James Wallner @jiwallner Twitter profile

Last Seen Profiles

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@hansenhuth16

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@chiikka1

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@OzarslanMesut

@nbunny_

James Wallner

@jiwallner

2 years

Every member of Congress should study what @chiproytx and his allies accomplished this week. They offered a master class on how to win when you are outnumbered using the rules as leverage.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

It appears to me that the Senate “owns” the shutdown seeing as how it couldn’t be bothered to stay in session to debate and amend legislation to not shut down.

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

6 years

The Democrats now own the shutdown!

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

McConnell decides what we take to the floor only so long as members defer to him to do so. Under the Senate’s rules, any member can make a motion to proceed to a bill. And any bill can be offered as an amendment to legislation on the floor.

Alan He

@alanhe

6 years

McConnell on the special counsel protection bill: "I'm the one who decides what we take to the floor. That's my responsibility as the Majority Leader and we will not be having this on the floor of the Senate."

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

Before we all lose our minds, it’s important to take a moment and remember RBG as the incredible woman she was. A human being passed away. She deserves our respect regardless of whether we agree with her policy views.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

2 years

Agreed. 100%. @chiproytx is a true legislative talent. One of the best I've ever seen. He has an uncanny ability to map the legislative terrain - inside and outside of Congress. He believes deeply in principle. But still respects his opponents. A true institutionalist.

Erick Erickson

@EWErickson

2 years

If you think Chip Roy is a grandstanding grifter, you don't know the guy. He actually believes in the cause and is willing to fight to advance conservatism.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday conceded that Democrat's seizure of the House slams the door on Obamacare repeal efforts in Congress” .......

Trump, McConnell float possibility of bipartisan action on health issues

The Senate leader acknowledged efforts to repeal the ACA are dead.

www.politico.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

Flake and Coons don't need unanimous consent to force a vote on S. 2644. They have other options.

Flake Has Options — Legislative Procedure

There are multiple ways to force a vote.

www.legislativeprocedure.com

Jeff Flake

@JeffFlake

6 years

When the Senate convenes next week, @ChrisCoons and I will ask for unanimous consent to bring S.2644, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, to a vote on the Senate floor. After the firing of The AG, it is more important than ever to protect the Special Counsel.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

This suggests that the Senate parliamentarian gets to decide what is included in legislation that the Senate debates. She has no such power. Senators must remove the provision themselves on the floor. And senators don’t work for the parliamentarian.

Top Senate Official Disqualifies Minimum Wage From Stimulus Plan (Published 2021)

The parliamentarian ruled that the provision, which would gradually increase the wage to $15 an hour, violated the strict budgetary rules that limit what can be included in the package.

www.nytimes.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

This is wrong. The rules allowed the Senate to not act on Garland (they also allowed any senator to force a vote in relation to that decision). The rules do not allow Senate to ignore impeachment. That would require new rules. New rules require a vote.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

Love it when House members tell Senators that they can work with the Chief Justice to set the Senate’s rules….

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

2 years

Pro tip: If anyone ever asks you to give the response to a president's SOTU, say no.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

Today: 1. GOP effort to repeal Obamacare dies 2. Corker retires 3. Moore wins Today was not a good day for Senate leaders.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

@EWErickson I remember when Republicans similarly called on Trump to step aside in favor of Pence weeks before the election. The irony is that Pence would likely not have won in 2016, making this all moot in 2019.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

3 years

There is no “sixty vote requirement” to pass legislation in the Senate. Senators don’t have to use Rule XXII. Robert Byrd understood that. Why doesn’t Schumer?

