Could we get a closer look, please? (ap photo)
Some voices in the news media — OK, just Gretchen Carlson from Fox & Friends — have raised a must-discuss issue about President Obama’s Gulf Coast Oil Spill fashion choices. Said Carlson, via Jezebel:
“When he was standing at the shoreline there, he had on fancy pants and a fancy shirt. Look, what other critics are saying, is that 80% of public perception is image. Not what you say. And he should have had on, like what Thad Allen has on next to him. Something that looked like he was a little bit more at the scene.”
Hm. Well you know, there’s a lot to be said for projecting the right image. And there is a widely accepted sartorial category for presidents, known as “disaster casual.” But did Obama err in wearing what appear to be humdrum brown slacks to an environmental crisis?
An Examiner Investigation:
Nice pants! (ap photo)
Exhibit B — these actually don’t look that fancy, Fox & Friends. The shirt may be a little dressy, but — are those pit stains? Presidential perspiration automatically dresses-down any outfit.
If you can do yoga in them, they are not fancy (ap photo)
Obama is heading back to the Gulf Coast today, so a lot hangs on what he wears this time around. When he left, the president was still in the suit he wore earlier today for remarks on the May unemployment numbers. We feel certain he will emerge in Louisiana, dressed and shod for a full-blown crisis. (Check back for updates)
For the sake of historical comparison:
Hey, Fancy Pants! (chicagotrib photo)
Former President Bush tours the Gulf Coast post-Katrina. Note the pleats and obvious dress shirt.
Three amigos talk atmospheric pressure; where to have lunch (brownsville herald photo)
In Texas, after Hurricane Ike, with Sen. John Cornyn rocking the pleats (fancy) and Gov. Rick Perry, making a bold leadership fashion statement in short sleeves and denim. The hat says: Bad hair day.
Bush looks like he might go line-dancing.
UPDATE: Arrival, New Orleans
Windbreaker! (reuters photo)
President Obama dons the go-to, dark wash khakis, adds a daring-yet-no-nonsense windbreaker to the mix. The jury is out on the shoes — are they rubber-soled or too dressy?
The verdict: Disaster casual, accomplished.
