‘I plan to wear a bikini’: Senate Republicans mock changes to dress code

inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – 273 points – ‘I plan to wear a bikini’: Senate Republicans mock changes to dress code
nbcnews.com

The candid reviews of the new rules, which went into effect Monday, even included mockery from Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who joked to reporters that she planned to “wear a bikini” on Tuesday.

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Susan “I believe the president has learned his lessons” Collins will have to wear bikini with pearl necklace, just to clutch the pearls at every GOP hypocrisy

Still, she's one of the few Republicans that did vote to impeach Trump. As someone that is left leaning, I interpreted her comment as a joke more than a mockery of the change. She's one of the few alright Righties overall, tbh.

She still Caucuses with them so it is hard to give her a pass. The GOP actively makes life harder for non wealthy, ignoring their ongoing hard-on with letting the planet burn.

I find republicans completely unfunny whenever they attempt it, but if she meant this as a joke, it is a damn good one.

Edit: vocab

Can't wear hoodies and shorts but crickets about giving handjobs and vaping around children

Technically, that was in the House of Representatives, but your point stands

Technically, the perp is in the House, silence is still coming from both House and Senate GOP.

Ultimately in a democracy I want my representation to feel like a representation of folks like me. If you want to wear a suit to work that’s great, but maybe us rust belt democrats want someone who’d rather dress like a union steward to go represent our interests. Senator Fetterman in his hoodie looks exactly like the sort of person you’d expect to represent Pennsylvanians.

Also maybe just maybe, I care more about the quality of their work than what they wear doing it.

My industry has largely moved to uniforms. I say we get them all coveralls and be done with it. It’s a job, not a fashion show.

Add flairs of their biggest donors to the overalls

Stan, Chotchkie's Manager : We need to talk about your flair.

Joanna : Really? I... I have fifteen pieces on. I, also...

Stan, Chotchkie's Manager : Well, okay. Fifteen is the minimum, okay?

Joanna : Okay.

Stan, Chotchkie's Manager : Now, you know it's up to you whether or not you want to just do the bare minimum. Or... well, like Brian, for example, has thirty seven pieces of flair, okay. And a terrific smile.

Joanna : Okay. So you... you want me to wear more?

Stan, Chotchkie's Manager : Look. Joanna.

Joanna : Yeah.

Stan, Chotchkie's Manager : People can get a cheeseburger anywhere, okay? They come to Chotchkie's for the atmosphere and the attitude. Okay? That's what the flair's about. It's about fun.

Joanna : Yeah. Okay. So more then, yeah?

Stan, Chotchkie's Manager : Look, we want you to express yourself, okay? Now if you feel that the bare minimum is enough, then okay. But some people choose to wear more and we encourage that, okay? You do want to express yourself, don't you?

Joanna : Yeah, yeah.

Stan, Chotchkie's Manager : Okay. Great. Great. That's all I ask.

Also maybe just maybe, I care more about the quality of their work than what they wear doing it.

I wish I could get someone to explain this to my boss. Me wearing a collared shirt on camera isn't going to make me do a better job, and if you think that then you don't know what the hell I'm doing all day.

But they need to look/feel important /s (but maybe not sarcasm?)

You should read the reddit comments on the threads about this. They read very similar to your sarcasm, but are serious.

So wear a fucking bikini. You'll be the one looking like an idiot, not Fetterman.

This is peak ok Boomer here.

Nah. You can't blame this one on boomers. It's fascism.

Fascists just love uniforms! Want to get them all excited? Tell them you want to plan a military parade where everyone has to wear their fanciest dress uniforms and march alongside tanks!

It makes it easier to tell who is part of the in group and who is part of the out group. It also helps in establishing control over people.

Yes in part but it's moreover a classism thing which is why private clubs and restaurants use dress codes as exclusion. The rich can afford to throw money away on clothes you and I would rarely use but most people can't.

Ok commie

Edgy shit like this is why anti-woke is a vote winner. It's repulsive to normal people.

true normal people see Russia and wonder, "why don't we have a victory day parade where we have our soldiers goose step in unison?"

Absolutely! I can't stand the annoying video essayist lefties and all that. I mean, I'm a leftie but I watch real shit. Vice, Renegade Cut, Vaush. Miss me with that 4 hour long video about how twitter bullied you.

