apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

positively insane.

This is a joke right! The office can't possibly look like that.

Tacky and cruel. Two of my least favorites!

enough said....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2OUJ8ZUTiI

Gross. I hope this isn't how she co-leads the country should her party get elected. Shoot 'em and display 'em. We'd all better run for the hills.

wow, taxidermy

Is she a cartoon?

I think the bear and crab are fine -- it's the shoes that have got to go.

What horrible decor. Who wants to get comfy with a dead bear? Anyone?

Well, clearly she was chosen based on her supposed "good judgment," since it's clear that the lady has no taste.

It's a good thing she covered up that ugly sofa. Her pillow is small and outdated. What's that tiny little dish on the coffee table? It's out of proportion to the crab and just doesn't match the bear. She should pick one style and go all the way, none of these inconsequential tchotchkes from TJ Maxx. The bear is facing the wrong way also. Thanks for asking.

Mmmm, dead animals. Excatly what I want to be surrounded by all day...

Whoops, now I'm spelling like Dubya :)

LOL, I've been waiting since last week to see this on AT; bring on the snark!

You can take the girl out of the trailer...
...but you can't take the trailer out of the girl.

wow. insane.

that woman is positively deranged

she scares the carp out of me...and yet it's so interesting to watch the train wreck in slo-mo.

Tacky, tacky, tacky.

All I can say is that picking this nutcase for VP is the nicest thing the Republicans have ever done for the Democrats.

I personally love the crab. The bear - not so much.

given she lives and works in Alaska, somehow it oddly works. Not my personal style at all, but I have seen much worse when it comes to offices. I bet there is a salmon on the wall somewhere too.

Is it weird that I kind of like the crab? The bear not so much. But at the same time it's Alaska, it's part of their culture. Instead of foxes, birds and deer they display bears. And we also don't know the story behind the bear. Was it a gift? Did she kill the bear? Was it her father's? We don't know.

Would we be critiquing office decor if this was a man???

I agree with "Pretentious"... those shoes need to go.

Let's say something positive! It seems like she has a lot of nice, natural light in her office...

Can we talk about the baby oil'd legs or is that off limits?

I jokingly waxed poetic about my love of my Fiance's legs on my blog -- and then months later did a post about Sarah Palin. I'm getting A LOT of traffic from men (presumably...) searching "Sarah Palin sexy legs".

As brilliantly noted on greg.org:
she's "Pro-Life, except in the case of decorating."

I'm not sure which is worse..the dead animals on display or her horribly dated bouffant hairstyle.

if you read the article, it says that the bear was hunted by her own father.

poor bear

I wouldn't doubt that most of this came with the office; stop judging her just because so many of you disagree with her politically. It makes us all seem childish.

Everything is pretty ugly. i like taxidermy, but somehow that bear is just weird. Why does it have this fringe thing? and why is it hugging this ugly couch!?

One good thing however (from the looks of it) is that awesome view. Blue skies!

If she's allowed to judge & comment and make an impact on my life and those I love...I'll comment all I want, childish or not.

Now, about those horrid shoes...

Now, now, now. We don't KNOW if these are real. These may be resin and polyester fur imitations that she got from Z Gallerie.



;^)

Oh... you city folk all need to relax.

I don't care for the decor, but I am amused by all the ruffled feathers of those who just love to hate her for any reason they can find.

I read on CNN that the bear 'blanket' was a gift from her father, who had shot it while hunting. As Governor I think the office decor should definitely reflect the state you represent (anyone remember Super Troopers?!), but I do think the life-size bear blanket is a bit much.

Thats so weird! It looks photoshopped in there. Is that really real???

like i said read the article. (it is linked)

they did not come with the office - Jordan

or are not real. if you READ the article, youd know it was her dad who hunted the bear. - btoddster

items, decor, photos, etc. are usually displayed deliberately, as in with our homes or offices therefore the fact that these items are in her office, intrinsically says a lot about her.

"Would we be critiquing office decor if this was a man???"

