Tuberville and Company

I wrote a quippy piece yesterday about the infantile reply that Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) gave to the Secretary of the Navy over the reprehensible “hold” that Tuberville has held on the U.S. military, impacting national defense.  I want to follow up on that, though it will be brief.  Because I think the point is pretty basic.

Tuberville has received massive condemnation, almost universal, and it’s well-deserved.  But this isn’t just about former coach Tommy Tuberville.  It’s about Republican leadership in the Senate and members of the party, all of whom I believe are complicit in this negative impact on the national defense. 

We’ve heard some members of GOP leadership criticize Tuberville, but that’s not enough.  And it even crocodile tears.  They say that there’s nothing that they can do, that a senator has the right to put a hold on something like this.  And if it hurts U.S. national defense, well…that’s the way it goes.

Except I’m sure there’s “something” Republicans can do.  I’m sure, for starters, that they can tell Tuberville that the party is withdrawing funding for his next political campaign.  And then, they can tell him that he’ll be kicked off all of his committees.  And they could then explain that they need his office space, and will be moving him down the block to a basement office with no windows and room for just three people, so everyone else will have to squeeze in.

Republicans could do all this.  And I’m sure there’s more they could do, as well.  Yes, it would be uncommon.  And pretty hurtful to Tuberville.  But then, his actions are hurtful the U.S. national defense, so, y’know…well, balance the two.  The point being is that for whatever reasons, Republicans think some or all of these actions are too harsh, and don’t want to do them.  Rather, they’re okay letting Tuberville hold the United States and its national security hostage.  It's their choice.  They think that is preferable.  And so, they are complicit.

This is not just about Tommy Tuberville.  He’s just the clownish team mascot.  It’s about the entire fascist Republican Party in the U.S. Senate.  They’ve chosen being nice to one of their senators over the security of the United States.