AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT CHAPTER 11

Senate

100 Total Members

11.2 Notes

11.2 Incumbent Advantages There are many theories as to why incumbents win close to 90% of the time-- some plausible, some not, such recognizing good work done, agreeing with how they voted on key issues, presidential "coattails", and based on the economy. They're all probably true. There are 5 major reasons why incumbents win, which are: Advertising: congresspersons have their names, faces, and records plastered all over the news and are frequently visible in their constituents area. They also make use of the "franking" privilege, which allows them to communicate with their people via US mail postcards, flyers,phone calls,emails, and all other ways for free or actually at taxpayer expense, who they use it,as long as it's not for reelection purposes. Credit Claiming: congresspersons frequently take credit for accomplishing things and they can do this via casework (helping constituents as individuals, getting minor things done) (see def on page 366) and winning pork barrel awards ( any type of money won from the federal government for a project in the state) (see def on page 367) Position taking: Congresspersons frequently take positions which are favored by the majority of their constituents and promote that during reelection. They hardly ever take a position opposite their constituents and if they do, they clearly don't market that position. Weak opponents: the chance of losing is so great, not many good opponents try it Campaign spending: most times, the candidate who spends the most wins the election and since an incumbent is already in office, he or she can generate more revenue via donations from people who want him or her re-elected. It is not often a challenger can outspend an incumbent although it does happen sometimes. LOOK ON PAGE 366 AND 367 Defeating an Incumbent Since a challenger is going to win close to 90% of the time. Why try? Sometimes this happens The visibility and public awareness can backfire any type of scandal or corruption charge ( which can happen easily and does, too frequently ) can kill an incumbent and cause him or her to lose. Every ten years there is a census by the U.S. Government and seats are either gained or lost and districts are redrawn based upon population, therefore, the incumbent may lose faithful voters who have a different mindset Presidential backlash: the opposite of the coattail theory. This is when the public elects the opposite party's candidate to show disapproval of the president and his decision making. This happened lastly in 2010 when republican defeated incumbent democrats for two seats in the senate and 52 seats in the house. 2008: president Obama democrat Congress( HOR: democrat) (senate-democrat) When all three are democratic things are supposed to get done In 2010: Obama Congress: HOR: lost 52,swings it from democrat to republican Senate: loses two seats, stays democrat nothing gets done HOR and Senate will block each other Census only really applies to the house of reps Good and Bad of Incumbent High Winning percentage Because incumbents win so many reflections this causes good and bad outcomes in congress The good: stability -people know what they're doing, have experience, and know who and what to do to get things solved The bad: power- people tend to have too power and not worry about reelection or their constituents. They know they will win. Once again, there are no term limits- some people want term limits to force change.

