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The Representatives and
Senators
11.1
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The Members
Not glamorous job? Perks Power
$174,000 annual salary
Generous retirement and health benefits
Constitutional requirements House: 25, citizen for 7 years
Senate: 30, citizen for 9 years
Reside in state
435 Representatives; 100 senators
11.1
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TABLE 11.1 Portrait of the 114th Congress 11.1
Differences - House and Senate
The House
• Represent narrow constituencies
• more organized, with centralized authority
• members have a greater policy specialization
• generally quicker to act
• stronger rules
• stronger parties and committees
The Senate
• Represent broader, statewide constituencies
• less organized, more collegial
• more individualistic
• senators tend to be “generalists”
• more deliberative
Representation Styles
Trustees
Act based on their own judgments when they disagree with their constituents.
Senators
Delegates
Closely follow and act on the preferences of their constituents.
House
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Why Aren’t There More
Women in Congress?
Fewer women running Childcare
Risk averse
Bias Must be more qualified
11.1
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11.1 How old do you have to be to run
for the office of senator?
a. 25
b. 35
c. 30
d. 21
11.1
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11.1 How old do you have to be to run
for the office of senator?
a. 25
b. 35
c. 30
d. 21
11.1
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Congressional Elections 11.2
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Incumbents Over 90% win reelection in House
Senators do not have it as easy
Incumbents perceive themselves as
vulnerable Hence fundraising and campaigning
Who Wins Elections? 11.2
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FIGURE 11.1 Incumbency factor in
congressional elections
11.2
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The Advantages of
Incumbency
Advertising Constituent contact
Credit claiming Casework
Pork barrel projects
11.2
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Advantages of Incumbency
Position taking
Weak opponents
Campaign spending
11.2
Challengers are naïve But sometimes incumbents are vulnerable
Redistricting
Public mood
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Open Seats and Stability and
Change
Vacant seat means no incumbent running Most turnover occurs here
Stability from incumbency Development of expertise
Term limits?
11.2
Incumbency Effect Careerism in Congress –
Drastic reduction in membership turnover
Incumbency –
Powerful predictor of electoral success
Experience/Fundraising
Voting Records
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The Role of Party
Identification
Parties and districts Drawn for one-party dominance
11.2
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11.2 Why do incumbents have such a
strong electoral advantage?
a. They attract more campaign contributions
b. They can use the congressional franking
privilege
c. They have more name recognition
d. All of the above
11.2
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11.2 Why do incumbents have such a
strong electoral advantage?
a. They attract more campaign contributions
b. They can use the congressional franking
privilege
c. They have more name recognition
d. All of the above
11.2
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How Congress is Organized to
Make Policy
11.3
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American Bicameralism
Bicameral legislature Bills must pass both houses
Checks and balances
Result of Connecticut Compromise
The House More institutionalized and seniority-based
Rules Committee
The Senate The Filibuster
Less centralized and seniority-based
11.3
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TABLE 11.2 House versus Senate: Some key
differences
11.3
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Congressional Leadership
Chosen by party
The House Speaker of the House
Majority and minority leaders
Whips
The Senate Vice president
Majority leader
Congressional Leadership in Perspective
11.3
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Congressional Leadership 11.3
J. Scott Applewhite/AP Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images;
Alex Wong/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Senate
• President Pro Tempore
– Constitution
– Ceremonial leadership
• Majority party’s most senior member
• Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah
• First elected to the Senate in 1976
• Appointed January 6, 2015
Whip System • Communications network
– Poll members - voting intentions on bills
• Conveys wishes of leaders in Congress
– Sometimes applying pressure.
– Helps maintain party unity
• Between 12 and 20 assistant whips selected according to geographic zone.
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The Committees and
Subcommittees
Four types of committees Standing committees
Joint committees
Conference committees
Select committees
11.3
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TABLE: 11.3 Standing committees in the
Senate and in the House
11.3
Important Congressional Committees • House of Representatives
– Rules Committee • Order of bills for a vote
– Ways & Means • Tax legislation, SSN, trade
– Appropriations • 13 revenue bills
• Senate – Intelligence
• CIA, Defense, Homeland
– Homeland Security • Civil Service and national
security
Committee Leaders
• Committee Chairs
– Majority of committee vote for chairmen
• Usually most senior committee members of majority party.
• Ranking Committee Members
– Senior member of minority party serving on committee.
