Poli 110 Final

How can Congress be so unpopular when individual representatives are so popular?

We apply different standards of judgment, those applying to the individual being less demanding than those we apply to the institution.

How does the structure of Congress influence how we evaluate Congress?

What considerations influenced the general Constitutional structure of Congress?

How does the redistricting process work?

Congress

national legislative body consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate

Legislature

legislative body of a nation or state

Legislator

a person who makes laws, a member of the legislative body

Tyranny

abuse of power, or reduced responsiveness to voters

Efficiency

measured through productivity, amount of resources it takes to produce an outcome, or the ratio of output per unit of input; the ability to develop the expertise and relationships necessary to govern

Term Length

movement started in the 1980s; house- two years, elected every other year; senate- six years, staggered election every other year

Chamber size

435 in the House; 100 senators

Reaportionment

redistributing seats in the House according to population

Redistricting

dividing or organizing an area into new districts

When do the "best" candidates run?

when they know they'll win

Who serves in Congress?

professional candidates- those who have political experience

What creates the incumbency advantage?

people knowing the incumbent's name, their recognition, franking privileges

How do members of the House represent constituents?

How does the Constitutional structure of Congress influence how Representatives represent?

they are constantly looking to be reelected

strategic entry

action taken to discourage challengers against entering

amateur candidate

never held office before

professional candidate

a candidate that has held office before

wave election

when one party makes major gains in an election

incumbent

official currently holding office, most professional professional that ever was

challenger

candidate running against incumbent

open seat

when the incumbent steps down and does not hold for reelection

incumbency advantage

advantage of candidate already holding the seat; franking privileges, recognition, etc

delegate

What do the people want me to do?

trustee

They voted for me and trust me to perform in their best interest even if it isn't what they would do.

issue/substantive representation

delegate- focused on the district with high policy content; trustee- not focused on the district with high policy content

service representation

case work designed to help the public, not pass legislation

allocational representation

projects where members of congress steer funding towards their district, often called pork

descriptive representation

when reps actually reflect what the people are like. Ex: the congressional black caucus (represents blacks)

geographic constituency

those that live in your district

reelection constituency

people who voted for you before and would reelect you

primary constituency

people who are passionate and will always vote for you

personal/intimate constituencies

people who will always vote for you

reelection incentive

reasons to stay in office whether that be enforcing policies, helping friends, etc

advertising

attempt by members to keep their names and faces favorably in the minds of constituents through efforts that typically deal very little with real issues

credit claiming

attempt to appear personally responsible for the favorable actions of the government agency or for federal spending that benefits the district. attempts to do personal favors (casework) for constituents

position taking

a public issue stance on any subject, whether it is currently before Congress or not, and whether the member plans to take action or not, that appeals to constituents. often general or vague to remain inoffensive

How does a bill become a law?

House: Drafting- Introduction- Referral to Committee- Committee hearings- Committee vote- Rules Committee- Floor debate- Floor vote

Senate: same except no rules committee

House passes the bill- Senate passes the bill with no changes-send to the president

Senate passes a bill- house passes the bill with no changes- send to the president

House passes a bill- senate passes the bill with changes- conference committee- house and senate concur- send to the president

Senate passes a bill- house passes the bill with changes- conference committee- house and senate concur- send to the president

What philosophy motivates legislative procedures in the House?

majority rules

What philosophy motivates legislative procedures in the Senate?

individuals rule (opposite in Utah, majority rules and has a rules committee)

In the states that allow direct democracy, what steps are usually required to qualify for the ballot?

bill

a proposed law presented to a legislative body for consideration

law

Rules made by parliament and enforceable by the courts

congressional committee

Evolved as a way for Congress to handle large and complex work-load; divides up law-making into major subject areas; major responsibility for debating & marking up bills + oversight of execution of laws (the bureaucracy)

Speaker of the House

Presiding officer of the House of Representatives. elected at the beginning of each congressional session on a party-line vote. as head of the major party, the Speakerhas substantial control over the legislative agenda of the House.

conference committee

temporary joint committee created to reconcile any differences between the two houses' versions of a bill

Rules Committee

A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the house.

open rule

Anyone can talk for as long as they want about it. Anyone can add an amendment.

