Tommy Tuberville, 66, has a degree in physical education from a small state college in Arkansas.
He knows a lot about football, but so little about government he was mocked for describing the three branches of government as the House, Senate, and Executive.
He’s displayed equally shocking ignorance about history (he thinks World War 2 was fought against “socialism,” not fascism) and contemporary issues (he thinks climate change “won’t affect anybody for 400 years”). In short, he’s the kind of guy you hire to run a college football program, not elect to the U.S. Senate.
Alabama elected him to the U.S. Senate, sending a vastly more qualified incumbent packing, because Alabama is Alabama. As a novice U.S. Senator, Tuberville promises to be slavishly loyal to Trump, and exhibits essentially no inclination to think very much for himself, which probably is beyond his intellectual capacities anyway.
In other words, Tuberville has all the makings of a loose cannon when Congress convenes on Jan. 6 to formally count Biden’s 306 electoral votes and Trump’s 232 electoral votes, and then officially declare Biden the winner and next president, which Biden very clearly is, and which Congress very plainly will do.
After five dozen lawsuits alleging election fraud were thrown out by judges, many of them Republicans — some appointed by Trump — a few on procedural grounds, but mostly for lack of evidence, some GOP House members plan to object to Biden’s electoral votes anyway, simply because they can. Those objections will go nowhere, but make more noise if even one senator signs on to them.
Tuberville is promising anyone willing to listen that he’ll be that senator.
In the Senate, GOP majority leader (for now) McConnell is trying to do damage control. Insiders say he and GOP whip John Thune “will reach out to” Tuberville and tell him supporting those House members’ efforts “will be a futile — and politically damaging — move,” The Hill reported on Friday, December 25, 2020 (read story here). It won’t do them any good.
Like a suicidal chess gambit, it’s an amateur move; and Tuberville being a rank amateur at this game, he’ll make it. Smart people listen and learn when they’re out of their element. Not him. He’s the kind of guy who’d stare blankly at the ceiling if Gary Kasparov tried to teach him beginner’s chess. He has a track record of being a loose cannon in business and charity ventures (here).
He should listen to the referees (McConnell and Thune) blowing their whistles. He would in a football game. But I’ll bet he doesn’t.
Tuberville is the kind of guy who wins football games. This will be fun. Fun will be had by all. Of course only the kind of fun a novice Senator can provide. Remember he is the Senator not you. Perhaps McConnell should set out China or find his inner Blues Brother. Look for tattooed letters on his hands and some great Detroit steel parked in his space sporting black and white.
He maybe hoping with Covid the Democrats in that the house won’t be able to field their full team.
Most likely the attempt will not much matter in the long run, but if a few state legislatures make some rules changes the Republicans favors it will be worth it and payback for 2004. Who knows they may surprise us all and get the big prize. After all the Jets have now won 2 games this season.
And comparing McConnell and Thune as refs is totally silly they are fellow Senators in a very chummy institution. It is the Vice President who is the only referee and maybe the institutions parliamentarian. And the first VP found herding Senators more difficult than herding cats.
Perhaps he, you, and Alabama’s voters next time could take the U.S. Senate a little more seriously? The Founding Fathers didn’t intend it to be a football game or Saturday Night Live.