Chapter 13 Congress

Reading Questions 

1. What is the paradox regarding Congress and public opinion?a. The paradox of public opinion regarding Congress refers to the dynamic that public

opinion of Congress is low, however many people approve of their own representatives. Congress is composed of 435 Representatives and 100 Senators.

2. How does the book describe partisan polarization in Congress?  What is the explanation for why Congress today seems more polarized than it did up until the 1970s?

a. A vote in which a majority of Democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators.

b. There is a now a lack of liberal republicans and conservative democrats in the house. There are fewer democrats to oppose the republican legislators.

3. Summarize the differences between Congress and a parliament and how these fundamental differences influence the character of the U.S. Congress.

a. c-runs in a primary election selected by voters on personalities and positions on issuesb. p-to become candidate he/she persuades their party to put his/her name on ballet c. p-In elections voters choose 2 to 3 parties not peopled. c-vote for person not party e. p-loyal to national party leadershipf. c-ind. representative of districtg. ~prime minister vs. pres.h. p-kept in line, often agree with minister i. c-separate from pres. j. c-representation & actionk. p-debate to make decisionsl. c-members have more power m. p-members have little powern. -represent states not parties, so concerned with their own constituencies & careerso. worrying about voters more important than worrying about presp. decentralized institutionq. worried more about own views & voters, than pres views

4. Why is Congress a decentralized institution and why is Congress inevitably unpopular with voters.

a. A decentralized Congress protects and enhances individual interest, although quick decision making is sacrificed and delays and discussion must be allowed. However, the delays in time can lead to more thoughtful decision making.

b. Congress doesn't represent the viewpoint of the people and they are slow in their decision making.

5. Read through the six phases of the House of Representatives so that you are clear about the rules changes and the balance of power between the Speaker and committee chairmen.  Briefly summarize phases five-six. (It is not important for you to learn the name of individual Speakers except for Newt Gingrich – unless you want to be a history major or quiz bowl whiz.)

a. 5.) The Members Rule: In 1970 there was a rule change making the chairs elected on majority rule (instead of seniority), requiring the chairs to attend meetings (instead of refusing them), making meetings public, requiring subcommittees for communities and allowing members to choose subcommittee chairs.

b. 6.) The Leadership Returns: 1995 efforts made to restore speaker's power, # of committees and subcommittees reduced, republican speaker Gingrich dominated choice of committee chairs and didn't pass appropriate bills. Hasert replaced him. He was

accommodating. Pelosi (110th)(first woman speaker in house) struck deals to get votes for pres. health care overhaul plan. She was succeeded by Repub. Boehner (111th). He was a pragmatic conservative and professional legislator. Opinions differ on how (and how well) he would lead 112th cong.

6. How has the history and structure of the Senate meant that it would be different from the House of Representatives?

a. It meant that Senators would be more important.7. What were the main issues in the development of the Senate and how were these issues settled?

Make sure that you understand what these terms refer to: filibuster, cloture, Rule 22a. The larger more populous states wanted a senate based on population. Of course the

smaller states objected because they would have been severely outnumbered. So both sides compromised and made the House of Representatives (by population) and the Senate (everyone has 2 representatives) together these two bodies make up. Ben Franklin came up with the idea for Senate as a means of satisfying the small states.

b. Filibuster: The use of the Senate’s tradition of unlimited debate as a delaying tactic to block a bill.

c. Cloture: shuts off the discussion on a bill.d. Rule 22: debate may be closed off on a bill if 16 senators sign a petition requesting it and

if, after two days have elapsed, three-fifths of the entire membership vote for cloture.8. Summarize the points that Edmund Burke made in his speech to the Bristol Electors about the

responsibilities of a representative to his constituents.a. It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs; and above

all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own. But his unbiassed opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. These he does not derive from your pleasure; no, nor from the law and the constitution.

