Palin and Hasselbeck on the "Clothes Thing"

At a rally in Tampa, Florida, yesterday Sarah Palin addressed the RNC's purchase of expensive clothes and accessories for her:

"Those clothes, they are not my property. Just like the lighting and the staging and everything else that the RNC purchased, I'm not taking them with me. I am back to wearing my own clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska. You'd think - not that I would even have to address the issue because, as Elisabeth is suggesting, the double standard here it's - gosh, we don't even want to waste our time."

During her introduction of Palin, Elisabeth Hasselbeck noted the irony that the media largely ignored Palin's speech on women's rights which was delivered just before the story about Palin's clothes broke: "She talked about equal pay for equal work, putting an end to honor killings, aiding women who are being exploited in the sex trade, and ending policies that sanction abortion of a country's unborn daughters." (You can read excerpt's of Palin's speech on women's rights after the jump.) Hasselbeck said that the media were sexist for fixating on Palin's clothes: "Instead of the issues, they are focused, fixated, on her wardrobe. Now, with everything going on in the world it seems a bit odd. But let me tell you, this is deliberately sexist."

(Hat tip: Jonathan Martin.)Women start as many new small businesses as men. They're entrepreneurs trying to make a better life for themselves and their families … and trying to make payroll for their employees. They're women just like Irma Aguirre, who for years dreamed of owning her own restaurant. And she made it just a year ago - Irma owns the La Madonna Mexican restaurant right here in Las Vegas, employing 20 people.

Irma is exactly the kind of small business owner whose taxes would go way up under the Obama tax plan. And the healthcare fines and mandates that our opponent would impose aren't going to help much either. They could force Irma to let employees go, and even put her out of business. If our opponent thinks he's got problems with Joe the Plumber, he should talk to Irma the Restaurant Owner - because she's voting for John McCain too.

The working women of this country - those who work inside and outside the home - are overlooked by politicians in Washington. And Barack Obama hasn't given us a single reason to believe he would be any better. A company's balance sheet tallies up just the same whether it's a man who owns the business or a woman. Women want the same opportunities as men … and are entitled to the same rewards. And they would suffer just as much from the massive tax increase Senator Obama proposes.

And, you know, there are a lot of families in this country with no father present. And when we make laws in Washington, those laws need to serve mothers taking care of their families. I'm lucky to have a husband who's supported me along the way, a great dad who doesn't disappear at bath time or run from a dirty diaper. But a lot of women have it much harder. They need childcare, which today can cost some families a third of their household budget. They need reforms in labor laws that allow greater flexibility in the workplace, including more telecommuting … and a tax code that doesn't penalize working families. They need health care the family can take with them when they move or change jobs … and better choices in retirement plans … and worker retraining when things get tough. Women also need "equal pay for equal work" to be a reality and not just a talking point. It's that simple - it's a matter of fundamental fairness!