A New Billboard For Lawmakers: The Mask
WASHINGTON ― Wearing a mask ― or not wearing a mask ― has already become a passionate political decision. But in Congress, the real politics of the mask are playing out on the mask.
As face coverings become a new normal, lawmakers have figured out that it’s prime real estate to make a political statement. If you hung around House votes for a few hours last week and catalogued all the different types of masks ― as HuffPost did ― you would have seen masks with American flags, sports team logos, state monikers and overtly political statements.
Just days after Rep. John Lewis’ death, there were a number of Congressional Black Caucus members, like Alma Adams (D-N.C.) and Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), wearing black masks with Lewis’ personal catchphrase in white lettering: “Good Trouble.”
Another popular political message, championed by members like Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), was a mask with a picture of the District of Columbia that said “51st State.”
And then there were the more personal masks. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), known for always wearing a bow tie and a bicycle pin, had a mask adorned with small bow ties all over it. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), never one to miss an opportunity to stand out with her fashion, had a brightly colored mask with flowers that seemed to match the fuchsia clothing she was wearing. Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) actually had a professionally printed mask with his name on it. Never miss an opportunity to campaign!
Republicans seemed to go the more traditional route. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), seeming to summon some tea party vibes, wore a mask with the “Don’t Tread On Me” Gadsden Flag symbol. And plenty of other GOP members ― nay, patriots ― had American flags on their masks, including Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), and Fred Upton (R-Mich.), while Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) actually wore a mask supporting the New England Patriots.
Sports teams were a common...
