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Chapter 12: Congress The Representatives and Senators Congressional Elections How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy The Congressional Process Understanding Congress Summary

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives The Representatives and Senators LO 12.1: Characterize the backgrounds of members of Congress and assess their impact on the ability of members of Congress to represent average Americans. Congressional Elections LO 12.2: Identify the principal factors influencing the outcomes in congressional elections.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy LO 12.3: Compare and contrast the House and Senate, and describe the roles of congressional leaders, committees, caucuses, and staff. The Congressional Process LO 12.4: Outline the path of bills to passage and explain the influences on congressional decision making.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives Understanding Congress LO 12.5: Assess Congress’s role as a representative body and the impact of representation on the scope of government.

The Representatives and Senators LO 12.1: Characterize the backgrounds of members of Congress and assess their impact on the ability of members of Congress to represent average Americans. The Members Why Aren’t There More Women in Congress? To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

The Representatives and Senators The Members 535 Members – 100 Senators and 435 Representatives. House members – At least age 25 and U.S. citizens for 7 years. Senators – At least age 30 and U.S. citizens for 9 years. All members must reside in state from which they are elected. LO 12.1 To Learning Objectives

House of Representatives- importance of Census

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Apportionment, Gerrymandering and Redistricting  Apportionment  Proportional process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the ten year census  State can gain or lose depending on size of population  Redistricting  Redrawing of congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a state  Gerrymandering- redrawing boundaries to favor the party in power in the state legislature (district redrawn by party in power in state legislature)  Results- safe seats created, party in power stays in power, racial majority-minority  Baker v Carr (1962)- one man one vote- principle applied to state legislative districts to correct overrepresentation of rural areas- districts must be near equal population- some districts large.- Federal government can step in to keep state in check  Racial gerrymandering prohibited, and race cannot be a primary factor in drawing district lines  1929: House size fixed at 435.

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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Senate Republicans 54 Democrats 44 Independents 2 House of Representatives Republicans 247 Democrats 188

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Representatives and Senators The Members (cont.) The Members Although members of Congress obviously cannot claim descriptive representation (representing their constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics), they may engage in substantive representation (representing the interests of groups). To Learning Objectives LO 12.1

To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.1

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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Representatives and Senators Why Aren’t There More Women in Congress? Fewer women than men become major party nominees for office. Women with children run for office less than men because of child care responsibilities. Women are less likely than are men to run when they perceive their odds to be poor. To Learning Objectives LO 12.1

To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.1

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Descriptive representation is representing the A.constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics. B.interests of groups. C.party platform and ideology. D.none of the above. LO 12.1 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Descriptive representation is representing the A.constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics. B.interests of groups. C.party platform and ideology. D.none of the above. To Learning Objectives LO 12.1

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Congressional Elections LO 12.2: Identify the principal factors influencing the outcomes in congressional elections. Who Wins Elections? The Advantages of Incumbency The Role of Party Identification Defeating Incumbents Open Seats Stability and Change To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

Congressional Elections Who Wins Elections? Incumbents – Those already holding office. In congressional elections, incumbents usually win. House elections – 90% of the incumbents seeking reelection win and most of them win with more than 60% of the vote. LO 12.2 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.2

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Congressional Elections The Advantages of Incumbency Advertising – Ads in newspapers and on television. Credit Claiming – Servicing the constituency through casework and pork barrel. Position Taking – Voting and responding to constituents’ questions. To Learning Objectives LO 12.2

To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.2

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Congressional Elections The Advantages of Incumbency (cont.) Weak Opponents – Not well known or well qualified and lack experience and organizational and financial backing. Campaign Spending – The typical incumbent outspent the typical challenger by a ratio of more than 3 to 1 in Congressional races in To Learning Objectives LO 12.2

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Congressional Elections Role of Party Identification Most Congress members represent constituencies in which their party is in the clear majority. Most people identify with a party, and they reliably vote for their party’s candidates. About 90% of voters who identify with a party vote for the House candidates of their party. To Learning Objectives LO 12.2

