world and

this is minor and fixable. When I read the haircuts were billed to his campaign it didn't sound like something John and Elizabeth would want.

I can't believe this fluff crap is happening all over again with our candidates when the freakin' world needs to be saved.

bush set the bar too low but how many of our candidates would get a black freakin' eye from chokin' on a damn pretzel?

Your hair looks great, Senator Edwards..I wish I had it! :)

[Shallah Kali]

43. At least he didn't lick his comb before going on camera.

.