After blocking hundreds of promotions, Tuberville said the US has 'the weakest military than we've probably had in my lifetime'
stopthatgirl7@kbin.social to 
businessinsider.com
Tuberville failed to mention that he's personally prevented hundreds of officers from being promoted because he disagrees with a 2022 Pentagon policy.
And you helped make it that way, cunt.
I am so exhausted of this fucken asshats.
There has got to be some recourse for us people.
These individuals are like having repairmanman from All That show up and announce something is broken, then expect to be paid and praised to repair it but pocketing the cash and running.
He is so obviously compromised by external interests he should be removed from office. What logic is there to this? Let him stay up there and fuck our military just because? Is it because he was democratically elected and you can't just remove them? I don't understand how theres such rampant and blatant corruption and nothing is being done.
I think Tuberville is trying to keep all these positions open so Trump can appoint loyalists to them should he take office in January 2025. This way, Trump can better guarantee that the military will do what he wants it to do instead of having pesky "morals" ingrained by people who know what they are doing.
That "project" should have been the end of the Republican Party when it became public. We are really fucken out here about to be consumed by fascism and people are okay with it. This shit doesn't go away. The entire party is compromised now and forever. You can't ever trust they aren't on a Russian payroll trying to make a coup happen again. Nobody seems appalled by this and even worse, some applaud it.
I relate. I'm appalled. I also don't know what to do about it. If they pack the military with loyalists we're in trouble, yet they're on track to pull it off somehow. It's terrifying.
What I truly think at this exact moment. Its too late. They've stated civil war if Trump doesn't win, and him winning is not a good thing. A lot of institutional things tend to die quietly and the aftershock isn't felt for a while. I think we're experiencing one of these institutional deaths, the death of our functioning democracy. Keep both eyes on any MAGA you know.
I've written off most of the magats that I've known. Many that I've known that supported Trump early on have turned their backs now and feel stupid about ever supporting him. I've lost all respect for anyone still supporting that weak ass man baby and have cut ties. If they want a civil war that badly then I suppose we'll have it. I hope they're ready for gun soaked America. It wasn't only right wingers buying guns under the loose current structure.
May I suggest we tear down all the confederate monuments after we win this time, starting with Stone Mountain, GA?
Can we also tear down anybody sporting the traitor's flag? The number of people way up here in the north (like, sharing a border with fucking Canada) displaying the confederate battle flag is too damn high.
Only after we reenact Sherman's March to Sea in those places
Not necessary. Georgia would be blue if it weren't for the GOP gerrymandering and cheating every election. It's purple even with their shit. You'd burn more allies than enemies, especially in Atlanta and Savannah today.
Oh I don't mean a literal reenactment, just where the traitors are and only they are.
I agree. Had you asked me years ago (before Trump), I would likely have argued that the Republican party could still ditch their extremist elements and return to being a sane party. (Conservative, but still sane.)
I'm not sure if I was naive or if they've gotten worse, but I definitely wouldn't say this about them now.
I think it's both. I, myself, have learned in the past decade or so that there is no such thing as a "sane" conservative party.
Conservative values, ideals, policy, etc. are inherently trash, and no amount of air freshener can cover up that stench.
They definitely, in the past, were better at hiding their true goals and were more willing to come up with compromises to move forward. Now, though, they act as though their policies are the only ones that can be implemented and if there's a Democratic majority then the majority needs to bow to whatever the conservative minority wants. But, interestingly, if they have the majority, then they have a "mandate" to do whatever they want without listening to the Democratic minority. Nice double standard, huh?
One little niggle. They aren't in league with the Russians. Their goals often appear to align. And believe me Russians are useful to the people Republicans are in league with. But it isn't the "Russians". It's the wealthy. All the ones that we know of. And especially the ones who hide their wealth.
Yep. The military leaders who stood strong are the only reason his coup failed to create as much chaos. 1/6 was our Beer Hall Putsch
Trump could not appoint enough loyalists to high command to do anything other than sow chaos. The top brass ain't going to play his games. Full stop.
Nope, that's just the cover. Remember how they prevented Obama from appointing federal judges and a Supreme Court seat, then speed-marched every possible conservatively-vetted candidate through as soon as they got the Senate?