11.4 outline

11.4 The Congressional Process and Decision Making 1) A ​ b ill ​ i s a proposed law, drafted in precise, legal language. a) Anyone can draft a bill b) The White House and interest groups are the most common sources of bills. c) Only members of the House or Senate can formally submit a bill for consideration. 2) Most bill are rejects early on in the process. Some favor a group or constituent and others are private bills, etc. a)Other bill may alter the course of the nation. 3) Congress is cumbersome decisionmaking body. Since the 1980's, legislating has been made more and more difficult. a) Political Party leaders handle this problem in many ways, including unorthodox lawmaking, which has become more common in the congressional process. 4) Leaders of the House often refer bills to several committees at the same time, which brings more interest on an issue but complicates the process of passing legislation. a) Party leaders take the responsibility of compromising among the committees, something that the committee leaders cannot always do. b) After a committee or committees report legislation, party leaders also make adjustments to bills. 5) In the House, the Rules Committee make special and specific rule for controlling floor consideration of bills. 6) Omnibus legislation (addresses many unrelated issues, subjects, and programs) is sometimes used by party leaders in order to force members to support the entire bill to obtain individual parts. 7) In the Senate, there is less organization and senators rarely take opportunities to influence other senators (such as using the filibuster), which make legislation difficult to pass through the Senate. A) Presidents and Congress: Partners and Protagonists 1) The president, being their own best lobbyist, can influence and create the congressional agenda. However, presidents also have their own agenda, where they must persuade Congress that the presidents agenda should also be congresses agenda 2) Presidents can influence Congress in many ways, such as calling them directly and persuading members that the their votes will shape the country's future, but they do not do this often. Instead, presidents give the responsibility of White House lobbying to staff members and works closely with party leaders of the House and Senate. 3) The president can basically slip anything through the congressional process, and they can also use their veto power to stop legislation that they oppose. a) Presidents who are popular or who are with a large minority of their party in both houses usually get their way. But those conditions are not very common, making the president lose often. ​ B) ​ P arty, Constituency, and Ideology The parties endure as presidents come and go. Ultimately, the constituents influence MUCH MUCH MORE than the president. a) Party Influence 1) Members of the same party will stick together on some issues (since the speaker of the house divides Democrats on one side and Republican on the other side), but on other occasions the parties with opposed and divide among themselves. 2) However, the Democrats and Republican still maintain their own beliefs, resulting in many differences and opposing views. 3) At certain times, and with limited power to do so, party leaders can straighten out the members and exert their own influence over their members. b) ​ P olarized Politics 1) Over the years, difference in the ideology (ideas, beliefs) in the two colliding parties, Democrats and Republicans, has grown immensely, but they have also grown rather homogeneous (alike, same) among themselves. ● Democrats are becoming more liberal while Republicans are becoming more conservative. 2) Their differences often leads to nothing getting done. ● Democratic President Barack Obama often collides with the [mostly] Republican House and Senate. 3) Why did this happen? ● Different electoral coalitions (groups with a common purpose) ● State legislatures drew boundaries of House districts so that constituents of reps are onesided. So, reps don't worry too much about pleasing their electorates (groups of people who are entitled to vote) because their districts are either have Democratic or Republican majorities. 4) Voters tend to side with and remain loyal to their respective parties. ● Thus, change occurs in preferences, behavior, and the distribution of congressional voters. ● Polarized electoral constituents vote for polarized reps in Congress, which leads to disputes among Congress and nothing gets done. 5) Finally, Congress members will initially support a president of their party and oppose to one of the rival party. ​ c ) ​ C onstituency Opinion Versus Member Ideology 1) Constituents expect members of Congress, who are their representative, to support their interests. But what if the constituents don't agree on something that their representatives support? ● English politician and philosopher Edmund Burke promotes legislators as ​ t rustees​ , who use their judgement in order to do what is best for the people. ● There is the concept of ​ i nstructed​ ​ d elegates​ , who mirror the preferences of their constituents. ● In actuality, Congress members are ​ p oliticos​ , who adopt the roles of both trustee and instructed delegate as they strive to be both representatives and policymakers. 2) The easiest and best way to influence congressional voting for constituents is to vote for a Congress member who shares their views. This is how constituents can exert influence on concessional policy. They would obviously not vote for someone with different views, otherwise it would be hard to influence that person's vote. 3) On the other hand, good legislators often do not know want people want. They observe mail sent in by constituents or send them questionnaires, but lack of participation by the people lead to unreliable answers. Some try public opinion polling, but it is expensive if done professionally and unreliable if not. 4) On controversial issues, legislators will ignore their constituents. This concerns Congress because the number of and pressure by singleissue groups is increasing. 5) When Congress has different opinions than their constituents, they consider their preferences, but Congress is not controlled by them. C) ​ L obbyists and Interest Groups 1) In Washington D.C., there are 12,000 lobbyists representing 12,000 organizations. They all want to influence congressional policy. 2) Lobbyists spend a lot of $$$ just to persuade the constituents of Congress members to send messages to Washington D.C. 3) Several Congress members and staff eventually become lobbyists. Lobbyists provide policy info, political intelligence, and assurance of financial aid in the next campaign. They also work closely with allies, especially at the committee level. 4) Grassroots lobbying, an example being to send computerized emails to constituents asking them to challenge their representatives, was popular back in the day. Today, television, web sites, YouTube, and social media are the most common ways to lobby constituents. a) Lobbying pays off sometimes, but often meets with resistance from the public. 5) In 1995, Congress passed a law mandating that lobbyists report the issues that they are lobbying for, how much money was spent on the effort, and the identities of their clients. Congress also restricted any bribes given to public officials by lobbyists. ● If a public official accepted a bribe, he/she could get caught in a scandal. ● Over the years, more laws and restrictions were placed of lobbying activity, funding, and types of gifts of travel offered to public officials 6) The congressional process and decision making is as hard for legislators as it is for those who want to influence their votes.

Speaker of the House

2nd in line to be president

House of Representatives

435 Total Members

Cloture

60 people to stop them

Caucus

A group of members of congress sharing some interest or characteristic. Many are composed of members from both parties and both houses.

Bicameral Legislature

A legislature divided into two houses. The U.S. Congress and all state legislatures except Nebraskas are bicameral

Bill

A proposed law, drafted in legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of of the House of Representatives or the senate can formally submit a bill for consideration.

Filibustering

A senator can effectively prevent the senate from voting by

Seniority System

A simple rule for picking committee chairs, in effect until the 1970s. The member who had served on the committee the longest and who's party controlled the chamber became chair regardless of party loyalty,mental state, or competence.

Filibuster

A strategy unique to the senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the senate from ever voting on a bill. Sixty members present and voting can halt a filibuster.

