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Revenant's avatar

This is the kind of stupid shit that led to the extinguishment of Polish independance from 1795-1918. They had a national legislature, the Sejm, made up of an upper and a lower house, basically all of them members of the aristocracy. Because of the political theory that all nobles were equal (possibly to maintain Poland's union with Lithuania in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), any single member of the Sejm just had to announce "nie Pozwallam!" (I forbid it) to quash any decision, and even to render null anything already passed during the same sitting. This "liberum veto" paralyzed government, which did not work out so well for a country surrounded by grasping neighbors (the Turks, the Cossacks, Muscovy, Prussia and the Hapsburgs). Eventually their inability to get it together resulted in the latter three dividing the country up between themselves in the Three Partitions of Poland. Senator Potatohead, like his equally myopic forerunners in the Sejm, needs to have his fucking Nie Pozwallam taken away from him and be sent to the Childrens' Table, he hasn't the wit nor the maturity to have such a powerful thing at his disposal. "Monkey with a buzzsaw" is an analogy that comes to mind.

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Diablo Blanco's avatar

The Senate can vote to change the rules. They just don't want to because it would remove their own power to do the same thing sometime in the future.

They are all complicit.

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skinnercitycyclist's avatar

Wasn't it Sinema and Manchin who stood int he way of that before? Not sure about "all."

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Daniel O'Riordan's avatar

When Empty G threatened individual members of the House, Nancy Pelosi pulled her off all her committees. Does Schumer have similar authority on the Senate side, 'cause it sure looks like Tommy's threatening a whole lot of people.

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skinnercitycyclist's avatar

He's such a puss. Made his career off the hyper-manliness of captive football players and expended none of his own. He's all beating and no chest.

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beb's avatar

In all the discussion about Tuberville's "hold" on these appointments no ever mentions what kind of a "hold he has or is using. How can one Senator block the entire Senate from acting? As far as I can tell there is a call for unanimous consent to treat these appointments as a group. So all Tuberville has to do is say "Nope." This is insane, it gives too much power to any ibe Senator. If the Senate wants to suspend the rules to consider this group as a group it ought to be a a 2/3 majorite or even a 51% majority. As a world power, a world leader the government has too much on its plate to let the The Senate be riddled with so much obstruction and formality.

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Void's avatar

Agreed Dems need to stop letting this happen

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Pexas Teat's avatar

Someone just needs to soap sock him and get him to miss a few votes, and the Senate can get stuff moving again.

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Charles  Schlotter's avatar

It's the world's most exclusive club of grifters and phonies.

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Daniel O'Riordan's avatar

The only thing Vivek said that worked (and I'm sure he didn't come up with it himself), he called the Senate the most exclusive assisted living facility.

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Charles  Schlotter's avatar

Did Coach ever field an "active" team?

Oh, wait, he lost ignominiously to Vanderbilt (whose QB was, I assume Gloria Vanderbilt) so maybe he did.

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marydn's avatar

When I see that picture of Tubbs with the football I like to imagine a very large football player tackling him and sitting on him. I don't follow sportsball but I believe that is what they do to the guy with the ball, right? And yes, I am still petty and a little immature.

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Tosca's avatar

If he doesn't want to be treated like a football player he shouldn't act like a football player. Just asking for it.

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Charles  Schlotter's avatar

In this case, petty and a little immature compare favorably with Coach.

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Biff52 Lost Canadian's avatar

Coach from "Cheers" would make a better senator, and he's dead.

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Wookiee Monster's avatar

None of this rhetoric matters until republicans in congress are willing to get together and dick punch* Tubs until he gives in.

*with votes.

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Daniel O'Riordan's avatar

His fellow Republicans are powerless against him. The only thing that trumps Individual Liberty is Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs.

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eliz_'s avatar

I've said it before, I will say it again: I know that they don't want women in the military, so they think that this is working for them. But the "volunteer" military isn't hitting it's recruiting goals.

Good luck recruiting women who have a huge likelihood of being sexually assaulted into a military that forces them to birth and be forcibly discharged once they have that baby, all the while maintaining your recruitment goals.

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Tosca's avatar

Not to mention they probably want to retain the 16% of current service people who are women.

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Diablo Blanco's avatar

Along with all the men who have wives, but don't want to have more children.

Abortion is not just a woman's issue.

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Tosca's avatar

Absolutely not. I'm also conscious of trans men and non binary people who can get pregnant. Tuberville's dumb stance would drive away all kinds of people.

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Randal Cooper's avatar

Remember, Tuberville was one of the folks Trump called on Jan 6 to try to overthrow the government.

I assume Trump still calls him regularly to try to overthrow the government.

