Recurrent Republican recession symbols: baby outfits and socks

In her New York Times column on Sunday, Maureen Dowd made an inspired link between two notable Republican shopping trips. But then she quickly moved on (so much to mock, so little time) without fully exploiting the delicious details of the political parallel she’d unearthed.

The first shopping event, a 1991 George H.W. Bush dash-to-the-mall photo-op, was intentionally symbolic, meant to inspire Americans to repress their tightwad instincts during the early-’90s recession. The other — those recent high-fashion expenditures by the Republican National Committee on behalf of the Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family — became a symbol of tone-deaf uber-consumerism only after Politico let the secret out of the Neiman Marcus bag.

The two Republican shopping trips, in the Twin Cities and outside Camp David, are separated by 1,000 miles and 17 years, but they have several uncanny points of connection. Both occured during economic downturns, and, partly because of that, both were public relations disasters: People mocked the patrician Bush for posing as a model American Everyman who buys his own “USA” tube socks, while the object of ridicule today is Palin, whose $150,000 raid on the halls of haute couture upended her studied frugal Hockey Mom image. One big difference: Bush spent $13 on an outfit for a 2-year-old, while infant Trig Palin got tricked out in a $60 jumper.

Bush’s shopping day was Nov. 29, 1991. The Associated Press provided the best contemporary account:

Doing their bit for the nation’s struggling retailers, George and Barbara Bush shopped at a local mall Friday, buying toys, a compact disc and some sporting goods.

“It’s easier to shop out in the country for us than it is downtown,” Bush said before making a quick blitz through J.C. Penney’s at the Frederick Towne Mall, about 20 minutes from Camp David, the presidential retreat where the Bushes are spending the holiday weekend.

Faced with mounting evidence that the economic slump has paralyzed American consumers, the Bushes picked one of the busiest shopping days of the year to hit the mall.

Their expedition came two days after the Commerce Department said that Americans cut back sharply on their spending last month, a report that many analysts took as a sign the nation may be in for a double-dip recession. Consumer spending is key to any recovery because it accounts for two-thirds of economic growth.

“We’ve got a little toy department to look at to get some stuff for the grandchildren,” Bush said. “‘Slime’ is the name of it, I believe.”

While Mrs. Bush went off in search of the gooey Slime, the president stayed behind to hunt for sporting goods.

“You’re putting pressure on me,” Bush said good-naturedly to a reporter following along as he wound his way through racks of sweat shirts and jogging shoes.

Bush picked out four pairs of “USA” athletic socks and pulled out a $20 [bill] to pay for the $15 purchase. He joked that he usually doesn’t carry cash.

Then he headed to the second floor to look through the children’s department, paying cash for a $13 toddler’s sweat suit decorated with a Houston Oilers design, the football team of Bush’s adopted hometown.

“We’ve got a guy that’s that age,” Bush told the salesman before adding that he needed to cut his shopping trip short because of the mob scene that erupted. Shoppers squealed, clapped and scrambled to get close enough to ask for his autograph.

Whatever the clamor at the mall, the rush of commenters to ridicule the President’s New Socks was worse (for him). Typical was this from the New York Times of Dec. 8. 1991:

So there he was, the President of the United States, preparing to lead by example, offering to show us the way out of our economic morass. It was the day after Thanksgiving. The President had come to Frederick, Md., to go to the mall. … You see a thing like this and you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Tube socks? Twenty-eight dollars? This is how we’re going to spend our way out of the recession?

The most detailed account of the Minneapols baby purchases for Palin I’ve seen was in The Caucus blog at nytimes.com on Thursday:

There was similar confusion when The Caucus spoke with Jon and Wing Witthuhn, owners of Pacifier, a high-end children’s boutique in Minneapolis, where records show two charges of $98, one at Pacifier’s downtown location and another at its store in the northeast part of the city.

Mr. Witthuhn clearly recalled one of the $98 charges because it was the night of Sept. 3, just hours before Ms. Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention. A woman burst into his store, he recalled, saying she needed outfits for several children, including a 6-month-old boy. Mr. Witthuhn explained they did not carry clothes beyond toddler age but helped her pick out a blue-striped convertible romper by Egg Baby ($60), a matching monkey-ear hat ($32) and Trumpette baby socks ($6).

After the woman explained her shopping was related to the convention and paid with a credit card number she read off of a Blackberry, it dawned on Mr. Witthuhn that he was potentially helping to outfit one of the country’s most famous infants — Trig Palin, Ms. Palin’s youngest.

Sure enough, when Mr. Witthuhn turned on the television that night, there was Trig Palin wearing the outfit purchased at Pacifier, right down to the socks — but sans the monkey-ear hat.

But as for the other $98 charge, both Mr. Witthuhn and his wife, Wing, were stumped. After going through their receipts, Mrs. Witthuhn found another $98 purchased on Sept. 9 but it was for clothing for a 2-year-old — the Palins do not have a 2-year-old.

The purchase was a little black t-shirt featuring the Ramones, as well as a striped hoodie, a pair of pants with a tiger on it and a pair of cargo pants, all from Tea Collection.

“Sounds like somebody is using it for personal use,” Mrs. Witthuhn said.

When Republican officials were queried, they said they had no concerns about any illegitimate charges and said they considered the matter closed.

Shipping is free anywhere in the lower 48 states (sorry, regular Alaskan hockey moms) but for now Pacifier is sold out of the “Azur” (not “blue”) romper that Trig wore to the RNC. In a sign of just how much distance the RNC was trying to put between the Palins and their roots in Alaskan roots, the staffer passed over the chance to buy a different ensemble in the Egg Baby designer line: a hat with ears paired with mukluk booties.

But if you’re more old school, looking for a throwback to the first Bush’s recession, you can currently find on auction a child size 4 Houston Oilers sweat shirt on eBay through Nov. 15 for $4.75 — though you just missed a Houston Oilers (not soilers) onesie in “great, pre-owned condition” at the eBay Buy It Now! price of $10.