Good call.

Do I think it's ugly? Mostly (except I like the crab). Is it in keeping with the whole rugged Alaskan wilderness thing? Sure.

We critiqued McCain's "wall of honor" so why not Palin's office? Gender has nothing to do with it...
well, maybe the hideous shoes...

Are we sure that crab is dead? It looks like it wants to abduct one of her flip-flops.

Looks like we've found the "Dan Quayle" of the 2000s.

I have so many horrible things to say about her, but I'm going to keep them to myself. Let's just say, the next two months are going to be full of tongue-biting.

POJers27, I read the article, and I was having some fun with it. I couldn't care less either way, and find that media coverage of their personal life is as crass as if they were celebrities.

Jesus Christ, there's people on either side here that are so freaking uppity that act like they have a broomstick shoved up their ass. Lighten the hell up.

She's useless.

And the crab is cool, BTW

(blows raspberry)

HA! @ Pretentious- those shoes DO need to go.

I understand the Alaskan theme, but that bear rug just looks SO wrong slung on the back of that couch. Does she use its head as a pillow when she's napping? Just think about where that mouth is when she's standing next to it...

On the other hand, where can I get me one of those crabs? ...to eat OR decorate with ;)

I hope she doesn't get to redecorate the White House.

@AndreaU, Oh there are so many good reasons to hate her. Beyond this tacky display, how about suing the federal government when polar bears were listed on the endangered species list? Or outright lying about accepting money for the bridge to nowhere? Or that she tried to ban certain books in the town library when she was mayor and then threatened to fire the librarian who refused? Or her history with the Alaskan separatists? And, literally, on and on.

Yeah, I know, this isn't a political blog, but considering the importance of the matter, I don't care. McCain is 72 years old and has a history of cancer and other illnesses. His VP pick is very likely to become president.

Well, I, for one, am pretty superficial and not much into politics. The "pro-life except when they are animals and we kill them for sport" hypocrisy is enough to make me question her capacity to lead the free world.
That, and her horrific shoes.

Hey Pretentious: OMG!!! I had the same thought about the shoes... how (and pardon the bushism) unvicepresidential!

first5times and charmac: I'm with you!

Wait, is the bear skin trimmed with RICK RACK?

I despise her on sooooooo many levels. Those hideous shoes just add to my overall feeling of disgust.

o god this is AWFUL. no doubt her speech at the convention will be just as bad

@teeze, while I certainly aggree, I would also have trouble with the "pro-life unless it's state-sponsored capital punishment" or "pro-life unless it's foreigners" stance she and pretty much all the right wingers take. Although, to be honest, I find hunting to be much less repugnant than factory-farming.

Jesus H Christ!

Apartment Therapy...can we be BFF's?? I am quitely pissing my pants at work reading the post about Sarah Palin.

Thank you

Thank you

Thank you.

yeah, because office decor has SO much to do with intelligence or ability (just because you don't agree with her politics...)

It's all in the execution. A bear as a throw? Tacky.

isn't this political suicide? She is a disaster.

The crab? Not bad, if mounted on a wall. The bear? Ridiculously out of place and downright scary. I would be too creeped out to sit at that couch. It looks like she took the furniture that came with the office and tossed some dead animals on it. Fun times.

totally frightening, both the accessories and the woman.

Does that bear have braided trim on it?! I'm losing my lunch over here.

It makes me sad, more than anything. Sure, the colors of the crab are great. They'd be even better contrasted with the nice blue WATER where the crab BELONGS.

And oiled, bronzed legs in Alaska? Really?

I do agree with Lindsay that the colors of the crab are great. If it were a fake crab, like a statue, I might even like it. A painting would be even better. But the fact that it's real is just tacky.

this should really be a weekly thing: rate an elected official's office. better yet, turn it into a reality show on TLC- democrats and PETA redecorate a republican's office!
but seriously, i wouldn't mind seeing some more offices like this... like the "What Not to Wear" of work spaces... hilarity!

shame on her

OMG, I'm surprised they shot just the bear! I am all for having a woman in political office but she hasn't been around in the public eye for us east coasters very long and she just seems irresponsible and a wee bit loopy!

