The obvious reason it is now being killed is to accommodate Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), the handicapped stroke victim who wears a hoodie and shorts for preference and claims he finds semiformal wear somehow triggering. The truth, however, is that Fetterman’s garb is a political shtick.
A child of wealth and privilege, he adopted his slovenly dress to portray himself as an “everyman” when running for mayor of the tiny town of Braddock. His slovenliness long preceded his stroke. The latter is not a good excuse for the former, and there is no known physical reason he can’t dress appropriately. Indeed, just last weekend, he drove 290 miles to Michigan to express solidarity with striking auto workers.
If Fetterman can
drive for five hours, he can manage a necktie, just as truly physically handicapped
Sens. Bob Dole and John McCain did for years despite experiencing significant pain just in the daily process of donning their business suits. It is, of course, actually more difficult to pull on a sweatshirt than it is to button up a dress shirt.
