I only need to understand ONE fact in this issue: if this was a Republican admin appointee slowing the Democrat agenda, they would be gone in less than an instant. The FACT McConnel and Thune have left her in place tells us she is nothing more than an operative for Deep State to remain in control. Don't think, for one second, Thune is not part of it.
Any senator who is not complaining to the press is a coward or complicit. We should not have to hear about this from Alexander. Fight for us or get out. Trump and his cabinet are fighting all by themselves. From refusing to do a talking fillabuster to pass the Save Act (or hold Republicans against it to their vote) to gaveling the senate into pro forma sessions to deny Trump 100's of recess appointments, to now finding out that the parliamentarian thwarting them is a democrat appointee that can be dismissed or replaced at their will. Infuriating.
The Byrd Rule and instituting a parliamentarian as an umpire, takes responsibility off Senators who voters expect to debate the issues before the American people. Ai would be a better, nonpartisan replacement for the work Elizabeth MacDonough is doing.
She is a Democrat. She was an advisor to Al Gore during the Bush/Gore ballot count hanging chad fiasco. Her position is to offer opinion on precedence. Ai is a tool for looking up previous decisions and judging results. Ai is less partisan than this lawyer who was appointed by a vicious bully Dem.
I was not clear, sorry. Better phrasing would be "She is a shield for rinos/deep state." Have to disagree on AI which has a distinct leftward bias. Look who is in charge of training!
It is an advisory position which is supposed to be nonpartisan. Debate is partisan. How is the parliamentarian helpful beyond the sheer legality of a single issue? The Byrd Rule needs to go.
The Parliamentarian position must be abolished or at a minimum the parliamentarian must be replaced. The President of the Senate must take this matter in hand and overrule when necessary. John (Son of Murder Turtle) Thune is a RINO of the worst sort. More like a Democrat. Get rid of him too.
“That custom has been broken repeatedly, by both parties, whenever the majority has had the will to break it. In 1949, Vice President Alben Barkley disregarded the parliamentarian on cloture. In 1967 and 1969, Vice President Hubert Humphrey did the same. In 1975, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, presiding over the Senate, simply ignored Parliamentarian Floyd Riddick’s advice on filibuster reform and ruled in favor of the majority’s preferred procedure.”
Three VPs taking action on this specific matter. That raises the question of what circumstances must be in place for the VP to take action?
Republicans inevitably fail to make hay while the sun shines, and the People suffer. I can no longer give Thune the benefit of the doubt. He is not merely weak or incompetent, he is batting for the other team. Too bad firing him is simply closing the barn door after the horse is long gone.
The Byrd Rule and instituting a parliamentarian as an umpire, takes responsibility off Senators whose voters expect to see the issues debated before the American people. Ai would be a better, nonpartisan replacement for the work Elizabeth MacDonough is doing.
Typical Republican fecklessness. Pretend Democrats would act in a similar fashion given power, so as to hold the “moral high ground” and “principles”. It’s the ultimate failure with the GOP, pretending their opponent follows the same rule book, and having their asses handed to them, over and over.
I've said it before & I'll say it again. Both Thune & the Parliamentarian need to be replaced. I do not think he will be re-elected in 2028 unless he runs as a Dimocrat. Unfortunately the Senate is currently run by a majority of RINOs who talk lile Republicans but act more like Socialist Dims. I think we can fix part of that problem with the mid-terms. As long as we vote for Non-Dim AMERICA FIRST candidates based on actions, not on do-nothing talk.
Alexander, this was an excellent, timely and necessary post, thank you. This is an issue few people understand and I’m not sure even one person in twenty would know about the parliamentarian at all, much less their invented role. The most obvious conclusion after reading your article is that John Thune is a HUGE coward. He is certainly no James Madison, who - as you so correctly wrote - “did not anticipate a Senate that would surrender its lawmaking authority to its own employees.” Even the slowest voters should be able to understand that the parliamentarian is a useless, unelected, partisan position, even if John Thune refuses to acknowledge it.
John Thune is not a coward. John Thune knows this is a useless, unelected, partisan position. John Thune and RINO friends like it this way. Their donors do not want these things to pass and neither do they. This gives them a convenient scapegoat to pin their "failures" on. They purposely give up power to bureaucrats and "say sorry voters, my hands are tied by that mean ol' parliamentarian".
Who knew they could fire her, replace her do away with the position completely if only they had the will. Well, now we do. Thank you Alexander. My blood is boiling, but thank you. I will be harassing my senator (yes only 1 because hopefully Cornyn will be an intransigent lame duck as of tomorrow) to kick Thune to the curb. At least try. Any senator that won't replace Thune is complicit. We must insist they are put on the record. If they call for a silent vote like last time then they better leak or be replaced. Enough is enough. They are blatantly defying the will of the people hiding behind procedure.
I only need to understand ONE fact in this issue: if this was a Republican admin appointee slowing the Democrat agenda, they would be gone in less than an instant. The FACT McConnel and Thune have left her in place tells us she is nothing more than an operative for Deep State to remain in control. Don't think, for one second, Thune is not part of it.