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Congressional Elections Defeating Incumbents Once tarnished by scandal or corruption becomes vulnerable to a challenger. Redistricting may weaken the incumbency advantage. Major political tidal wave may defeat incumbents. To Learning Objectives LO 12.2

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Congressional Elections Open Seats Greater likelihood of competition. Most turnover occurs in open seats. To Learning Objectives LO 12.2

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Congressional Elections Stability and Change Incumbents provide stability in Congress. Change in Congress occurs less frequently through elections. To Learning Objectives LO 12.2

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman All of following are true of incumbents in Congress EXCEPT A.Most incumbents decide to run for reelection. B.Most incumbents’ views on policy are well known to their constituents. C.Most incumbents win reelection with more than 60 percent of the vote. D.Most incumbents have more campaign contributions to spend than their opponents. LO 12.2 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman All of following are true of incumbents in Congress EXCEPT A.Most incumbents decide to run for reelection. B.Most incumbents’ views on policy are well known to their constituents. C.Most incumbents win reelection with more than 60 percent of the vote. D.Most incumbents have more campaign contributions to spend than their opponents. To Learning Objectives LO 12.2

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How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy LO 12.3: Compare and contrast the House and Senate, and describe the roles of congressional leaders, committees, caucuses, and staff. American Bicameralism Congressional Leadership The Committees and Subcommittees Caucuses: The Informal Organization of Congress Congressional Staff To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy American Bicameralism Bicameral Legislature – A legislature divided into two houses. The U.S. Congress and all state legislatures except Nebraska’s are bicameral. LO 12.3 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy American Bicameralism (cont.) House Rules Committee – The committee in the House that reviews most bills coming from a House committee before they go to the full House. Rules Committee is responsive to the House leadership because the Speaker of the House appoints the committee’s members. (traffic cop- who goes, who stays put) To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy American Bicameralism (cont.) 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. To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Congressional Leadership Speaker of the House – An office mandated by the Constitution and chosen by the majority party. (John Boeher-R) Majority leader – The principal partisan ally of the Speaker of the House, or the party’s manager in the Senate. (Mitch McConnell- Senate (R), Kevin McCarthy (R),- House) To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Congressional Leadership (cont.) Whips – Party leaders work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers for votes on bills favored by the party. Minority Leader – The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate. (Nancy Pelosi-D- House, Harry Reid- D- Senate) To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Congressional Leadership (cont.) President of the Senate – The United States Vice President. (Joe Biden-D) Vice presidents can vote to break a tie. Modern vice presidents are active in representing the president’s views to senators. To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Congressional Leadership (cont.) Despite their stature and power, congressional leaders cannot always move their troops. Power in both houses of Congress is decentralized. Leaders are elected by their party members and must remain responsive to them. To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Committees and Subcommittees Standing committees – Subject matter committees that handle bills in different policy areas. Joint committees – Few subject matter areas with membership drawn from House and Senate To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Committees and Subcommittees (cont.) Conference committees – Formed when the Senate and the House pass a bill in different forms to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill. Select committees – Created for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation. To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Committees and Subcommittees (cont.) More than 9,000 bills are submitted by members in the course of a two-year period. Every bill goes to a committee, which has virtually the power of life and death over it. Legislative oversight – How the Congress monitors bureaucracy. To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Committees and Subcommittees (cont.) Committee assignments help members get reelected, gain influence, and make policy. New members express committee preferences to party leaders. Those who have supported their party’s leadership are favored in the selection process as parties try to grant committee preferences. To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Committees and Subcommittees (cont.) Committee Chair – Dominant role in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills on the floor. Seniority System – Members who have served on the committee the longest and whose party is the chamber majority become chair. To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Caucuses: The Informal Organization of Congress Caucus (congressional) – A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic. Caucuses are composed of members from both parties and from both houses and their goal is to promote the interests around which they are formed. To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy Congressional Staff Personal staff – They provide constituent service and help with legislation. Committee staff – They organize hearings, and research and write legislation. Staff Agencies – CRS, GAO, and CBO provide specific information to Congress. To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman When the House and the Senate pass different versions of a bill, these versions are to be reconciled by a A.Joint Committee. B.Conference Committee. C.Select Committee. D.Reconciliation Committee. LO 12.3 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman When the House and the Senate pass different versions of a bill, these versions are to be reconciled by a A.Joint Committee. B.Conference Committee. C.Select Committee. D.Reconciliation Committee. To Learning Objectives LO 12.3