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

The same thing applies to the Senate. The House and the Senate get to set their own rules. Not law professors or the Chief Justice.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

2 years

The establishment is pro-status quo and resists efforts to change it. Candidates that it opposes may or may not be “extreme” - but the establishment always refers to such candidates as extreme to delegitimizing them and thus protect the status quo.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

Legislative Procedure 101: Only the House and Senate can make changes to legislation. The Senate’s parliamentarian can’t take provisions out of a House-passed bill. Its majority leader can’t remove a provision. The president can’t do it. The VP can’t do it. Only the full Senate.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

Outrage over Trump congratulating Putin while Congress debates 2,232-page omnibus bill released last night is reflective of the politics of scandal. Members prefer to focus on issues beyond their control instead of engaging in the hard work of legislating.

Sasse rips Trump for congratulating Putin on ‘sham’ election win

Sasse turned Trump's signature campaign phrase against him, condemning a "Russian despot that aims to make Soviet tyranny great again."

www.politico.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

Leaders have long pretended otherwise. This isn’t unique to McConnell. They all wish they had formal power under the rules. But the fact is that they don’t.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

The future of our politics is up for grabs. Congress needs to start working weekends.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

But Tester voted for the American Taxpayer Relief Act (extended Bush tax cuts) at 1:39 am on New Year’s Day in 2013, less than an hour or two after the text was finalized. They didn’t even have printed copies if I remember correctly.

Senator Jon Tester

@SenatorTester

7 years

I was just handed a 479-page tax bill a few hours before the vote. One page literally has hand scribbled policy changes on it that can’t be read. This is Washington, D.C. at its worst. Montanans deserve so much better.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

@StevenTDennis If McConnell refuses to schedule the vote, another senator would have to move to proceed to it. My guess is that McConnell moves to proceed himself once he sees 51 senators support. Leaders don’t like senators knowing they can move to proceed themselves whenever they want to.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

There's a "national emergency" at the border and senators can't be bothered to work on a weekend?

Burgess Everett

@burgessev

6 years

Senate adjourns until 3 p.m. Monday. Shutdown going until Day 24 at least

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

Never Trump Republicans criticize pro-Trump Republicans for blindly supporting the president. But many proclaim that they will support anyone in an effort to defeat him. Is that blindly opposing the president? They appear to be two sides of the same coin.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

Ask yourself, how would McConnell stop this bill from coming up exactly? What rule does he cite? What power? By definition, something that is available to everyone is not the property of one person only. But McConnell seems to think so.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

Democrats have yet to block major GOP initiative with filibuster.

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

7 years

If Republican Senate doesn't get rid of the Filibuster Rule & go to a simple majority, which the Dems would do, they are just wasting time!

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

Since leaders get their power from others’ deference, they should be careful to avoid the appearance of using that power to the detriment of those on whose continued deference it depends. Why would the minority (or any senator) defer to majority leader to schedule Bills...

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

One difference between Democrats and Republicans is that former used reconciliation as backstop. GOP uses it first.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

Perhaps it's time Congress canceled the two week recess and stayed in DC until it can get the job done.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

8 years

The Senate should heed Trump's call to "speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly." It's the only way to get things done.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

I love the argument that tax bill must pass b/c failure isn’t an option after healthcare. By that logic, success increases with each defeat.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

If McConnell continues this kind of braggadocio, he could undermine the entire basis of his power in the Senate.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

“Republicans are increasingly mystified by their own grass roots” - probably not the best omen of future success.

For Republican Leaders in Congress, the Headaches Keep Mounting (Published 2017)

Republican leaders find themselves under attack from the right and left, questioned by their donors and even threatened by the Trump White House.

www.nytimes.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

How would McConnell stop a member from making a motion to proceed on the Senate floor? In the spring of 2010, he made a motion to proceed to a bill even though he was minority leader at the time. Did Reid not enjoy the same exclusive power to determine Senate business at time?

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

Why are senators asking the president’s counsel what the Chief Justice can do and whether or not senators can go to court? They make the rules, not the Chief Justice or the courts.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

Senators today complain about not doing anything. But they defer voluntarily to McConnell to make motions to proceed to legislation. If McConnell doesn’t move to proceed to bills senators want to debate, they should make their own motions to begin debate. Baby steps.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

3 years

Reid was the most skilled Senate leader I ever researched or observed in action personally. I didn’t agree with his politics or with what he did as leader. But he changed how he led the Senate in response to events - and that doesn’t happen.