I mean, in fairness, have you seen how Fetterman fits into a suit and tie? He makes anything look like a hoodie and shorts. I don't mean that as a perjorative, they just don't make suits his size unless you want your Senator buying $5,000 tailored suits. Or worse... getting $5,000 tailored suits donated to them from special interests.

Again… this was the predictable response from republicans. They also failed to remember that they had a literal orange clown in the oval office for a few days over the course of 2016-2020. So they themselves set the precedent

I find it funny that they call the democrats "coastal elites" and then are so up in arms when the "coastal elites" try and make things less "elite"

It makes perfect sense if you predefine literally everything a Democrat does as "wrong."

Precedent is nothing more to them than a tool to keep democrats down. Show me the last time a republican respected precedent when there was nothing in it for them.

Literally championing style over substance.

Suits are costumes. The point is to make people look classy and dignified even if they're actually skeevy assholes.

Genuinely classy and dignified people look it no matter what they're wearing.

I agree the proctologist that I recently saw was very classy gentlemen, and was very polite. He oozed confidence and completely made me feel safe. He was dignified when doing my rectal exam, however him being naked being naked part did raise some questions.

The main questions was "What if I accidently shit all over him during my exam. Wouldn't cloths be useful in that situation?"

Edit: Fix grammar

Actually no, I've met some people who present themselves like slobs but are excellent human beings.

"I think there is a certain dignity that we should be maintaining in the Senate" - Susan Collins

" ... she planned to 'wear a bikini' on Tuesday." - also Susan Collins.

Mean she said 'I think he learned his lesson' about Trump and the impeachment, she isn't exactly a goldmine of truth and honesty. I bet she doesn't even wear a bikini, I'd have more respect for her if she did.

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There are greater issues than chiding her for using obvious hyperbole to emphasize the point she's previously made.

There are also greater issues senators should focus on than what senators wear, like literally solving any problem.

First time? She's addicted to contradicting herself

Forgot where I was for a second and thought you were talking about the author of The Hunger Games.

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Damn, I was hoping that quote was from Mitch McConnell.

I don't wanna run the risk of going blind if I happen to catch the news that day.

I mean, I don't think Susan Collins in a bikini would be all that pleasant to look at either. She's not that pleasant to look at fully-clothed.

Senator, any veneer of decorum and seriousness went out the door when Cruz read Dr. Seuss on the floor.

Really? I thought it was when they were showing revenge porn of Hunter Biden

That was the House floor.

Lmao could you imagine if Republicans called for decorum in the House after that

This would have been such an obvious slam-dunk for Republicans! Their base hates suits and ties (and the people who wear them). They could have started wearing blue jeans and sleeveless shirts and work boots to the Senate floor, but no, they need to feel like their jobs are important.

All form, zero substance with these people.

Go for it. I double dare you.

Yeah, why would that be bad, Susan? Let's see that beach bod. Put your money where your mouth is.

You know you've been in office too long when you're complaining about a laxer dress code

Oh, it feeds in perfectly with their incredible uproar over Obama's "tan suit".

“But the corporate class might withdraw their sponsorship if we don’t all wear their traditional attire!”

Feel free to do it. You'll freeze your ass off and be the laughing stock of the country.

Go for it, anything for the right to be taken less seriously than the left is a win.

They are. If Trump stands, it'll be a big victory for Biden, because Trump has made himself unelectable for swing voters.

Over here, the tories are heading for a wipeout. They've been telling us their shit smelled like roses, and it worked, up until it didn't.

I can wear hoodies and shorts to my job too and it's great. Good for Fetterman.

This just means they can now openly wear their swastika pins.

“I think there is a certain dignity that we should be maintaining in the Senate, and to do away with the dress code, to me, debases the institution,” Collins added.

Now can a man not have even his hoodie fellas?

I'd bet a lot of money some conservative said something similar about "certain dignity" when the first woman senator was elected.

As a Republican she knows a thing or two about debasing institutions.

I think Senators should yell at each other like they do in the UK and (I assume) Australia. Representatives can take it even further and have straight-up food fights.

