Handel’s tab for Palin’s visit: More than $100,000

[Guest areafiftyone]

Atlanta Journal Consitution:



The day before losing a brutally close Republican gubernatorial runoff to Nathan Deal, f0rmer Secretary of State Karen Handel had what seemed the perfect closing argument: A personal visit and rally with Sarah Palin.

But, the next day the former Alaska governor and Republican megastar was gone and Handel lost by fewer than 2,500 votes.

The cost of bringing Palin and her family to town? More than $100,000.

Handel’s campaign paid an Ohio jet charter service nearly $92,000 and her latest campaign finance report shows it was for the Palin event. Handel also paid an additional $13,000 in expenses to the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead for the event.

[Casino67]

That is the way things work in our political world. Beggar pays beggee's expenses. Doesn't appear as though Palin made anything for the visit.

 

From Ralph, one of the commenters:

 

"Karen Handel ran a campaign based on the fact she is female. She was not qualified to be the CEO (Governor) of Georgia – she didn’t even go to college. Her polling leaped when Sarah Palin endorsed her, because Palin in enormously popular. Spending $100K for the media event of bringing Palin to Georgia was probably good money spent which almost got Handel the GOP nomination. Thankfully, it didn’t quite work. But all of the Palin haters posting here that it was stupid to use her are ignorant of the fact that it almost worked."

[clearvision]

Not sure how this is news.

That sounds about right for a charter flight. How much are we paying to shuttle the Obamas and Biden around to campaign stops?

[pollyannaish]

I agree. This is part and parcel our political process. It is not tax payer money. It is exactly the kind of thing that campaign money is designed for.

 

I have absolutely no problem with this on the right or on the left.

[Pepper]

areafiftyone!

 

What's with all the posts criticizing Palin? Surely neither you nor the Atlanta Journal Constitution expected Palin to pay for this visit?

 

If the cost is of interest, then the campaign trips of other name stars promoting favorite sons or daughters should be published by the AJC, starting with OBozo.