To: Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan
From: Mitch Berg, Irasicble Peasant
Re: Judging A Book By The Cover?

Lt. Governor Flanagan,

Two data points aren’t a trend – but you do seem to be trying to make your attire a campaign issue.

We talked about this a few months back – your, um, exchange with “Baaaaahb from FRID-ley” over your, well, attire:

On #LovettOrLeaveIt: @jonlovett is joined by Lt. Governor @peggyflanagan, @MayorCarter, and @theeashleyray to rant about professional clothing expectations for women, airplane bathrooms in first class, and more. https://t.co/qYaLzy27kF pic.twitter.com/9uCEqR1ZbI

— Crooked Media (@CrookedMedia) July 17, 2022

As I noted at the time, I found the whole thing implausibe at best, gratingly classist at worst: you are, after all, one of the four most powerful people in MInnesota. You are arguably the most powerful Lieutenant Governor in recent Minnesota history, since the Governor only serves at the pleasure of the extreme “progressive” caucus you lead, and to court whom Governor Walz put you on his ticket in the first place.

And it scarcely needs to be said, you’re a member of the political class, from a social echo chamber in you can do pretty much anything you want, without any consequences whatsoever (and, indeed, have done just that). You could wear aluminum foil pants and a 2LiveCrew t-shirt, or pretty much anything but a MAGA cap, and nobody significant would say “boo” about it.

Indeed – since you’ve never worked in the private sector, I have to ask – have you ever worked at a job where your attire was even a factor?

But no matter – because while neither I nor anyone but the (apocryphal) Baaaaahb from FRID-ley cares what you wear to, uh, work, you most certainly seem to:

For women who are elected officials, there are certain expectations people have, including how we dress. We must shatter those expectations – this is what a lieutenant governor dresses like!

Get your merch today: https://t.co/uRRGPOeUZS pic.twitter.com/qUIXlQP2er

— Peggy Flanagan (@peggyflanagan) October 13, 2022

I’m going to go out on a short and sturdy limb and guess that maybe half of Minnesotans know what the Lieutenant Governor is.

A little further out? Of that half, maybe 25% could pick you out of a lineup, whatever your attire, unless you were wearing a T-shirt that said “I’M PEGGY FLANAGAN, THE SITTING LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR” in big letters.

And of that (checks figures) 12.5% of the state, I’m going to hazard a guess than maybe 10% would have an opinion, positive or negative, about what you wear.

If I may be so bold, it strikes me as if you, one of the four most powerful people in Minnesota, are trying to find some little bit of grievance, however contrived, to wrap yourself in, to generate “sympathy” in the home stretch of the election.

But then, I’m just a middle-Minnesotan taxpaying schmuck, so nobody cares what I think, either.

That is all.