Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday evening sought and received unanimous consent to confirm the promotions of 11 four-star generals that had been held up for months by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville ® to protest the Pentagon’s abortion policies.

Schumer broke Tuberville’s blockade of more than 300 lower-ranking military promotions earlier this month, but the Alabama senator insisted at the time on holding up 11 of the highest-ranking officers so as not to capitulate completely to Democrats.

Tuberville demanded at the time that the promotions of the 11 four-star generals go through regular order on the Senate floor. He wanted senators to vote on procedural motions to end debate and then vote again to confirm the military promotions individually.

  • FuglyDuck
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    7411 months ago

    nothing. He was trying to hold those positions for Trump. Kinda like McConnell did with SCOTUS nominations.

    • admiralteal
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      11 months ago

      That’s not totally true. It probably worsened our military readiness and caused all kinds of knock-on effects fucking with the already terrible bureaucracy of the armed forces.

      It also sent a CLEAR message to all enlisted members with uteruses that they need to be aware that their body autonomy may be revoked at any second.

      • FuglyDuck
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        1111 months ago

        Well, yes. That’s all true. I don’t think Tuberville intended to fuck with readiness. or send such a message. rather… he would have greatly preffered to actually revoke said autonomy. In that goal, sending the message probably did far more harm… as did fucking with readiness. I suspect his motive was to assist Trump in overthrowing the military. Its feeble-minded to think that they could oust some officers, install their own fuckheads and the rest of the military would fall in line… but then, Trump and Tuber aren’t exactly the brightest potato-lamps. (sorry. couldn’t resist.)

          • FuglyDuck
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            011 months ago

            I don’t think he’s smart enough to have understood these consequences.

            He’s a moron. I suspect he legitimately believed that the military could keep going without the officers. (And in some respects, it could.)

            I’m not saying that he isn’t vile, or isn’t evil. And I’m not saying his bullshit didn’t have consequences I’m saying he’s too dumb to have understood actions have consequences.

        • Jaysyn
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          11 months ago

          Alabama has already lost new military programs & base upgrades because of Tuberville’s antics. Don’t be shocked if they start closing & relocating military bases in the South in the next few years due to potential readiness issues.

      • @Feirdro@lemmy.world
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        1011 months ago

        You don’t get it— Military readiness doesn’t matter because the US is a perfect, infinitely strong nation that is god-ordained to rule forever, as long as the blood of the nation isn’t poisoned by immigrants and abortion.

        Therefore, anything done to further the cause is in the interest of the Homeland.

        /s ffs

      • @AquaTofana@lemmy.world
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        511 months ago

        Yeah. Military member with a uterus stationed in TexAss here. We’re tracking how precarious the situation and how much Tuberville and supporters are fucksticks.

        I would highly, highly recommend that anyone with a uterus who values their bodily autonomy heavily reconsider joining the military at this point. I’m grateful for the steps that the DoD is taking for us. I’m grateful that the abortion provisions that we do have were protected in the latest military package. However, I’m all too aware of how flimsy it all is for us.

        But not just us serving. It’s flimsy for EVERYONE with a uterus. I hope people in blue states realize when they cast their vote that just because they are where they are won’t protect them if Republicans enact a nationwide ban. I hope that they remember/consider the young girls/women in red states who aren’t allowed to have birth control (religious zealotry), or who were raped, or fuck it, they just had sex because that’s what people do, and they don’t have the means to travel away for an abortion. I really, really hope that they’re remembered.

        I also hope that they consider that a Republican man will NEVER view a woman as an equal.

      • Bipta
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        911 months ago

        No one should make such a risky assumption even about what they think, much less the actual outcome.

        • FuglyDuck
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          11 months ago

          Or even if they think. Some do. Many are schemers… morally defunct crumpets, who plot and scheme all day and act all night.

          But many of them have not a whit of wit, a whit-wit, you might call them. These simply… don’t… think.

          (Fwiw, these aren’t traits exclusive to republicans.)

          • @Dead_or_Alive@lemmy.world
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            211 months ago

            They don’t have wit. They have a sledgehammer and apply it to every problem.

            Unfortunately those with wit are in the way, some will stay and fight while others will give in and leave. The few sane people left in the GOP after 8 years of MAGA choose to leave.

            Our elections were almost hijacked last election season. Many of those with wit have chosen to leave rather than go through it all again.

            Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of a sledgehammer.

            • FuglyDuck
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              011 months ago

              Don’t fall into this trap. There are a few that are clever. Evil, yes. Unscrupulous, yes. But still clever.

              Bitch McConnel’s play to stack the Supreme Court, for example.

              • @Dead_or_Alive@lemmy.world
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                111 months ago

                I’d classify that as a sledgehammer. Moscow Mitch strait up did not move forward with any of Obama’s confirmations and flipped his stance on confirmations when Trump came to office.

                This was bold faced politics kicking hundreds of years of precedent to the curb.

                • FuglyDuck
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                  011 months ago

                  Okay. But was it clever?

                  Sometimes a sledge hammer is in fact the proper tool. Using one doesn’t make one “dumb” and my point remains: not all republicans are dumb. Underestimate them at your peril.