Edwards' Haircuts Cost a Pretty Penny

Source: Associated Press

Edwards' Haircuts Cost a Pretty Penny
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Apr 17, 8:10 PM (ET)

By JOAN LOWY

WASHINGTON (AP) - Looking pretty is costing John Edwards' presidential campaign a lot of pennies. The Democrat's campaign committee picked up the tab for two haircuts at $400 each by celebrity stylist Joseph Torrenueva of Beverly Hills, Calif., according to a financial report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

FEC records show Edwards also availed himself of $250 in services from a trendy salon and spa in Dubuque, Iowa, and $225 in services from the Pink Sapphire in Manchester, N.H., which is described on its Web site as "a unique boutique for the mind, body and face" that caters mostly to women.

A spokeswoman for Edwards' campaign did not respond to requests for comment.


The Joseph Torrenueva hair styling salon is located on the lower level of a this office building in Beverly Hills, Calif., Tuesday, April 17, 2007. Looking pretty is costing John Edwards' presidential campaign a lot of pennies. The Democrat's campaign committee picked up the tab for two haircuts at $400 each by celebrity stylist Torrenueva, according to a financial report filed with the Federal Election Commission. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Torrenueva - who specializes in men's haircuts - confirmed in an interview with The Associated Press that Edwards is a longtime client and friend.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070418/D8OIM4C00.html

NT

will this turn out to be a lie like the story about Clinton stopping traffic at LAX to get a thousand dollar haircut?

smear, smear, smear.

Late breaking news, alrighty.

Look, if I was in his shoes, lord knows I wouldn't spend that much on a haircut. But I'm not going to judge his ability to be president of the united fucking states based on his expensive hair.

These stories are stupid fluff pieces that should have 0 weight on the decision to support/not support him.

The vile NY Post pushed this "story". The article included HRCs hairstyling expenses in the same article as Edwards:

"Last summer, The Post broke the story that now-Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton ponied up nearly $3,000 in campaign cash for her blond tresses from acclaimed D.C. stylist Isabelle Goetz."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04172007/news/nationalnews/johns_400_trim_nationalnews_ian_bishop.htm

It seems that Edwards has been singled out here, for some reason.
It's all RW garbage anyway, but it is odd that Edwards is the sole topic.

He basically had to pay the stylist for all the haircuts that the stylist couldn't do while away from the shop *and* the travel expenses, plus Edwards's own haircut.

YOUTUBE during the last go round, the "I feel pretty" tape.

Jesus, they aren't even subtle. This is an RNC op, plain and simple.

or this…

If he can't see that people will look at this sort of thing and think: "hmm, this seems a little like hypocrisy," then it seems to me that raises some questions about his judgment.

This isn't the first instance of this- and unfortunately, I doubt it will be the last.

I'm voting for the man who will enact BADLY needed poverty reform, and he'll do it. I don't care if he has a 5$ hair cut or a 250$ one.

So, again, this is just a fluff piece to distract people from the actual issues.

It's about his judgment. Now maybe he doesn't care what people think- but there will be a set of folks who will look at this and roll their eyes.

Bottom line is that extravagances are inconsistent with his message- and as a trial lawyer, it's hard for me to understand why he can't seem to grasp the symbolism there. Or the fact that it WILL be used effectively against him.

But whatevs.

You know that they're going to do it- and that the echo chamber is going to parrot it. So there's no sense in giving them ammunition over something so stupid as a haircut.

That's what baffles me.

please point me to the other campaigns that are funding their candidates hairstyles or to any indication that that is the norm. Forget about the fact that its a ridiculous amount of money on a hair cut and massages from a guy who claims to be a small town guy.

If he paid for it out of his pocket and it was released it would still stink of hypocrisy, the fact that the campaign is paying for it with money donated by people looking to help improve poverty only makes matters worse.

I agree with the poster above this speaks directly to his judgment and I find it lacking.

I already questioned his judgement for co-sponsoring the IWR and voting for the Patriot Act. This and the house confirms it for me.

...badly needed poverty reform, as well?

any of his predecessors. And no one ever suggested that he save his cigar ends, or Eleanor buy butt ends at the deli.

What, if you have money you can't have EMPATHY?

Tell that to Ted Kennedy.

Hell, people who HAVE money are freed from the avarice and greed of trying to grub after more of it. They're able to better concentrate on real issues that affect real people.

It's early now, but down the line when he's really in the fishbowl, little things like this take on a life of their own.

but I doubt he will ever make it far enough to have it really affect his campaign. He is a small fish in a big pool if you ask me and while he has name recognition going for him in several places, he will not be our nominee.

about saving cigar ends.

Its a long stretch from saving cigar ends to cutting out $400 haircuts.

like you do.

Your comment is right out of Rove's play book. I thought we were better...and smarter...than than.

What does this have to do with the price of tea in China?

His Haircut???? Didn't they do the same to Bubba? My goodness, can't they find anything else to snivel about? Guess not.....his doesn't have a second or third wife, isn't on video being all flippity floppity, doesn't text message teenage boys, and damn it, he hasn't looked at a 10 minute footage of a trial and predicted the outcome....hummm, I think they are a tad bit frightnend...