Fake appeals to decorum and "dignity" went out the fucking window in 2016. Let's just be honest about where everyone stands and what they want. The genie ain't going back into the bottle!

(I assume) Australia

You assume correctly. Senate Estimates is usually a bit more dignified than Question Time in the House of Representatives though. QT is just a straight up circus with the way the opposition behaves.

“We be styling,” Tester said. “I don’t think it changes anything for me.”

Who gives a shit? As long as you're not indecent, wear what is comfortable

*opposition brought to you from the people who claim workers are dying to go back the office

She brings up a good point.

Why should she be allowed to make decisions?

Wish she held such strong opinions as she voted to confirm the current Supreme Court.

“I think there is a certain dignity that we should be maintaining in the Senate, and to do away with the dress code, to me, debases the institution,” Collins added.

Oh Susan…that ship has sailed, boo.

I mean, good for her but this is just a weird GOP fundraiser but hey whatever floats the GOP's boat, no kink shaming here.

and to do away with the dress code, to me, debases the institution,” Collins added, without even a hint of irony.

"And the people did scream and attempt to put out their eyes. For it was gross, and an affront to the Lord." - Book of What the Fuck, Chapter 3 verses 25-27

And that'd be the least revealing thing about Sen. Collins if she did.

Hey...If she wants to wear a bikini, who am I to tell her no? Go for it. Unless of course, she doesn't actually want to and is just being intentionally obtuse like a old judgmental cunt.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

WASHINGTON — Republicans on Monday ridiculed Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's loosening of the upper chamber's dress code that will allow for recreation-like clothing on the Senate floor.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia called the relaxed rules “terrible,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he’s “not a big fan,” and Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa simply said, “It stinks.”

The candid reviews of the new rules, which went into effect Monday, even included mockery from Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who joked to reporters that she planned to “wear a bikini” on Tuesday.

Fetterman, a first-term senator who has often been seen wearing casual clothes around Capitol Hill following treatment for clinical depression this year, wore a suit to his swearing-in ceremony in January.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski lingered for a bit longer on the floor in her “travel clothes,” which included black pants, a quarter zip and sneakers.

Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, a self-described "styling guy" who will often vote from the edge of the Senate floor while wearing clothes he'll travel home in, said the relaxed rules were unlikely to change things for him.

The original article contains 451 words, the summary contains 185 words. Saved 59%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

As much as I love Fetterman, I'm with the Republicans on this one. It's the same reason you can't curse in court, you have to stand up at the appropriate times and outwardly agree to show seriousness for the proceedings, etc: We're here for a super important reason. Whole people's lives will be changed based on what we do here. Take it seriously or GTFO.

I get that Fetterman is huge and wearing a nice suit every day would genuinely be a hardship for him, but there has to be some kind of solution that doesn't step us one step closer to fistfights and drunk congresspeople on the floor. I don't think MTG should be able to yell and be generally awful, I think Boebert should get in some sort of trouble that a private citizen wouldn't get in for being publicly a drunken tramp, and I think everyone in congress should still have to wear suits. It's important, take it seriously.

The peak era of drunken fistfights in Congress was the mid-1800’s and attire was much more formal then. If Congresspeople would like to be viewed as serious and dignified, they can begin by spending less time begging rich people for spare change and more time on policy.

If Congresspeople would like to be viewed as serious and dignified,

Then maybe they should actually be serious and dignified.

Maybe you haven’t noticed but the Republicans don’t take anything seriously, other than pandering to corporations. What is the purpose of wearing a skinny bib on your neck and an extra jacket? It used to be to show you had money. Do we care if our politicians have money? I care that they don’t have a lot of money or at least don’t show that they do, as that makes them look more like us and more relatable.

Maybe you haven’t noticed but the Republicans don’t take anything seriously, other than pandering to corporations.

Not true, they also take seriously pandering to Nazis and overthrowing elections. All three of those things are (edit: also) massive problems, yes. Two things can be true (or four in this case).

Edit: Should have said, those three things are much bigger problems than the dress code either way. I wish the Democrats were working on them more and changing the dress code less.

Who invented the suit? What's it's practical purpose? What advantage does it bring over plain clothes other than being "poor people can't afford this"? What does a fucking Tie do that isn't "choke a bitch?"

