Like so many other American institutions that have “relaxed” — or fully jettisoned — basic standards for the lowest common denominator, the U.S. Senate will effectively adopt a new minimum dress code of hoodies and gym shorts to accommodate likely emotional abuse victim John Fetterman. (Staff, it should be noted, will still be required to dress like adults.)
Democrat Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the departure from the “informal dress code that was enforced,” noting that now “Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor.” He didn’t have to say which senator was the reason for the change — everyone knew it was for Fetterman, who has attracted attention as the corporate media’s second-favorite neurological patient in Washington.
A dress code is a symbol of respect for others. We dress appropriately for work or (hopefully) to leave the house, in a display of respect for the people around us. It would be ideal if all the current inhabitants of the Senate had any respect for the voters who elected them, or the country they ostensibly serve.
Dressing well is also an act of self-respect, and the Senate is woefully lacking in the respectability category. Democrat senators threaten Supreme Court justices and vote to allow abortions of full-term babies and saddle our children’s children with debt for their pet spending sprees.
Most Republicans aren’t doing much better. With Mitch McConnell propped up at the helm, the Republicans in charge enable Democrats’ passion projects at the expense