On Edit: Sorry - Hiya OC!

It's a lot more difficult for Gore to hop in when the top three Democrats in the race so far have considerable cash and name recognition, not to mentionorganizational support.

One notes the Al Gore image in the OP's post field and wonders if this might be an attempt to clear a path for an entry by the former vice president.

I think Gore may yet jump in, and may even rise to contention.

But he's going to have to fight for it.

You would have to be really desperate to attack a guy just because of his haircut.

Edwards scares the repugs .... so watch for tons of hit pieces on him.

:puke:

He earned his money, and if he wants to pay for $400 haircuts, that's his business. But the money I, and so many others, donate should be going to buy ad time. JMHO

Probably for the best.

It's incredible that he would open himself up to all this ridicule by charging personal care expenses to the campaign, and that he would use funds for that purpose in the first place.

Someone call the grooming police at once. Much ado about nothing.

n/t.

and no news to anyone except folks who want to make something out of nothing.

The article has a breathless, desperate quality to it; the 'pugs fear John Edwards - and it shows in hit pieces like this one.

I love the smell of flopsweat in the morning. It smells like...victory!

It's poifect! :rofl:

Cirque de So-the-fuck-what really sums up the games of distraction the RNC are playing lately.

I agree with you, too, that they fear the guy. If either of the top two (Hillary/Obama) newsmakers slips in the polls, for whatever reason, or chooses to bow out, he's raised on high as the clear default. He has the most name recognition, he has a good message, and he has experience campaigning that is invaluable. And if he hits it out of the park at the debates, that could change the dynamic entirely. He's in it, as much as any of the others.

:rofl: :toast:

But if he offers you a shot and a beer ...look out ... Talking points seem to be getting as thin as Chaney's hair....Haven't we been through this one before? wtf:

They live to spew this kind of stuff....................

Naomi Wolf to help determine his image for the 2000 campaign.

I wouldn't want to distract from a healthy discussion of the issues.


(subscriber access only)
EDITORIAL DESK
Liberties; The Alpha-Beta Macarena
By MAUREEN DOWD
Maureen Dowd Op-Ed column on Vice Pres Al Gore's hiring of feminist author Naomi Wolf to help him project more forceful and aggressive image
November 3, 1999 Opinion Op-Ed
MORE ON NAOMI WOLF AND: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2000

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NOBODY!

If John Edwards wants to pay someone $400 to cut his hair, I say go for it. It probably helps the hairdresser get to pay for a stinkin' month of healthcare for themselves...or perhaps a small payment towards a college education for their kid.

Hey, it's his money...

and therein lies the problem. If it were his money there would have been no FEC filing, no story.

Rich man uses donor money to pay for expensive haircut. Two Americas indeed, responds a cynical public.

Granted, it's not the smartest thing to have come out, but appearance is certainly something that could be seen as part of a package when running for President.

How people deduct things for business is certainly all over the place...\\\

The good news is he goes to a neighborhood barber and that probably buys him four haircuts.

The really good news (I trust and hope) is he pays for his own haircuts and that the money will go toward something that truly advances his campaign.

HOWEVER, you raise an interesting point about business-related expenses. We know Edwards sees his hair as a major asset (and, damn, the lad does have some seriously good hair), so, in his mind, the haircut is part of the package, and of course he's right to charge hair maintenance to the campaign. Unfortunately for him, he just threw a bunch of dry wood on the pretty-boy stereotype bonfire and probably pissed off more than a few of his small donors.

Shave and a haircut, two bits.

I only posted the news story. This way over coffee at work tomorrow if it comes up, you will know what the story said. Edwards is a fine candidate I have met twice thanks to AFSCME.

I need something for comparison.

HOT.

How freaking petty.

taken care of in Dubuque!! Maybe Edwards left a huge tip, but there's no way in hell he paid anywhere near that for a haircut!!

It sure as hell bothers me.

I do not donate to political campaigns for personal grooming or spa treatments. The guys frigging rich if he wants a $400 haircut by all means pay for em but theres a whole lot of people out there on his little person express thats scraped together $20 to help him get into office. I doubt a majority of those people will shrug it off as lightly.

Pretty hard to pull off the small town boy schtick when you are living a celebrity lifestyle.

It doesn't bother me that he spends $400 on a haircut. What bothers me is that he used money that was donated for his campaign. He can certainly pay whatever he wants to pay with his own, personal money. That's his perogative. However, if I donate money to a campaign (and I have not donated to Edwards' campaign), I expect the money to be used for campaign expenses, not for haircuts and spa visits. That should come out of his own personal money.

Thought I was losing my mind there for a sec.

I was out for a walk with a friend earlier (before I fell and bumped my head on the sidewalk -- but that's a story for another time) and this is exactly what I told her. She hadn't heard about the haircut yet.

He's already had to explain the big energy-gulping house.

So he gets expensives haircuts and.......then the story goes nowhere. Who cares?

backpack at the debate ...

How does the price of his haircuts or his new house or anything else he does for hiomself affect what sort of a President he would be??!!

