>>>http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/10/obama_election_night_rally_pre.html
>>>
>>>by Frank James, revised with an Obama campaign clarification.
>>>
>>>Preparations are underway in Chicago's Grant Park and the surrounding area for Sen. Barack Obama's big Election Night event, which looks like it will be a celebration if he wins or the world's largest consolation session if he doesn't.
>>>
>>>Chicago Tribune reporter Dan Mihalopoulos has a posting up on the Tribune's Clout Street blog with details.
>>>
>>>Mayor Richard Daley put the tab at $2 million today for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's Grant Park rally on election night.
>>>
>>>Obama's campaign is footing the bill.
>>>
>>>Noting the city's budget shortfall and planned layoffs of city workers, Daley said, "In this financial crisis, the city of Chicago could not afford $2 million on this."
>>>
>>>
>>>Daley said he would have preferred that the event were held indoors at the United Center, but he yielded to the Obama campaign's wishes.
>>>
>>>"Could you see me saying no to Sen. Obama?" Daley told reporters today. "Give me a break. I'm not that dumb."
>>>
>>>Daley said he plans to attend the event.
>>>
>>>City emergency officials will outline details at a news conference today.
>>>
>>>"Yeah, it's costly but they raised quite a bit of money in the campaign," Daley said.
>>>
>>>Based on that last comment from the mayor, the Obama campaign might want to triple check that final bill from the city.
>>>
>>>For the record, the Obama campaign says it considered the United Center for its Election Night gathering but that it was booked by Celine Dion "so it was not an option" according to a spokesman.
>>>
>>>There's a little irony in it being Dion who thwarted the Obama campaign from using the United Center. The Canadian superstar's "You and I" was the official Clinton campaign song.
>>>
>>>http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2008/10/daley-puts-obam.html
>>>
>>>He wins. $2 million beats 150,000 for clothes... :o)
>>
>>That is out of date. The Obama campaign announced that they will pay for the rally, not the city of Chicago. I read this today and thought it was in the morning paper, not online. What's odd is The Swamp is the Tribune's own blog!
>>
>>http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-obama-rallyoct23,0,5113087.story
>
>Actually I was aware that the Obama campaign was paying for it.. The first link I had posted was correct (from CBS) but it took too long to load so I posted an alternative (which wasn't quite the same article I see now). Still, the McCain campaign is paying for Palin's clothes, right? A watchdog group filed a complaint alleging (rightly it appears) that the purchase of clothing for Palin and her family violates the Federal Election Campaign Act.

The clothing was paid for by the RNC. This was done to stay on the right side of campaign laws and also laws about taxable gifts. If the campaign had paid for the clothing directly she would have had to pay taxes on the value, at least that's what I read.

As you know, I'm not saying they didn't have the right to do this. There is no scandal. It just looks terrible politically.