Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday evening sought and received unanimous consent to confirm the promotions of 11 four-star generals that had been held up for months by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville ® to protest the Pentagon’s abortion policies.
Schumer broke Tuberville’s blockade of more than 300 lower-ranking military promotions earlier this month, but the Alabama senator insisted at the time on holding up 11 of the highest-ranking officers so as not to capitulate completely to Democrats.
Tuberville demanded at the time that the promotions of the 11 four-star generals go through regular order on the Senate floor. He wanted senators to vote on procedural motions to end debate and then vote again to confirm the military promotions individually.
I’d classify that as a sledgehammer. Moscow Mitch strait up did not move forward with any of Obama’s confirmations and flipped his stance on confirmations when Trump came to office.
This was bold faced politics kicking hundreds of years of precedent to the curb.
Okay. But was it clever?
Sometimes a sledge hammer is in fact the proper tool. Using one doesn’t make one “dumb” and my point remains: not all republicans are dumb. Underestimate them at your peril.