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Dumbest Senator of the Year: Tommy Tuberville (newrepublic.com)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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The Republican senator from Alabama spent 2023 turning himself into one of the most hated men in Washington—even by members of his own party.

Senator Tommy Tuberville’s nearly yearlong protest against the Department of Defense’s abortion policy brings to mind an old Chinese proverb that translates to, “He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount.” It means that when you take on something risky—or in this case, downright stupid—it’s easier to keep going than to face the consequences of trying to stop.

For nine months, Tuberville single-handedly blocked more than 450 military promotions, throwing the entire U.S. military into disarray. According to the Alabama Republican, this was the best way to protest the department’s policy of reimbursing service members who have to travel out of their state of deployment for an abortion.

Tuberville partially relented on December 5, when he agreed to allow most of those promotions to go forward with the exception of four-star generals. He then dropped those remaining holds this week, and the Senate promptly confirmed 11 nominees to that position.

After all those months of protesting, Tuberville accomplished … nothing. The Defense Department’s abortion policy is still in place. The only difference is that now, all of the department leadership and pretty much every other senator is angry with him.

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[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 114 points 1 year ago

And a liar:

He brought increased scrutiny on himself, resulting in multiple damaging revelations. Despite promising in 2020 to donate “every dime” he makes in Washington to veterans’ causes, Tuberville has yet to actually do so. He appears to have completely fabricated his father’s military record, and he has lived in Florida, not Alabama, for nearly two decades.

Military leaders called him out by name, accusing him of “aiding and abetting Communist and other autocratic regimes”—a devastating insult for any Republican but especially a far-right one.

[-] MotoAsh@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago

I mean, they're all liars, so I don't feel that one makes him stand out much.

[-] Davel23@kbin.social 14 points 1 year ago

If anything, being a liar is almost a requirement to be a Republican these days.

[-] Blooper@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Almost?

[-] Davel23@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

I actually debated editing that out of the comment several times, but I ultimately decided to leave it as-is.

[-] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 year ago

and he has lived in Florida, not Alabama, for nearly two decades

Illegal, yeah?

[-] Drusas@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If he's been living in Florida, doesn't that make him ineligible for the position he holds?

Edit: Apparently US Congress representatives only need to live in the state they represent at the time they are elected. Crazy.

https://theconversation.com/tommy-tuberville-reportedly-doesnt-live-in-alabama-should-he-still-be-its-senator-211490

[-] stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

It may be easy to forget that Hillary Clinton was a NY senator for a couple terms. She's from Alabama.

[-] fpslem@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

And she moved to NY just before the election, IIRC.

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[-] ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world 62 points 1 year ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

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[-] chakan2@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago

As Brynn Tannehill wrote for The New Republic in September, “This is a naked power play, whose end goal, I suspect, is to fill every senior military position simultaneously with Trump loyalists and sycophants if [Donald] Trump wins reelection in 2024.”

Jesus...that's a brilliant take and one I never considered. It worked for the Judicial branch, now they're going to try it on the Military.

[-] prole@sh.itjust.works 35 points 1 year ago

It's all part of Project 2025. People should be terrified of the Republican party.

[-] Telorand@reddthat.com 20 points 1 year ago

And the people footing their bills. Because they don't go away even if Republicans do.

[-] Zipitydew@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago

The Mercers, Kochs, Larry Ellison, Peter Thiel and others should be terrified to go out in public.

[-] Telorand@reddthat.com 3 points 1 year ago

They should, but they have bodyguards, private islands, and floating yacht-cities. I don't think they have to worry about ever even seeing a poor person.

[-] winterayars@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

It worked for the courts.

[-] MotoAsh@lemmy.world 38 points 1 year ago

I'd vote for, "most stubborn traitor". He's not just a moron saying stupid things. He's someone actively choosing to harm the country. He should not be given a pass for also being fucking stupid.

