Senate Republicans erupt in anger over Tuberville's military freeze

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: Washington Post

The war in Gaza and a serious medical emergency suffered by the Marine Corps’ top officer have forced into the open months of simmering Republican frustration with Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s expansive hold on President Biden’s military nominees, driving several of his colleagues to publicly denounce the gambit and urge Senate leaders to take immediate action to end the impasse.

Concerns about Gen. Eric Smith’s apparent cardiac arrest on Sunday, coupled with fast-moving developments in the Middle East, have surfaced repeatedly this week as officials in Washington seek an off-ramp to the bitter political dispute between Tuberville (R-Ala.) and the Biden administration that centers on the Pentagon’s travel policy for troops seeking an abortion. Hundreds of senior military advancements have been stalled as a result, dating to February.

On Wednesday night, a remarkable scene unfolded on the Senate floor as several Republicans, including Sens. Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Joni Ernst (Iowa) Todd C. Young (Ind.) and Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) confronted Tuberville, imploring him to lift his hold for the sake of national security and proposing votes on individual officers whose promotions have been delayed. Tuberville rebuffed them one by one, blocking each proposed nominee as his colleagues’ frustration continued to rise.

The confrontation stretched nearly five hours, with Ernst, a retired Army officer, and Sullivan, a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, rotating to bring forward the bulk of 61 officers presented by name. They called out Tuberville for saying previously that he would relent on nominations that were brought forward for votes individually.

Read more: https://wapo.st/3s9w3ou

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Tuberville hates America

[2naSalit]

1. He's just another...

One of Pooty's pets.

I hope *%#$&*$ and #^%$@& happen to him. And soon. That guy needs to go through some stuff.

[peppertree]

34. What's worse, Tumbleville is holding out in the hope that TRUMP can fill all those vacancies

And you can imagine the kind of coup-happy, anti-Ukraine right-wing extremists el Cheeto had in mind for said posts.

[2naSalit]

35. Except...

He will be overruled at some point soon.

[peppertree]

36. I hope so

It's outrageous - but typical of these dysfunctional times - that one greasy senator can throw such a monkey wrench into something so important.

And an illegally-seated one at that - seeing as he doesn't even live in 'Bama (not that most Republicans there care).

[mahina]

2. Great! Rs, Now do Rand Paul's blockage of ambassadors, Younkin's blockage of Jstice- what else?

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

10. Vance is blocking DOJ appointments

Youngkin is the governor of Virginia.

[PortTack]

3. He's the worst kind of stupid...stubborn stupid!

,

[CousinIT]

17. Many men are hellbent on controlling women. They'll destroy national security (or anything) to maintain that control.

Tuberville is one of those men.

[PortTack]

42. Yes unfortunately!!

[Lonestarblue]

4. Senate committee assignments are made by a Party's steering committee.

“Senators are formally elected to standing committees by the entire membership of the Senate, but in practice each party conference is largely responsible for determining which of its members will sit on each committee. Party conferences appoint a "committee on committees" or a “steering committee” to make committee assignments, considering such qualifications as seniority, areas of expertise, and relevance of committee jurisdiction to a senator’s state.”

Tuberville has few qualifications to sit on this committee: no seniority, no expertise on anything. Since Alabama has military installations, he may have some relevance, but many states with military bases are not represented on this committee.

What the assigning committee has done, it can undo. The Republicans on this committee can reassign Tuberville to a different committee based on obstruction of its purpose. Why haven’t they? Where is McConnell as his Party’s leader in allowing this obstruction. The House removed Margie Greene from committees during her first term for her antics. The Senate should do the same to Tuberville.

[liberalla]

11. What's the downside for reassigning him or pulling him

off this committee? Seems smart and efficient to me. How would it kick back and bite McConnell and/or steering committee?

People would cheer!

[cstanleytech]

13. There isn't a downside for the Republicans since there is zero chance he would ever

switch parties to spite them so removing him poses no threat.

[Rebl2]

19. Would just pull

him off the committee and not reassign him to any other committees.

[Geechie]

12. Few qualifications - and none

to represent Alabama, since his address is in Florida.

[link:https://www.al.com/news/2023/08/can-tommy-tuberville-represent-alabama-in-us-senate-if-he-lives-in-florida.html|]

[AZ8theist]

44. He's a lunk-headed football coach, FFS....

He's not qualified to be a local dog-catcher, much less a US Senator.
But the voters in Alabama were stupid enough to pick him over an EXTREMELY qualified Senator, Doug Jones.
They just select "R" without thinking because thinking causes their heads to hurt. I bet 90% of his voters don't even know he doesn't live in the state.

[LuvLoogie]

39. McConnell is completely on board

with what Tuberville, Paul, and Vance are doing.

He probably handed out the assignments to each of them.

[localroger]

5. Maybe they need to talk to the football /nt

[Autumn]

6. Angry? So they say. If they were really angry they would do something about it.

But they won't so their anger is all a show.

[LuvLoogie]

40. This.

[hot2na]

7. Make the Republicans own this problem

We need to stop personalizing this as a Tommy Tuberville issue and pin it to Republicans.

