Damn Tuberville’s Hold on Military Promotions
It's Having a Devastating Impacts on Military Families
I am &*%@ pissed and you should be too. This weekend the son of a senior military officer was killed in tragic car accident. I can’t begin to understand the shock and sadness this officer is experiencing and knowing he likely won’t get the time he needs to grieve properly due to Senator Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions. This senior officer is currently filling two critical roles on the Pentagon’s Joint Staff: He has been filling his own role as well as that of a vacant three-star general position for months. In the midst of a major war in Europe and a crisis in the Middle East, this officer and his team have been working exceptionally hard to secure U.S. national security interests. Now a horrific tragedy has rocked the personal life of this military officer who has dedicated his entire life to serving his country and he has to choose between duty to his country and obligations to himself and his family because some asshat Senator has focused on showboating, fundraising, and scoring political points for the past nine months.
I am grateful we have at least some Democratic senators looking after our military and U.S. national security. Today the Senate Rules Committee held a party line vote to change the Senate rules to allow for most of the promotions to be voted on in one huge batch. The exceptions to batch promotions votes will be the remaining four-star Joint Chiefs and Combatant Commanders. If the senate approves this rule change — I’m moderately optimistic that it will —the outstanding general officer I mentioned above will then have a properly installed boss and can take some time to grieve. This vote needs to happen as soon as possible.
The Republican Rules Committee members continue to play political games. Even members who have been critical of Tuberville’s hold and have indicated that they would support a rules change to overcome Tuberville’s hold still voted against the change because they wanted to be able to say that it was the Democrats that broke the norms. It’s bullshit gamesmanship and I hope many of the members who voted no in committee will vote yes on the Senator floor, but who knows these fools.
Why It Matters: Senator Tuberville’s hold on military promotions has adversely impacted the readiness of the Armed Forces of the United States, national security has been impacted and military members and their families continue to suffer due to a selfish glory-seeker. It absolutely matters for this one superb officer and his ability to grieve the loss of his son.
Enough is enough. Republicans can spin whatever tale they need to in order to justify passing this rules change, but pass it they must. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, said it best, “Senator Tuberville has not listened to his Democratic or his Republican colleagues, and many of them have now spoken out on the Senate floor. He’s not listening to those who run our military, he’s not listening to former military officials. So we need to stand up for our military and our national security and allow these promotions to move forward.”
“The Republican Rules Committee members continue to play political games. Even members who have been critical of Tuberville’s hold and have indicated that they would support a rules change to overcome Tuberville’s hold still voted against the change because they wanted to be able to say that it was the Democrats that broke the norms. It’s bullshit gamesmanship and I hope many of the members who voted no in committee will vote yes on the Senator floor, but who knows these fools.”
Complete stupidity on its face; welcome to the 21st century version of perennial dysfunction and stupidity, or what I like to call the modern day GQP.
We’ve seen this movie before. McConnell refuses to hold hearings for Obama judges during Obama’s first term; refusing to vote on more than 300 federal judgeships, which forces a rule change by democrats (reducing federal judgeships to a majority vote, absent SCOTUS nominations).
Then McConnell takes back the senate in the midterms, he uses it as an excuse to withhold a Supreme Court nominee, claiming an election year. And when Trump wins, he claims democrats made a rule change in federal judgeships, so they can do the same with SCOTUS. Yet, the fact they refused to hearing for Obama judges against established norms, is irrelevant to these religious fanatics.
Furthermore, TurDville is immovable about a cultural and religious issue that is destroying our military readiness and stretching thin our senior military leadership to the point of insanity.
So are we really shocked when Mike Johnson, and even Barr, Pompeo, and several Supreme Court justices believe that the separation of church and state in our Constitution is bogus and being misinterpreted? Expect republicans to retaliate as soon as they regain power. Except this time, democracy is on the line.
Bottom line: this is exactly what happens when religious wing-nuts are given power; they destroy everything good in its path, and replace it with a dystopian future, based on a Christian version of Sharia law.
Just some thoughts...:)
Let’s honor #VeteransDay everyday. I have an ask.
Jam @SenTuberville Phone Lines⬇️
DC 202-224-4124
Mobile 251-308-7233
Mobile Text 202-539-7432
Huntsville 256-692-7500
Hoover 205-760-7307
Montgomery 334-523-7424
Listen here, Tubberville, in the high-octane, adrenaline-pumped arena of Uncle Sam's defense, you're playing a game of Russian roulette with the military promotions, jamming the gears while the specter of war hovers like a hawk. If you keep this up, when the iron bell tolls, and it will toll, thunderous and grim, we'll be caught flat-footed, a skeleton crew facing the abyss. So mark my words, if you're going to chain the hands of readiness, you better be ready to don the helmet yourself. Lead the charge, Tubberville, because if this ship sails into the storm with no hands on deck, it's you who'll be at the helm, staring into the gale. Let loose the chains, man, for it's your signature on this potential calamity, and when the smoke clears, it'll be 'Tubberville's Army' that'll either stand tall or fall hard.