Senate drops dress code

[Bootstrap]

On a side note, my coworker just got done telling me about a podcast he listened to this morning... that President Obama is secretly gay

That is nothing new. In one of his books he said he wasn't sure if he was straight or gay. And then there is Larry Sinclair.

There are only so many things you can accuse someone of. And right-wing is busy making accusations all the time. That's what they do for a living. Saying someone is gay is a go-to accusation, no real proof required. Everyday American swamp politics.

Same people who said Obama wasn't born in America? Same people who said the election was rigged? They know how to influence people, don't they.

[HondurasKeiser]

On a side note, my coworker just got done telling me about a podcast he listened to this morning... that President Obama is secretly gay

That is nothing new. In one of his books he said he wasn't sure if he was straight or gay. And then there is Larry Sinclair.

There are only so many things you can accuse someone of. And right-wing is busy making accusations all the time. That's what they do for a living. Saying someone is gay is a go-to accusation, no real proof required. Everyday American swamp politics.

Same people who said Obama wasn't born in America? Same people who said the election was rigged? They know how to influence people, don't they.

Boot, remember to look at the evidence in question before simply tossing out pejoratives about the "right-wing". The topic is raised in David Garrow's book: Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama
and the source material is a letter Obama wrote while he was a student at Occidental College. In it he says he used to fantasize about such things. That doesn't make him gay of course but neither was it invented whole-cloth by the vast right-wing conspiracy.
For what it's worth, right-wing outlets as reactionary as Pink News (I won't post a link) have reported on this.

[Sliceitup]

One of the signs of the times is that our "elites" (the wealthy and powerful, including the wealthiest in the world) dress casually, whether at the office, or even in places like the Senate chambers, now.

Eventually, dress codes will just be for the "little people". (Staffers still have to wear suits and ties in the U.S. senate; just Senators will be allowed to, apparently, wear whatever they want.)

Yeah I’m not very thrilled that staffers still need to wear the suits and ties. My biggest complaint about the dress code is the cost. Working around government often doesn’t pay very well, which tends to mean that people who are already wealthy are the ones working those jobs. Add in the dress requirements and it can become prohibitively expensive.

I can buy suits and shirts at my local mcc thrift for under $20. I bought a new instead at Macy’s on March of dimes day and ended up getting the outfit for under $300. Cost isn’t a reasonable argument here.

Having known some government staffers, I can assure you they see no problem spending large amounts of money on fashionable clothes, handbags, unnecessary shoes, and purses.

I’m assuming you’re also not 6’8” and that it might be significantly more difficult to get suits in that size at the thrift store. And possibly even off the rack at Macy’s.

[Sliceitup]

One need not spend a fortune to look professional and serious.

I agree. But one can also do that without wearing a suit and tie. (And I’m not sure that anyone is trying to say that Fetterman looks professional. He doesn’t.)

I'm curious why Fetterman wanting to wear sweats and a hoodie was enough the change the rules? Does he function better that way? Is it somehow connected to his medical condition?

My guess is that there had already been a push by some members to do this, and Fetterman just provided a scapegoat. I don’t think his medical condition has anything to do with it. For those who buy suits, how much would it cost for a man who is 6’8” to buy a few suits? Would they need to be custom made for someone that size? I don’t know much about clothing abnormally large men.

[temporal1]

That is nothing new. In one of his books he said he wasn't sure if he was straight or gay. And then there is Larry Sinclair.

There are only so many things you can accuse someone of. And right-wing is busy making accusations all the time. That's what they do for a living. Saying someone is gay is a go-to accusation, no real proof required. Everyday American swamp politics.

Same people who said Obama wasn't born in America?
Same people who said the election was rigged? They know how to influence people, don't they.

Boot, remember to look at the evidence in question before simply tossing out pejoratives about the "right-wing". The topic is raised in David Garrow's book: Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama
and the source material is a letter Obama wrote while he was a student at Occidental College. In it he says he used to fantasize about such things. That doesn't make him gay of course but neither was it invented whole-cloth by the vast right-wing conspiracy.
For what it's worth, right-wing outlets as reactionary as Pink News (I won't post a link) have reported on this.

i went to Bunny Trails: Politics
P.26: viewtopic.php?t=3487&start=250

[temporal1]

I'm curious why Fetterman wanting to wear sweats and a hoodie was enough the change the rules?
Does he function better that way? Is it somehow connected to his medical condition?

Thanks for asking the question.
Perhaps like you, i trust there are sufficient accomodations that a rule change would not be necessary (or deserving).

Does anyone know when or why that picture was taken? Maybe that is not Fetterman's normal attire?

Many equate Fetterman with high school gym wear, but he knows what a suit is.
As for costs, trendy gym wear is NOT cheap. No matter size.


i have more questions about acceptable female-attire, esp following michelle obama’s almost exclusive choice for sleeveless everything-everywhere. Being BFLOTUS, the message was, “don’t question female dress.” Not to mention beyonce as a preferred teen role model.

i guess i first began noticing reporters and weatherwomen, dressing like hookers, while their male counterparts have stayed pretty much in traditional suits, shirts, etc. (i understand baiting for viewers.) $$$

Regarding senate rules: It’s not about money. Or supply. Or medical-mental accomodations.

[Szdfan]

Not everyone seems to be upset:

https://apnews.com/article/senate-dress ... 91865134d3

Not all Republicans were upset about the change. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley was wearing jeans, boots and no tie on Monday evening, an outfit he says he normally wears when he flies in from his home state for the first votes of the week.

“Now I can vote from the Senate floor on Mondays,” Hawley said, noting that he usually wears a suit and tie every other day.

Nearby, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy was also tieless. The Democrat said he’s been reprimanded by Sergeant-at-Arms staff in the past for not wearing a tie on the floor.

“They would tell us when we were doing it wrong,” Murphy said.

It’s unclear if the rules for more formal attire were actually written down anywhere, but Schumer’s directive means that staff will no longer scold senators for their choice of clothing or ask them to vote from the doorway.

So am I correct in understanding that there never was a formal, written policy?

[temporal1]

There are dress code requirements for appearing in courtrooms for minor vehicular violations.

[Szdfan]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/18/us/p ... -code.html

Right-wing Republicans, including some who have routinely shattered norms of decorum and conduct on Capitol Hill, professed outrage.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the hard-right Republican from Georgia who rose in the House chamber during President Biden’s State of the Union address in February to scream “Liar!” called the clothing policy change “disgraceful.”

“Dress code is one of society’s standards that set etiquette and respect for our institutions,” she wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

(In apparent response, Mr. Fetterman referred in his own post to a hearing where Ms. Greene showed sexually explicit images of Hunter Biden, a break from Capitol Hill etiquette if ever there was one.

Snort.

[temporal1]

i don’t recall any interest in MTG on this forum, or elsewhere for that matter. By anyone.
Not much interest in the NYT, either.