Who says bipartisanship is dead? Republicans and Democrats alike erupted in competitive outrage this week upon learning that Ralph Lauren's beret-and-blazer outfits for the U.S. Olympic team were made in China. Republican House Speaker John Boehner said Lauren and the Olympic Committee should "know better," especially when so many Americans have lost their jobs. Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, took the gold medal for patriotic fury, however, saying we should pile up the outfits, which cost roughly $2,000 a pop, and burn them. The controversy isn't new — the team's outfits for the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony were also made in China. Should Ralph Lauren have learned a lesson?
Yes. This is a disgrace: These uniforms could easily have been manufactured in the U.S., fashion designer Nanette Lepore tells ABC News, and maybe even for less. Farming out the job sends a terrible message. If "we have pride not only in the American athletes, but in the American manufacturers and laborers who are the backbone of our country," we should show it.
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