It’s been nearly a week since we learned Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had “quietly” and “informally” changed the dress code to allow Senators, but not their staff and guests, to pretty much wear anything they want on the Senate floor. It was a move obviously made to cater to Sen. John Fetterman’s penchant for showing up to work with that “just rolled out of bed” look.
Since that time, Fetterman has taken to both MSNBC and the Twitter machine to make a “jagoff” (his spelling) out of himself over the matter, with crude comments made to and about Republican members of the House including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
In addition to that, he has since officially presided over the Senate looking like he just left the gym, and attended an important meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with that same rumpled look.
But as the debate on Capitol Hill is still swirling over whether Schumer’s change was right or wrong, with Sens. Joe Manchin and Dick Durbin being among the Democrats fighting to change it back, some have taken a different approach to weighing in on the issue, like New York Post reporter Jon Levine, who dressed as John Fetterman earlier this week and attempted to eat at some fine dining establishments in New York City.
As he noted, it “did not go well”:
NEW from me
I went to New York City’s nicest restaurants dressed as John Fetterman — It didn’t go well!https://t.co/N1U7i36qLe
— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) September 23, 2023
From his story (which has some pretty amusing photos of Levine’s interactions with staff):
Intrepid Post reporter Jon Levine learned that hard truth this week when he crisscrossed the Big Apple’s culinary landmarks wearing Fetterman’s trademark hoodie, gym shorts and sneakers and tried to gain entry — only to face scorn and mockery from maître d’s with more common sense than Congress.
“He would not be permitted here,” sniffed a maître d at Daniel on the Upper East Side, where a seven-course tasting menu runs $275.
She admitted she didn’t know who Fetterman was.
“We have turned away guests for being improperly dressed regardless of their occupation,” she continued.
At famed Le Bernardin, a suited maître d named Julien served up an amuse bouche of stink-eye when The Post arrived.
Levine received similar reactions from other swanky spots he tried to enter, with one “double-Michelin star” restaurant telling him it didn’t matter if he was Lady Gaga, that he was still not getting into their establishment in hoodie, shorts, and tennis shoes. One place, though, was nice enough to let Levine go in to use the restroom.
Since Levine’s story went up, some have quipped that maybe he deserves Pulitzer consideration:
I love this. You deserve a Pulitzer.
— Dr. Jebra Faushay (@JebraFaushay) September 23, 2023
cc @pulitzercenter https://t.co/zU2zLCGjLY
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) September 23, 2023
Count me in as endorsing the idea, though I suspect our resident Pulitzer Prize expert Brad Slager might disagree…
In any event, a cute story to get the weekend started off on the right note. Enjoy it, y’all.
Related: Straw-Hatted South Carolina Retiree Gives the Accounting We All Need of What He Heard During F-35 Crash