9. Read the article by David Mahyew and make a list of what congressmen do to achieve reelection10. Briefly summarize the trends in the sex and race of members of Congress.11. Why have more congressional districts become safer for incumbent reelection?12.  What are the possible explanations for why the Democrats dominated Congress from 1933-1994?13. Why has Congress become more ideologically partisan since the 1980s?14. Summarize the three theories of how members of Congress behave.15. Define malapportionment and gerrymandering.  From the online article on Gerrymandering 101, summarize what Minority Gerrymandering and packing are.16. What is the sophomore surge?  Why does it happen?  What effects does it have?     17. Summarize the issues involved and the resolution in Baker v. Carr and Wesberry v. Sanders.18.  As you look at a typical Congressman’s schedule in the David Price article, what do you notice that he spends most of his time doing?  What does he not have time to do according to this schedule?19. What are the principal jobs and responsibilities in the party leadership in the Senate?20. What are the formal and informal powers of the Speaker of the House? 21. Why are party votes in the House common?22. What are caucuses and why are they important?23. Define the four different types of committees.24. How are committee chairs chosen, and how has this changed since the 1970s?25. How has the committee structure changed since the 1970s to weaken party chairs?  What has been the effect of these changes and how does having a large staff create a demand for more staff?26. What is the role of congressional staff?27. What do the GAO, and CBO do?28. You must know the 21 highlighted terms on pages 350 – 356.  Will be on the quiz for this day.29.  What are the roles of committees and subcommittees and how does this affect the legislation that gets passed?

30. What is the role of the House Rules Committee?31. How can a filibuster be broken?  What do the changes for breaking a filibuster mean for trying to pass a bill in the Senate?32. Think about it and give your opinion as to the impact the differences between the House and Senate have on policy-making. You must know the chart on p. 353 summarizing the differences between the House and Senate.  Figure out a way to learn it.33. Make a list of the different powers that the Constitution gives to either the House or Senate.  This is a review question and you should be able to do it off the top of your head.  Then go check yourself by looking at the Constitution. (It’s in an appendix in the back of the book). Read through Article I, Sections 1, 3, and 7 and Article II, Section 2.  Add in anything you may have forgotten.34. Using the articles by Gregory Wawro and Eric Schickler and the article by Barbara Sinclair, make a list of reasons why Congress is sometimes not able to accomplish much.35.  Summarize why Justice Scalia thinks that Americans should learn to love gridlock.36. In general, what type of rules are there to make sure our Congress members are ethical?37. After reading the articles by Paul Starobin, John Ellwood, and Eric Patashik, John McCain, and Brian Riedl, make a list of the arguments for and against pork.  Include arguments from the textbook.  

 Terms to Know

 1. franking privilege- a

benefit that allows members of Congress to send letters and other packages postage free.

28. Shaw v. Reno (1993) 56. Simple resolution

2. Unicameral- a single chamber legislature

29. descriptive representation 57. Concurrent resolution

3. Bicameral- a two chamber legislature

30. substantive representation 58. Joint resolution

4. Speaker of the House- presiding officer over the House of Representatives that is elected by the majority party; very influential in the proceedings and systems of the House (such as the process of a bill's consideration)

31. sophomore surge 59. multiple referral

5. Newt Gingrich- Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich dominated the choice of committee chairs, often passing over more senior members for more agreeable junior ones. But Gingrich's demise was as quick as his rise. His

32. privileged speech 60. sequential referral

decision not to pass some appropriations bills forced many government offices to close for a short period, he had to pay a fine for using tax-exempt funds for political purposes, and then the Republicans lost a number of seats in the 1998 election. Gingrich resigned as Speaker and as a member of the House and was replaced by a more moderate Speaker, Republican Dennis Hastert of Illinois, with a penchant for accommodating his colleagues.

6. Nancy Pelosi- When the the 110th Congress began in 2007, Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California held the Speaker's gavel. Pelosi was the sixtieth Speaker in House history but the first woman to lead the House. She presided over many battles with the House's GOP leaders, but her most memorable role as Speaker occurred in 2010 when she struck assorted (and some critics claimed sordid) deals with members of her own party to garner their votes for the president's sweeping health care overhaul plan. Following heavy Democratic losses in the 2010 midterm elections, in January 2011 Pelosi was succeeded as Speaker by Republican John Boehner of Ohio.