11.3 Outline

A. Who wins elections? 1. Incumbents are individuals who already hold office. a. One of the most predictable things in congressional elections is that incumbents usually win. b. More than 90 percent of incumbents in going for reelection usually win, but most of them win with more than 60 percent of the vote in the case of the House. c. In the Senate, senators do not have as good of a chance at reelection. A reason for the completion in the senate is that an entire state is more diverse than a congressional district. Senators also receive more coverage in the media, unlike incumbents, so anything wrong they do could be plastered all over. d. Although successful at reflections, incumbents feel vulnerable so they have begun raising and spending more campaign funds, and sending more mail to their constituents. B. The Advantages of Incumbency 2. It is unusual for incumbents to lose reelection. Their advantages make it difficult for change to actually occur in the makeup of Congress in on election. e. Voters knowing how their elected reps vote on important policies and agreeing with their strange, sending them back to Washington to keep up their good work is not the case of why incumbents have success. Most voters don't really know anything about their congressional representatives. f. Possible reason why incumbents have success: The members of Congress participate in three main activities that increase the probability of their reelection and that is advertising,credit claiming and position taking. C. Advertising 3. Advertising means so much more than ads in newspaper and television. g. Members of Congress focus on getting themselves known in their constituencies and recently they've begun using technology such as e-mails or phone calls to speak to voters on issues they care about. The information that is gathered through their calls and emails gives the incumbent a detailed list of many possible voters. D. Credit Claiming 4. Congresspersons also engage in credit claiming, which involves enhancing their standing with constituents through service to individuals and the district. h. A way that incumbents always win over the people is servicing the constituency. Congress can do this in two ways and that is through case work and through the pork barrel. i. Definitions of casework and pork barrel: Casework: is helping constituents as individuals-- cutting through some bureacratic red tape to give people what they think they have a right to get. Pork Barrel: is composed of federal projects ,grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses,colleges, and other institutions. j. As a result of their emails and credit claiming they are usually much better known. E. Position Taking and Weak Opponents 6. Other things that the members of congress have to deal with during election is position taking and weak opponents. k. Members of congress must take positions on when they gory and when they respond to to constituents questions. The positions they take may effect the outcome of an election. l. Another advantage is that these congress people may face are weak opponents. The weak opponents who have lack of adequate funds help further the following of challengers and gives them free recognition. F. Campaign Spending 7. It costs a lot of money to elect a Congress. m. Challengers have to raise large amounts of money to try and defeat an incumbent and with the more money they spend the more votes they will receive. The candidate spending the most money usually wins. G. The Role of Party Identification 8. Most members of Cingress represent constituencies in which their party is in the clear majority eh oh gives incumbents yet another advantage. n. Most people identify with a party and 90 percent of people who identify with a party vote for the House candidates of their said party. With everyone living in communities where most of the political veiws are the same there is less party competition. H. Defeating Incumbents 9. Many people question why anyone challenges incumbents at all. o. Most challengers are honestly just naïve about th chances they have of winning. Some receive unexpected help. Such as when an incumbent is involved in a scandal, their image is immediately tainted. Incumbents can also lose their supporters if the boundaries of their districts change. I. Open Seats and Stability and Change 10. Open seats create the likelihood for more competiton and since incumbents usually win the reelection there is stability in being a member of Congress. p. When the incumbent is not running for reelection that means that the seat is open. If either party has a chance of winning each party may offer a strong candidate with a recognizable name or someone with enough money to create a name for themselves. q. Stability in Congress allows representatives and senators to gain expertise in dealing with difficult questions in public policy. When the same people are constantly in Congressm it makes it difficult for change to happen. To increase change in Congress, many people have suggested term limits for representatives and senators.

11.2 Outline

A. Who wins elections? 1. Incumbents are individuals who already hold office. a. One of the most predictable things in congressional elections is that incumbents usually win. b. More than 90 percent of incumbents in going for reelection usually win, but most of them win with more than 60 percent of the vote in the case of the House. c. In the Senate, senators do not have as good of a chance at reelection. A reason for the completion in the senate is that an entire state is more diverse than a congressional district. Senators also receive more coverage in the media, unlike incumbents, so anything wrong they do could be plastered all over. d. Although successful at reflections, incumbents feel vulnerable so they have begun raising and spending more campaign funds, and sending more mail to their constituents. B. The Advantages of Incumbency 2. It is unusual for incumbents to lose reelection. Their advantages make it difficult for change to actually occur in the makeup of Congress in on election. e. Voters knowing how their elected reps vote on important policies and agreeing with their strange, sending them back to Washington to keep up their good work is not the case of why incumbents have success. Most voters don't really know anything about their congressional representatives. f. Possible reason why incumbents have success: The members of Congress participate in three main activities that increase the probability of their reelection and that is advertising,credit claiming and position taking. C. Advertising 3. Advertising means so much more than ads in newspaper and television. g. Members of Congress focus on getting themselves known in their constituencies and recently they've begun using technology such as e-mails or phone calls to speak to voters on issues they care about. The information that is gathered through their calls and emails gives the incumbent a detailed list of many possible voters. D. Credit Claiming 4. Congresspersons also engage in credit claiming, which involves enhancing their standing with constituents through service to individuals and the district. h. A way that incumbents always win over the people is servicing the constituency. Congress can do this in two ways and that is through case work and through the pork barrel. i. Definitions of casework and pork barrel: Casework: is helping constituents as individuals-- cutting through some bureacratic red tape to give people what they think they have a right to get. Pork Barrel: is composed of federal projects ,grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses,colleges, and other institutions. j. As a result of their emails and credit claiming they are usually much better known. E. Position Taking and Weak Opponents 6. Other things that the members of congress have to deal with during election is position taking and weak opponents. k. Members of congress must take positions on when they gory and when they respond to to constituents questions. The positions they take may effect the outcome of an election. l. Another advantage is that these congress people may face are weak opponents. The weak opponents who have lack of adequate funds help further the following of challengers and gives them free recognition. F. Campaign Spending 7. It costs a lot of money to elect a Congress. m. Challengers have to raise large amounts of money to try and defeat an incumbent and with the more money they spend the more votes they will receive. The candidate spending the most money usually wins. G. The Role of Party Identification 8. Most members of Cingress represent constituencies in which their party is in the clear majority eh oh gives incumbents yet another advantage. n. Most people identify with a party and 90 percent of people who identify with a party vote for the House candidates of their said party. With everyone living in communities where most of the political veiws are the same there is less party competition. H. Defeating Incumbents 9. Many people question why anyone challenges incumbents at all. o. Most challengers are honestly just naïve about th chances they have of winning. Some receive unexpected help. Such as when an incumbent is involved in a scandal, their image is immediately tainted. Incumbents can also lose their supporters if the boundaries of their districts change. I. Open Seats and Stability and Change 10. Open seats create the likelihood for more competiton and since incumbents usually win the reelection there is stability in being a member of Congress. p. When the incumbent is not running for reelection that means that the seat is open. If either party has a chance of winning each party may offer a strong candidate with a recognizable name or someone with enough money to create a name for themselves. q. Stability in Congress allows representatives and senators to gain expertise in dealing with difficult questions in public policy. When the same people are constantly in Congressm it makes it difficult for change to happen. To increase change in Congress, many people have suggested term limits for representatives and senators.

