Sen. John Fetterman Is Exhibit A of Why Senate's Decision to Drop Dress Code Is a Bad Idea

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has made the horrible decision for the Senate to abandon its dress code, which required lawmakers to show up for work dressed in a manner befitting representing the United States of America. It appears he had Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) in mind when choosing to go this route.

Fetterman adorns himself in sloppy gym shorts and a hoodie—no, not just when he’s out playing basketball or hanging out at the park. This is how he comes to work. It’s how he presented himself as lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, it’s how he presented himself to voters on the Senate campaign trail, and it’s how he presents himself on the job he somehow managed to win in the Senate. To his credit, he did show up the first day in a suit and tie, and I don’t know how long that lasted. I do know that when he returned from being out for clinical depression not long after he was sworn in, he came back in the sloppy attire for which he is known.

Breitbart News showcased video of his return:

While no one seems to be able to find any written dress code, it became the norm at some point and has been enforced by the sergeant-at-arms. Until Fetterman. How a junior senator who really, respectfully, should be recuperating from the after-effects of a stroke that has him struggling to communicate, as even he acknowledges, is able to change years upon years of positive tradition is beyond me.

In his statement about the change, Schumer said, “Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit.”

Axios highlighted how seriously this code has been taken:

• Under that standard, men and women have been required to wear business attire on the Senate floor — which has meant coat and tie for men.

• But senators fresh off a plane or from the gym could circumvent the dress code by voting from the edge of the Senate floor, with one foot still in the cloakroom.

• They could hold their thumb up or down to indicate their vote and then step back out of the chamber. Technically, they weren't considered to be in violation of the floor's dress code. Fetterman and other senators have voted this way.

Think about it: this standard mattered so much, it was followed to the letter of the law: Don’t even step on the Senate Floor if you’re not dressed appropriately! Perhaps that’s going a bit far; I don’t know. What I feel certain of is that we have lost our respect for certain offices that were once thought of as almost sacred. There was such respect for being chosen to represent the voters in the greatest country on the face of the earth. These individuals get to legislate in this land. No doubt, some will say I’m making too much of this. I say no. A senator is not…