Now remember how the military did not support Trump's ambitions on January 6th? They're determined to stuff the military with proto-fascists so that the next coup will have military backing.
I hope there are two critical flaws with their plan.
Having enough loyalists to fill most positions
Everyone else in the military
They have to secure all the top positions, which I think thankfully are filled already. Without that, the chain of command overrides all the loyalists appointed. And if they do decide to disobey orders, I think we'd see more soldiers rebelling against obviously installed political lackeys than against institutional leaders.
This is all conjecture that I hope is the case, but I could be totally wrong about. I'd like to think that most of the military would have no respect at all for political appointments nor lower ranks getting vastly promoted for their politics.
And then on top of that, the people who were passed over for promotions are not going to be pleased, and most of them are already in leadership positions. Asking them to attack the American people against their oaths and on behest of someone who snubbed them is doubly unlikely.
But again, I might be being too optimistic. It's impossible to know unless it happens, which we would rather not be the case. It pays to stay wary and prepare for the worst while still hoping for the best.
At this point he's so blatantly compromised and everyone knows it that he should be charged with treason and given the appropriate punishment.
There is, and at this point it lies beyond the courts.
There is recourse, but no one wants to go to jail for the rest of their life afterward. Things are still too good to go that far.
Things were pretty good when Kennedy was killed, too.
This is why no Republicans should ever be allowed into office.
Ever.
I love 1 party states when I agree with the party
Well if the gop folds then I'm sure you'd get a new 2nd party.
Why would competition continue to exist if the precedent of being able to abolish the competing party ever holding office were already set?
Nobody said that, quit arguing with things in your head honey
Read the first comment in the thread. Or learn reading comprehension.
Or I suppose you can continue spouting random shit and appending honey at the end.
honey you are seriously reaching if you choose to interpret "should not be allowed into office" as "we must abolish them"
should not vs shall not, ironic telling someone else to practice reading comprehension
Dude it was right there
A political party which should not be allowed into office, is what? Turning a major political party into your high school group is not abolishing. Trolling has to have a limit man.
Edit: as I was typing this, I reread your comment and realized you have chosen option 2. Well played, and good luck.
the loser, the statement was encouraging a voting position
"everyone I disagree with is trolling"
the phrasing didn't indicate that. "Should never win an election" would be much more clear than "should not be allowed" which implies prohibition.
the phrasing certainly didn't indicate that they wish for the abolition of the GOP, you came up with that on your own
you're thinking of "shouldn't be able" bud, at the end of an election there can only be one party allowed into office
Actually, I view it as the opposite. Really this is subjective language differences. But should not be allowed to me implies there is rules prohibiting, where's shouldn't be able to implies that they should just fail to.
Hmm, it seems one of us has misinterpreted the statement. I interpreted the should not be allowed in office as, "a law should be passed saying that".
While you, perhaps correctly assumed that it means people should not vote for them. Sorry I thought you were being willfully obtuse. Still, I am not completely convinced my interpretation of statement was wrong.
But regardless, we are both apparently in agreement on this point.
But, my second point stands, that you are an unpleasant person using intimate and friendly words as an attack.
What's the value of a party that refuses to represent the people they're charged to, restructures the economy to let them ransack it for personal enrichment, remove rights from people, refuse to do their job, remove protections, allowing businesses to run roughshod over the people, and manufacturing a panic about
CRT,ANTIFA,immigrant caravans,Jewish space lasers, stolen elections, Trans people?Wouldn't replacing that with a party that represents voters better than the Democrats - let alone the Republicans be nice? It's not as though the GOP is even popular - it's only gerrymandering that gives them a shot at power - when did they last win the popular vote in a federal election?
That people votes for them, and we cannot remove them because we dislike them.
No, because only the voters can decided who represents them, not us.
Majority? No. Popular, yes, its just wrong to say otherwise. They still get 10s of millions of votes.
They should get a majority to govern though. Nobody awards people who participate.
That is not how a representative legislature works. If it were just about majority rule than the executive and the legislature would be put in one office that is elected by a simple majority.
Nobody but you said anything about abolishing a party.
They said "should never be allowed to hold office again" which implies legal prohibition of them holding office.
Or it implies people not choosing to vote for them. Which they shouldn't, ever, for any office.
