Blessed be the (neck)tie that binds

The U.S. Senate is a challenge to write about. Significant decisions are sometimes made and then changed. I am not talking about the government shutdown, but the Senate dress code. Men were required to wear a coat and tie; women could not expose their upper arms or wear address above the knee.

In a weeks-time, we have gone from men must wear a coat, to you don’t have to, and back to you must.

More than once, when a vote was taken, an inadequately dressed Senator was allowed to vote only with one foot in the chamber and one foot on the other side of the threshold. (Talk about straddling the question.)

How a senator dresses has become a problem today ostensibly on the matter of decorum and dignity. The real cause and a serious one is the erratic behavior of Sen. John Fetterman, who appears in shorts and a hoodie and no tie. His problem is not really his wardrobe, but his obvious mental illness which should take him out of the Senate.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer first announced that the Senate, in effect, should catch up with society where ties have virtually disappeared and guys in sweatsuits show up in church. I first read about the matter in a newsletter from Sen. Chuck Grassley. In case he missed you, let me share some words from it., “The Democratic Leader brought an end to the Senate dress code. For nearly 240 years the Senate has been a place where individuals with both blue and white collars backgrounds have come together in an effort to serve the American people. During that time, Senators have dignified their office with appropriate attire.”

Beyond the senator, I have found no other Iowan who cares about “attire “ and the dress code. They care about government shutting down. Some of us are worried about Ukraine or China. More are concerned about the economy or climate change.

When Schumer announced the change, a Republican letter, signed by 46 of them, demanded he return to the old dictum.

They covered the spectrum from right to left. Three Democrats agreed. All of that has now changed. By unanimous vote we are back to attire. (I thought it was something a bicycle ran on.)

Until Schumer announced the change, the Senate, like many high schools, had a dress code: We are back there. Clean socks and no lace undies on men were not specifically mentioned, but I think the Sargent at Arms should check.

Grassley’s weekly newsletter proudly tells us what he had accomplished that week. There is always a photo of him smiling. This week has him in a tie, but no suit coat. Grassley explained the Republican letter as an effort to “restore the proper decorum befitting the U.S. Senate.” A better way would be to get something done.

That there was a unanimous vote to reinstate the old code is testimony to its insignificance. Forty Democrats switching their votes from no to yes confirms its insignificance. That doesn’t happen ever on a serious issue. And will remain so. None of them really cared. It is reassuring that Grassley was, proudly, a leader.

Norman Sherman of Coralville has worked extensively in politics, including as Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s press secretary.