Tommy Tubervbille, the Republican senator from Alabama, is in the news, and the fact that he is at all is particularly troubling.
In most democracies, idiosyncratic personalities like Tuberville could be easily and safely ignored. He would be relegated to the fringe minority, the object of polite ridicule in public, and harsher ridicule in private.
But in the United States, home to the most arcane system of government ever invented, guys like Tuberville can do real damage, simply because the wise folks in Alabama elected him as their representative in the United States Senate. And so here he is, in his fifteen minutes of shame, holding up promotions within the United States military until that organization changes its policy with respect to abortion. For the record, the U.S. military supports reproductive rights of its members, but Tommy doesn’t think that’s right, so he’s going to hold the world’s largest and most powerful military hostage.
The absurdity of this is that he can do it at all.
You see, in the United States, military promotions require the consent of all 100 senators, from both parties, in order to proceed. These promotions reach all the way to the top, and Tuberville’s obstructionist blackmail tactic is holding up important promotions, such as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and commanding general of the U.S. Marine Corps. This is the first time in over 100 years that the Marines have not had a ratified commanding officer, and Tuberville, has caused it, no doubt cheered-on by political Christian nationalists.
Imagine. One guy can bring the whole place to its knees.
Even his own party, the Republicans, are scratching their heads and not in agreement with Tuberville. They feel this level of obstructionism, even for them, can lead to a push-back from voters in the next election cycle, as people punish a party thought to be endangering national security. Tuberville himself will likely be re-elected, but other Republicans from swing districts may pay a political price for his intransigence, so they’re not exactly thrilled by his antics.
How is it that promotions require the approval of all 100 senators? Not a majority, not even a super-majority, but a 100% bi-partisan consensus is needed in a chamber fraught with political gamesmanship and brinksmanship, where simple laws often go to die for no reason other than to hinder or stop the party that sponsored them.
So the senate has become a chamber of 100 presidents, any one of whom can hold the entire government hostage over a single issue.
With a political system replete with numerous nonsensical structures and rules, the United States finds itself in a straight-jacket when dealing with the likes of a single, otherwise non-noteworthy senator from Alabama.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 