Is there possibly a method to the madness of individual Senators blocking military promotions and Biden appointments (especially to the Justice Department)? I refer to Mitch McConnell's strategy of blocking a Supreme Court nomination that allowed Donald Trump to appoint THREE justices (upsetting the previous balance of power).
Operating from a belief that Donald Trump will win, a depleted military leadership will be in the hands of Donald Trump to refill. It was the existing military leadership that rejected his wish to declare martial law and have the military seize voting machines in order to secure his re-election. If he puts sympathetic people at the top of the military, it might be more willing to do his bidding. Similarly, by depleting key positions in the Justice Department, Trump will be able to install his acolytes to replace them and more aggressively follow his dictums related to "justice."
I think the Senate should start approving these nominations by vote and let Tubberville sit there like a spoiled child and watch. Will it take time? Yes. However the Senate could shorten the length and frequency of vacations and get things done.
Okay, let's start voting. Each promotion takes 3 hours (2 votes and 2 hours of debate). 376 promotions at 3 hours each is over 1,100 hours. If the Senate worked 50 hours a week, it would take 20+ weeks to finish, and by then there would be another 300 promotions
I’m trying to wrap my head around why the Appointment Clause requires the Generals to be approved by the Senate, let’s not even go into why Senate approval is required for 1400 people...
I've never understood why these promotions come before the Senate in the first place. It seems like if any approval was needed, it would be from the Commander in Chief - but maybe I'm wrong.
A basic rule of thumb, as I understand it, is any person that can be “hired” by a person who is appointed by the President does not require advice and consent by the Senate. This is apparently something the framers discussed at great length, but I haven’t studied it in great depth. It’s pretty arcane...
Tuberville's statement is not ridiculous. He's not defining all regular order. He's just noting how he is defining that term for his requirement on these military holds. Tammy Duckworth previously held up three times as many nominees as Tuberville is now.
Vance is specifically holding up Department of Justice nominees, not all executive nominations as your "extensive list" comment implied. The very list you cite has three Department of Justice nominees listed: Executive Calendars 77, 314 and 315.
Tuberville's contention that 'regular order' is a cloture vote and a roll call vote to approve senior military promotions is not true. It never has been the process used for those nominations.
The term "regular order" has a lot of meanings on Capitol Hill. It used to mean Congress went down a list of bills in order, much like state legislatures still do today. The term regular order these days is often used as a term to contrast bypassing the full legislative process and not going through the process of committee review. It's not as if there's one universal agreed-upon definition of "regular order" and Tuberville is the exception. I'm simply saying Tuberville seems to be using the term to say he's going to insist on a rollcall vote for each of these nominations until the Biden Administration Defense Department stops paying for travel related to abortion.
Another point on the Vance item I didn't originally address is the inaccurate characterization that his holds are just about Trump. I've listened to every one of these debates between Durbin and Vance, and Durbin is the one who keeps trying to make the issue about Trump. Vance has repeatedly cited the issue being matters like the Biden/Garland Justice Department going after parents at school board meetings protesting boys in girls locker rooms and pornography in school libraries as if that protest is domestic terrorism.
The 'regular order' refers to the normal process of business in Congress. The normal process to consider senior military promotions is to have them approved by unanimous consent on the Senate floor. No cloture vote, no roll call vote. That has been the regular order with respect to approving generals and admirals. Under the rules, Tuberville has the right to stop those nominees, and force a cloture vote, plus a final roll call vote. He has that power. But that is not the regular order of business in the Senate.
In the entire history of the United States Senate has there ever been a dumber member than Tommy from Alabama?
Remember when republicans didn’t want to provide financial assistance for natural disaster funding unless money was cut from something else?
And yet… cultists still vote for aholes that vote to hurt them. Utter ignorance.
Is there possibly a method to the madness of individual Senators blocking military promotions and Biden appointments (especially to the Justice Department)? I refer to Mitch McConnell's strategy of blocking a Supreme Court nomination that allowed Donald Trump to appoint THREE justices (upsetting the previous balance of power).
Operating from a belief that Donald Trump will win, a depleted military leadership will be in the hands of Donald Trump to refill. It was the existing military leadership that rejected his wish to declare martial law and have the military seize voting machines in order to secure his re-election. If he puts sympathetic people at the top of the military, it might be more willing to do his bidding. Similarly, by depleting key positions in the Justice Department, Trump will be able to install his acolytes to replace them and more aggressively follow his dictums related to "justice."