closed rule

Limited time. No amending of the bill from the floor.

modified closed rule

sets debate for a certain amount of time and only the designated amendments can be debated on. no additional amendments

unanimous consent agreement

request setting terms for the consideration of a specified bill or other measure. These agreements are usually proposed by the majority leader or floor manager of the measure, and reflect negotiations among senators interested in the measure.

filibuster

a tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down; once given the floor, senators have unlimited time to speak, and it requires a vote of three-fifths of the Senate to end a filibuster

cloture

A parliamentary process to end a debate in the Senate, as a measure against the filibuster; invoked when three-fifths of senators vote for the motion

initiative

An approach to direct democracy in which a proposal is placed on an election ballot when the requisite number of registered voters have signed petitions.

direct initiative

citizens draft a law and gather signatures- proposed law appears before voters on the ballot- proposal becomes law

indirect initiative

citizens draft a law and gather signatures- proposed law appears before legislature- proposal becomes law

referendum

approach to direct democracy in which a state legislature proposes a change to the state's laws or constitution that all the voters subsequently vote on

legislative referendum

legislature proposes a law or amendment- proposal appears on the ballot for voter ratification- proposed law or amendment takes effect

popular referendum

legislature passes an unpopular law- citizens gather signatures to block law- proposal to repeal this specific law appears on the ballot

recall

voters can remove an elected official from office

What do we expect of American presidents?

Three 'P's:

Prosperity- Ronald Reagan

Protection-George Bush's first term. 9/11 and war with Iraq. Boosts in support. Rallies toward him. Rally around the flag

Policy leadership- specifics. Obama. Trump. An agenda.

How do our expectations of presidents compare with their formal authority?

How has the presidency evolved over time?

Started as the HR manager. We relied on Congress to lead. Until Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. It stayed the leader way it was and is still viewed that way today.

How do presidents compensate for their limited formal authority?

Negotiation, going public, executive orders, signing statements

budget

how much federal money can be allocated to each bureau and department

OMB

Office of Management and Budget

veto

the president's constitutional power to turn down acts of Congress.

veto override

A presidential veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress

treaty

a formal agreement between countries

appointment power

The authority vested in the president to fill a government office or position.

chief clerk

how the president was mostly referred to for the first hundred years

Andrew Jackson

Created the party by democratizing the party and extending the vote. Sense of popular mandate. First president to use the veto right just because he didn't like the policy. Trail of Tears. After him, things went back to the way they were. People relied on Congress until Abraham Lincoln. Then back again until Theodore Roosevelt.

Theodore Roosevelt

Bull Moose. Presidency should be different. Stewardship theory of the president. It is the duty of the president to act upon the theory that he is the steward of the people. Things were the same after that. Even till now.

bully pulpit

the president's use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public. propsed by Teddy Roosevelt.

stewardship theory

A theory that argues for a strong, assertive presidential role, with presidential authority limited only at points specifically prohibited by law.

Woodrow Wilson

Policy leader. Went around.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Stewardship theory expanded. Depression and New Deal. Radio. Fireside chat- informed people.

negotiation

presidential power is the power to persuade. you must engage Congress. (sometimes blackmail) giving commands is a sign of weakness. you must persuade. Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was a general. He commanded. the cabinet must be persuaded.

going public

a president's strategy of appealing to the public on an issue, expecting that public pressure will be brought to bear on other political actors. dangerous because you have to take a stand and stick with it. when the president tries to pressure congress by riling up the public

executive order

if they don't succeed, they look weak. cannot ignore existing law.

signing statement

not something envisioned in the Constitution. the Dream Act. Protect children brought here illegally, and give them a path to citizenship. the president has only a full veto. I shall interpret this part of the bill this way. Obama 2014. Attached to a bill at signing.

Why do we have a federal beuracracy?

How is the federal bureaucracy structured?

What are the federal bureaucracy's legislative and executive powers?

Legislative: regulation- organizations creating laws

Executive: implementation- how they carry out a law, enforcement

Why and how do we increase bureaucratic independence?

Why and how do Congress and the president control the bureacracy?

bureaucracy

a system in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives. a complex structure of offices, tasks, and rules in which employees have specific responsibilities and work within a heirarchy of authority

Executive Office of the President