Andrew Yang wore no tie at the Democratic debate on Thursday night, and, in his tielessness, had a successful scandal. It is rare for a Presidential candidate to appear at an event of this tenor without some silk at his throat. No tie? What do you think this is, a town-hall meeting? An outdoorsy photo op? Yet the unorthodoxy of his open collar was on message. The no-tie spoke of the customary chic in Silicon Valley, where totems are reversed and some people will not take you seriously if you are wearing a sincere repp tie with a four-in-hand knot. Yang’s statement revived affectionate memories of Jerry Brown, the most recent major progressive to prominently refuse the pretense of a necktie. It suited thinking so unconventional as Yang’s platform proposal for universal basic income. It may be that Yang, Bernie Sanders, and Lester Holt were the only guys in the room whose shirt collars actually tucked under the collars of their coats. Kudos to Yang for the nice shirt! And congrats to his missing tie on having its own Twitter account.