Florida Phoenix
A progressive veteran’s group is airing a TV commercial in the Tallahassee media market, calling on Florida’s U.S. Sen. Rick Scott to end the blockade on hundreds of military promotions.
The delays, which have gone on for months, relate to U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and his protest over the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy.
Scott, a Navy veteran, joined 11 of his GOP Senate colleagues back in March in penning a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, blasting the decision announced last October by the Pentagon to reimburse service members who must travel to obtain an abortion.
But only one senator, Tuberville, has single-handedly blocked the confirmation of every U.S. military personnel appointment that needs Senate confirmation since February, a total that now amounts to more than 300 officers, according to the States Newsroom. The delay has angered President Joe Biden, Senate Democrats and even some Republicans, such as presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who said at a radio show last week that “there’s got to be other ways to go about doing this.”
Now VoteVets, a progressive political action committee and nonprofit organization has begun airing the ad that accuses Scott of being “AWOL” on the issue.
The ad shows a man described as a Florida veteran who participated in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars looking into the camera and saying, “Senator, wearing that [Navy] hat doesn’t make you a hero when you’re hanging our military out to dry … stop the block on military promotions,” with the phone number of Scott’s district office in Tallahassee flashed on the screen.
An official with VoteVets said that the ad targeting Scott will air in Tallahassee for the next two weeks and may later air in other television markets in Florida.
Scott said in an email this morning from his campaign: “It’s ironic that a dark money group funded by Chuck Schumer (the Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate), masquerading as a veterans’ group, is attacking me when Chuck Schumer can hold a vote on military promotions anytime he wants. It may be hard for liberal, D.C. special interest groups to understand, but it’s possible to support our military men and women and oppose the Democrats’ radical policy of abortion up until the moment of birth. Floridians know that my record of supporting our military is unmatched and lies from Chuck Schumer won’t change that.”
The Phoenix reached out to Schumer’s office for a response but did not receive an immediate request for comment.
VoteVets operates two political committees: the VoteVets PAC and the VoteVets Action Fund. According to FactCheck.org, the VoteVets Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) that does not disclose its donors but must report its independent expenditures to the Federal Election Commission. VoteVets spent $4 million in an attack ad against Scott when he ran for the Senate in 2018.
VoteVets responded to Scott’s comments:
“Naturally, rather than stand up for the military, as a true patriotic American would, hypocrite Rick Scott ducks and deflects,” said military veteran Paul Eaton, who lives in the Florida Keys. “Over 47,000 Veterans have made small donations to VoteVets. They and our millions of other supporters helped get this ad — featuring a Florida veteran — on the air. All of them are asking him to do one simple thing: Protect America and end the block on military promotions. Rather than do that, Rick Scott is telling all these veterans to get lost.”
Since he entered the U.S. Senate in 2019, Scott has frequently clashed with Schumer, who has led the U.S. Senate Democrats since 2017.
Scott is running for reelection next year, and the Democratic Senatorial Congressional Committee is discussing former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell as a candidate.
A poll conducted this week by the Global Strategy Group says that after voters heard “positive profiles of both candidates as well as attacks on both candidates” Mucarsel-Powell leads Scott, 44% to 43%. The survey consisted of 1,000 likely 2024 Florida voters.
“Rick Scott is highly vulnerable,” a DSCC aide told the Phoenix. “Debbie Mucarsel-Powell would be a strong candidate to defeat him.”
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Mitch Perry reporting. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: [email protected]. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.
3 comments
Dont Say FLA
August 17, 2023 at 7:26 pm
Tuberville’s not going to stop. He’s a MAGA dip stick and his goal isn’t anything to do with abortions.
His goal is for the power over military appointments and promotions to be taken from Congress and given to the Executive.
Tuberville and Trump think that will work to their advantage in coup number two. And, if that happens, they are 100% right.
Hope nobody falls for Tuberville’s con. Alabama needs to recall that dip stick. He is completely out of oil
Sonja Fitch
August 18, 2023 at 5:44 am
As if Scott will do the honorable! Scott makes Turrbiville actions look like it is bad. But Scott if he thought about it FIRST would try to leverage anything anyplace anytime for himself!
ed bernard
August 20, 2023 at 6:07 pm
rick scott is to busy trying to steal your grandfathers social security check and medicare ,,,,,,its a tradition with scott of stealing from tax payers
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