Isn't that the sky from The Simpsons?

HAHAHA the bear has trim! HAHAHA

test

lovin this post - every detail is so wrong - bear, bear fringe, crab, flip flops, oiled legs, tired hotel lobby furniture. Seems like the media is treading so carefully around the off-limits topics surrounding this lady- that it's a great relief to hear some snarking unleashed! childish or not! What were they thinking picking her? She may well be a great leader in Alaska and a good mother and person, a hard working woman with blue collar roots, but those things do not earn you a free pass to being a heartbeat away from ruling the country! Jeeze! Scares me! If I were Hillary Clinton I would be so pissed off. That this nut is where she is now doesn't do justice to all the hard work Hillary put in to get where she is today.

Cheryl K's right, Palin's office does have lots of natural light, except in winter. In the dead of winter in Alaska, I think those windows would be really depressing. Who wants that kind of reminder that the sun is only coming up for a few hours a day?

And the crab really takes it over the top. A definite "not".

The poor bear... the LA Times had a photo of her with a moose that looked as if she'd shot it in the face. I understand we aren't all vegetarians but it looked like a painful and terrifying way to die. She also supports aerial hunting of wolves (the only animal known to have one mate for life), wants to remove restrictions on hunting bear cubs (yes, babies) and would like polar bears removed from the endangered species list.

If you're going to be pro-life, even in the cases of rape/incest (like McCain and Palin), you can't become pro-death once a baby or animal leaves the womb.

I actually thought that this picture was Photoshopped. Ugh!

I definitely agree with abbatron. This office is surely worse than most, but it'd be great fun to mock politicians' offices on a regular basis -- politicians from both parties!

Um, clearly no one here works for government. I kinda prefer a leader that doesn't care that her father's rug doesn't match the government surplus couch that has been in that office since it was last redecorated in 1984.

Lord help us!!!!

i love your comment, Gigi818! So true!!!

yuck! with taste like that... she cannot be in office.

I agree ... the shoes are scarier than the animals ! ; )

It looks crazy, so at least it matches the occupant.

ugh. sarah, we heard you sold the state plane, and let the personal chef go, but did you have to fire the decorator too?

i really can't fathom the idea that the bear is real. she is truly insane. i fear at the the thought of what would she do w/ the vp's residence.

My monitor at work is just too dark to have seen the full hideousness of this picture. WOW. Who can find something right in this room? It's awful!

If this is how she decorates her office, what must her home look like?! Wild life photography I'm good with - actual wild life (stuffed) is another thing altogether. Funny how so many of us still like that crab though! Quirky is as quirky does. Who gets to play her in the Movie of the Week bio? Valerie Bertinelli? Julia Louie Dreyfus? And why does Sarah Palin give me the shivers the same way Anita Bryant did?

can't.....catch.....my breath......laughing..to hard!

The first thing I noticed was the awful shoes!!!

The first thing I noticed were the legs. :-)


What?

It looks like the crab is holding a remote control

OMG all you East Coasters are scaring me!!

You do realize that most of America doesn't put a whole lot of time or money into decorating... they buy what they can afford and what will be practical for the next ten years. Outside of that they infuse elements of their culture and their roots into their homes.

Hoity-toity decorating is for rich people.... considering the turning of the tides that what was once Republican is now Democrat and vice versa - Guess all the rich people are democrats.

This is the BEST Palin-related coverage yet. Hilarious!

Oh my....

clickchick, is your comment a sarcastic joke???

I agree with leen; her office is representative of Alaska's culture; and the beach vacation shoes need to go; nice legs though! I also agree with gturtle; the same people who are criticising Palin's lack of style, would do well to remember the excessive spending and endless redecorating of the Reagan years.

