Tommy Tuberville is losing
For much of recent history, Republicans have sought to enter government and either disrupt it or gut it to such a small size that it can’t really do much to help the average person – and then turn around and say that government doesn’t work. They’ll usually do this at the expense of just about everything conservatives claim they love – and there are fewer better examples of this than that of “Coach Clueless” Tommy Tuberville – the U.S. Senator from Alabama who has single-handedly blocked over 300 military promotions, including the nominee for Chief of Staff of the Army.
Despite Republicans regularly holding themselves up as the party of national security, Tuberville’s refusal to let the appointments happen because of a childish vendetta over women’s healthcare shows where their real priorities are.
Fortunately, amidst the rest of the Republican plans for a government shutdown rapidly falling apart, one of the nominees Tuberville fought against the most fervently, Gen. Randy A. George, was confirmed on Thursday unanimously as Chuck Schumer worked around the rules and got George confirmed as well as Gen. Eric Smith, the Chief of Staff of the Marines.
While Coach Clueless thought he could get away with his stunt for as long as it took, he was publicly humiliated before his fellow Republicans who were likely thinking of pulling similar tricks. Being made to look weak in the eyes of fellow right-wingers is about the worst thing that can happen to someone like Tuberville.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making