Casework

Activities of members of congress that help constituents as individuals, particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get.

House Rules Committee

After a house committee reviews a bill and writes its report the bill goes to the

11.5

Although congress is an elite institution, it is responsive to the public when the public makes its wishes clear. It is open to influence, an openness that makes it responsive to many interests but also may reduce its ability to make good public policy. Members of congress often support expanding government to aid their constituents,generally in response to demands for policy, but many also fight to limit the scope of government

Agriculture

An attractive committee for a member of congress from Montana looking to serve his or her constituency

Speaker of the house

An office mandated by this constitution. The speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant

Congressional Caucus

Any informal group of members of congress who come together to form groups of shared interests

Women

Are most underrepresented in congress

A hearing is held to investigate misuse of funds within a federal agency

Best use of legislative oversight

NEED TO KNOW

Casework and Pork Barreling

Companion Bill

Companion bill is when a bill goes to the house and the senate at approximately the same time, it is pretty much the same bill

11.5 Outline

Congress and Democracy If Congress is a successful democratic institution, it must be a successful representative institution. Some aspects of Congress make it very unrepresentative o Its members are an American elite. o Leadership is chosen by its own members, not by any vote of the American people. Representative versus Effectiveness o Critics charge that Congress is too representative - so representative that it is incapable of taking decisive action to deal with difficult problems. o Defenders of Congress point out that, thanks to its being decentralized, there is no oligarchy in control to prevent the legislature from taking comprehensive action. Congress and the Scope of Government Congress is responsive to a multitude of interests, many of which desire government policies. Members of Congress vigorously protect the interests of their constituents. At the same time, there are many members who agree with the conservative argument that government is not the answer to problems but rather is the problem. o These individuals make careers out of fighting against government programs. Congress does not impose programs on a reluctant public; instead, it responds to the public's demands for them

11.1

Congress has proportionately more whites and males than the general population, and members of congress are wealthier and better educated than the average American. Although they are not descriptively representative of Americans they may engage in substantive representation.

11.1 Notes

Congress is the chief lawmaking body. It's job is to propose, investigate, debate, argue, write, listen, and vote on laws, to pass on the president to implement and the SC to interpret via cases. Because of the variety of people,states, parties, and ideas. It is difficult for laws to be pushed through congress. It is bicameral - House of Representatives (state population) and senate (state equality). They also must travel back and forth often , raise money for reelection and their political parties, listen to constituents, read often and serve on committees. They make about 175,000 but they also have many perks and expenses which are paid via taxes and lobbyists (legal as long as documented and related to government-can not be personal. All the political functions are paid for. Women are the most underrepresented in congress. African Americans are slightly underrepresented compared to women. 20% Latino Americans in population, Latinos are even more underrepresented but not as much as women. Women have more people in congress than the other two groups. African Americans are under represented the least Requirements and Characteristics Senate :100 members, serving for 6 years, who must be 30 years old, reside in their state, and be a citizen for more than nine years House of Representatives : 435 members, serving for 2 years, who must be 25 years old, reside in their states, and be a citizen for more than 7 years. There have been 114 bodies of congress PA has 18 representatives split 5 and 13 (5 dem, 13 repubs) Congressional Elections They take place every two years in even numbered years so they serve from January ODD to December EVEN. Therefore, the house gets re-elected every two years, but only ⅓ of the senate gets elected every two years. They rotate the senate and do not want a complete new house and new senate every election. There are no term limits for a rep or a senator-- keep winning, keep governing (hubert Humphrey of Minn won 7 elections in the senate.) THERE ARE NO TERM LIMITS An incumbent wins the election close to 90% of time. The incumbent is the person already holding office. Senate races are usually a little less often, but still very high. Why are senators likely to win as reps Entire state us more diverse Less personal contact with constituents (people you represent) Media coverage is greater, could be good or bad Better challenges for senate seats then rep seats