I'd also like to remind those that are all bent about the bear that a while back there were pictures on here by a female photographer that used taxidermied animals to "re-create" events between man and animal, and a the vast majority on here could not say enough praise about these pictures-seems like a double standard, ie it's ok if the "cool kids" use/have taxidermied animals, but not if the "dark side" does

and one last thing-how come no one is picking apart Biden's taste? Yeah, there's one snazzy guy!

alright, if the bear pelt had just been a pelt, it would have been okay.. and could have been explained away because she is from Alaska.. but the head is just creepy. and just looking at that office makes me feel uncomfortable, despite the beautiful window view-- which is saying a lot.

regardless, the woman is a lunatic extremist and has no business being in national politics, let alone as the VP to an old man who could quite easily die while still in the white house.

I wonder if she shot the bear herself? Given the moose...

chickchick - I cannot imagine a bearskin would be cheap (assuming, of course, she *didn't* shoot it herself.)

And, there is a difference between cheap decor and the trashy.

Anna at D16 - the bear is trimmed with (almost as bad as ricrac) - GIMP!

ok, this summer I've discovered Sabon's spray lavender oil for my legs, and it looked (and smelled) fabulous.
not girls gone wild gone 40 ...
(I'll be 40 this year, so no ageism remarks)

...

*shudders*

And the crab is scary too.

The decor is almost as frightening as the candidate.Wacky, out of touch, tacky, and fundamental, no, verily I say mental.
I'd as soon see her shot and taxidermied. She's be alot less dangerous that way.

Okay, I'm from Alaska, and was shocked myself. Geez. It's a bit extreme, isn't it? It just doesn't seem professional, let alone bad-taste. . .

She is scary.

yikes! I feel for you Americans!

Imagine the scene: you're pondering on how to lead a country and while your eyes wander in your office, you see dead stuff everywhere. Chilling. Get some houseplants instead!

Uh...yeah.

No.

I.

Typically Alaskan and thats were I'm from....but ugly and ridiculous! Can we please stop giving her attention?

That woman has ice running through her veins! No conscious whatsoever, no friend to God's beautiful creatures. God, I hope she does not come to power! She's a mean woman.

I find it curious how some posters are attacking or defending her decor based on politics and regional preferences - like people in the west don't care about design, and don't have as much money to decorate as people in the eastern US, calling people with taste "city folk" and scaring you? It's just bad. Pretend you saw this picture before you knew who she was and be honest. To be fair, attacking her politics is weak in this venue as there is so much other relevant material to work with.

Do you like taxidermy, and yet can't see how awful this looks? That's another thing about design and controversy. People with a controversial preference don't seem to discern a good design eye with a car wreck. It's all about intentionally bothering people. I don't really like parts of dead animals, I'm not radical per se, however, it's too easy to go there, and stop short of running a list of everything else that's wrong with this space. Why don't you skip the obvious sometimes and get to it at the end? We won't forget or overlook how you feel about taxidermy.

Just what one would expect from a gun toting life-time member of the National Rifle Association. She's disgusting.

stripper shoes.....

praying mccain doesn't die

Wow, it's just like being in highschool and writing trashy comments about people in the locker room. I'm glad AT has attracted such a classy group. Now feelings for Palin aside, she's from Alaska, as are the bear and the crab. My guess is you'd see a similar scene in quite a few houses on the block, and a lot of them enjoy the pride of eating meat that they spent a weekend working for out in the woods vs. farmed meat. I'm assuming that most of you are vegetarians?

"Would we be critiquing office decor if this was a man???"

I would be.

"OMG all you East Coasters are scaring me!!"

I didn't know Chicago was considered east coast.

"Guess all the rich people are democrats."

I wish the converse were true...that all democrats were rich people. Because then I'd be rich. That would make my life a lot easier. But, alas, I'm strictly middle class. Sorry to disappoint you.

"I'm assuming that most of you are vegetarians?"

I'm not.

