Congress as a “frustrating place”: Why? 1. Legislative process itself (“Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” by Otto von Bismarck) 2. Gridlock/stalemate August recess without an energy bill in 2008, Debt-ceiling debate in 2011 Truman’s 1948 strategy of calling the 80th Congress “Do-nothing Congress” 3. Corruption and scandals Wright (‘89, book royalties), Packwood (‘95, sexual harassment), Rostenkowski (‘95, illegal cash), Kim (‘98, illegal campaign money), Cunningham (‘05, bribes), DeLay (‘06, money laundering), Foley (‘06, sexual emails to congressional pages), Ney (’06, Abramoff scandal), Jefferson (’06 bribes), Rangel (’2010)
IV. Congress as a changing place A remarkably permeable institution, bringing new members, new majority, new issues, and new ideas New members 1958/1964/1974 elections = northern liberal Democrats & “Watergate Babies” 1994/2010 elections = conservative Republicans & “Tea Party” members New majority coalitions 1955-1995 = Democratic House and Democratic Senate (40 years) 1995-2007 = GOP House & GOP Senate 2007-2011 = Dem House & Dem Senate (Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker) 2011- present = GOP House & Dem Senate New issues = the war on terror, global warming, stem-cell research, environmental protection, consumer rights, trade with China, etc
IV. Congress as a changing place “Apportionment” (Regional Shifts, only in the House) = a fixed number of 435 House members since 1912 = decennial redistribution of House seats based on the census results ( redistricting) http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/ = more seats in the South and West at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest Consequences? the shift of power to the more conservative regions?
General trends: Size of the House
Apportionment of the House based on the 2010 Census http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUCnb5_HZc0&feature=related
Apportionment Population and Number of Representatives, 2010
Women in the U.S. Congress, 1937-2009
Minorities in the U.S. House, 1937-2009
“Partisan Realignment” and Changing Party Base 103rd House (1993-94, Clinton’s first year) vs. 111th House (2009-2010, Obama’s first year) What can you tell about “partisan realignment”? Why did this happen? very important question http://www.270towin.com
103rd Senate (1993-94) vs. 111th Senate (2009-2010)
Modern Trends: the Broken Branch? V. Revitalized and Polarized Political Parties Before Polarization “There is no dime’s worth of difference between the two parties.” (Gov. George Wallace in the 1968 election) “Conservative Coalition” from the 1930s through the1980s = conservative southern Democrats + minority Republicans = particularly united over foreign/defense policy issues = “Blue Dog” Coalition for fiscal responsibility Now, “red vs. blue” states, polarization in Congress: Real or Myth? Driving force? ideology, issues, culture, the media, etc
Modern Trends: the Broken Branch? V. Revitalized and Polarized Political Parties Before Polarization “There is no dime’s worth of difference between the two parties.” (Gov. George Wallace in the 1968 election) “Conservative Coalition” from the 1930s through the1980s = conservative southern Democrats + minority Republicans = particularly united over foreign/defense policy issues = “Blue Dog” Coalition for fiscal responsibility Now, “red vs. blue” states, polarization in Congress: Real or Myth? Driving force? ideology, issues, culture, the media, etc
Party polarization in Congress, from 1879 to 2003