Because we currently have two right-wing parties and no left-wing parties that are competitive.
That depends how you define left and right wing, which is not really something that has entirely agreed upon definitions.
This dude is like a straw man machine lol
He's also everywhere on this site. I just came from reading a bunch of his terrible Bethesda / Starfield takes to find out he's also got terrible political takes.
Look, as an non American I want to try and explain to you that at this point if you don't have more then two parties there is almost no chance that you will after it is reduced to one. You needed to have more then two parties all the way back when the bull mouse was a thing. It is too late now.
Imo, US parties essentially act as coalitions of major factions within the parties.
I don't think a one party state with internal factions can be called a democracy. I think you are describing something like China.
The different factions within the CCP are not based on ideology but instead on power.(Generally with the exception of maybe some like Zhao Ziyang) Furthermore, the major factions repress minority factions.
Yes, and you think a one party system in the US would somehow operate differently?
No? I oppose a one party system in the US?
Then why the odd explanation of the CCP factions? I am lost on how this is a poor analogy for a one party US. Just like in China you would have some sort of fake vernier of democracy (or communism for china) that is just objectively not true. I would imagine the US would make their one party something stupid like the freedom party or keep the democrat party name (even though by definition you can't be one in a one party system).
Both national parties have factions big enough in them to be parties on their own. Your country and others need to stop consolidating under bigger and bigger tents with the sole goal of maintaining power.
That's not the precedent though. The precedent is that parties that try to subvert the U.S. citizens should be disqualified immediately. That includes the current republican and democratic parties.
Do you think, by your measure, that America will ever achieve the same level of democracy as Russia?
Or is it possible that your conclusion doesn't follow from the premise?
Looks like someone doesn't know the difference between the US system and a parliamentary system.
I'm sorry, do members of each party not sit in all branches of government and judiciary?
Guess you were wrong with the usual exceptionalist yOu cAnT cOmpArE nonsense
Please inform yourself about how parliamentary systems work. More than 2 parties are viable in that system because parties can form a coalition government with other parties that may agree on some things, in order to keep the "greater evil" party out of power.
That's not how it works in the US. You're comparing apples to oranges.
That wasn't my point to begin with, and it wasn't that complex a point. Maybe you need to read it through a few more times.
I never said more parties means more democracy. I did say prohibiting the primary opposition party from holding office was less democracy.
You mean we should tolerate insurrectionists because we must hold up the principles of democracy until the bitter end, at which point they will eviscerate them?
It's a wildly bad take, I'll be honest. And hopefully you see how you missed my point.
You should ditch the electoral collage and legally dissolve both parties allowing the formation of new parties.
Nobody said anything about wanting a one party state. We just don't want anyone to vote for a certain fascist party.
You dropped your sarcasm
His actual complaint is:
First, if it works, it's encouraging better decisions and increasing team effectiveness. I have no idea if the US military is doing a good job with this or not, but if they're doing it right they are building a better military way more cost effectively than one more fighter jet or whatever we would be using the money on.
But even if they're not doing the most effective form of training, it's 0.0075% of the defense budget. It's $40 per person employed by the department. That is extremely average for diversity training.
And lastly, this isn't like, new. The military has been doing diversity research and training since 1971. I'm sure Biden has some input if he wants it, he un-did a Trump ban on some training with an executive order, but I don't think the question of budgeting $90MM vs $114MM goes to "the top" at all.
What an idiot to choose to say this.
How much has it cost the military in lawsuits and defending racism, harassment, sexual assault, and every other form of behavior that homophobes, racists, and misogynists perpetrate on those around them. How has that affected leadership, personnel readiness, quality of work? Betcha that cost is far higher than some shitty hot take on “OMG the military is soft…”
It is a mistake to assume the right wing cares about facts. They don't use words to find or describe truth. They use them for effect.
DoD budget is $1.52 trillion btw
I think we can handle 1/10,000th of our budget being spent on not being shitty to fellow military members.
I can't believe more of Tuberville's former football players haven't came out calling out his racist bullshit, there's no way this guy wasn't this bad while he was coaching.
The purpose of conservatives preventing promotions is so tRump can install/promote his hand-picked leadership within the military when the time comes. This will allow him to use the military against U.S. citizens if/when he becomes president.