Just a thought
Just a thought, yes. A horrible, disgusting, frightening thought.
But for that to happen, every Republican would have to be an evil, conniving, deceitful, hateful, indecent sack of filth.
Oh. No.
I wonder, with a Congress like this, how has that impacted the ratings of the daily soap operas (or as Granny would call them my stories)?
...and Jamie, I believe you when you say “...I can’t make this up...”.
I think the Senate should start approving these nominations by vote and let Tubberville sit there like a spoiled child and watch. Will it take time? Yes. However the Senate could shorten the length and frequency of vacations and get things done.
Okay, let's start voting. Each promotion takes 3 hours (2 votes and 2 hours of debate). 376 promotions at 3 hours each is over 1,100 hours. If the Senate worked 50 hours a week, it would take 20+ weeks to finish, and by then there would be another 300 promotions
I totally understand. I just want forward motion
It’s been 20 weeks of complaining about doing 20 weeks of work...
You can't let that become normal procedure. The Senate would do nothing each year other than approve generals and admirals.
I’m trying to wrap my head around why the Appointment Clause requires the Generals to be approved by the Senate, let’s not even go into why Senate approval is required for 1400 people...
I've never understood why these promotions come before the Senate in the first place. It seems like if any approval was needed, it would be from the Commander in Chief - but maybe I'm wrong.
A basic rule of thumb, as I understand it, is any person that can be “hired” by a person who is appointed by the President does not require advice and consent by the Senate. This is apparently something the framers discussed at great length, but I haven’t studied it in great depth. It’s pretty arcane...
Calm down everybody. Remember the advice in Desiderata...
➤ Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
https://www.desiderata.com/desiderata.html
I understand a resolution condemning Hamas was passed in the House last night, and allegedly 26 members voted against it?
There was a resolution that condemned pro-Hamas/anti-Israel protests on college campuses. 22 D's and 1 R voted against it. https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hres798/BILLS-118hres798ih.pdf
Blumenauer
Bowman
Bush
Carson
Frost
García (IL)
Huffman
Jackson (IL)
Jayapal
Lee (PA)
Massie R-KY
McGovern
Ocasio-Cortez
Omar
Pressley
Ramirez
Takano
Tlaib
Torres (NY)
Underwood
Velázquez
Waters
Watson Coleman
Real GOP Lawmakers of Congress! Lol, Jamie! So accurate.
Maybe we need Andy Cohen to host a show on Bravo with them
Tuberville's statement is not ridiculous. He's not defining all regular order. He's just noting how he is defining that term for his requirement on these military holds. Tammy Duckworth previously held up three times as many nominees as Tuberville is now.
https://rollcall.com/2020/07/02/duckworth-blocks-military-promotions-to-protect-impeachment-witness/
Vance is specifically holding up Department of Justice nominees, not all executive nominations as your "extensive list" comment implied. The very list you cite has three Department of Justice nominees listed: Executive Calendars 77, 314 and 315.
Tuberville's contention that 'regular order' is a cloture vote and a roll call vote to approve senior military promotions is not true. It never has been the process used for those nominations.
The term "regular order" has a lot of meanings on Capitol Hill. It used to mean Congress went down a list of bills in order, much like state legislatures still do today. The term regular order these days is often used as a term to contrast bypassing the full legislative process and not going through the process of committee review. It's not as if there's one universal agreed-upon definition of "regular order" and Tuberville is the exception. I'm simply saying Tuberville seems to be using the term to say he's going to insist on a rollcall vote for each of these nominations until the Biden Administration Defense Department stops paying for travel related to abortion.
Another point on the Vance item I didn't originally address is the inaccurate characterization that his holds are just about Trump. I've listened to every one of these debates between Durbin and Vance, and Durbin is the one who keeps trying to make the issue about Trump. Vance has repeatedly cited the issue being matters like the Biden/Garland Justice Department going after parents at school board meetings protesting boys in girls locker rooms and pornography in school libraries as if that protest is domestic terrorism.
The 'regular order' refers to the normal process of business in Congress. The normal process to consider senior military promotions is to have them approved by unanimous consent on the Senate floor. No cloture vote, no roll call vote. That has been the regular order with respect to approving generals and admirals. Under the rules, Tuberville has the right to stop those nominees, and force a cloture vote, plus a final roll call vote. He has that power. But that is not the regular order of business in the Senate.
JD Vance 🥱🥱