POL_S 101 Lecture 12: Poly Sci 101 lecture 12
Document Summary
Congress is the first branch of government. Elastic clause: to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers. Bicameralism: 100 senators and 435 house members. Hot coffee and the cool saucer: we pour the legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it (cid:1) Descriptive representation: members of congress share physical characteristics of their constituents. Substantive representation: member of congress represent their constituents" interests and policy concerns. Trustee: member of congress who represents his/her constituents broadly, while taking into account national, collective, and moral concerns. Delegate: a member of congress who represents his/her constituents directly. Poltico: member of congress who behaves like a trustee on complex or less salient issues and a delegate on highly salient issues to the constituency (cid:1) Redistricting: redrawing the boundaries of legislative districts: occurs every 10 years, accusations of gerrymandering.