When he tried to use the military against U.S. citizens during his previous term, he was stopped by military leadership. They refused. Next time, he will have complete loyalty. Conservatives are setting the stage for him.
This is what they should be voicing in the articles and Democrats should be calling him out for it and forcing Republicans to remove him.
Because your exactly right. Not only did Trump demand the military anytime there was a protest he also wanted to do stupid shit. Like tanks driving down the white house road during one of his speeches. They stop that too.
Trump talks about how much he loath the military because they wouldn't bend to his will.
Between project 2025 and this they are making sure Donald Trump dictatorship goes through and his will or the will of the real GOP of fascism is realized. 50 years conservatives have been planning this take over and if we don't vote for Biden and he wins. Then Trump does and America is fucked.
Then it will be civil war because I will refuse to live in a country under a christofascist dictatorship run by Trump.
Make no mistake, this is part of Project 2025. All Americans should be terrified of the GOP's long term plans.
If you don't know what Project 2025 is, educate yourself. We're watching our Republic die in front of our eyes.
Mostly because the tanks are way too heavy for any road in DC. Seeing one crush through Pennsylvania Ave and into the metro underneath during his speech would have been even funnier than Putin and his one-tank parade.
Yes I heard why they said no. But he was still pissed about it and wanted those tanks. Wonder if he do it again with his new military. Have tanks rolling through American cities. Especially blue ones.
The US Navy has more heavy aircraft carrier groups than the rest of world combined. The US has 11 out of 22. It also has the world's largest and most advanced air force. Old US Army equipment is working wonders for Ukraine against Russia, the supposed next best military.
Not to mention the US has a massive arsenal of working ICBMs and SLBMs.
I'm sorry, but nobody stands a snowballs chance in hell against the US military.
Regarding Iraq and Afghanistan, nation building and occupying are two different things. Kind of like ruling verses obtaining power are different.
ETA: Think about that during presidential elections.
This is only a partial picture.
The US has 11 supercarrier groups that individually rival the power of most nation's entire airforces. These are unrivaled by anything else in the world.
The US additionally has 9 America and Wasp class amphibious assault ships that have an airwing capability that rivals most other nations' carrier groups. The Navy plans for this force to eventually be made up of 11 America class ships.
So the reality is that the US' secondary aircraft carrier capability rivals that of the rest of the world combined. The total power disparity of the combined supercarrier and amphibious assault fleet is mind boggling.
What's also mind boggling is the USAF F-15 has zero combat losses and is the OLD air superiority fighter. The USAF can start operating anywhere in the world with a force larger than most other air forces in < 72 hours.
And one of those kills was a fucking satellite
You're missing the bigger picture imo. All that military might is going to be under the control of people handpicked by Trump, if he's elected and project 2025 goes to plan. Why do you think Tuberville is creating all these vacancies.
Tuberville isn't doing this for shits and giggles.
Even the Taliban are having issues here.
If the number is 11 out of 22, it doesn't have more than the rest combined. It has the same number as the rest combined. The rest is right. Also, remember the best air force in the world is the USAF, the second best air force in the world is the USN.
This is the best version of the 'Eric Andre shooting someone that he then blames for being shot' meme I think I've ever, ever seen.
This is the sort of thing that happens when you have people who proclaim that government doesn't work in that government. They say the system is broken, and hope you don't notice that they have been deliberately breaking it for years.
He obviously doesn’t work for America like so many other Republicans. Fuck Alabama. Fuck Auburn too
You have to be related to Alabama to fuck it.
Goddamn I could feel the burn from this comment on the west coast.
Snowing in Canada and I felt the warmth of this burn
Always support a fuck Auburn even in serious discussions. But dont let Ole Miss off the hook, if they never employed him he never gets hired by the weagles, I hated him back then because he was a smarmy prick. Didn’t think I could hate him more to be honest
Edit: for clarification I’ve never been an Alabama fan or citizen either
Imagine having your military undermined by a washed up football coach. I have to hope that this sentient pile of damp laundry gets what's coming to him eventually.
Bone cancer and getting blood eagled?
That Bloodeagle scene on Vikings was really hard to watch. I still see it in my memories when it's brought up. The fact it was a real thing is what does it. Humans are the worst.
