Clint Brown writes for the Federalist about the impact of the recent cancellation of the U.S. Senate dress code.
Axios reported on Sunday that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer directed the Senate sergeant at arms to no longer enforce the Senate’s dress code for senators, but not their staff, starting this week. Up to this point, senators were expected to wear business attire, meaning a coat and tie for men.
Granted, the dress code has been updated in the past. According to Axios, Sen. Amy Klobuchar petitioned her upper-chamber colleagues to make some changes to the dress code for women, which Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has fully embraced by regularly going sleeveless. But, until now, the male senators did not have the equal right to show off their guns.
There are several ways to interpret the new change.
Some would argue that this is small-ball. Enforcing a dress code should be the least of our worries when, amongst other problems, the border is wide open, the political opposition is being persecuted by the regime, and we’re staring down the barrel of a fiscal crisis like no other. In other words, Rome is burning and we’re talking about what clothes to wear to work.
Others would suggest that we get the leaders we deserve. If senators want to show up in basketball shorts and hoodies, as is the uniform of Sen. John Fetterman, let the people see how unrespectable they are. The system itself is no longer worthy of respect, and its appearance should reflect that. If senators want to wear clown clothes, all the better.
Of course, we must acknowledge that such a casual dress code is not ideal, but it’s certainly a silver lining when the people wake up and see that the emperor has no clothes. Perhaps voters will see what’s what and demand a course change.