The office decor is tasteless and cringe-inducing. Just like her politics.

actually i kinda like the hooker flip-flops...
i'd like em even more if the wedge heel was alot higher
but that's it
not a fan of her office decor

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

Don't be hypocrites- liberals are notorious for promoting fur coats. Just see the NYT fashion section and New York Magazine devoting a section to it.

As an Independent small bizwoman (who sells vintage music memorabilia) and rug maker - it is obvious how overwhelming the "hip"-pocracy is - taxidermy is cool on Extreme Craft, one of my favorite blogs and on some wacky HGTV shows. I think she is great and will prove all you metrosexual magical thinkers wrong. It;s unfortunate, Sarah Palin had other things on her mind - like running a state. She does equate killing grizzly bears with killing unborn babies - because animals and people are different (sorry folks). People in Alaska hunt for a living, especially the Inuits and other Native Americas who live there for ages. Why don't you go to the Inuits and complain to them about their bad taste in decor - you wouldn't dare. But you have no problem with Gov. Palin because she is a white, Republican. And the only thing you politically disagree with her is on her stand with abortion. That's it. She lives in the real and wouldn't dare be crazy enough to think that giving billions of extra dollars for unnecessary programs will do a bit of good.
Maybe the Obamessiah will spend more of our tax dollars for decorating

Ew. And her shoes are nasty, they look like a 15 year old bought them at Payless. Nothing against Payless.

My own personal beliefs as a vegetarian and Palin-hater aside:

Doesn't this seem like an odd choice of decor for an office where she probably has meetings with many different types of people concerning important political subjects? I don't think it gets any less professional or more uncomfortable than dead animals on the sofa.

to Moodsformoderns:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Here are mine:
1: she is neither Inuit nor does she or her family hunt for a living or for sustenance. She believes in killing animals for sport. Immoral in my book.
2:I agree with so much more than her stand on abortion. I believe in science, and I believe in the separation of church and state, and I believe in uncensored public libraries, all of which she is on record AGAINST.
3: she DOES believe in giving billions of extra dollars for unnecessary programs - i.e. the 'bridge to nowhere' which she lobbied for and fully supported until she realized the feds weren't supporting her... then she kept the earmarked funds anyway.
4: i'll assume you didn't watch Obama's speech when he specifically said that one of the first things he would do in office was cut unnecessary programs in the federal budget.

Have a nice day.

oops -- meant disagree with her stand on abortion. was typing a little too excitedly.

and forgot to say that I could honestly care less about how she decorates her office. i want my elected officials dedicated to serving their constituents, not worrying about decor.

good judgment huh? even those shoes are tacky! hello early 90's! If she keeps up the tanning maybe she'll get skin cancer too!

There is so many things to be offended by in that photo.

Horrors.

(Also, the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska is totally full of scary taxidermy. Just sayin')

Hahaha Shoepines!!!

the only ones to possibly top off Bush's damage in the office would be with McCain and Palin... hmm do I smell a faint smoke of the Florida elections coming closer?

Alaska has bears and crabs. They're pretty important to the state. She's the leader of the state, why not display them? Plus, someone that got rid of a chef and a plane is not likely to be one to spend the taxpayer's money on something like office decor.

I cannot wait to see her at Number One Observatory Circle!!

The office is tacky and she's tacky.

Dead-stuff decor is always tacky. I get that Grizzly's and King Crabs are Alaskan as all-get-out ... but wouldn't some photographs suffice? This display just says, "Look at the amazing resources that we're killing!" Yuck.

Um ... is it wrong that I love her outfit?

I'm not one for taxidermy, but I'll take the antlers and songbirds if I must choose.

And who in their right mind thinks that this nimrod has great legs? Come one, people!

She is wrong for our country on so many levels but especially in the personal/political ideology realm.

