It’s a game of chicken. “You give me this list, and I’ll block it for all time. Give me a better list!” And Trump will keep repeating that until he gets a list he likes.
At what point does the military, or whoever, decide that this game of chicken has gone on too long, and start your civil war, or military coup, or whatever? Is that before of after they decide that giving Trump a list he likes is better for the country than a civil war?
Trump gives them three options:
A stalled leadership, with key positions unfilled because promotions and appointments are being held up
MAGA Military, in which they give him what he wants in hopes that it won’t be a complete disaster
The process for producing a promotion list is like 9 months long; it involves lots of paperwork, up to a 2 week long promotion board involving upwards of a dozen general officers, lawyers reviewing every name put forward, and congressional oversight to make sure the procedures are followed. The list is not produced at the behest of the president, it is produced by the service branch itself and given to the president as almost a formality.
Option 2 is not an option without option 3. The folks involved in producing the list are obligated to follow the law. If they all decide “fuck it, we’ll just make up a list of MAGAts,” we’re already in option 3 territory.
To bring back to the topic of the thread, IMHO what Tuberville is doing here is nothing more than political terrorism. I don’t think it’s part of any larger plot for a 2024 Trump presidency, I think he’s probably a true believer on this abortion issue.
The Dems should do that and force Tuberville to concede or be accountable to his fellow Senators by saying, “Yes. I’m willing to dig my heels in over this.” The Senate is too nice and just like on filibusters if someone is threatening to bring the process to a halt then make them pay the price for it.
Do you think Trump knows any of that? Do you think he’d care, even if he did?
He’s not a leader, he’s a boss. He’ll tell them “Shut up nerds! This is what I want, get it done!”, and then tweet about how Putin defenestrated that general last week.
Tommy ain’t that smart. He has abortion on the brain. The rest of the republicans in congress would have much rather used this for a more important reason but now they have to go along and try to use it for their advantage.
The vast majority (no pun intended) of the promotions are for low level field grade officers. Congress or anyone isn’t going to know who some random Captain getting promoted to major is. A Few Good Men was not a documentary. Jessup was way too famous for his rank. They are a dime a dozen. The top appointments are different. The rest are collateral damage. Whatever is going on behind the scenes is Washington as usual but don’t give Tommy too much credit. He’s a moronic zealot. He didn’t have a grand scheme behind this other than playing to his anti-abortion base.
Of the rage, oh goddess, sing of the rage of Peleid Achilles, Murderous and dark causing the Acheans such sorrows, Sending so many gallant souls into Hades’ abode…
As a soldier I must drink your blue water, live inside your red clay and eat your green skin. Help me to balance myself. As you hold in balance, the Earth, the sea, and the space environments. Help me to open my heart, knowing that the Universe will feed me. I pray my boots will always kiss your face, and my footsteps match your heartbeat. Carry my body through space and time. You’re my connection to the Universe and all that comes after. I’m yours and you are mine. I salute you.
Tuberville himself is saying it’s not just over abortion – it’s because a lot of officers are “too woke”
This doesn’t dispute your claim that Tuberville is no scholar – he’s endorsing arguments someone else made, not making them himself. But he’s got no problem expanding his objections beyond the military’s policies on medical travel to complaining about what he sees about the mindset and philosophy of those to be confirmed.
From today’s Roll Call, Schumer is insisting that Democrats will not force votes on individual officers but rather that it’s up to Senate Republicans to get Tuberville to back down:
Democratic leaders remain firmly against holding individual votes on any of the nominees, arguing that doing so would set a dangerous precedent. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, said on Wednesday he would not allocate floor time to consider Brown’s nomination, even though nominations on such a senior level often get individual votes.
“The bottom line is, this is a problem created by Republicans, and it’s up to them to solve it,” he told reporters. “We’re not going to shift the burden to Democrats.”
Which tells me he thinks this situation is helping the Ds and hurting the Rs and is in no hurry to fix it. He might be right politically, but as a fan of a government that can function, I’d like him to get this done. Call a vote and beat this down once and for all.
This is about Tuberville doing what his voters and donors want, which is to prevent Democrats from governing.
Oh sure, the MAGAS would love to realize their maximalist aims regarding abortion and whatever “don’t woke” means. But if somehow that actually happened, they’d just move the goalposts somewhere else. Tuberville’s aim is to demonstrate that Democrats don’t govern if he has any say in the matter.
