All Haircut, No Cattle

WaPo is reporting that the “Breck Girl” (see Opinion Journal) aka Presidential Wannabe John Edwards, is once again in hot oil over his hair. No dear readers he did not get another $400 haircut, as far as I know.

That Guy

Edwards does seem however to have miffed his sensitive stylist by calling him “that guy”. You would think Edwards would be more considerate of the man’s feelings. On the other hand, he doesn’t care about feelings, only winning elections.

Edwards said that he was embarrassed by the cost [of the haircuts] and that he “didn’t know it would be that expensive,” suggesting the haircuts were some kind of aberration given by “that guy” his staff had arranged.

[...]

In the days after the $400 haircut first caused a stir, Torrenueva did not give many details about his client to reporters who called or came by his Beverly Hills salon. But Torrenueva says he was hurt by Edwards’s response to all the flap.

[...]

“I’m disappointed and I do feel bad. If I know someone, I’m not going to say I don’t know them,” he said. “When he called me ‘that guy,’ that hit my ears. It hurt.” He paused and then added, “I still like him. . . . I don’t want to hurt him.”

Guess we can add this to “you people” as a no-no. Or is that non-non? It is clear he is really ticked off about the comment though. He should not be surprised. Liberals always drive the bus over their friends in order to save themselves.

Anyone else thinking that John Edwards might be just a bit clueless? Or is he just “handled” too much for his own good?

Candidates need staff, and sometimes they make some stupid decisions. I just don’t find it plausible they did this without consulting him, or at least someone higher up the chain than a scheduler. This is a large sum of money for even a Presidential campaign. Even more so for a self styled populist.

The Style Maker

Joseph Torrenueva is a Democrat who famously cut John Edwards hair for a princely sum. What was not known until now is the extent of that relationship.

The Beverly Hills hairstylist, a Democrat, said he hit it off with then-Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina at a meeting [sometime in 2003 during the first Prez bid that was cut short due to lack of interest] in Los Angeles that brought several fashion experts [who no doubt were well paid or provided services gratis] together to advise the candidate on his appearance. Since then, Torrenueva has cut Edwards’s hair at least 16 times.

“[A]t least”, really now. Could it be more? Just what was provided, and at what cost did Edwards receive any services or goods?

Campaign Violations?

So he has a good stylist. Bravo! I have an excellent stylist who is attractive. No I don’t go there to gawk, I go for a sweet doo. So I understand wanting nice hair. I am o.k. with that. What does get my attention is the costs, and the place.

At first, the haircuts were free. But because Torrenueva often had to fly somewhere on the campaign trail to meet his client, he began charging $300 to $500 for each cut, plus the cost of airfare and hotels when he had to travel outside California.

Torrenueva said one haircut during the 2004 presidential race cost $1,250 because he traveled to Atlanta and lost two days of work.

So the first thing I notice is that the haircuts are free? How many? Was it reported? Anyone know? If they did report them, how did they account for them?

Torrenueva provided his first five haircuts for Edwards in late 2003 and early 2004 free of charge. “I was just doing it because I’m a Democrat,” he said.

Five free haircuts at an average of $400. That is $2000. Is that not the campaign limit for individuals? Did Mr. Torrenueva give anymore money to the campaign? Did he declare these “in kind” contributions? Was his hotel bill, meals, drinks, or entertainment paid?

After Edwards became Sen. John F. Kerry’s vice presidential running mate in summer 2004, Torrenueva started charging. There was one cut for $300 in mid-July in Los Angeles, shortly before the Democratic National Convention, the one for $1,250 in August in Atlanta, another in Washington in early October before a debate with Vice President Cheney, and the last was in Ohio shortly before the election.

After the 2004 election, Torrenueva said he cut Edwards’s hair three times in 2005 and 2006 during business trips to California. As Edwards began gearing up for his 2008 presidential campaign, Torrenueva said, the pace picked up. One haircut was in late November, another Jan. 9 and a third on Valentine’s Day, and each cost $400.

Whoa! He cut his hair three times in 05 and 06 for which Edwards paid, and Edwards claims to NOT know the price?

Questions Unanswered by WaPo

Where is Wood-Stein when you need them?

• Did anyone claim the haircuts on campaign finance forms?
• Did Torrenueva contribute any money to the campaign? Did he exceed the limit?
• Did the Edwards’ campaign account for any and all ‘free’ services and goods?
• Were any other services or goods offered and accepted without charge?
• Were they accounted for by the campaign if there were any?
• Why does WaPo ignore these questions? — rhetorical
• Who authorized the payouts?
• How come Edwards does not know the price? — another “my son died” story?
• Did Torrenueva deduct the cost of free haircuts on his income taxes? Not legal btw.

These are all questions that would have been asked of Republicans. Answers would have been demanded, and no answer would be sufficient in detail. Yet here we have a liberal, getting a puff piece on his hair, that is parading as real journalism.

While we are on this subject, why is WaPo not poring over the record of Democrats and finding out how much they paid for products and services?

Liberals and Hollywood

It just dawned on my why liberals love Hollywood. They both believe that looks are what matter, not substance. Just put on a good show, and all is forgiven.

“He has nice hair,” the stylist said of Edwards in an interview. “I try to make the man handsome, strong, more mature and these are the things, as an expert, that’s what we do.”

Good luck with that.

Mr. Edwards, may I suggest some ‘hair of the dog’.

UPDATE

I did a little poking around on the FEC website. I can find no documentation of any contribution by Mr. Torrenueva. Granted the FEC website is your typical bureaucratic nightmare.

UPDATE 2

Even CNN is ignoring the campaign violations.

Tags: john edwards, haircut, hair style, hair stylist, president, campaign, democrats, liberal, left wing, hillary, obama