Congress Midterm Readings

Unorthodox Lawmaking Chapter 1: How legislative process has changed

When clear air act was passed in 1970 it used single committee and open amendments whereas in the reivsion in 1990 they used multiple committees, filibuster influence and restricted amendments. there has been a shift towards more complex and restrictive procedures

Unorthodox Lawmaking Chapter 6: Why and How Legislative Process Changed

Shift from decentralization to indvidualism in senate. Reforms in house empowers rank and file members and party leadership. Budget reform and hostile political climate has created unorthodox lawmaking practices like multiple referrals, post-commitee adjustments and omnibus legislation

Mayhew

Legislators are primarily motivated by reelection through advertising, credit claiming and position taking

Jacobson- The Electoral Connection

While reelection is important, members want to be part of the majority. With a more partisan electoral arena it is harder to win against partisan gains

Fenno- members and their constituencies

Concentric circles of constituencies (geographical, re-election, primary, personal). Home style defined by presentation of self, allocation of resources, explanation of DC activity

Miler and Stokes- Constituency influence in congress

Considerable agreement between reps and districts on social welfare and civil rights issues but not on foreign involvement. Hard to connect roll call votes to actual constituent opinions

Hall and Wayman- Buying Time

PAC money doesn’t buy votes but instead alters members’ patterns of legislative involvement by mobilizing support and demobilizing opposition. Resources allocated at committee stage are more effective as they provide incentives for more sympathetic members to shape legislation

Blanes i Vidal et al- Revolving Door Lobbyists

Lobbyists connected to currently serving politicians make more money.

Krehbiel Chapter 2

Introduces spatial model with filibuster and veto pivots. Policy change requires status quo to lie outside gridlock interval

Poole and Rosenthal- Patterns of Congressional Voting

Most individual voting decisions can be explained by 2-d model (lib-conservative and party loyalty) with positions stable over time. Long term trend of shrinking distance between parties and move towards national consensus

Krehbiel- Where’s the party?

Isn’t much party influence in committee assignments

Cox and McCubbins- Legislative Leviathan

Electoral fates of members of same party are tied together. Parties coordinate together to overcome problems with goals of getting majority.

Bloch Rubin- Legacies of Leadership

GOP speakers have had tougher time leading divided party than Dems because the rank and file have more defined extreme factions that constrains leadership

Bloch Rubin- Building the Bloc

Intraparty organizations emerge when existing institutions fail to help lawmakers achieve desired policy outcomes

Cox and McCubbins- Majority Party and Legislative Agenda

Majority party in house controls the agenda due to Reed’s rule.

Curry and Lee- The Limits of Party

even in divided government bipartisan agendas are still common, lawmaking has not become more partisan

Heberlig and Larson- Congressional Parties, Institutional Ambition, and the Financing of Majority Control

Members who contribute more money to the party are more likely to get promotions in party leadership

Lee- Insecure Majorities

The political landscape is very competitive now, with every election up for grabs

Curry and Roberts- Interpersonal Relationships

Members who go on trips together are more likely to be origional cosponsors on a bill. Good interpersonal relationships are essential to obtaining trust and working together in Congress

Rendleman- Bound Together

By looking at CBC you can see how the caucus has gotten less extreme. If members are in the room with other members of congress more senior, they are less likely to speak