Any senator who is not complaining to the press is a coward or complicit. We should not have to hear about this from Alexander. Fight for us or get out. Trump and his cabinet are fighting all by themselves. From refusing to do a talking fillabuster to pass the Save Act (or hold Republicans against it to their vote) to gaveling the senate into pro forma sessions to deny Trump 100's of recess appointments, to now finding out that the parliamentarian thwarting them is a democrat appointee that can be dismissed or replaced at their will. Infuriating.
Why are we allowing RINOS, especially one affiliated with the scum-sucking dead Harry Reid, to make any decisions for us?
The Byrd Rule and instituting a parliamentarian as an umpire, takes responsibility off Senators who voters expect to debate the issues before the American people. Ai would be a better, nonpartisan replacement for the work Elizabeth MacDonough is doing.
Except that AI is hardly nonpartisan. This person should have been shown the door years ago. She is a rino/deep state shield, as is Leader Thune.
She is a Democrat. She was an advisor to Al Gore during the Bush/Gore ballot count hanging chad fiasco. Her position is to offer opinion on precedence. Ai is a tool for looking up previous decisions and judging results. Ai is less partisan than this lawyer who was appointed by a vicious bully Dem.
I was not clear, sorry. Better phrasing would be "She is a shield for rinos/deep state." Have to disagree on AI which has a distinct leftward bias. Look who is in charge of training!
JP, with all due respect, Ai will not be stopped from eventually having the facts. Umpires can be wrong, but video cameras don’t lie. https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Cv-I15iTqwA?ra=m
Apparently.
It is an advisory position which is supposed to be nonpartisan. Debate is partisan. How is the parliamentarian helpful beyond the sheer legality of a single issue? The Byrd Rule needs to go.
The Parliamentarian position must be abolished or at a minimum the parliamentarian must be replaced. The President of the Senate must take this matter in hand and overrule when necessary. John (Son of Murder Turtle) Thune is a RINO of the worst sort. More like a Democrat. Get rid of him too.
“That custom has been broken repeatedly, by both parties, whenever the majority has had the will to break it. In 1949, Vice President Alben Barkley disregarded the parliamentarian on cloture. In 1967 and 1969, Vice President Hubert Humphrey did the same. In 1975, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, presiding over the Senate, simply ignored Parliamentarian Floyd Riddick’s advice on filibuster reform and ruled in favor of the majority’s preferred procedure.”
Three VPs taking action on this specific matter. That raises the question of what circumstances must be in place for the VP to take action?
Republicans inevitably fail to make hay while the sun shines, and the People suffer. I can no longer give Thune the benefit of the doubt. He is not merely weak or incompetent, he is batting for the other team. Too bad firing him is simply closing the barn door after the horse is long gone.
The Byrd Rule and instituting a parliamentarian as an umpire, takes responsibility off Senators whose voters expect to see the issues debated before the American people. Ai would be a better, nonpartisan replacement for the work Elizabeth MacDonough is doing.
Superior Weeding of the Senate Garden. Byrd, et al were acknowledged tacticians; Thune is a frightened placeholder. He too should be weeded.
Nice to hear Nelson Rockefeller mentioined again, even if in the company of Truman's VP.
Typical Republican fecklessness. Pretend Democrats would act in a similar fashion given power, so as to hold the “moral high ground” and “principles”. It’s the ultimate failure with the GOP, pretending their opponent follows the same rule book, and having their asses handed to them, over and over.
I've said it before & I'll say it again. Both Thune & the Parliamentarian need to be replaced. I do not think he will be re-elected in 2028 unless he runs as a Dimocrat. Unfortunately the Senate is currently run by a majority of RINOs who talk lile Republicans but act more like Socialist Dims. I think we can fix part of that problem with the mid-terms. As long as we vote for Non-Dim AMERICA FIRST candidates based on actions, not on do-nothing talk.
Thune seems to be governing as if he already knows he will be replaced after November win or lose. Scurrilous behavior.
Governing the way his donors pay him to govern.
“A Woman.”
Case closed.
So true! She must GO.
Alexander, this was an excellent, timely and necessary post, thank you. This is an issue few people understand and I’m not sure even one person in twenty would know about the parliamentarian at all, much less their invented role. The most obvious conclusion after reading your article is that John Thune is a HUGE coward. He is certainly no James Madison, who - as you so correctly wrote - “did not anticipate a Senate that would surrender its lawmaking authority to its own employees.” Even the slowest voters should be able to understand that the parliamentarian is a useless, unelected, partisan position, even if John Thune refuses to acknowledge it.
John Thune is not a coward. John Thune knows this is a useless, unelected, partisan position. John Thune and RINO friends like it this way. Their donors do not want these things to pass and neither do they. This gives them a convenient scapegoat to pin their "failures" on. They purposely give up power to bureaucrats and "say sorry voters, my hands are tied by that mean ol' parliamentarian".
Who knew they could fire her, replace her do away with the position completely if only they had the will. Well, now we do. Thank you Alexander. My blood is boiling, but thank you. I will be harassing my senator (yes only 1 because hopefully Cornyn will be an intransigent lame duck as of tomorrow) to kick Thune to the curb. At least try. Any senator that won't replace Thune is complicit. We must insist they are put on the record. If they call for a silent vote like last time then they better leak or be replaced. Enough is enough. They are blatantly defying the will of the people hiding behind procedure.
Fire the intentional moron
Agreed! Time to boot.
Fire her.