11.4

Congress is typically a cumbersome decision making body and the process for considering a bill has many stages. This complexity gives rise to unorthodox lawmaking, in which the congressional leadership bypasses traditional legislative stages. Presidents try to persuade congress to support their policies, which usually earn space on the congressional agenda. Their ultimate influence on congressional decision making is the margins, however. Parties have become more homogenous and more polarized in recent years and provide an important pull on their members on most issues. Constituencies have strong influence on congressional decision making on a few visible issues, while members own ideologies exert more influence on less visible issues. Interest groups play a key role in informing congress and sometimes the threat of their opposition influences vote outcomes.

Legislative Oversight

Congress's monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings.

11.4 Notes and other miscellaneous things he said

Congressional Caucuses: informal groups of members of congress, both chambers, who share a common characteristic, to support and help their common interest. It's like an interest group with congress. Examples: southern States caucus, Hispanic Caucus, African American Caucus, Women's caucus, tobacco caucus, gaming industry caucus. Congress Staff: as part of Congress each representative has his or her own staff to help - reps average 17 and senators average 49; each committee has staff to help the committee research, compile, document, write and present- over 2000; there are also agencies of congress which work for the government in research, accounting and budget compliance. Steps/process 9,000 Step 1- bill introduction (any citizen can write a bill and try to get it introduced however only a rep or senator can formally introduce it. they exist totally separate (house and senate) some die there but most have the support of their party and move to step 2 Lobbyists write many bills Step 2- committees (2,3,4 are all committee times) Subcommittee -gathers information by talking to lobbyists, performing studies, speak to lobbyists and interest groups, looking at statistics,some die, go in on a specific topic about the bill, present Committee: look at the information to see if it's good,review, analyze, evaluate the information, amend or rewrite the bill, many of them die, they eventually approve it. Rules Committee- saying we want to put this on the floor, house rules committee issues a rule governing debate in the house floor and sends the bill to the full house The dates and the rules can be influenced to help or hinder passage.(speaker of the house is in charge of who gets put on the house rules committee) Step Five: Floor Action- (435) full house or full senate- amendments are offered and a vote is taken, if the bill passes and the senate has passed a different version of the same bill, the bill is sent to a conference committee. At the end they vote, democrats usually vote FOR what the Democratic Party wants, Republicans vote whatever way their party wants they don't sway. Step 6- Conference Action : conference committee composed of members of both house and senate to iron out differences between the bills, the compromise bill is returned to both the house and senate for a vote, comprises two bills into one Step 7- floor Action : full house votes in conference committee version, if it passes the bill is sent to the president, vote on the same bill, they are voting on the one, if it passed that first time it will probably most definitely get passed again Step 8- presidential decision: president signs or vetoes the bill, congress may override a veto by a two thirds vote in both the house and senate If a president signs bill or congress overrides presidents veto : becomes LAW Goes back through senate President, lobbyists, constituents or their parties. 5 major factors influence voting : President Interest groups and lobbyists Other congress people speaker of the house Constituents Their parties 11.4 Influence on Congress 1.president- he constantly holds press conferences, makes announcements, speaks with confess men and women especially the Senior Members, to try to get his agenda on the different types of bills being passed. He has many resources he can use, however, presidents can't really shape congress agenda, they can't just vetom take advantage of opportunities and try to convince a small percentage to vote with him. He is limited by whether congress is his party or not. 2.. Constituents (the people that represent, they have the right to vote, they're gonna to vote the person in or out,write letters,call,complain): they have influence via voting which does nothing for this term but dictates whether the rep or senator has a job in two years. They can write letters, protest, call the media, etc, but their more powerful weapon is their vote. 3. Other Congress Members : other members of congress have influence because you get to know them you're working with them and they support you if you support them, they support each other's causes. They have influence because they are colleagues and try to reinforce and promote each other's interests. A vote for someone today, will be a vote received in the future. Senior members, such as the speaker, leader, and whips have a huge influence on how people vote. 4.Interest Groups and Lobbyists: have the most to lose and gain as laws are made,therefore they spend the most amount of money to try to persuade and influence reps and senators to vote their way. There are over 12,000 registered organizations who spent over 3 billion on efforts to "raise awareness" of their interest. This 3 billion does not include campaign contributions, which must be reported. These expenses are not recorded. They also spend money telling your constituents how you voted in certain areas of they think it will help their interest or hurt your chance to be reelected. Many FORMER congressman and woman are now lobbyists making MAJOR money and have many connections. In 2007, a new law was passed by congress via the Ethics Committee of the House, which makes lobbyists and interest groups register, limits the amounts of money which can be spent on certain gifts and travel for members of congress and their staff. 5. Political Party: an extremely influential part of the voting process in the party you belong, 98% of the time they vote how their party wants them to vote on an issue (democrats (liberal) vs Republicans(conservatives)) ESSAY QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Major differences between being democratic and republican are as follows: See smart board and white board 10. Congressional committee oversight has declined as federal policy responsibilities have increased over time. FALSE : Congressional committee staff members often possess high levels of expertise and can become very influential in policymaking. OVERSIGHT IS ON THE TEST: OVERSIGHT IS AFTER ITS PASSED TO MAKE SURE ITS NOT BEING SCREWED UP. THEY CHECK ON THE PRESIDENT. INVESTIGATE DEBATE AND DECIDE Only a member of the House or Senate can officially propose a bill. TRUE What do you call a bill that goes i the house and the senate at the same time? COMPANION BILL. IS APPROXIMATELY THE SAME BILL

