Chapter Eight Congress. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-2 Enduring...
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Transcript of Chapter Eight Congress. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-2 Enduring...
Chapter Eight
Congress
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-2
Enduring Questions
• Are the members of Congress representative of the American people?
• Does Congress prefer strong leadership, and does it allow its member a lot of freedom?
• How important are political parties in Congress?
• Why does it take so long for Congress to act?
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-3
Introduction
• Congress a rare example of independent legislature among large democratic nations
• Congress versus Parliament
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-4
The Evolution of Congress
• Intent of the Framers• General characteristics of subsequent
evolution• House has protected the power of
individual members at expense of centralized leadership
• Senate leaders have never had strong formal powers
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-5
Who is in Congress?
• House of Representatives, characteristics• Senate• Sex and race of members• Lengthening tenure of members
(increasing incumbency rates) an important development
• Party
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-6
Table 8.1: Blacks, Hispanics, and Women in Congress, 1971–2004
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-7
Getting Elected to Congress
• Need to win at least a plurality of votes under a party label
• Winning the primary
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-8
The Organization of Congress: Parties and Interests
• Party organization • The Senate• The House of Representatives• Party voting • Caucuses: Rivals to parties in policy
formulation and leadership
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-9
Figure 8.1: Party votes in the House, 1877–2000
Source: Updated from Harold W. Stanley and Richard G. Niemi, Vital Statistics on American Politics, 6th ed. Copyright © 1998 by CQ Press. Reprinted by permission.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-10
Table 8.2: Ideology and Party in the Congress, 2000–2002
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-11
The Organization of Congress: Committees
• Legislative committees: Most important organizational feature of Congress
• Types of committees• Standing (permanent) committees:
Characteristics in the House• Committee styles
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-12
The Organizations of Congress: Staffs and Specialized Offices
• Introduction
• Tasks of staff members
• Staff agencies work for all members
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-13
Figure 8.2: How a Bill Becomes Law
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-14
How a Bill Becomes Law (Note House and Senate Differences)
• Requires coalition or wave of enthusiasm • Introducing a bill• Study by committees• Floor debate• Methods of voting
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-15
How Members of Congress Vote
• Three explanations for a member’s vote
• Representational view has some merit under certain circumstances
• Main cues for organizational voting
• Attitudinal view largely based on ideology
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-16
A Polarized Congress in an Unpolarized Nation
• Partisan divisions among members are striking
• There is some evidence voters are becoming more partisan
• What it all means
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-17
Ethics and Congress
• Separation of powers meant to control ambition and corruption
• Unethical conduct not always easy to define
• House and Senate ethics codes
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-18
Power of Congress
• Has always been significant, but Congress has always been concerned about its authority
• Reassertion of congressional power in 1970s
• Congress has never been as weak as some have alleged
• Presidential-congressional conflicts
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8-19
Reconsidering the Enduring Questions
• Are the members of Congress representative of the American people?
• Does Congress prefer strong leadership, and does it allow its member a lot of freedom?
• How important are political parties in Congress?
• Why does it take so long for Congress to act?