What Was She Thinking? — Garage Sale Edition

By Laura Oppenheimer in News on Jan 8, 2007 5:56PM

Really, what was Big Red thinking when she decided to sell pictures of her dog and her honorary black belt in karate in a garage sale? There is low, and then there is low.

Defeated Republican gubernatorial candidate Judy Baar Topinka held an estate sale over the weekend to rid herself of "tchotchkes" collected in her 26 years of public service. Included in her collection of tchotchkes are a 5-foot stuffed penguin, a singing plastic fish mounted on a plaque and a VHS version of The Karate Kid II.

Though these items are more traditional garage-sale fare, the sale also included many mementos from Topinka's years in office, such as flags, sashes and pins. Many items had similar themes. "She's a pig collector," said Carole Colby of Antique Kitchen Estate Sales, who helped coordinate the sale. "She also collected elephants and Lincoln items." Elephants and Lincoln items we understand. But pigs? We will refrain from making jokes that could be seen as derogatory towards people who like money and/or Republicans.

Colby said that proceeds from the sale will be split between Topinka and the Republican Party. Whatever doesn't sell will go to charity. Just what poor people need to get them to pull themselves up by their bootstraps — a Big Mouth Billy Bass hanging on the living room wall.