Senator Fetterman wears a hoodie, shorts, and sneakers at a press conference
By NJ Chicaa
@NJChicaa (122749)
United States
May 20, 2023 10:44am CST
On Thursday John Fetterman wore a Carhartt hooded sweatshirt and basketball shorts during a Senate press conference about the debt ceiling negotiations. He was with 4 other Senators, Bernie Sanders, Ed Markey, Peter Welch and Jeff Merkley, all of whom were wearing suits and ties.
Fetterman was well-known for wearing that type of outfit while he was out on the campaign trail last year. I was curious to see how he would show up to the US Capitol and, up until Thursday, I had always seen him in a suit. I'm sure there is some kind of dress code for appearing on the floor of the Senate chamber. Maybe there isn't one for other areas of the Capitol. I don't know.
Lauren Boebert slammed him and called his attire "unbecoming" yesterday. I have a mixed opinion on this. People sometimes criticize me for wearing jeans or flip flops to my job as a teacher. I have always said that what I wear has absolutely no bearing on my knowledge, my ability to teach, or my ability to control student behavior. Students don't care if I'm wearing my DNA hoodie or if I'm wearing a dress. (narrator: she never wears a dress) What Fetterman is wearing doesn't impact his ability to do his job.
I personally don't care what he wears to do his job. I don't like that he showed up in such stark contrast to the others, though, because it gives the GOP more ammunition to bash him. They already go after him because he is still dealing with the after-effects of a stroke and for spending time in the hospital to be treated for clinical depression. This is just one more opening for them to pile on. It seems like an unforced error IMO.
https://nypost.com/2023/05/19/lauren-boebert-slams-john-fettermans-for-wearing-sweats-to-presser/
4 people like this
5 responses
@FourWalls (74495)
• United States
20 May 23
Oh, we’re supposed to accept people wearing masks with political statements on them on the House floor but he can’t stop his morning run for a moment to address an issue that could collapse the economy of the U.S. (and maybe even the world)? Does that mean, all those times they’ve talked to Biden when he was wearing his bicycle helmet, or Reagan or Carter when they were commenting while on their ranch or farm, that it doesn’t matter because they weren’t dressed “presidentially” to answer a question?
Sheesh, GOP, grow the hell up. Act like leaders instead of nitpicking second graders and your own estranged supporters (i.e., me) might take an interest in you again.
2 people like this
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
21 May 23
I'd rather he wore cargo shorts to do his job as long as he actually DOES HIS JOB. (Which I believe he does.)
Yes, there is a dress code for the Senate floor, which is why he wears a suit there. It's the only suit he has owned his whole life!
1 person likes this
@sallypup (64198)
• Centralia, Washington
20 May 23
When my hubby first started working at the welfare office, he showed up in a suit jacket and slacks- he refuses to wear a tie. Folks avoided him like the plague. He asked around and discovered that folks dress down when they go to work. They'd thought he was an auditor!! He quit wearing formal and went to work in just casual pants and button down shirt.
1 person likes this
@zainkhan121 (859)
• Pakistan
20 May 23
Clothes should not decide how well someone can do their job. What matters is their knowledge and skills, not what they wear. As a teacher, you may have faced similar comments about your own clothing choices and rightly argued that what you wear doesn't affect your ability to teach.
However, in the world of politics, how you look can be important, and dressing differently from others can give your opponents a chance to criticize you. Fetterman's decision to have a different style of dressing compared to his fellow senators might have unintentionally given his critics more reasons to attack him. In a field where how things look and what people think is important, some might see this as a mistake that could distract from the important issues we should be focusing on.
@CarolDM (203410)
• Nashville, Tennessee
20 May 23
You make some very valid points, in my opinion. Seems he lacks respect and is breaking protocol. I feel for him and his personal issues. Maybe he should be home taking care of himself. And this issue should have nothing to do with party lines.
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