I think the crab and the bear should go. How about a lovely stuffed Democrat gracefully flanked over the sofa and, perhaps, a stuffed and mounted Democratic head tastefully displayed near the books on the coffee table? :-p

no problem with the animals, just the tacky placement and terrible furniture

"Plus, someone that got rid of a chef and a plane is not likely to be one to spend the taxpayer's money on something like office decor."

http://anchorage.craigslist.org/fur/774199297.html
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/clt/775241620.html
or even
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/fuo/820625232.html
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/fuo/820497125.html
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/fuo/816621326.html
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/fuo/809750824.html
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/fuo/809750824.html

I refrained from posting the $5 couch described as ugly, even though it's better than the one she has.

I have to admit, I couldn't find in short order a coffee table that I was confident was any nicer or prettier than the one she already had. I guess that's what people mean when they excuse this look as being typical of Alaska. I'm sorry, Alaska!

I would turn the crab into a wall clock, and set the bear sitting up in a wing chair reading the paper if it were my office.

She is the governor of Alaska - the animals are great. I am not so sure about that pillow; maybe the flower in the pattern is the state flower of Alaska...? I really hope so.

to babaymomma; it is so easy to compare what Palin HAS done to what obama SAYS that he will do; two different things completely, all magical thinking aside. Obama also said that he would stop accepting/using election funds after the 85 million proposed; he immediately changed his mind about that; he talks about his voting record, but if you look here, http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/votes/
you'll see that more often than not, he does not vote (maybe he was too busy writing 2 books in 4 years about how great his is) Also, I find it really interesting that libracrats focus on Palin's religious belief's being intertwined with her policy, yet completely ignore that Obama went to a hate-mongering church for 20 years, and called the leader of that church his "spiritual adviser", and shows that he believes the teachings this "church" by refusing to address the flag.(oh, I know, what a bitter, gun-toting, bible-holding thing to say-wait, where I have I heard that before?) You seem to have a duplicity in your thinking-there is no way that if any politician went to the same type of church, but the race was reversed, that anyone would ever accept that candidate. How can you reasonably attack one candidate's religious belief's and ignore the other. That IS magical thinking; Obama has become the new religion. And by the way I plan on writing in Ron Paul-I vote by person, not party

my favorite comment here is that the crab looks like it's holding the remote control. bah-hah-hah!

Wow. I came here to take a break from the political blogs. I was, of course, curious when I saw this post. The comments were good until the completely design-irrelevant ones came up.

Don't we get enough of that elsewhere? We've heard it already. And some of you are sounding like those dreadful Whole Foods Creative Class snobs. Ugh.

Q: "Alaska has bears and crabs. They're pretty important to the state. She's the leader of the state, why not display them?"

A: Because to many of us that value all living creatures --animal and human-- this "display" is grotesque.

Ok, the comments are the best especially the ones from the republicans.

1.I grew up hunting, cleaning and eating Bambi and his little friend Thumper for dinner. as a little kid we dressed our dolls in bunny pelts.

1A-that bear was not hunted for food, they decorated it with rick rack trim and it doesn't work at all with that couch!

2.I've been to Alaska around 20 times now.
seriously people do not decorate their homes like this! I've seen more taxidermy in rural pennsylvania than in Alaska. There are far fewer animals there and it's only darn rich people that can go for the fancy bear and wolves hunt by helicopter.

3.People talking about how poor Mrs. Palin is should realize she is a millionaire. sure she doesn't make 5 million a year so maybe she isn't rich using McCain standards.

4.there is no way if a person put aside their political beliefs they wouldn't find this tacky and ugly. most public offices are boring and not that great but she's managed to make it look worse not better.

5.and for the folks crying it's because she is a woman, umm weren't we just mocking McCain wall of false glory and I'd more than happy to mock Biden or Obama's office if there was something to mock.

"I don't care for the decor, but I am amused by all the ruffled feathers of those who just love to hate her for any reason they can find." So true. Typical Liberal discussion. Decor it AWFUL. Liberal mentality of "No reason to hate the woman so......well, lets just hate her." Theo J, you sound like the stereotypical Liberal idiot. Run your mouth, attempt to sound intelligent and have nothing to back any of it up. Asses like you do nothing to help the reputations of Democrats.

An odd way to pay tribute to the natural resources of Alaska.