• Consults with Chairman deciding committee business.
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The Committees and
Subcommittees
The Committees at work: Legislation
The Committees at work: Oversight
11.3
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TABLE 11.4 Sharing oversight of homeland
security
11.3
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Getting on a committee Constituent needs
Appealing to leadership
Committee chairs and the seniority system
Committees and
Subcommittees
11.3
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Caucuses: The Informal
Organization of Congress
As important as formal structure
Dominated by caucuses 500 caucuses today
Goal is to promote their interests
Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus
11.3
Informal Organizations • Caucuses
– Senators or representatives who share certain opinions, interests, or social characteristics.
• Examples – Liberal Democratic Study
Group
– Conservative Democratic Forum
– Travel and Tourism Caucus
– Steel Caucus
– Congressional Black Caucus
– Hispanic Caucus
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Congressional Staff
Personal staff Casework
Legislative functions
Committee staff 2,000 staff members
Legislative oversight
11.3
Staff Agencies
• Provide legislative branch with resources and expertise independent of executive branch
• Oversee administrative agencies and evaluate presidential programs and proposals.
• Congressional Research Service – Research facts and competing arguments relevant to policy proposals.
• Government Accountability Office – Investigate financial and administrative affairs of any government
agency or office.
• Congressional Budget Office – Assess economic implications and costs of federal programs.
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11.3 How many staff members does
Congress employ to help it do its job?
a. More than 11,000
b. 3,200
c. Less than 2,000
d. Staff are volunteers from the member’s
constituency, and their numbers vary
11.3
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11.3 How many staff members does
Congress employ to help it do its job?
a. More than 11,000
b. 3,200
c. Less than 2,000
d. Staff are volunteers from the member’s
constituency and their numbers vary
11.3
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The Congressional Process
and Decision Making
11.4
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FIGURE 11.2 How a bill becomes a law 11.4
Legislative Process • Typical congressional session
– Close to 8,000 bills are introduced.
– 85% to 90% “die in committee”
• All revenue bills start in House of Representatives
• HR - “normally” 13 Appropriation bills passed each fiscal year.
• Omnibus bills includes all bills in one vote.
• Bills often drafted to be inclusive – Spread the benefits widely among beneficiaries
– Principle of “distributive tendency.”
• “Christmas Tree” Bill. – Everyone gets something
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Presidents and Congress:
Partners and Protagonists
President’s legislative agenda Persuade Congress
Work at the margins but usually win
Yet Congress is quite independent
11.4
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Party, Constituency, and
Ideology
Party influence Economic and social welfare policies
Polarized politics Parties more internally homogeneous
Less likelihood of compromise
11.4
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FIGURE 11.3 Increasing polarization in
Congress
11.4
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Party, Constituency, and
Ideology
Constituency opinion versus member
ideology Trustees versus instructed delegates
11.4
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Lobbyists and Interest Groups
D.C. is crawling with lobbyists 12,000 of them
Spent $3 billion in 2011
Former members of Congress
How lobbyists persuade Provide policy information
Provide promises of money
Ghostwrite legislation
Status quo usually wins
Disclosure requirements
11.4
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11.4 On what tactics do lobbyists rely
to influence policy in Congress?
a. Promising money for reelection campaigns
b. Providing expert policy information
c. Ghostwriting legislation
d. All of the above
11.4
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11.4 On what tactics do lobbyists rely
to influence policy in Congress?
a. Promising money for reelection campaigns
b. Providing expert policy information
c. Ghostwriting legislation
d. All of the above
11.4
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11.5 Understanding Congress
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Congress and Democracy
Democracy depends upon successful
representation
Congress unrepresentative Members are elites
Leadership chosen, not elected
Senate based on states, not population
Obstacles to good representation Constituent service
Reelection campaigns
Representativeness versus Effectiveness
11.5
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Congress and the Scope of
Government
Does size of government increase to
please public? Pork barrel spending
Contradictory preferences Against large government, for individual programs
11.5
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11.5 How does the Senate undermine
democratic representation?
a. Its members tend not to show up for roll
call votes
b. It is forbidden from overriding a
presidential veto
c. It represents states rather than people
d. None of the above
11.5
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11.5 How does the Senate undermine
democratic representation?
a. Its members tend not to show up for roll
call votes
b. It is forbidden from overriding a
presidential veto
c. It represents states rather than
people
d. None of the above
11.5