[-] AnneBonny@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 year ago

I think Menendez represents some serious competition for that title:

Sen. Bob Menendez’s lawyers push to delay federal bribery trial until after NJ primary over ‘complexity of case’

[-] meco03211@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Should be treated like Trump. If there actually is a lot to manage due to complexity, it should be given an honest evaluation and possibly postponement. If it's just a shitty play to keep a guilty verdict from coming out until after the election (in this case a primary), fuck him.

[-] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 34 points 1 year ago

The abortion thing was always a red herring. He’s been holding out so he could pack the military’s top brass with Trump loyalists. It’s part of Project 2025, since it will require cooperation from the military to actually be successful.

Just like how republicans stalled on a major SCOTUS appointment during Obama’s term, choosing to wait until Trump was in office. But then refused to wait for Biden to take office, and rammed another appointment through at the end of Trump’s term.

[-] greenskye@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago

So he failed at that too? Or am I missing something

[-] winterayars@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

That part appears to have failed.

[-] stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

He did it too early, perhaps, thinking that he could hold out for the entire presidential term. He'd have gotten away with it had he waited until Biden's second or third year.

[-] Red_October@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

Can someone honestly explain how he isn't facing Espionage charges? I mean it seems like he's pretty blatantly sabotaging the function of the entire military. Would these exact same actions be allowed if it were discovered China had been encouraging him to continue instead of out of protest?

[-] TimeSquirrel@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I assume (in theory) because his actions are not his own, but are the actions that his constituency wants him to take, so the responsibility lies with the mouth breathers that elected him. And you can't charge a group of citizens for voting a certain way.

Everything he is doing, he is doing within the legal framework of our system, as fucked as it is. It's just that the framework has never been tested and pushed like this. People used to be mature and reasonable, and that USED to be enough to keep things flowing. Now they're examining every loophole in the book to try to get their way any way they can.

[-] Fal@yiffit.net 2 points 1 year ago

Representatives are immune from legal consequences for actions of this type that they take on the congress floor, speech and debate clause.

[-] stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Espionage will have a very specific definition that he most certainly doesn't fit. Maybe giving aid to an enemy could be an easier argument.

[-] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 1 points 1 year ago

He's not doing anything that he isn't constitutionally permitted to do. The constitution requires the president to get the Senate's advice and consent on these appointments. He can't be charged for refusing to grant his consent.

What he is doing is just a form of filibuster. The rest of the Senate can stop him if they want. They just don't want to, because the minority would have to support a majority request to invoke cloture.

The minority party always plays these stupid games in the Senate, no matter which party that is.

[-] stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

The rest of the Senate can stop him if they want. They just don’t want to

The moment they do this, the filibuster goes away. Conservatives would rather burn the country than lose the only bargaining chip they own.

[-] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 1 points 1 year ago

Nah, the other way. Keep the filibuster, and invoke cloture. If 60 senators want those promotions to go through, they will go through. It's party unity that would suffer.

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[-] Boddhisatva@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

Congratulations, Tommy! Man, he was up against some stiff competition!

[-] charonn0@startrek.website 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I sincerely hope that the FBI is taking a very, very, very close look at this traitor's effort to render aid and comfort to America's enemies.

[-] TheDeepState@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Auburn sucks!

[-] DarkGamer@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

With a name like that he'd be better suited to be a potato farmer, somewhere remote where he can't fuck with servicemembers lives and leave America less safe.

[-] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Bottom of Mariana Trench seems like a good place for him.

[-] chaogomu@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

I'm against the dumping of garbage into the Mariana Trench, there are perfectly find landfills here in the US that he could live in.

I'm sure someone in Alabama will donate a lightly used meth trailer for him to live in.

[-] ThePantser@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Mr. Potato Town

[-] Jaysyn@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Don't insult farmers like that. Farmers are useful. Tuberville has been a parasite his entire adult life.

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[-] semi_sentient@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

What a miserable SOB

[-] YeetPics@mander.xyz 3 points 1 year ago

Can we do something useful with this sack of shit? Turn him into Elmer's glue or render his lard into soap to help wash up around DC.. something??

[-] frezik@midwest.social 1 points 1 year ago

He had a lot of competition and still managed to stand out.

this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023

432 points (99.1% liked)

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