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid dies at 82 - Roll Call

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has died, his family announced Tuesday. He was 82.

rollcall.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

2 years

The coverage on @CNN @andersoncooper of the motion to vacate is wildly inaccurate to the extent that it implies that five lawmakers can remove a speaker on their own.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

One final thought. The most powerful person in the Senate isn’t the majority leader. It’s the Vice President. He can make rulings, chose to recognize senators, etc. but even there, he can be overruled by the Senate. As with the leader, the real power lies in the rank-and-file.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

This analysis is misleading. There are rules and practices that stipulate what happens when House sends articles of impeachment to Senate. The Senate must vote to create new rules and practices that allow it to ignore impeachment. Not McConnell’s decision.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

8 years

By any objective measure, Democrats are now obstructing nominations to a greater degree than Republicans did when they were in the minority.

The Daily Signal

@DailySignal

8 years

Unprecedented delays and obstructionism have resulted in the most contentious confirmation process in U.S. history

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

3 years

I’m conservative. And I don’t understand why conservatives practicing politics see critical race theory as the biggest issue in American right now.

James Lindsay, anti-Communist

@ConceptualJames

3 years

@realchrisrufo @seanmdav @SenBillCassidy Looks like Critical Race Theory is, in fact, in the bill. First image is literally their foundational belief. Race consciousness is necessary? Really?!

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

3 years

How cynical is this move by McConnell? He supports raising the debt limit. He says the debt limit must be raised. But he says he won’t cooperate to raise it. That doesn’t make sense. At all. It makes zero sense.

McConnell ‘respectfully’ tells Biden it’s time for Democrats to raise debt ceiling

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is urging President Biden to lean on Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to get Democrats to raise the …

thehill.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

This is a bizarre shutdown. Just checked in after a few days and saw that nothing has changed. Senate will be out until next week? Odd way for Republicans to fight for what they ostensibly want. Appears that they are waiting for cover from a Democratic majority in the House.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

Will conservatives support confirming a Supreme Court justice during a Lame Duck session (after the election but before the next Congress convenes in January)? If they do, that will be a dramatic turn about for conservatives who once opposed Lame Ducks religiously.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

This shows that GOP can’t win battle of ideas behind closed doors. Conservatives should instead welcome this debate.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

Witnesses in impeachment trials: Blount = 0; Pickering = 15; Chase = 81; Peck = 33; Humphreys = 6; Johnson = 47; Belknap = 45; Swayne = 47; Archbald = 120; English = 0; Louderback = 46; Ritter = 57; Claiborne = 19; Hastings = 59; W. Nixon = 10; Clinton = 3; Kent = 0; Porteous = 3

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

Great news! Hard to imagine someone better suited for the job.

Trump Interviews Stanford Economist John Taylor for Fed Chairman Job

President Donald Trump is nearing a decision on whom to pick to lead the Federal Reserve, and met Wednesday with one of four candidates, Stanford University economist John Taylor.

www.wsj.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

“Cochran is up for reelection in 2020, and Republicans are desperate for him to stay in office and avoid a special election.”

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

The bill may be a good idea or a bad idea. And it may or may not need to be debated on the floor. But that’s not McConnell’s decision. If it were, then the Senate should spend more time evaluating the people it selects to be its leaders.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

@ezraklein A Clinton victory would have also continued to mask the divisions in the Republican Party, which would have made their jobs easier.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

The 2020 election is teaching millions of Americans the timeless lessons of politics: victories are always provisional; defeats are never total; outcomes are rarely straightforward; change, for better or worse, takes a lot longer than most think; and the whole thing is exhausting

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 months

I love the Senate.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

If the majority leader used it to stop the minority from raising issues with which it was concerned?