Any online rant/op ed or post about Tuberville’s pathetic blockage of military promotions has to call it a Republican blockage. The more its personalized to Tuberville, the less Republicans are motivated to stop him. Make them own it. More impotantly let the voters know that this is a Republican issue.

[calimary]

24. THIS!!! Make 'em own it. And eat it. And choke on it.

If we do, we can get the House back next year.

[turbinetree]

8. Time to move every Federal installation out of Alabama

Huntsville, for example, kinda tired of spending my tax dollars in state that does excatly what.......hire right wing zealot that wants to control someone right to privacy.......end of story......and just for sake of this rant......maybe the little dirtbag should re- read the preamble of the Constitution......for starters.....and for the feckless republicans they should have said something like 300 service people ago........

[Marthe48]

9. The rwnj have to decide what is more important

Forcing soldiers to give birth? Or national security? They can't have both, and if that stupid s.o.b. from Floribama keeps it up, there won't be any soldiers to command, because nobody in their right mind would join an outfit that is run by repressive anti-American dipshits.

Wish tommy would go back to playing with his balls.

[dlk]

14. Tuberville's hold is all about his deep commitment to the subjugation of women

He’s completely willing jeopardize our national security, as well as upend the lives of countless military personnel, and their families in service to his aim.

[Marcuse]

18. It's also the GOP's Garland strategy: Run out the clock then appoint MAGA officers throughout

the military.

[dlk]

20. Republicans definitely have a plan to undermine our democracy

It has been clear for some time they don’t believe in democracy. This can’t be overemphasized. The party has been overrun with reactionary zealots.

[mpcamb]

33. It's true. Garlands a chunk of post-evacuation after-waste and should be evacuated.

[calimary]

23. It's not "women." It's the "little ladies."

Too many of us just don’t recognize what our “proper place” is.

[Maraya1969]

27. The next time some jackass republican refers to a women testifying in congress as "Young

Lady" I hope they refer back with, "Yes, little boy" Or if they can't go that far, "Yes young man"

[calimary]

31. Works for me.

[dlk]

45. This no doubt applies doubly to women in the military

n/t

[LuvLoogie]

41. I think it's more because he's a Klu Klux Nazi

Remember when he would not condemn white supremacists/nationalists in the ranks?

He will not let the Black Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs have the people they want.

[Blue Owl]

15. Wastin' away again in Tommy Tubervile...

Searchin' for a lost shred of dignity....

[sakabatou]

16. Oh, so NOW they get angry

[Zambero]

21. So Alabama passed on Doug Jones for this guy

Brain dead voters are showing us their handiwork... again.

[calimary]

22. He's YOUR problem, GOP. FIX it.

Figure out a way to FIX it. The sooner the better.

[Maraya1969]

25. That man is being paid and I bet it is Putin. They need to tell him that they will

investigate him and prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.

[Maraya1969]

26. Here is the sadist's number. Tell him we are going to find the money trail

that is funneling for putting our military in harms way. There is not one doubt in my mind that this is his motive. And we have a lot of good sleuths out that and I know they can find the trail. Please start investigating that asshole.

They also mention a text number but if you want it have a pen and paper ready because they say it very quickly

Mobile
BB&T Centre 41 West I-65,
Service Road N., Suite 2300-A
Mobile, AL 36608
[phone]

[Janbdwl72]

28. I realize that changing Senate rules is probably not going to happen, but why not try?

We can complain all day and night about Tuberville's idiocy and nothing will get accomplished. So how about changing some of these ridiculous Senate rules? Why can't this rule be repealed--it seems like that should draw bi-partisan support, but who knows in the Senate? Hopefully, the same could be applied to what Vance is doing as well. Republicans may not want Democrats to receive any credit for anything, so while some of them publicly criticized Tuberville this week, they might not support changing some of those Senate rules.

However, if that won't work, the best thing Democrats can do is to remind as many Alabama voters as possible about this when he runs for re-election. Campaign ads about this should flood the airwaves. I understand Alabama is a very difficult state for Democrats to win, but Doug Jones did win the special election there? Maybe when he runs again, Tuberville should be compared to Roy Moore, the imbecile that Jones beat in that election.

[usonian]

29. This intra-family feud might mark a turning point for the thugs.

The business of catering to culture wars and the "burn it all down" maga movement may be starting to interfere with the politics of "I need a framework to exert my power" as in Moscow Mitch, who has squeaked a little bit of opposition to maga, and now, to front-line congresspeople who have absolutely nothing to show their constituents other than what Joe Biden has given them.

When the answer to "What have you done for me lately?" is "I fought the culture war for you", the answer may have declining power.

The cult vote alone is not enough. Pitting one set of GOP values against another could and should erode support.

Hope so.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

30. With my son in Naval expeditionary forces,

This is personal with me.

My feelings on Tuberville I can’t put down here.

[republianmushroom]

32. About time

[quakerboy]

37. Their outrage means nothing.

It's all performance unless they do something about it.

[NoMoreRepugs]

38. RePutinicans march to a different drummer ...

He happens to reside in Russia.

[Cha]

43. Good.. Tuberhead is more of a zombiebot than they are..

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