Select Committees

Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the watergate investigation

Conference Committee

Congressional committees formed when the senate and the house pass a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill.

Joint committtees

Congressional committees on a few subject matter areas with membership drawn from both houses

Senate

Democrat. Republican-> majority-> whips Speaker Minority Whips

House of Representatives

Democratic. Republican Speaker of the House | Majority -> whips Minority | Whips

ESSAY

Democrats Vs Republicans, How to Form a Bill, House Vs. Senate

DEFINITELY ON THERE IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS

Democrats are more liberal and republicans are conservative Liberal: open to Rights Conservative: majority rights

Representing constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics

Descriptive representation refers to

Descriptive and Substantive

Descriptive: when they are trying to represent their constituents but they don't really believe the same thing Substantive: when they have the same view as their constituents

Conference Committees

Differences in house and senate bills are resolved by

Elect congress

Every two years, house gets reelected every two years, in the senate one third of the hundred have to get reelected every two years can't be from the same state

Pork Barrel

Federal projects, grants and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district

House serves

For 2 years

Every person in congress

Has congressional staffs

11.3 Notes

Having knowledge on every single subject debated in congress for all 50 states and the size of the USA is next to impossible. Congress is bicameral, as is every state's congress, except Nebraska. Both chambers have specific jobs to do so that all 535 of them don't have to know every single thing. See table 11.2 on page 370, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT

Both impeach

House accuses and the senate does the trial

Over 90% of the time an

INCUMBENT WINS

11.1 Outline

IV. The Representatives and Senators A. The Members 1. Most Americans think that being in Congress is a glamorous job, but in reality it is a lot of work from being in all day meetings and going back and forth to Washington. 2. Members of congress do not get the time to reflect what happened that day or if congress is making any progress in solving the United States' problems. 3. If you work for congress you have power. With that you get a salary of $174,000 and great retirement and health benefits. 4. 535 members in congress: a) 100 from the Senate (2 from each state) b) 435 from the House of Representatives 5. Members of the House must be at least 25 years of age and a citizen of America for 7 years. 6. Members of the Senate must be at least 30 years of age and an American citizen for 9 years, they must live in the state in which they are elected. 7. Members of congress are not your average Americans. They usually come from from high stays jobs with substantial pay. 8. Some groups in congress are underrepresented: a) African Americans make up 10% of the House, none in the Senate. Compared with 13% of the total population. b) 25 Hispanics in the House and 3 in the Senate. Compared with 16% of the population. c) Asian and Native Americans. d) Women are the most underrepresented with only 18% in the House and 20 senators. Compared with more than half of the population. 9. The backgrounds of representatives and senators can be important if they influence how they prioritize and vote on issues. 10. Descriptive representation: representing constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics. 11. Substantive representation: representing the interests of groups of which they themselves are not members 12. Most members of Congress have lived in the constituencies they represent for many years and share the beliefs and attitudes of a large proportion of their constituents, even if they do not share their demographic characteristics. 13. If they do not share their constituents perspectives, they may find it difficult to keep their seats come elections B. Why Aren't There More Women in Congress? 1. Part of the reason for women's underrepresentation is that fewer women than men become major party nominees for office. 2. Sarah Fulton and her coauthors reported in a recent article that women with children are less ambitious about running for office than their male counterparts, because of greater child care responsibilities; however they see no gender disparity in ambition when looking at women without children. 3. They are also less likely to run when they perceive their odds of winning to be poor,, but they are more likely than are men to run when they detect a political opportunity. 4. Women candidates usually rank higher than males with voters on nonpolicy characteristics such as integrity, competence, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. 5. To win, women must be more qualified on average than their male opponents.

House rules committee

In the House of Representatives, the house rules committee controls the scheduling of bills for debate

11.2

Incumbents usually win reelections because they usually draw weak opponents, are usually better known and better funded than their opponents,typically represent constituencies where a clear majority share their party affiliation, and can claim credit for aiding their constituents. However, incumbents can lose if they are involved in a scandal, if their constituents, or if the boundaries of their districts are redrawn to reduce the percentage of their constituents identifying with their party.