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

Kennedy’s retirement highlights what’s wrong with American politics. The outcome of so many policy questions should not depend on one person (or position) in a democratic republic.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

The reason is that Democrats, just like Republicans, no longer view the Senate as a place where significant action occurs. It’s literally a waste of time from their perspective. The real action is at the ballot box.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

I don’t understand the McConnell praise. He has transformed the Senate into a Human Resources agency. And confirming the president’s judicial nominees isn’t exactly a superhuman feat in a post-filibuster Senate. It requires scheduling the vote and voting.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

3 years

Regardless of where they stand on raising the minimum wage, Americans should know where their elected representatives stand on it. The Senate process is designed to obscure that information.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

Isn’t it telling that Senate leaders would rather shut down the government (again) instead of simply letting Paul offer his amendment? Seems unnecessary. Entire episode reveals true source of Senate dysfunction.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

This kind of language sounds more like Lyndon Johnson than Mansfield. And therein lies the problem. McConnell is trying to run Mansfield’s Senate like Johnson. That’s why things have gotten so bad. He can’t make it work.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

As opposed to those vacant Supreme Court Justice offices down the hall???

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

It’s interesting that currently serving senators bemoan the fact that the lions of the Senate are gone. They too could be lions if they simply acted on behalf of their convictions regardless of the consequences. It’s not like Senate lions are extinct.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

It's concerning that the GOP's first instinct is to pressure its members to settle for a suboptimal bill instead of fighting for best bill.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

After all, they have the power to do so. But they don’t. The same dynamic is present on DACA. Why don’t the Democrats act?

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

James Madison thought a president could be subject to impeachment for “the wanton removal of meritorious officers” in government.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

Anyone else perplexed how one justice on the Supreme Court can alter law for a generation or more in a separation-of-powers system? Asking for a friend...

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

McConnell’s statement also highlights the illusory nature of our politics at present. If we were so polarized, if Democrats were so implacably opposed to the president, determined to protect Mueller, one would reasonably expect them to force votes on things like this.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

3 years

Senate Democrats expected to begin voting rights debate today. Once on the bill, they only need to protect the text from being changed. That’s 51-vote territory. Democrats can table GOP amendments with 51 votes and no debate. And they can force GOP to mount a talking filibuster

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

8 years

Blowing up Senate rules to confirm SCOTUS nom isn't necessary. The current rules provide a way to break filibuster.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

1 year

Congress sets the size of the Court. (It could eliminate Alito’s seat). Congress can restrict the Court’s jurisdiction. Congress can tell the Supreme Court where it meets and it can give it a building….,

Alito says Congress has ‘no authority’ to regulate Supreme Court

Justice Samuel Alito said Congress has “no authority” to regulate the Supreme Court in an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s opinion section published Friday, pushing back against Democ…

thehill.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

Problem with Ryan's comments here is that this bill isn't the result of a broken process. It is the result of leaders and members not wanting to do it any differently. All the rules changes in the world won't change that.

Chad Pergram

@ChadPergram

6 years

Ryan on 2,232 pg omnibus spending bill: "No bill of this size is perfect. And we must reform our broken budget process to return to a regular appropriations process. But this legislation addresses important priorities and makes us stronger at home and abroad.”

