Joe, there's no question Tuberville is a disgrace to his party, to the US Senate, to his own state, and to the nation as a whole. His idiotic stunt is indicative of just how far the moral rot has degraded the Republican party; unfortunately, there's no particular reason to hope - much less assume - that we've seen the worst of it.
Joe, there's no question Tuberville is a disgrace to his party, to the US Senate, to his own state, and to the nation as a whole. His idiotic stunt is indicative of just how far the moral rot has degraded the Republican party; unfortunately, there's no particular reason to hope - much less assume - that we've seen the worst of it.
That said, the Democratic party, which actually controls the senate, could immediately confirm the new Marine Commandant, by simply carrying out a roll call confirmation of the nominated individual. They choose not to, because they believe the unfilled position reflects poorly on Tuberville, and on his party.
Make no mistake, in any case: the position is unfilled for two reasons: first, as a result of Tuberville's stunt but ALSO the Democratic party's willing participation in this destructive charade. Both causes reflect a higher priority, by the respective parties, on political gains (leaving aside the sad fact that Republican voters won't be fazed by any of this) than on the institutional damage for which, through their cynical calculations, the Democratic party assumes some degree of complicity.
Incidentally, the Democratic-controlled Senate could also proceed with roll calls for the remaining 200 or so senior military nominations. They prefer not to do so, however, as a means of keeping "pressure" (he'll feel none of it...) on Tuberville to stop his shenanigans, and so as "not to incentivize" him, or others who may try this tactic in the future. The problem with this game of chicken is that, on the Democratic party's side, it both ignores the complicity which they inherently
take on by their inaction, while demonstrating shocking levels of naivete about the Republican base, which will be utterly unmoved by the impact of Tuberville's actions on senior military leadership.
The Democratic party's choice not to proceed with roll call confirmations is inexcusable.
Joe, there's no question Tuberville is a disgrace to his party, to the US Senate, to his own state, and to the nation as a whole. His idiotic stunt is indicative of just how far the moral rot has degraded the Republican party; unfortunately, there's no particular reason to hope - much less assume - that we've seen the worst of it.
That said, the Democratic party, which actually controls the senate, could immediately confirm the new Marine Commandant, by simply carrying out a roll call confirmation of the nominated individual. They choose not to, because they believe the unfilled position reflects poorly on Tuberville, and on his party.
Make no mistake, in any case: the position is unfilled for two reasons: first, as a result of Tuberville's stunt but ALSO the Democratic party's willing participation in this destructive charade. Both causes reflect a higher priority, by the respective parties, on political gains (leaving aside the sad fact that Republican voters won't be fazed by any of this) than on the institutional damage for which, through their cynical calculations, the Democratic party assumes some degree of complicity.
Incidentally, the Democratic-controlled Senate could also proceed with roll calls for the remaining 200 or so senior military nominations. They prefer not to do so, however, as a means of keeping "pressure" (he'll feel none of it...) on Tuberville to stop his shenanigans, and so as "not to incentivize" him, or others who may try this tactic in the future. The problem with this game of chicken is that, on the Democratic party's side, it both ignores the complicity which they inherently
take on by their inaction, while demonstrating shocking levels of naivete about the Republican base, which will be utterly unmoved by the impact of Tuberville's actions on senior military leadership.
The Democratic party's choice not to proceed with roll call confirmations is inexcusable.