Heard her talk, though, that "people are the state's most valuable natural resource" so I'm assuming there is a dead guy propped up in another corner of the office just out of camera range?

But where's her in-office chapel???

"Liberal mentality of "No reason to hate the woman so......well, lets just hate her." "

That's not a liberal mentality. That goes the same for Republicans and/or conservatives, whatever you label yourself.

Sarah Palin doesn't seem to notice or care that her office is ugly. That's the topic. There's really nothing else that needs to be said or implied.

Volvoguy, shame on you! Generalizing all Liberal discourse on the basis of one blog comment about office design is just weak. And name-calling (e.g. "Liberal Idiot" and "Asses") does nothing to set you apart from people who "run [their] mouth, attemtp to sound intelligent... [and] do nothing to help the reputation of [Republicans]."

As for Palin's office, I personally find it to be tacky, and would continue to find it tacky even if she were a man, a liberal, or even Jesus H. Christ. The big dead bear with fringe is a total eyesore, and the creepy crab is just over the top. Definitely a NOT.

This is in a magazine and she apparently invited these people into her office. This office represents her and her ideals. That is why it is relevant. She WANTS the country to see her office and thinks that her taxidermy and crappy furniture are going to make her more accessible to the public. It's the game they've been playing since they introduced her. I wish she would stand behind her political actions rather than her family and dead animal decorations.

"I find it curious how some posters are attacking or defending her decor based on politics and regional preferences - like people in the west don't care about design, and don't have as much money to decorate as people in the eastern US, calling people with taste "city folk" and scaring you? It's just bad. Pretend you saw this picture before you knew who she was and be honest. To be fair, attacking her politics is weak in this venue as there is so much other relevant material to work with."

A perfect response to what's slowly degraded into a "I hate you/you suck" discussion. The decor speaks for itself without any of the political baggage...

I don't advocate decorate with seafood. That is tacky, whether you are putting a giant crab on your table or a stuffed marlin on your wall. It's tacky in Alaska, New York, Kansas, Florida, wherever.

The bear is gross. Maybe it would be less gross without the head and the weird gold trimming.

The couch looks like something out of a Holiday Inn. Maybe it looks better in person.

Governor Palin redecorated her office twice, in her short tenure, and must bear (no pun intended) responsibility for it. This is not a roomful of leftovers from a previous tenant, this is how she wants it to look. It's the same thought process which led to her selection of those dreadful shoes to offset the outfit pictured.

Do you want that sort of judgment to represent you?

Imagine waking up from a long nap on that sofa.

oof. No. No. No.
This is just bad decorating, regardless of politics, economics or anything else. Blurgh.

dolcevita, I know why Palin likes the crab and the hideous red patent platform flipflops:
they remind her of the blood that drips from the animals she murders for sport, from the women who will resort to illegal abortions if she has her way with Roe v. Wade, and from our sad, little, shredded Constitution and Bill of Rights after she crosses them out with her hockey-mom-pit-bull lipstick.

wow, everyone got in on this one...

All this talk about the "braid/rickrack/trimming" has got me laughing. Animal rugs are generally backed with felt to preserve the hide, pad it and protect it from rubbing/sliding on the floor. Sometimes the taxidermist uses two layers of heavy felt and uses pinking shears to create a shaped edge. This bear rug just happens to be backed with black felt and then backed again with a caramel colored felt. The top layer (black) has been cut away to reveal a nicely cut bottom layer (caramel) I do agree that it would look a hundred times better on a clean bright hardwood floor.

"Asses like you do nothing to help the reputations of Democrats."

Asses like you ARE the problem with conservatives.

Well, I can hardly make it though all of the above comments but I am hoping that the vast majority recognizes that this cave-woman, in addition to having nothing positive to contribute to the executive branch of this country, has no design acumen whatsoever.

I'm guessing she's as into expensive designers as she is jets and chefs. Kudos to her for caring less about a swanky office decor, choosing comfy and relevent to her state, and more about being fiscally responsible. That said, not wild about the dead bear on the sofa....