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

2 years

Senate Republicans waited 38 days to pick their leaders after an election between 1948 and 2022. The average number of days between Election Day and leadership election drops to 18 days between 1980 and 2022. The average is only 11 days since McConnell has been leader.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

If Senate is on the Coast Guard bill for example, how exactly would McConnell stop a senator from offering an amendment to it that contained the text of this bill? Presumably he would fill tree, just like every other time bill was on floor, but senators don’t have to follow tree.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

Once senators decide that policy change can happen between elections, they will change things. It will happen almost overnight. This is what happened when Senate transitioned from the 50s to the 60s.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

8 years

Dem efforts to grind Senate to a halt will continue until GOP makes it more difficult to obstruct by working weekends and canceling recess.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

3 years

The infrastructure talks are an example of why gangs are bad. Closed doors. A chosen few. Intrigue. Betrayal. All of us on the outside left wondering what’s going to happen next and feeling powerless to influence it. No accountability when things don’t pan out.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

Read a few political science books about Congress. Then spend a day watching Congress. You will quickly realize that most political scientists are not describing Congress in their writings.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

How is it that a GOP that cannot repeal ObamaCare despite promising to do so for the last 7 years can pass a FY18 budget and tax reform?

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

Crazy idea: McConnell should acknowledge that how he’s managed the Senate hasn’t worked for anyone and pledge to change his approach from this point on.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

From a practical perspective, this kind of language doesn’t make sense. It makes the bill’s failure McConnell’s fault, even though he has no more power to kill a bill than the new senator from Mississippi. And if it comes up anyway, it makes him look weak.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

Let's all take a minute and reflect on how reliable the Senate is in avoiding work on a Friday. It is incredible.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

8 years

Must read from @seanmdav and @FDRLST : The GOP Can Confirm Supreme Court Nominees Without Nuclear Option

The GOP Can Confirm Supreme Court Nominees Without Nuclear Option

Senate Republicans can confirm President Trump's Supreme Court nominees without using the filibuster-killing nuclear option. Here's how.

thefederalist.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 years

Technically, the Supreme Court isn’t supposed to represent the views of the public. That would make it a political branch. It should adjudicate specific cases arising under the Constitution. In our system, Congress represents the views of the public.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

This is up there with streaming movies over WiFi. Basically the definition of magic.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

6 months

@KDbyProxy There is a lot more to @chiproytx than you think. People may disagree with him on some policies. But he is thoughtful and principled. And he sees the House as the place where our elected representatives go to adjudicate issues on our behalf.

Is the House broken? — Politics In Question

In this week's episode of Politics In Question, Lee and James ask Representative Chip Roy, R-Texas, if the House of Representatives is broken. Roy is a devoted husband and father of two, serving...

www.politicsinquestion.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

DeMint: Gorsuch is a model for future judicial nominations | TheHill

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

5 years

Whether one thinks Trump out to be impeached or that he ought not to be impeached, we should all be able to agree that constitutional tools don’t damage the Constitution when they are used.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

2 years

I remember when the Pennsylvania’s Republican establishment thought Pat Toomey was too extreme and considered his candidacy a disaster - in 2004 and in 2010. A good reminder that the establishment is not always a reliable barometer in politics.

Once Alarmed, Mainstream Pennsylvania Republicans Unite Around Mastriano (Published 2022)

Doug Mastriano, the far-right state senator, has shored up his party’s support, but has done little to broaden his reach. Democrats have painted him as an extremist, but remain concerned in a tricky...

www.nytimes.com

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

Pulled AHCA illustrates importance of process. It's harder to pass controversial bills written in secret. Process identifies consensus.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

What is happening in the Senate isn’t dysfunction. It is a debate. This is how the process is supposed to work. They will resolve this. Their conflict informs the outcome

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

The biggest threat to conservatism are Republicans not knowing or caring about what it means to be conservative.

Andrew Feinberg

@AndrewFeinberg

4 years

Lindsey Graham says the biggest "threats to conservatism" are election officials making it easier for people to vote and social media companies cracking down on disinformation.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

2 years

If you are Gaetz and you want to take a painting home. You could probably make that happen right now in exchange for voting yes.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

4 years

The Senate must vote to remove the minimum wage provision from the House-passed bill on a point of order raised by a senator or by approving a substitute amendment that does not include the provision.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner

7 years

No scholar should be pressured to attach his/her name and credibility to a policy proposal just because a political operative demands it.

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James Wallner

@jiwallner