Presentation by Dr. Kevin Lasher. Congress Bicameralism Enumerated powers Was primary branch Representative democracy.

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Presentation transcript:

Presentation by Dr. Kevin Lasher

Congress Bicameralism Enumerated powers Was primary branch Representative democracy

Organization of Congress HOUSE 435 Members (7 for SC) Two year terms Individual districts SENATE 100 Members (2 SC) Six year terms (staggered terms) State-wide districts More prestigious body

Organization of Congress 111 th Congress ( ) House255 Democrats 179 Republicans 1 Vacant Senate57 Democrats 41 Republicans 2 Independent (Democrats)

Organization of Congress 112 th Congress ( ) House241 Republicans 192 Democrats 2 Vacant Senate51 Democrats 47 Republicans 2 Independent (Democrats)

Organization of Congress 113 th Congress ( ) House234 Republicans 201 Democrats Senate53 Democrats 45 Republicans 2 Independents (Democrats)

Organization of Congress 114 th Congress ( ) House244 Republicans 188 Democrats 3 Vacant Senate54 Republican 44 Democrats 2 Independents (Democrats)

The Average CongressMAN Male Age % College degree; 50% have law degrees Church Goer Prior Political Experience Fairly wealthy; 50% are “millionaires”

Diversity of Congress 113 th Congress HouseSenate%Congress %Country Women %51% African Americans 4228%13% Hispanics Americans 3347%14% Asian Americans 1212%4%

Incumbency Sitting members of Congress have tremendous advantages in running for re-election Fund-raising, name recognition, media attention, constituency service

Incumbency

2010 – 85% 2012 – 90%

Incumbency 2010 – 84% 2012 – 91%

Incumbency I hate Congress, but my Congressman is doing a good job

Major Functions of Congress Representation Constituency Service Policy-making and law-making Oversight Running for re-election

Representation: Theories Congressman as Delegate (Robot) Representative /Senator simply votes according to wishes of his constituents; reflects “majority will” Problems: uninformed constituents, lack of clear message from voters, 49% unhappy

Representation: Theories Congressman as Trustee Representative /Senator is intelligent and serious; we “trust” them to make good decisions; we can replace them if they disappoint us Problems: High incumbency return rates suggest that we rarely replace our congressmen

Representation: Theories Both theories have problems

What Really Affects a Congressman’s Vote? Party ID/Ideology Staffers Colleagues Lobbyists President as Lobbyist Constituents

Constituency Service Bringing “pork” to district/state Assisting constituents with Washington “red tape” Meeting/communicating with constituents Publicizing achievements Taking care of the people back home

Constituency Service This is a major reason why individual congressman are quite popular while Congress as a whole is rather unpopular Is this changing in 2014?

Major Functions of Congress Representation Constituency Service Policy-making and law-making Oversight Running for re-election