POSC150 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Government Accountability Office, Cloture, Nuclear Option
31 May 2018
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Chapter 7: Congress
Understanding Congress
● We count on House and Senate to perform two major roles:
○Representation: the efforts of elected officials to look out for the interests of
those who elect them
○National lawmaking: the creation of policy to address the problems and needs
of the entire nation
●Partisanship: loyalty to a party that helps shape how members see the world, define
problems, and identify appropriate solutions
Representation
● Working on behalf of of one’s constituency: the voters in a state or district
● Four types of representation
○Policy representation: congressional work to advance the issues and
ideological preferences of constituents
○Allocative representation: congressional work to secure projects, services, and
funds for the represented district
■Pork barrel projects: public works projects and grants for specific
districts paid for by general revenues (old terminology)
■Earmarks: legislative provisions to allocate spending to a specific
purpose or project (recent terminology)
○Casework: legislative work on behalf of individual constituents to solve their
problems with government agencies and programs
■Franking: the privilege of free mail service provided to members of
congress
○Symbolic representation: efforts of members of congress to stand for american
ideals or to identify with common constituency values
■ “I am one of you” or “I am a person you can trust”
National Lawmaking
● Congress is expected to create laws that serve the common good
●“Collective responsibility”: congress should be responsible for the effectiveness of its
laws in solving national problems
Partisanship
●Hyperpartisanship: a commitment to a party so strong that it can transcend other
commitments
●Polarization: the ideological distance between the parties and the ideological
homogeneity within them (makes hyperpartisanship worse when it is increased)
Congressional Powers and Responsibilities
Differences Between the House and the Senate
● Congress is made up of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate
○Bicameral legislature: legislature with two chambers
● Size
○ House: 435 person, needs more rules and hierarchy
○ Senate: 100 person, less formal
● Terms
○ House: two years
○ Senate: six years
● Minimum age
○ House: at least 25 years old
○ Senate: at least 30 years old
● Impeachment:
○ House: impeaches or charges official with “treason, bribery, and other high
crimes and misdemeanors”
○ Senate: tries the official
Congressional Checks and Balances
● Congress and the Executive Branch
○ Has the responsibility for passing laws
○Congressional oversight: a committee’s investigation of the executive and of
government agencies to ensure they are acting as Congress intends
○Advice and consent: the constitutional obligation that the Senate approve
certain executive appointments
● Congress and the Judicial Branch
○ Congress makes laws and the courts interpret them
○ Establishing some issues of jurisdiction, deciding which courts hear which cases
○ Senate influences the long term operation of the courts
Congressional Elections
The Politics of Defining Congressional Districts
●Reapportionment: a reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten
years, following the census
●Redistricting: the process of dividing states into legislative districts
●Gerrymandering: redistricting to benefit a particular group
○Partisan gerrymandering: redistricting controlled by the majority party in a
state’s legislature, to increase the number of districts that party can expect to
carry
○Pro-incumbent gerrymandering: happens when legislators agree to create
districts to enhance the electoral security of the current members of both parties
○Racial gerrymandering: redistricting to enhance or reduce the chances that a
racial or ethnic group will elect members to the legislature
■ Drawn to favor or disadvantage an ethnic or racial group
Deciding to Run
● Benefits, salary, power, and prestigious title are attractive
● Non existent job security
● Being a member of congress is expensive
● Level of conflict in congress is high
Document Summary
We count on house and senate to perform two major roles: those who elect them. Representation: the efforts of elected officials to look out for the interests of. National lawmaking: the creation of policy to address the problems and needs. Partisanship: loyalty to a party that helps shape how members see the world, define of the entire nation problems, and identify appropriate solutions. Working on behalf of of one"s constituency: the voters in a state or district. Policy representation: congressional work to advance the issues and. Allocative representation: congressional work to secure projects, services, and ideological preferences of constituents funds for the represented district. Pork barrel projects: public works projects and grants for specific. Earmarks: legislative provisions to allocate spending to a specific districts paid for by general revenues (old terminology) purpose or project (recent terminology) Casework: legislative work on behalf of individual constituents to solve their.
