James Wallner, R Street Institute

September 28, 2021  

  • Video
  • 0:12 – Background
  • 1:40 – Areas of Research
  • 3:03 – Senate-based research
  • 5:09 – Rules and procedures in the Senate
  • 10:23 – Where do the unwritten/written rules play apart in the Senate?
  • 13:18 – What is the role of the Senate Parliamentarian?
  • 16:02 – What rules work in the Senate? Rules that need reform?
  • 20:24 – Ways to think about the Senate’s role
  • 22:54 – How could the rules in the Senate evolve?
  • 27:10 – Person and Party are above the Senate
  • 31:10 – What is the filibuster?
  • 40:41 – What is your perspective on the filibuster?
  • 45:21 – Feedback loop between voters and Senators
  • 51:28 – How membership behaviors affect Congress?
  • 53:16 – Leadership in the Senate and their roles
  • 1:03:03 – How to encourage individualism in Congress
    [Lightning Round]
  • 1:08:11 – What do you think congressional representation should mean?
  • 1:12:17 – How would your ideal Congress allocate its time?
  • 1:16:19 – How should debate, deliberation, or dialogue occur or be structured in Congress?
  • 1:23:32– What fundamental institutional improvement should Congress make within the next 50 years?
  • 1:24:06 – What book or article most shaped your think with respect to congressional reform?
  • 1:26:08 – Long term plans

Check out the podcast version here:

Wallner-Transcript