For over two centuries, the United States Senate had the reputation as the “world’s greatest deliberative body” where formal dress within the upper chamber was the protocol. This changed when Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that the longstanding and unspoken rules of formal dress will no longer be enforced.

Schumer’s abolition of a dress code is another stain for the New York senator to go along with threatening the Supreme Court and equating January 6th with Pearl Harbor.   

Forget tradition and etiquette -- the Senate has devolved into a hotbed of Democrats who bow to woke neo-Marxism. Break out the hoodies.

Prior to Schumer’s decree, Fetterman was voting from the Senate’s doorway, but no more. Last week, sporting a G. Gordon Liddy mustache that seemed more suited for a character in the Far Side, Fetterman presided over the Senate in short-sleeves and shorts. Fetterman’s apparel is fit for the locker room, not Congress. Dressing like an adolescent is contempt for the office and the people he represents. Schumer has no more regard for the Senate decorum and dignity than does Fetterman. 

The Biden administration has appointed two men in dresses to senior positions, so you could argue Fetterman is just following suit -- minus the suit.  Democrats constantly lament about White male privilege but have changed the protocol for a White male who would be just as comfortable in an orange jumpsuit. 

Gone is any pride of appearance. Standards of professionalism and propriety are disdained. Once upon a time in America, casual dress was for weekends and tailgating. Now it is everyday wear in the U.S. Senate.

Our nation is dying a death by 1,000 cuts and dismissing the dress code only turns up the heat in the boiling frogs of our societal decline, where every vestige of American culture is under assault.

Forget the powdered wigs and Brooks Brothers suits, nothing inspires more confidence amongst elected officials than the homeless chic of a hoodie and flip-flops. Today, self-indulgence is prized over self-restraint. For many, Sunday’s best, for the few who still worship God, means jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. 

Decorum has this profound influence in sustaining civility and respect. Such expectations can be found throughout the institutions and professions that inspire our confidence. We want to be respected but no longer think we need to look and act respectable. Your profession matters, but what also matters is how you comport yourself and how you are perceived not just here at home but abroad.

Decorum and modesty count. 

Proof was found by a New York Post reporter who fashioned the Fetterman look of baggy shorts and a hoodie and attempted to gain entry to some of New York City’s finer restaurants. 

He was turned away every time. 

Throughout the 20^th century in corporate, political, and homegrown America, it was jackets and ties. Recall those sepia-toned photos from the 1920s through the 1960s of men watching baseball in suits while wearing fedoras. It represented a dignity that all Americans regardless of race, creed, or gender understood.

In academia, business, or the Senate, your dress conveys authority for the wearer and the occasion.

There are plenty of folks who see absolutely nothing wrong with this behavior as Democrats pander to the lowest common denominator.  Fetterman is a bona fide 21^st-century Democrat. 

It seems impossible to embarrass a Democrat.

At least Fetterman hasn’t showed up in Speedos -- yet.  

Image: Gov. Tom Wolf