Anthony Man | South Florida Sun Sentinel
U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz wears sneakers nearly in every single place: to his swearing in as a member of Congress, to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union handle — even at his marriage ceremony occasion.
How dedicated is he to sneakers? “Besides maybe the White House, no place where I would not wear my sneakers come to mind,” Moskowitz mentioned by way of textual content.
Now the Broward-Palm Beach county Democrat is forming a congressional caucus dedicated to, sure, sneakers.
It’s not as grave a topic as gun violence, antisemitism, LGBTQ rights, or local weather change, all of that are among the many topic issues of congressional caucuses. But Moskowitz has simply as severe goal in thoughts: bringing collectively individuals who have a shared love of the footwear in an try to advertise social connections within the typically bitterly divided Congress.
If Democratic and Republican members of Congress can develop connections by way of the Bipartisan Congressional Sneaker Caucus and get to know one another, his reasoning goes, they could finally be capable of start bridging the hole on main points going through the nation.
“Since I’ve been in Washington, I’ve noticed that there’s very little social interaction between Democrats and Republicans,” he mentioned.
But, he mentioned, sneakers have typically been a place to begin for conversations along with his new colleagues.
“The Sneaker Caucus will organize events around style, culture, and philanthropy and use that to have members of Congress who wouldn’t normally interact get to know one another,” he mentioned. “I want to get Democrats and Republicans in a room together. Unfortunately in Washington there are very few opportunities where that happens.”
He is being joined by U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican, in launching the Sneaker Caucus on Thursday. ”From expressing fashion to demonstrating athleticism and innovation, sneakers are a enjoyable a part of our tradition. It might be a light-hearted option to construct relationships with different members of Congress and our constituents,” Chavez-DeRemer mentioned in an announcement.
Sean Foreman, a political scientist at Barry University, mentioned there “are many examples of people working in a bipartisan fashion because they met on a committee or they had their offices located next to each other and they struck up a relationship that they otherwise wouldn’t have had.”
It’s an outdated custom that has fallen out of favor in at the moment’s hyperpartisan period wherein “voters seem to be rewarding people who work only with their own party, who are warriors against the other party.”
“This is what we need: new ideas and new attempts to bring people together,” he mentioned. Foreman mentioned the Sneaker Caucus is akin to “planting seeds” that may finally produce outcomes.
“You’re not going to solve the debt crisis in one or two meals. But the more you have people seeing each other as humans and working together for common goals — which sounds so simple because that’s what’s expected in Congress, but has not been the common practice in recent years — then you can start to build on solutions that may come to fruition in months or years,” Foreman mentioned.
“This is the first step in building relations, and then let’s see if we can work together,” he mentioned. “You’ve got to get over that initial hurdle.”
Moskowitz has expertise working with members of the opposite occasion. As a Democrat within the Republican-controlled Florida state House of Representatives in Tallahassee, he was capable of move laws. And he was state director of emergency administration underneath Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“He’s a moderate and a guy with a history of bipartisan work, and so he presents a good opportunity to restart this [approach] among people of his generation,” Foreman mentioned.
At age 42, Moskowitz could possibly be in Congress properly into the long run.
His Broward-Palm Beach county twenty third Congressional District is rated as “likely Democrat” within the 2024 election by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Seats with a “likely” ranking “are not considered competitive at this point, but have the potential to become engaged.”
He received his first time period in November, and the primary marketing campaign for reelection is essentially the most perilous. But no challengers have filed with the state Division of Elections or the Federal Elections Commission indicating plans to run or to boost cash for a race. Joe Budd, the Republican who narrowly misplaced to Moskowitz final 12 months, has beforehand mentioned he would possibly run once more. In a bunch electronic mail to supporters Wednesday about “my current political activities,” he mentioned Moskowitz “failed” along with his first vote in Congress.
Moskowitz isn’t the one sneakerhead on Capitol Hill.
A profile of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. in TheGrio.com described him as a “sneakers and suit-wearing congressman.”
Last 12 months, when Moskowitz was a candidate, Jeffries arrived to a gathering in Fort Lauderdale sporting sneakers. Moskowitz mentioned Jeffries informed him then that sneakers are allowed on the House ground (males are required to put on ties) and he knew what he’d be sporting if he received.
Kicks have an emotional resonance for Moskowitz, who mentioned he owns greater than 100 pairs.
His father, Mike Moskowitz, would convey him to Foot Locker to attend in line earlier than the shop opened so he may get the newest releases after they went on sale. “It was something my father and I did together.”
Mike Moskowitz died in January 2022 of pancreatic most cancers, so he by no means had the prospect to see his son run for Congress, and win, one thing they’d talked about for years. “The sneakers I wear across the Capitol represent a pathway back to my childhood and a connection to the next generation.”
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