Tommy Tuberville is prepared to burn the military down over abortion protest Democratic senator says
Source: USA Today
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., accused Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., on Tuesday of “being prepared to burn the military down” over Tuberville’s hold of military promotions that began in February. Tuberville has held up more than 200 military promotions for senior military jobs that require Senate confirmation, arguing that some Department of Defense abortion policies − such as provisions on paid leave and traveling expenses − violate federal law.
“I think everybody’s been hoping that Sen. Tuberville would back down, and I think we have to come to the conclusion that that is not happening and that he is prepared to burn the military down,” Murphy told reporters at the Capitol, according to The Hill. “Maybe Republicans were hopeful that leading up to the August break he would relent,” Murphy said. “He didn’t, and we now have to adjust our strategy.”
Murphy said that Senate Republicans need to find a “very targeted, temporary change in process” to bypass Tuberville’s hold, arguing that “there is no world” in which limited time on the Senate floor could be used to confirm these promotions individually, the outlet reported.
“I understand Republicans are not going to go for a permanent change in the rules, but I just think we have to start thinking creatively about breaking this logjam… Maybe when we get back in September there will be some openness to creative solutions,” Murphy said.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/08/09/tommy-tuberville-burn-military-abortion-protest/70557116007/
Full headline: Tommy Tuberville is 'prepared to burn the military down' over abortion protest, Democratic senator says
= new reply since forum marked as read
There would need to be a carve-out of the Rules.
The issue really comes down to the fact that they usually do stuff like this "by unanimous consent". They will literally have a big list of names for whatever - in this case - "promotions", and then there's a motion "asking for unanimous consent" to (blah blah fill in the blank) and then "asking if there are any objections", and 99% of the time, no one is even in the chamber to respond, so there's no objection, and the list is approved "unanimously".
But that 1% of the time you have the Cruzes or Lees or Lankfords or now Tuberville, who will "object" and then start slowing down the process to literally demand a period of debate and a vote on each and every individual named on the list. 
but I read an article from them earlier that basically said that option was there but they all left until September.
The Alabama Republican’s abortion protest now seems likely to last more than six months, putting some of his colleagues in an increasingly tough spot over national security concerns.
By Burgess Everett and Olivia Beavers
07/31/2023 04:30 AM EDT
(snip)
The Alabama senator refused to allow any of the more than 250 stalled military promotions to quickly advance, retribution for the Defense Department allowing paid leave for abortions. Democrats, who could have called individual votes on the nominations over the August recess, ultimately decided it was the GOP’s responsibility to convince Tuberville. That didn’t happen, the Senate left for five weeks, and the Republican’s nearly five-month hold appears almost certain to stretch into September.
(snip)
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/31/gop-military-blockade-abortion-00108765
So I think this is coming down to a battle of wills and what is "right" - Democrats are not backing down from supporting abortion rights. After that OH vote, it only increases the pressure on the GOP to get off that issue and the next couple weeks. some will be putting their fingers in the wind to see which way the sentiment is running. The media is freaking out because they want a "horse race" and the abortion issue is messing up their narrative - where I still see some of them bemoaning about the fact that the issue "is not fading" as they predicted.
We know certain red states are intransigent but then other red states are not when it comes to Roe and referendum after referendum after referendum continue to underscore this. This is really highlighting those "silent Republicans" who sit back and defer to the loons for local and state elections, but there are certain subjects that ARE getting their attention and access to abortions IS one of those issues. And this is especially because we know that some of the loudest GOP loon elected officials have either had abortions themselves or have had spouses/family members who have had them, while they yell and scream and stomp their feet while waving around a bible that they have never really opened, and read.
They might have prioritized the highest positions but I think they are trying to put a spotlight on the so-called "supporters of the military" party and highlight how they don't give a damn about the military and instead put what they dub as "social issues" as more important.
I posted the below in the USPS thread - https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3112061
If you look at the priorities and what the confirmations are that need to be done, you have (nowhere near includsive because it's not even including some vacancies in the U.S. Attorneys offices) -
(1) Federal judges (lifetime appointment)
(2) USPS Board of Governors (term-limited appointment)
(3) NLRB (term-limited appointment)
(4) FCC (term-limited appointment)
(5) military promotions (normally approved by unanimous consent but blocked to require individual debate/vote)
which would you prioritize for debate and vote first?
(this is what Schumer is up against)
This is the conundrum. Using up what time you have to get lifetime appointees in or getting to the promotions. They also have to get the Farm Bill done and the rest of the appropriations bills (or pass a C.R. and they are having to deal with a bunch of loons in the House).
I knew he was bad when he was endorsed by Fox News. 
opposing the infrastructure money and then "celebrating" AL's share of it. 
I heard many times that Mitch was holding up hundreds of votes on new legislation.
All on this bad person, BAD BAD BAD PERSON!
