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, 6 th ed. Copyright © 1998 by CQ Press. Reprinted by permission.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved Table 8.2: Ideology and Party in the Congress, 2000–2002
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved 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 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 Figure 8.2: How a Bill Becomes Law
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved 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 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 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 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 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 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?