There goes the neighborhood

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Update to 'They loaded up the truck and they moved to…' Scottsdale? I am giving fair warning to Scottsdale Fashion Square – remember this from the 2008 McCain-Palin campaign? Highlights: Newsweek's Special Election Project – Newsweek (November 5, 2008):

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

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McCain himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign, and aides kept him in the dark about the details of her spending on clothes because they were sure he would be offended. Palin asked to speak along with McCain at his Arizona concession speech Tuesday night, but campaign strategist Steve Schmidt vetoed the request.

Sad, but true, the Wasilla Hillbillies are moving to the snotty rich digs of Snobsdale, er, Scottsdale, AZ. Even the New York Times ran a piece about it this week. Scottsdale, Ariz., Offers Sarah Palin Guidance on Her New Home – NYTimes.com:

Moving from the tundra to the desert will be a dramatic change for the former Alaska governor and vice-presidential nominee, who this week confirmed that she had purchased a $1.7 million property in this remote and exclusive community of ranch homes — real ranch homes — on the outskirts of Phoenix. So her new neighbors have plenty of advice for her.

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The Palins bought the Scottsdale home on May 13 through Safari Investments, a limited liability company that was set up the day before, to shield the transaction from the public.

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Despite its rustic flair, there is nothing ordinary about Ms. Palin’s new neighborhood, one of the most elite in the Phoenix area and a place that some refer to derisively as “Snobsdale.”

The Arizona Republic today has the local reaction to the new neighbors. Scottsdale residents react to Sarah Palin's likely move:

Azcentral.com broke a story a week ago Saturday reporting that all signs pointed to Palin as the buyer. Since then, national media have swarmed the topic – including a piece in the New York Times that offered plenty of references to things such as rattlesnakes and "cactus rustlers."

But around some of the shopping centers near the home, which is located near Hayden Road and Dynamite Boulevard, reaction Friday ranged somewhere between ho and hum.

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During several trips to the home in the past week, Republic staffers saw little in the way of activity, other than a handful of workers around the property. "No trespassing" signs are posted outside the home. The 8,000-square-foot northern Scottsdale home, which sits on more than 4 acres, has a six-car garage, large swimming pool and five bathrooms, azcentral.com reported May 21. Safari Investments LLC paid $1.695 million cash for the home in a deal that cloaked the identity of a high-profile buyer, azcentral .com reported. Palin grew familiar with Arizona during the 2008 presidential campaign, when she campaigned as Sen. John McCain's running mate, and more recently, her daughter Bristol purchased a home in Maricopa.

Scottsdale is no stranger to vice presidents.

Dan Quayle attended Scottsdale High School and lived in Paradise Valley. Democrat Thomas Marshall, vice president under Woodrow Wilson, had a winter home in Scottsdale.

Note to The Arizona Republic: Sarah Palin is not now nor ever has been a "vice president." She was a candidate for vice president, and lost badly in a landslide.

Vice President John Nance Garner once described the vice presidency to Lyndon B. Johnson as "not worth a bucket of warm spit" (sometimes quoted using "piss," which would fit the colorful personality of Cactus Jack Garner). Losing an election for vice president by a landslide I imagine is something far less attractive.