Wow. victorian chic.
I guess it goes along with her family values.
It's just too bad she doesn't have the time to take care of her own family.

By the way, when is the little bastard er grandbaby due?

I have to say I was surprised to not see a terranium....doesn't she ever need to take a breeder? (in between troupergate calls)

The woman ought to be commended on her dedication!

Hey, I lived in Alaska for one whole year and that crab is her lunch! That's all there was to eat up there. And that is not a dead polar bear...it's just another poor bear that's not a polar bear. That woman belongs up there...the people are weird and I was so glad to get out of there (it took me a year to save up the airfare)! And you're right...it's not ever warm enough to wear flip flops unless you're insane. There's six inches of permafrost below the top soil.

Who said I was conservative? Im not. It doesnt matter. It just kills me how evertime something political is brought on this site (why ANYTHING political is posted on a HOME/GARDEN/DESIGN blog is beyond me) it is always brought up by some flag waving, sign holding, street marching, factless liberal. Always boo to the right and Vote Obama. I have never seen a post on here blast the democratic side first. Only after the left has spoken does the right seem to as well. Yeah, and Tiffany, I'm still drying the tears.....

This is an space for deco, not politics. Her deco: terrible. Stop trying to justify her bad taste.

Just goes to show snotty elites with their johnny come lately modernist design decor aficianadoes loathe and despise "the common man and woman. None of self absorbed critics give a caribou's ass about anyone but yourselves. I get it - you hate her, you hate the decor, you hate her clothes, shoes, what she stands for. You hate she doesn't equivocate nature and humans because she believes in God is above nature. Only in the last ten years, has hunting (which I am personally against for me) been been officially declared wrong - even if humans have been doing it since they existed on earth. But you guys know better. You stand for nothing, and I am so very glad I did not go to college to learn this garbage.
I am glad none of you care that we are infiltrated by Islamic fundamentalists who are laughing at stupid Americans who have allowed themselves to be pussy-whipped into submission.

redwise25 said it well, "cave--woman" applies. Yes, we dislike someone who pretends to lead, when her record is falling into the heading of "bullying" and fiscal irresponsibility. Take the example of her trying to ban books from her town's library. The librarian eventually had to quit. She tried to censor sweet books such as Harry Potter; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing; James and the Giant Peach; Little Red Riding Hood; Catcher in the Rye; etc..
She is an extremist, as is implied by her "horror film" decor.

One more thing, and this is for Moodsformoderns: Please do not buy that she is a "common" man or woman. That's the trick of the eye that is being played here.
A revealing letter from a peer of Palin's from High School has circulated a letter about her true sides:

•"pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union."

"Palin inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million."

Boy, does that lady have some crazy crabs or what?

ChezUs - wish i thought of that!! lol

Moodsformoderns so much anger!

uh, and to any number of other comments, why is this a space to criticize people for having interest in design/decor? isn't that why we're all on this site?

anyway, regardless of politics and dead bears, none of this goes together! the pillow, the couch? what?!

And please don't argue that she doesn't have money or time to "redo" the office. She could just remove the bear if she didn't want it. Whether it was she or her photographer/campaign/whoever who sought a reaction, this is a rather deliberately loaded image, is it not?

I'm not sure what is the worst thing in this room. The shoes? The fake tan in Alaska? The braided fringe on that poor bear? The crab?

It's your choice!

Oh, my mistake. There are no choices.

So much for the common touch. Apparently she spent $50K (!) decorating that office.

"Would we be critiquing office decor if this was a man???"

YES.

the office decor is just as tacky as the shoes.... eeeewww eeewww eeewwwww

I agree with Jordan. Aside from that it appears that AT lacks the sophistication to rise above cheesy political liberal bashing by even posting this article for the editors' self righteous views.

Seriously. Seriously? This is worse than the Republican state senator i used to work for, whose office looked like a smoky pool hall-sherry, cigars, and green felt everywhere. i shiver at the memory.