PLS 304 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Regulatory Agency, Gerrymandering
Document Summary
The efforts of elected officials to look out for the interests of those who elect them. The creation of policy to address the problems and need of the entire nation. The division of the government that proposes bills and passes them into laws. Bicameral: composed of a house of representatives and a senate. Congress has the power to make laws, impeach, oversee the president, fund organizations through appropriations, approve spending, and provide service to constituents on all levels of government. Loyalty to a party that helps shape how members see the world, define problems, and identify appropriate solutions. Government action based on firm allegiance to a political party. The ideological distance between the parties and the ideological homogeneity within them. The presence of increasingly conflicting and divided viewpoints between the democratic and republican parties. A commitment to party so strong it can transcend other commitments. Congressional work to advance the issues and ideological preferences of constituents.