If it makes ya feel any better it was probably done on only rare occasions, I dont even know if there are first hand accounts of it. Ritualistic sacrifices to Odin sure tons of those, blood eagles rare if it did happen. The act is only really mentionex in two sagas so it is possible it was purely a literary invention.
I can't imagine anyone going through that could refrain from screaming in, or passing out from, pain. I appreciate the comment. The fact that people thought up such a thing is as equally disturbing. Yikes!
Honestly id take getting blood eagled over getting eaten alive by rats, getting shoves into the brazen bull, or the Mughal elephant crushing method. Brazen bull doesnt really deserve to be on here though since the tyrant of Syracuse only ever used it once on the dude who made it. But yeah blood eagle is solidly in C tier for historical killing methods.
I'd settle for repeatedly falling up a flight of stairs or getting fucked in the ass with a splintered broom handle.
Translation: Weaker = can't brain wash them into mindless murder machines like we use to be able to.
Yeah, I hate those sociopaths who are all like " if you treat me with respect I'll treat you with respect."
When what they really mean is that if you treat them as an unquestioned god, they won't be as nasty as they could be.
So where is the mob of MAGA patriots ready to storm the Capitol and run this guy out of town on a rail? Hello? taps mic Is this thing on?
So? It's not like Pro America Republicans will vote him out even though he's causing the United States to have the weakest military he's ever seen!
I've heard it theorized that the strategy is intended to starve the military of officers so that Trump can fill the vacancies with loyalists when he regains the White House. Essentially, it is the military equivalent of Project 2025.
It's not a bug. It's a feature.
I hate that you’re probably right.
They did not with the Scrotus, they’re doing it with the military
Ah, the old chestnut of causing a problem, and then blaming it on someone else. Republican leadership is a Jonestown suicide cult, and they want all of us to drink the kool-aid.
What a sack of shit. Fuck you, Alabama.
Look in the mirror, asshole.
Not sure if this guy is mentally equipped to recognize his own reflection.
Idiocracy timeline
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville said in a recent interview that he believes the US currently has "the weakest military that we've had in probably a year in my lifetime."
Tuberville made his comments Monday evening after Newsmax's Eric Bolling mentioned the US military's spending on diversity training.
While Tuberville piled on President Joe Biden and his administration for what he considers to be a "self-inflicted" disaster, he didn't mention the outsized role effect he's had in 2023 on the nation's defense forces.
Following the Pentagon's decision to update its policies to allow service members to get reimbursed for out-of-state expenses for abortion care, Tuberville has singlehandedly prevented hundreds of military officers from getting promoted via a vote on the Senate floor.
Senate Republicans in recent weeks have repeatedly attempted to push through more individual votes on the chamber floor, only to be prevented more than 60 times by the former football coach.
Rick Scott, Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, and JD Vance, successfully lobbied Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to oppose the resolution.
The original article contains 383 words, the summary contains 171 words. Saved 55%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
God, I wish it had, but this waste of skin is lying again.
Can he find out? Please? He's been fucking around for all this time. Someone let him find out.
This is where Clarence the Angel shows him how much better the world would be had he never been born.
"You keep hitting yourself" says older brother who forces younger brother's arm to keep hitting himself.
Yup. Try being human. If you say you're willing to put aside the money once and that you're genuine about anything and you're automatically a narcissistic partisan who is at risk of terrorism or conspiracy.
Yep. Just that lots of republicans aren't being genuine. A lot of them are being christo-fascist, and they want to bend everyone to their will.
This is why I pray to Satan and God so that you get blessings going both ways hahaha
What's he at now? Genuinely curious to see how far he can push it. I'm still surprised nothing like this has ever happened before.
if our defense depends on the pomp and nonsense of these promotions, then our military has bigger problems than being vastly, profoundly over-funded.
I mean, at that level the positions are legally bound to certain ranks, meaning that high-level, strategic positions that determine strategy are unable to be filled except on a temporary basis, which means that decision-making is more tenuous. The military is still a monster, and it'll fulfill its functions as it normally does, and will for some time, but the longer this goes on, the more headless the military becomes.
If you don't know WTF you're talking about, it's better not to opine at all.
Sure... mock the folks with automatic weapons... should work out great for you.