Open Race

Is when two newcomers run and they get a ton of money because now they both have a shot to win

True of oversight

Members tend to spend more time on things other than oversight Oversight is administered through the committee system The biggest obstacle of oversight is the lack of electoral advantage Members spend more time on oversight when there is a scandal

Their incumbency status

Most likely to determine a candidates chance of getting elected to congress

True of congress

Most members of congress today are professional politicians The majority of incumbents gets reelected About 1/3 have studied law Congress was not a career for most of the members during the 19th century

Their party

Most of the time, members of congress vote with

In Standing committees

Most of the work in congress is done

Senators

Most senators are white men, older, more prestigious

Women

Most underrepresented group in Congress

Senate

Must give "advice and consent" to many presidential nominations. Must approve treaties. Tries impeached officials 100 members 6 years Usually Larger constituencies Less centralized power weaker leadership More political prestige Role in policymaking: More influential on foreign affairs, less specialized Moderate turnover Role of seniority: less important in determining power Procedures: unlimited debate

House of Representatives

Must initiate all revenue bills,must pass all articles of impeachment 435 members 2 years Usually smaller constituencies More centralized power and stronger leadership Less political prestige : Small turnover More influential on budget more specialized Role of seniority- more important in determining power Procedures- limited debate,limits on floor amendments allowed

11.5 notes

OBVIOUS STEREOTYPE QUESTION DEMOCRATS LIBERAL REPUBLICANS CONSERVATIVES It is very difficult to gain power as an independent or a third party candidate for any type of office in the US Democrats look out for the individual and Minority Republicans care more about the society than other people Republicans are FOR capital punishment Not every issue or person fits perfectly into either the democrat or republican theories but for the most part, congressmen and women usually vote the way their party urges them to vote through their beliefs. It's the whips job to see what way they're voting, their job is to pressure them to vote their way 11.5 understanding congress Congress is complex, with many downfalls, such as members are elitists, voters have hardly any DIRECT influence, small states have way to much say in the Senate and incumbency is a huge advantage in keeping power and many voters DO NOT CARE. As complex as it is, it does, eventually create laws based upon the wants and needs of the general public, who have made their demands heard either through the president, interest groups, their representatives, or the media- most of these laws benefit most of the people most of the time! Although,elitist, no single group of those elite dominate Congress- the two parties buffer each other. FRANKING

Congressional Budget Office

Office involved in the preparation of congresses budget

JOBS OF THE SENATE and JOBS OF HOUSE

On page 370 11.2

Table 11.2

On page 370, should be in notes

How a bill becomes a law

Page 382 Bill has to be introduced by a congressmen in either the senate or house or it could be a companion bill Goes to the different types of committees (subcommittee, full committee, House rules committee) Goes to the floor (full house) amendments are offered and a vote is taken. They debate, if in the senate they can filibuster, they vote and if it passes it then goes to conference committee Conference Action: conference committee composed of members of both house and senate to iron out differences between the bills. The compromise bill, returned to both the house and senate for a vote, and if it passes it gets sent to the house Full house votes on conference committee version if it passes the bill is sent to the president Presidential action : signs or vetoes If he signs it becomes a law

Whips

Party leaders who work with the majority leader or Minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.

Incumbents usually win because

People know your name and they get used to you, incumbents have more money to support their campaigns, credit claiming, weaker opponents, position taking, Franking (while they're in office they use taxpayer money to send memos,postcards, emails about what they're doing in office), Advertising, whoever spends more money usually wins because they can take more advertising, casework(small minor things to help their constituents)

The house

Power of impeachment belongs to

Filibustering gives

Power to a minority group

Most power in congress least to greatest

President Constituents Other congress members Lobbyists POLITICAL PARTIES

Actions of the Speaker of the House

Presides over the house when it is in session Plays a major role in making committee assignments, which are coveted by all members to ensure their electoral advantage, speaks about why they don't believe in things, he is a big disagreement with the President, appoints or plays a key role in appointing the party's legislative leaders and the party leadership staff

Democrats

Pro choice Live in cities For gun control For higher taxes for the rich Lower taxes for the poor Equal rights/equality Respect for the minority Public education Workers-wages For individual health care

Gerrymandering

Redrawing congressional districts to favor a particular political party

Defeat an incumbent

Scandal,steal money/bribery, districts are redrawn every ten years because of the census, presidential backlash(when people don't like what the president has done)

Speaker of the House

Second most powerful official in Washington DC after the president

Standing committees

Separate subject matter committees in each house of congress that handle bills in different policy areas

Senate

Serves for six years

Organization of House

Speaker of the House in charge Majority Leader Majority Whips Minority Leader Minority Whips

House rules committee

The committee is in the House of Representatives that reviews most bills coming from a House committee before they go to full house

The seniority rule

The custom followed in congress specifying that majority party members with the longest record of service will become committee chairs

11.3

The house is much larger than the senate and is also characterized by eater centralization of power in the party leadership and by more party discipline. Senators are more equal in power and may exercise the option of the filibuster to stop a majority from passing a bill. congressional leaders are elected by their party members and must remain responsive to them. They cannot always depend on the votes of the work in congress considering legislation and overseeing the administration of policy. Although committees are run more democratically than in past decades chairs have considerable power to set their committees agendas. Caucuses are part of the informal organization of congress and are more composed of representatives and senators who have a shared interest or characteristic. Personal, committee, and agency staff are crucial components of congress, providing policy expertise and constituency service.