These is the sort of attacks I would expect from the other side, like when they bitched about Clinton holding up the flights at LA when he got a haircut.

Rome's burning, folks, and we need to stop fiddling. Compared with what the * Regime is doing now, this is definitely a lot of small shit.



:mad: :puke:

They should be paying for those things with their own $$$.

Thought I was going crazy for a minute with everyone here thinking this kind of crap is ok.

The regime is made up of thugs and thieves ~ this is the side of the angels!

I have to say though that the video of Edwards fixing his hair is a bit icky ~ I've heard it was a spoof.

As to Hillary, she will do well to start using Nancy Pelosi's hairdresser, and go shopping for clothes with our Madam Speaker.

There was a big ruckus when he had a hairdresser come to Airforce 1 to give him a $200 haircut.

I honestly don't know. I remember that flack at the time but I don't remember what the end results were.

Again if its out of his own pocket I couldn't care less what he spends, but like you using campaign funds for that sort of extravagance is not only politically stupid but I find it morally disgusting.

If you are in LA and getting ready to go on TV and need your hair done...what exactly DOES our campaign donations pay for?

If he was embezzling his campaign funds to put his gay lover in a Manhatten penthouse, it'd be a non-story.

Thanks, though, I'll be looking for more thoughtful reporting from Ms. Lowy in the future. She's got a great future in the Republican corporate media.

Day'em....I hope that price includes color for that much coin --- not that Edwards is losing sleep over it either way.

The candidates are on a non-stop treadmill; making appearances, giving speeches, attending fund raising events. It's absolutely in their (and their supporters) best interests to be well groomed, appear unruffled, energetic and well-rested as they race around the country keeping these impossible personal appearance schedules. Who will vote for an ill-kempt, shoddy looking candidate, with eye-bags down to their chins, asleep in their soup?

GET REAL!

I'd rather give $380 to charity. I guess Edwards feels differently.

Tools of the trade can cost thousands a years. Staying current can cost thousands too. And then there are all the other expenses of running a business that have to payed as well.

It's the 12.00 haircuts that are obscene. No one can make a living wage giving 12.00 haircuts for a corporate chain salon.

and I don't think anyone's suggesting he go to supercuts. $400 though is way high end for his hairstyle.... that you'll have to admit.

On an aside note, I lived with a cosmetologist some years back. Around Christmastime, she started dropping hints about a certain set of scissors she "sure could use."

So I went to a professional beauty supply place and found the little things. I figured, yeah these are cool, and asked the price-

Damn, was that a wake up call!

(Then again, these are precision instruments- so I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised).

He wanted to have a particular stylist cut his hair and that is the price he had to pay for that particular person to cut his hair. One doesn't get to open shop and start doing such expensive hair cuts. The stylist has earned a reputation that allows him to charge what he does.

My guess that it's not just a haircut but a color too. John Edwards has much less gray than a typical man his age. Not that it's impossible for that to be natural but it is very unlikely. The only people I've seen who are over 50 that had no gray hair where people who tinted their hair. If he is coloring his hair his stylist is doing an awesome job.

this must mean that Edwards is the guy to 'swiftboat.'

He doesnt have a chance in the first place. Why waste the effort?

I would be willing to bet on it though ... you?

I doubt if the haircut bothers anyone that much. It is an opportunity to spout off right wing smear tactics against a fellow Democrat. Why in the world would we do that?

I find it VERY disappointing. I support Edwards but I don't fall in line with republicans against the other Democratic candidates I'm not supporting.

It may be embarrasing - but it is from the FEC report and it is not illegal. If there is an alternate explanation, they can provide it.

SBVT used flat out lies that questions the sacrifice that Kerry made for his country. Saying that Edwards used camppaign money for 2 $400 hair cuts when the FEC record says so is
1) True
2) Fair - it is true

The price of a hair cut is "relative"......but a great haircut is priceless!

That's the issue.

What about him paying out of his own pocket for his $400 haircuts?

if one has to pay $400 on a haircut to look good, that's kinda of sad, IMO....and I don't believe it for one minute! I know plenty of folks that look more than excellent, and pay not more than $25.00 for a haircut. Really!

...back in 1989 and 1990, I was a hair model for Vidal Sassoon. They cut and colored me, I paid attention.

They should at least put him in dreads for that king of money. Ouch!

If Edwards can't think such actions through and employ common sense, then he's lost touch with "the peasant class" America. :shrug:

Out of touch with the people!

I don't think it will hurt him with his supporters.

Sheesh.

Hadn't you noticed the reference to the womens' salons. This will be one of the major attack strategies of the reich-wing media. They have stated this already in their talking points.

Turn it around. Investigate Sam Brownback and find out who does his hair.

I can see the headline now:

Sam Brownback supports gay marriage. lol

a haircut is not news. it isn't a 'scanda'. there ARE some genuine scandals out there though, every single one of which are white house/republican scandals.

If he wants a $400 haircut, do it with his own money not DONATED money for his CAMPAIGN that people intended for ad buys, etc.

But then I am in a red state.

daughters shop, she does Mens' Haircuts for $25 that look just as good. However, factor in travel and the cost does go up a bit.;)