Well I don't view a suit as holding any import at all, literally anyone can where one. It's such a stupid waste of time even arguing about it. If they wanted to be completely bare-ass naked but in return they actually did the job we elected them to do, and actually kept their constituents' best interests in mind, I'd be all for it. "Decorum" is just one more way to oppress the poor and suppress progress.

I hope you get over whatever makes you this way

What way? Thinking things through and deciding on a viewpoint which might or might not agree with yours?

You can think I'm wrong, that's fine, I've definitely been before and it'll definitely happen again. But if you're holding out hope that your downvotes will make me suddenly start holding exactly the viewpoint you want me to have, you may have to wait quite a while.

Edit: I honestly don't know what people are expecting from a platform for political discussion, if they're gonna get super angry whenever they see a viewpoint that isn't theirs. The more I'm thinking about it, the more genuinely weird it is.

I didn't downvote you bud, check the log.

The way that what clothes you wear matters for shit.

You are judging people on that?

Who the fuck cares what they are wearing?

I genuinely don't get it.

So if someone is too poor to wear a suit then they don't care enough for you?

Can you see how offensive it would be if I started talking to you this same way, even if I don't agree with you? Like coming out of the gate insisting that mine is the only possible understandable viewpoint, and calling you "bud" and telling you there's something wrong with you, because you had the audacity to see it some other way?

Congressional salary is $174k a year. They can afford to wear suits. If it was someone who genuinely didn't have the ability to (like someone showing up in court who doesn't have a dollar to their name and the judge is dinging them for their clothes), I would 100% agree with you in that case, but this isn't that. This is someone who has the money to dress however they want deciding to dress super-casually.

You can think that wearing casual clothes is fine; I get your argument and it makes sense to me. I just don't agree. <-- See how easy that was?

Nobody has been rude in this thread as far as I've seen. The comment you replied to didn't say there was "something wrong with you", just disagreed in a very direct way.

I think you are putting more into certain words or expectations than actually exist, while also projecting your own assumptions in order to allow you to remain the underdog. Perhaps that is tied up with your conviction that performative niceness is very important.

If I answered you with:

I hope you get over whatever makes you this way. I didn't say the word rude bud, scroll up and check. You are failing to do that? You need to read everything written by the person I'm replying to. Who the fuck doesn't do that? I genuinely don't get it.

... that would be productive? Or not productive? Or how would you characterize it if I said that to you?

Okay now go read @NoIWontPickaName@kbin.social's two comments to me.

Yeah maybe I'm being a little thin-skinned about it. But it's a very bad way of interacting online, and I'm being direct about calling it out. Disagreeing in a direct way is good, right?

I can agree to disagree, I can even admit I came in hot and apologize, which I do, but bud is just my gender-neutral passive address.

No offense intended with that part.

Performance.

It’s all performance with no substance. People in congress should generally be serious, and respect their position and obligation- a suit means fuck all when you’re diddly-fucking the constitution to maintain power.

He takes his job seriously. Why do you think the way he dresses says he doesn't?

I think he takes his job extremely seriously, much more so than most of the other senators. Probably that's why to him the clothing is not a big deal, because to him it makes absolutely 0 difference to how seriously he takes the job. But, that doesn't mean it will make no impact on other people in congress and other people observing congress.

If you think Congress is expected to "outwardly agree to show seriousness for the proceedings" I suggest you do some research into the ridiculous nonsense that has taken place in Congress. Wearing suits, banning women and black people, whatever it is they've tried didn't prevent fistfights or drunk people on the floor. It just hasn't happened on TV.

Yet.

On one hand I agree with you about decorum reflecting the gravity of the task at hand, but on the other, there was a fight between senators on the floor in the 1850s with one almost dying.

wearing a nice suit every day would genuinely be a hardship

Not at 250k a year with free healthcare. Tailored suits don't cost that much unless you're a snob about them.

Not a financial hardship; I talked about that in some other message. I meant a physical hardship. Dude is basically a bear. I'm sure sweats are more comfortable for him unless he invests part-time-job level energy into finding good suits.

Dude can afford a breathable suit.

Showing up in a hoodie when you're making 250k to work 100 days of the year is disrespectful as fuck.