33. Edmund Burke 61. discharge petition

7. Harry Reid- Senate Minority Leader (2015)

34. Representational theory 62. closed rule

8. Party caucus- a meeting of the local members of a political party especially to select delegates to a

35. Organizational theory 63 open rule

convention or register preferences for candidates running for office

9. Rules Committee- a special committee of the U.S. House of Representatives having the authority to establish rules or methods for expediting legislative action (such as a bill)

36. Attitudinal theory 64. restrictive rule

10. Filibuster- an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely and preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill

37. President Pro Tempore 65. quorum

11. 17th Amendment- direct election of U.S. Senators by popular vote

38. Majority and Minority leaders 66. quorum call

12. Rule 22- states that debate in the Senate could be cut off if two-thirds of the Senators present and voting agreed to a cloture motion

39. Party Whip 67. cloture rule

13. Cloture- a procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote

40. Steering Committee (D) 68. double-tracking

14. term limits- number of terms an elected official can serve

41. Committee on Committees (R) 69. roll-call vote

15. US Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton (1995)- Holding: States cannot impose qualifications for prospective members of Congress stricter than those in the Constitution

42. Policy Committee 70. rider

16. Marginal districts- political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55

percent of the vote

43. Party polarization 71. Christmas tree bill

17. Safe districts- districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 percent or more

44. Caucus 72. Committee of the Whole

18. House Banking scandal 45. Congressional Black Caucus 73. Pork-Barrel

19. House Post office scandal 46. Blue Dog Democrats 74. Earmarks

20. Reapportionment 47. Standing Committees 75. Congressional courtesy

21. redistricting 48. Select Committees 76. logrolling

22. malapportionment 49. Joint Committees 77. Nongermane amendment

23. gerrymandering 50. Conference Committees 78. Unanimous consent

24. majority-minority districts 51. seniority system 79. Holds

25. Wesberry v. Sanders 1964 52. Congressional Research Service 80. Constituent service or casework

26. Baker v. Carr (1962) 53. General Accounting Office (GAO)

27. “one man, one vote” 54. Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

 

Questions and Themes 

•        Demographics in general of those in Congress•        Elements of the Constitution that relate to Congress and its powers – Article I: delegated powers,

qualifications for serving in House and Senate•        Reasons for a bicameral legislature•        Differences b/t House and Senate; vote requirements•        Powers of the Senate and House•        Non-legislative tasks of Congress: legislative oversight, public education, representing

constituents within government, caseworko   Delegate vs. trustee model

•        Power of Senate to advise and consent to nominations and treaties•        Filibuster, cloture, Rule 22, impact of filibuster on climate of Senate•        Types of Committees in Cong: standing, joint, select, conference

o   Standing – only ones to write legislation and conduct oversight•        Evolution of House rules since 1970s•        Job of Speaker. Majority/Minority Leader/ Pro-tem, what do Whips do?  How can party

leadership affect legislative process•        House Ways and Means/Senate Finance > taxes•        Appropriations > how money is apportioned to federal agencies•        How a bill becomes a law and where a bill can be killed•        Resolutions: simple and concurrent•        Important Committees: House Rules – what it can do, House Ways and Means, Senate Finance,

Appropriations Committee•        Mark up; Discharge Petition; Franking privilege•        Advantages of incumbents: credit claiming, constituent service or casework•        Role of lobbyists and IGs•        Advantages and disadvantages of committee system, role of subcommittees•        Pork barrel legislation, earmarks•        What affects how congressmen vote? What are the pressures on them to vote?

o   Presidential jawboningo   Logrollingo   PACS, IGso   Constituentso   Ideology, religious beliefs

o   Party Affiliation – most important factor•        Baker v. Carr, Wesberry v. Sanders, and Shaw v. Reno•        Effect of 1982 Voting Rights Act to encourage states to create majority minority districts

o   Impact of having majority-minority districtso   What has the Supreme Court said about race as a factor? Principles in districting?

•        Reapportionment and redistricting – what is the difference?o   Census, apportionment, malapportionment, redistricting, gerrymandering, racial

gerrymandering•        Who becomes chair of committees, how committee assignments are determined; majority party

has majority on committees; Seniority system•        Congressional caucuses: party and other caucuses•        Term limits debate: arguments on each side•        Changes made after 1994 election by Gingrich Republicans in House•        Role of the parties in Congress•        Oversight function of executive branch, bureaucracy•        Specialization in Congress•        How Congress reasserted its powers after Nixon – what made 1974 an earthquake in the power

system•       How impeachment works