Committee Chairs

The most important influencers of the congressional agenda. They play dominant roles in scheduling hearing am hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought to a full house

Minority leader

The principle leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the senate.

Majority leader

The principle partisan ally of the speaker of the house or the party's manager in the senate. The majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes on behalf of the party's legislative positions

Continued 11.3

The role of the house: 4 times the size and more controlling than the senate. It has strict rules for its members to follow and has the House Rules Committee, which is a group of reps,selected by the speaker of the house, where they set up the rules that a bill must follow to become a law such as : the intro date,the dates and and time allotted for debate, the types of amendments / changes to the bill, and the date for voting on it . These rules are strictly followed : The role of the senate : with only 100 members, less controlling, and less formal than the house, but way more prestigious. A bills rules for being passed by the senate party leaders. The senate has some unique concepts but the biggest is Filibuster: there is UNLIMITED DEBATE in the senate so a filibuster is when a senator takes the floor to oppose a bill, where he is allowed to speak for as long as he wants, unless 60 senators stop him by cloture. Cloture is hardly ever used and the senators respect each other's right to filibuster a bill. Stupid? I know but it works. It gives power to the minority even if that Minority is only one person. Leadership in the house Both the house and the senate have a chain of command for leadership The house is as follows: The most important person is the speaker of the house (only position mandated by the constitution) Mr. Speaker is usually a senior member of the majority party of the house, who is only 2 people removed from being the president of the United States. Today Mr. Speaker, does the following. Presides over the house when it is in session Appoints members to the various committees Plays a key role in supporting the leaders of the house. Has substantial control over which bills get assigned to which committees Usually the national spokesperson for policies different than the president Below the speaker is the majority leader and majority whips On the other side, the minority group has a minority leader and minority whips but they do not have the speaker of the house because that is only the person who represents the party in control. Leadership in the Senate A. The President of the Senate ("Speaker of the Senate") is none other than the Vice President, as defined in the Constitution. His two major jobs are to represent the President's interests to the Senate and to break a 50/50 tie when voting for a bill. B. The Senate has a majority leader and a majority whips and a minority leader and a minority whips, just like the House of Representatives have. C. All speakers, leaders, and whips, get their power by voting from members of their respective parties, and, as such, have a very tough balancing act of trying to be in power, keep friends, influence policy, and get bills passed through Congress on to the President. ​ As Senator Robert Dole once said, the majority leader is more like the "majority pleader," as they have no REAL authority or power. X. Work of Congress A. Congressmen and women are placed on several various committees and subcommittees. There are 4 types of committees: 1. Standing Committees: permanent, separate committees in both chambers, which handle bills in their different policy areas ​ (See 11.3 on pg 375) 2. Joint Committees: permanent groups formed by members from both chambers for certain important policy areas 3. Conference Committees: temporary groups formed by members from both chambers when two slightly separate versions of the same bill are passed they compromise to come up with one bill to vote on (two different types) 4. Select Committees: can be permanent groups formed by members of both chambers for a ​VERY SPECIFIC, FOCUSED ​policy B. Each of these committees has subcommittees 1. Committees have two basic jobs: a) investigate, debate, and decide​: if a bill is to be written up to take back to the full Senate or full House b) oversight (screw up)​: monitor the bureaucracy and policies put in a place by the President's office in carrying out the law via hearings and investigation. (After the fact) Committee Membership Most reps serve on 2 committees and 4 sub-committees, while most senators serve on 4 committees and 7 sub-committees. Their selection is based on their priorities and their influence. Also seniority matters a great deal,especially in the House of Representatives. Most times, the speaker of the house selects the committee chairperson, who then selects his committee members. Committee chairs (basically writing the bill, in charge) were, until the 1970s,strictly based upon seniority (whoever had been there the longest not based upon age), today, seniority is a major reason but not the only reason.

Questions on test

There will be stereotypical party questions

Incumbents

Those already holding office in congressional elecetions, incumbents usually win.

Senate

Unlimited debate

Republicans

Usually white, males Pro life Live in suburban areas Majority rules Minority gets nothing Government say is low Owners/managers/ big businesses Flat equal taxes For guns Doesn't really care about public education

Filibustering

When they can talk forever

Cloture

ends debate in the senate

COMMITTEES

standing committees: handling bills in different policy areas Joint committees: draw their membership from both the senate and the house, exist in a few policy areas Conference Committees: when the senate and house pass different versions of the same bill Select Committees: focused responsibility