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AnnaBanana's avatar

I honestly assume he's doing this not because of 'abortion' but so that if Trump is re-elected he can replace the entire military leadership in one fell swoop with his handpicked goons

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gene108's avatar

I’m not sure how they pick out pure ideologues to promote in the military.

They’ve laid out their plan to place political flunkies in charge of most federal agencies, which basically involves appointing acting directors to avoid Senate confirmation.

I don’t think the same strategy can work in the military. Some generals can be “acting-Commander of (pick command)”, but there isn’t an endless supply of ideologues to replace them, even if they get their flunkies into senior positions.

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Eva Porter's avatar

As a coach, he should know that interim head coaches are typically interim for a reason. I mean, maybe he needs to be spoken to in sports talk.

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Bupkus231's avatar

I suppose someone has already noted that Utah Senator Mike Lee has now come out in support of Tuberville's blockade, of course couching it in anti-abortion terms.

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AIB's avatar

This comment section would be a lot less frustrating if someone who knew what they were talking about would explain what rule Tuber is invoking and what would be required to circumvent or change it. I suspect the idea of calling a vote on each nominee is not an option because (1) they would have done it for the major positions and (2) I heard a Senator say they had made an offer to the Tuber to have a vote on each nominee and he refused. But this is just speculation on my part.

What I have no doubt about: Tommy Tuberville is a traitor to the United States of America.

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Emil Muz's avatar

Unanimous Consent. He's refusing to allow UC to bring noms to the floor, and they would have to invoke cloture to do every nom individually.

Harry Reid made some deal with Turtle in order to get a bunch of positions filled via UC, and he had to stand there and literally introduce every name into the record.

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scubaix's avatar

Mobius strip upvote for complaining about uninformed speculation whilst making uninformed speculation.

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MrPug's avatar

I think it is still reasonable to ponder why the Senate is such a dumb fucking institution that one dumb fuck from Al-fucking-bama can single-handedly harm our military readiness.

(And I think I'm likely misunderstanding the 2 comments I'm replying to, so apologies if what I just said isn't relevant.)

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Mark C. Abbott's avatar

Sooo close to a perfect locution -- "Al-fucking-A-bama" was just waitin' fer its moment in the sun!

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Morbidly Curious Wine's avatar

Doug Jones wouldn't have held up these promotions due to a personal conniption fit, but most Alabama voters couldn't stomach the idea of having a Democratic senator so they had to vote in Coach Halfwit and now they get to reap what they sowed of all the personnel at their five military installations not knowing where they're going to be stationed or who the hell is in charge. Good job, you knuckle dragging cousin fuckers. (Slow clap)

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Marla's avatar

Technically, since we’re getting all technical and stuff) Coach Dumbass is a Senator from Flori-duh, since that is where he lives. And has lived for 20 or so years.

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Charles  Schlotter's avatar

Trouble is, we get what they sow.

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Sherry's avatar

Given the rampant gerrymandering in AL this could be the reason we get this halfwit.

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gene108's avatar

Can’t gerrymander a statewide election.

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Anti-Social Socialist's avatar

No, but they can totally elect a guy who lied about what state he lives in.

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belfryo's avatar

And this policy of paid leave for abortion or 'whatever' has been in place since Roe was decided in 73...We have fought wars in Afghanistan and Iraq since then...Why is this SUDDENLY an issue?

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fuflans's avatar

technically, no one needed to use this before Dobbs.

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gene108's avatar

From what I understand, the military pays for all travel related expenses for military personnel to get medical treatment. If a soldier is stationed at an army base in rural bum-fuck Texas, and no local rural hospitals can treat them, the army pays to fly them somewhere where they can be treated (probably Houston or Dallas or out of state).

The military extended this to women wanting an abortion. I don’t know when they did this, but it wasn’t as much of an issue, when a soldier stationed in rural bum-fuck Texas could get an abortion somewhere in the state, even if the “Abortionplex” is not that close to the base.

Now that so many states don’t allow abortion, Republicans want to limit the ability of women stationed in anti-abortion states to travel out of state to get one.

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belfryo's avatar

And Tuberville is acting like this is some 'new' thing that the military is doing...

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Pexas Teat's avatar

The Pentagon should close the bases in states that don't guarantee health care for service members.

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Sarah Smile's avatar

People love to assume Russia is behind every stupid Republican, and sometimes they're right, but I'm telling you Tuberville is just a dumbfuck cowbrained hick doing it for free

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Charles  Schlotter's avatar

For free?

So he's actually making more money than if he did it for rubles (now valued at .00000001 kopek?)

Taking into account bank transfer fees.

Whoo-hoo! He's rich!

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Secret Agent Super Dragon's avatar

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

There are a lot of them out there that are doing Vlad's work for free because it gets them attention.

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Nemo's avatar

Like PAB, he's an asset but not an agent.

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