Trump owns the House and the mess there—from an endless battle over the speaker’s gavel, a tit-for-tat fact-free impeachment “investigation” and pictures of Hunter Biden’s genitals being forced down the throats of committee attendees by QAnon psychopath Marjorie Traitor Greene to an impending government shutdown and a threat to nix aid to Israel, not to mention Ukraine, without an agreement to sabotage IRS efforts to force the super-rich to pay their taxes— is exactly what he requires of them The public’s approval for Congress is, depending on which poll you look at, between 13% and 19%. Voters hate Congress, which plays right into Trump’s hands.
It’s harder in the Senate, where MAGAts aren’t in control. But the body’s most moronic MAGAt, Alabama insurrectionist Tommy Tuberville, has managed to gum up the works by using the dysfunctional chamber’s archaic rules against it. It would only take 10 Republicans to join the Democrats to override Tuberville’s hold on all military promotions. After months of fighting, an unpleasant GOP lunch this week and a furious attack on Tuberville by Republican hawks— basically Dan Sullivan (AK), Joni Ernst (IA) and Lindsey Graham (SC)— on the floor Wednesday, that seems to be getting closer… but still not there, just more dysfunction so far. So Tuberville is doing as much for Trump in the Senate as Gaetz has in the House.
Yesterday I asked the first 20 people I came in contact with— in person and on the phone— if they understood how Tuberville could be holding up the confirmations since February. 16 had never heard of Tuberville, a notorious white nationalist, and had no idea anyone was holding up anything. The other 4 knew there was a problem involving Tuberville and the military but none had more than a vague notion that something was askew. (None of them knew that Tuberville had been one of the coup plotters after Trump lost the 2020 election, including 3 who claim to be DWT readers.)
Anyway, Tuberville vs the Pentagon 101: Last February, the after the Pentagon instituted a policy that allows pregnant servicemembers to take leave tomtravel to a state that offers legal abortions (and be reimbursed for travel expenses), Tuberville announced he would block all military promotions until the policy is ended. Several hundred promotions are in limbo be cause of this. The mechanism that allows one Senate asshole to block military promotions is an informal— but untouchable practice, the senatorial hold, which allows a senator to object to the consideration of a nomination or piece of legislation. It’s like a super-veto and unless the Senate overrides the hold (60 votes), whatever it is that the jerk is objecting to can’t be voted on by the full Senate. (Notice progressives never use this.)
Yesterday, Charlie Sykes had cause to remind his readers that the Founding Fathers “were vividly aware of the dangers posed by a man like Trump, and thought that they had erected effective checks and balances against him. So it is interesting to imagine what they might think as they looked down upon our current scene.” As Adam Schiff had during Trump’s second impeachment trial, Sykes quoted Alexander Hamilton’s best known missive: "Those then, who resist a confirmation of public order, are the true Artificers of monarchy— not that this is the intention of the generality of them. Yet it would not be difficult to lay the finger upon some of their party who may justly be suspected. When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits— despotic in his ordinary demeanour— known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty—when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity— to join in the cry of danger to liberty— to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion— to flatter and fall in with all the nonsense of the zealots of the day— It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may 'ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.'"
UPDATE: Tuberville Foiled
Yesterday, over Tuberville’s protests, Adm. Lisa Franchetti was confirmed as the Navy’s 33rd chief of naval operations, not only the first woman to serve as the Navy’s top officer, but the first to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In the end even Tuberville voted yes, the only holdout being another far right goon, Kansas GOP nutjob Roger Marshall. An hour later, David Alvin’s nomination to be Air Force Chief of Staff was confirmed as well, by the same 95-1 margin. That means that all members of the Joint Chiefs are confirmed now, despite Tuberville's blanket hold. Tuberville is now threatening to incite primaries against his Republican colleagues. Joni Ernst, when asked about Tuberville’s threat, said “I have some words and they’re not polite.”
