The Great Anchor

The Great Anchor

The Senate Does Not Serve the President

The Senate Does Not Serve the President

Congress, ConstitutionJames WallnerFebruary 24, 2022Advise and Consent, Confirmation Process, James Madison, Sherrod Brown, Senate Banking Committee, Federal ReserveComment

Democrats Still Have a Way To Pass Their Voting Rights Legislation

Democrats Still Have a Way To Pass Their Voting Rights Legislation

CongressJames WallnerJanuary 28, 2022Filibuster, filibuster, Rule XIX, Rule XXII, Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, Nuclear Option, Senate Rules, voting rightsComment

Democrats Can Beat a GOP Filibuster Without Wrecking Senate Rules

Democrats Can Beat a GOP Filibuster Without Wrecking Senate Rules

Senate Democrats should avoid taking the easy, undemocratic way out.

CongressJames WallnerJanuary 14, 2022Senate, Senate Rules, Filibuster, Rule XXII, Rule XIX, Biden, Kamala Harris, cloture, Harry Reid, Presiding OfficerComment

Democrats May Pressure the GOP Into Making the Filibuster Meaningless

Democrats May Pressure the GOP Into Making the Filibuster Meaningless

An old strategy that’s worked for Democrats before may work again.

James WallnerJanuary 11, 2022Filibuster, Nuclear Option, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Lamar Alexander, Harry Reid, voting rightsComment

How Harry Reid Broke the Senate

How Harry Reid Broke the Senate

CongressJames WallnerJanuary 2, 2022Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Senate Leadership, Senate dysfunction, filling the tree, cloture, Nuclear OptionComment

Earmarks Will Not Fix A Congress That Habitually Ignores Its Own Rules

Earmarks Will Not Fix A Congress That Habitually Ignores Its Own Rules

CongressJames WallnerMay 24, 2021EarmarksComment

Taking Ownership of Congressional Leadership

Taking Ownership of Congressional Leadership

CongressJames WallnerMay 21, 2021Congress, House of Representatives, Liz Cheney, Donald Trump, Alben Barkley, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Leadership, Leadership ElectionsComment

Democrats Are Avoiding Open Debate With Their Budget Reconciliation Scheme

Democrats Are Avoiding Open Debate With Their Budget Reconciliation Scheme

CongressJames WallnerApril 16, 2021Reconciliation, Budget Resolution, 1974 Budget ActComment

Will Democrats Really Nuke the Filibuster—and What Happens If They Do?

Will Democrats Really Nuke the Filibuster—and What Happens If They Do?

CongressJames WallnerMarch 24, 2021Senate Rules, Nuclear Option, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Biden, Filibuster, clotureComment

The Senate's Problem Isn't the Filibuster, It's a Lack of Open Debate

The Senate's Problem Isn't the Filibuster, It's a Lack of Open Debate

CongressJames WallnerFebruary 1, 2021Senate, Filibuster, Nuclear Option, Richard RussellComment

The Conservative Disposition

The Conservative Disposition

Political Theory, ElectionsJames WallnerJanuary 1, 2021ConservatismComment

Winning Elections Won’t Fix Our Broken Legislature

Winning Elections Won’t Fix Our Broken Legislature

Elections, Congress, Political Theory, Political ScienceJames WallnerDecember 15, 2020Senate, Polarization, 2020 Election, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, David Perdue, Kelly Loeffler, James Madison, Federalist 48 Comment

McConnell is not all-powerful against Biden's Cabinet nominees

McConnell is not all-powerful against Biden's Cabinet nominees

Elections, CongressJames WallnerNovember 20, 2020Senate, Joe Biden, 2020 Election, Georgia Special Elections, Majority Leader, Senate Rules, Confirmation Process, Merrick Garland, Mitch McConnellComment

If Democrats take the Senate, here's how the GOP can still stop their agenda

If Democrats take the Senate, here's how the GOP can still stop their agenda

Congress, ElectionsJames WallnerNovember 13, 2020Senate, obstruction, Senate RulesComment

Forget ghostly apparitions…the Senate has disappeared!

Forget ghostly apparitions…the Senate has disappeared!

CongressJames WallnerNovember 3, 2020Senate dysfunctionComment

The Constitution ensures no one rules America

The Constitution ensures no one rules America

Political Theory, ConstitutionJames WallnerOctober 29, 2020Federalist 47, Federalist 48, Polybius, James Madison, Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt, Donald Trump, Minority Rule, Majority Rule, ConstitutionComment

With Amy Coney Barrett, Democrats hold a master class on how to lose a Senate debate

With Amy Coney Barrett, Democrats hold a master class on how to lose a Senate debate

SenateJames WallnerOctober 21, 2020Amy Coney Barrett, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Confirmation Process, Legislative Strategy Comment

Whatever happened to true 'advice and consent' in Supreme Court confirmation hearings?

Whatever happened to true 'advice and consent' in Supreme Court confirmation hearings?

Senate, Presidency, Political TheoryJames WallnerOctober 16, 2020Confirmation Process, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Judicial Nominations, Amy Coney BarrettComment

For the Supreme Court, 8 Justices Would be Better than 9

For the Supreme Court, 8 Justices Would be Better than 9

An even-numbered court would probably be more functional and less divided.

SenateJames WallnerOctober 7, 2020Confirmation Process, Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Separation of PowersComment

For Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation process, the Constitution is on Senate GOP's side

For Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation process, the Constitution is on Senate GOP's side

SenateJames WallnerSeptember 28, 2020Confirmation Process, Amy Coney Barrett, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Donald Trump, Supreme Court, Ruth Bader GinsburgComment