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The Congressional Process LO 12.4: Outline the path of bills to passage and explain the influences on congressional decision making. Presidents and Congress: Partners and Protagonists Party, Constituency, and Ideology Lobbyists and Interest Groups To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

The Congressional Process Bills About 9,000 bills are introduced in each Congress. A bill is a proposed law, drafted in legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the Congress can introduce a bill. LO 12.4 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Congressional Process How a Bill Becomes a Law Bill Introduction – By a member. Committee Action – Subcommittee hearings and committee rewrites. Floor Action – Votes, debates, and amendments offered. Conference Action – Compromise bill to iron out differences. Presidential Decision – Sign bill into law or veto bill. To Learning Objectives LO 12.4

How a Bill Becomes Law How are the House and Senate different?

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Congressional Process Presidents and Congress: Partners and Protagonists Presidents attempt to persuade Congress that what they want is what Congress wants. Presidents have many resources to influence Congress. Voter mandate (how many votes did they win in election) President will lose many times (but any victory will be noticed by public) To Learning Objectives LO 12.4

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Textbook Version of passing a bill President can either sign it or veto it. The president has 10 days to consider a bill. Four options: Can sign the bill, at which point it becomes law. Can veto the bill; congress can override the veto with a 2/3 vote in each chamber. Can wait the full ten days, at the end of which time the bill becomes law without his signature IF Congress is still in session. If Congress adjourns before the ten days are up, the president can choose not to sign the bill. The bill is then pocket-vetoed. Bill would have to be reintroduced and go through the entire process again in order to become a law. Clinton was given the power of line item veto- but struck down in Clinton v. NY (1998)- does not give the power of the President to legislate – this is reserved for Congress 2 steps for finalization- authorization and then appropriation

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Congressional Process Party, Constituency, and Ideology Party Influence – Party leaders cannot force party members to vote a particular way, but many do vote along party lines. Polarized Politics – Differences between Democrats and Republicans in Congress have grown considerably since To Learning Objectives LO 12.4

To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.4

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Congressional Process Party, Constituency, and Ideology Constituency Opinion – On the controversial issues, members are wise to vote based their constituency opinion. Member Ideology – The dominant determinant of member’s vote on most issues is their ideology. To Learning Objectives LO 12.4

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Congressional Process Lobbyists and Interest Groups 35,000 registered lobbyists represent 12,000 organizations seeking to influence Congress. The bigger the issue, the more lobbyists will be working on it. Lobbyists try to influence legislators’ votes. Congress can ignore, reject, and regulate the lobbyists. To Learning Objectives LO 12.4

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Congressional Process

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Only a member of the can officially propose a bill. A.House B.Senate C.House or Senate D.staff LO 12.4 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Only a member of the can officially propose a bill. A.House B.Senate C.House or Senate D.staff LO 12.4 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman A.Stop

Understanding Congress LO 12.5: Assess Congress’s role as a representative body and the impact of representation on the scope of government. Congress and Democracy Congress and the Scope of Government To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

Understanding Congress Congress and Democracy Not representative – Leadership and committee assignments. Congress does try to respond to what the people want, but some argue it could do a better job. The 535 members of Congress are responsive to the people, if the people make clear what they want. LO 12.5 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Understanding Congress Congress and Democracy The central legislative dilemma for Congress is combining the faithful representation of constituents with making effective public policy. Congress tries to be both a representative and an objective policymaking institution. To Learning Objectives LO 12.5

