So now that McCain has spent 13 times as much on makeup as Edwards did on haircuts, will we be hearing from these folks again? Undoubtedly, no.
Republican officials have been caught ponying up big bucks for superficial items before -- Mitt Romney spent $300 on makeup during the primary -- and little has been made of it. And while McCain has taken lumps for the number of houses he owns (or for forgetting how many houses he owns), the fact remains that the media sees more contradiction when it is a populist politician making these types of payments. Pollster Mark Mellman's declaration in the wake of the Edwards haircut flap seems still valid today:
"Voters vote mainly on who the person is. He's trying to communicate a message about who he is, a person who does not forget where he comes from... The haircut issue is significant in that context; it cuts against the story."