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Understanding Congress Congress and the Scope of Government More policies by Congress means more service to constituencies. More programs that get created, the bigger the government gets. Contradictory – Everybody wants government programs cut, but just not their programs. To Learning Objectives LO 12.5

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Understanding Congress The more policies Congress works on, the more ways they can serve their constituencies. The more programs that get created, the bigger government gets. Congress is unethical- scandals, abuse of power Excessive fundraising PAC Influence Junkets (interest groups contribute to non-profit who then pays for trips of members of Congress (Jack Abramoff) Logrolling (exchange of votes) Corporate donations (even though corporation is not even in members district/state) Corporate hirings of family members (Wendy Gramm (wife of TX senator Phil Gramm) sat on Enron board of directors

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Congress tries to be both a and an objective policymaking institution. A.representative B.disposition C.direct D.fragmented LO 12.5 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Congress tries to be both a and an objective policymaking institution. A.representative B.disposition C.direct D.fragmented To Learning Objectives LO 12.5

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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.1 Summary The Representatives and Senators 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. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.2 Summary Congressional Elections Incumbents usually win reelection, 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. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.2 Summary Congressional Elections (cont.) However, incumbents can lose if they are involved in a scandal, if their policy positions are substantially out of line with their constituents, or if the boundaries of their districts are redrawn to reduce the percentage of their constituents identifying with their party. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.3 Summary How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy House is larger, characterized by greater centralization of power in the party leadership, and has more party discipline than the Senate. Senators are more equal in power and may exercise the option of the filibuster to stop a majority from passing a bill. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.3 Summary How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy (cont.) Congressional leaders are elected by their party members and must remain responsive to them. Congressional leaders cannot always depend on the votes of the members of their party. Committees consider legislation and oversee administration of policy. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.3 Summary How Congress Is Organized to Make Policy (cont.) Committees chairs have the power to set their committees’ agendas. Congressional Caucuses are composed of members of Congress who have a shared interest or characteristic. Personal, committee, and agency staff provide policy expertise and constituency service. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.4 Summary The Congressional Process The process for considering a bill has many stages. Presidents try to persuade Congress to support their policies, which usually earn space on the congressional agenda. Parties are more homogeneous and polarized and provide an important pull on members on most issues. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.4 Summary The Congressional Process (cont.) Constituencies have 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. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.5 Summary Understanding Congress Congress is an elite institution and responsive to the public when the public makes its wishes clear. Congress is open to influence, which makes it responsive to many interests but also may reduce its ability to make good public policy. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 12.5 Summary Understanding Congress (cont.) Members of Congress often support expanding government to aid their constituents, generally in response to public demands for policy, but many also fight to limit the scope of government. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Text Credits David Samuels and Richard Snyder, “The Value of a Vote: Malapportionment in Comparative Perspective,” British Journal of Political Science, v. 31, n. 4, October 2001, p Copyright 2001 Cambridge University Press. Reprinted with the permission of Cambridge University Press. “Incumbency Factor in Congressional Elections” adapted from Harold W. Stanley and Richard G. Neimi, Vital Statistics on American Politics, , CQ Press, Used with permission. “Incumbency Factor in Congressional Elections” adapted from Vital Statistics On Congress by Norman J. Ornstein, Thomas E. Mann, and Michael J. Malbin. Copyright 1998 by American Enterprise Inst For Public Policy Res. Reproduced with permission of American Enterprise Inst For Public Policy Res in the format Other book via Copyright Clearance Center.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Photo Credits 332: Jewel Sanad/Getty 333T: Gunther/Sipa Press 333TB: Lifetime TV 333B: Getty Images 335: Gunther/Sipa Press 336: Lifetime TV 344: David Horsey 345L: AP Photo 345C: Brendan Hoffman/Getty 345R: Alex Wong/Getty Images 349: Jack Ziegler/The New Yorker collection/ 350: Getty Images 358: J.B. Handlesman/The New Yorker Cartoon/