11 Parties and Leaders updated
Page 1: Introduction
Title: Parties and Leaders in Congress
Course: POLS 400
Instructor: Jesse Richman, PhD
Page 2: Key Questions
What do chamber leaders do?
How do they fulfill their roles?
Why do members of Congress delegate authority to chamber leaders?
Focus will be on committees and their leaders later.
Page 3: The Role of Parties and Leaders in Congressional Organization
Importance of Parties
Parties and leaders developed in Congress to address various issues.
Their relevance decreases or increases based on members' need for parties to achieve their goals.
Problems and Solutions Addressed by Parties
Facilitate communication among members with similar preferences.
Structure rules to enable cooperation and order.
Agenda setting to determine what issues are prioritized.
Control chaos within legislative processes.
Control elections to influence outcomes and party stability.
Coordinate votes to ensure party positions are upheld.
Page 4: Coordination Game Example
Participants engage in a coordination game: Angela (prefers Ballet) and Bob (prefers Wrestling).
Each person reveals their choices simultaneously, and payoffs are dependent on how they coordinate their decisions.
Reflects the concept of how party leaders facilitate faction coordination.
Page 5: Current GOP Coordination
Coordination challenges within the GOP regarding spending cuts or concessions during negotiations with the Biden administration.
Page 6: Agenda Setting Game
Two competing bills are vying to be considered, each wanting to change different policies.
Example floor setup with legislators: Viv, Will, Xavia, Yan, and Zac.
Results depend on party affiliations and leadership dynamics.
Page 7: Policy Consequences of Blocking Bills
Figure illustrating the impact of majority party dominance on policy outcomes.
Higher likelihood of outcomes aligned with majority preferences with marginal effects illustrated.
Page 8: Evidence of Party Influence
Roll Rate: Percentage of time a bill passes despite opposition from a majority party.
Page 9: Leadership Roles and Powers
House Leadership
Speaker: Elected by majority, controls rules, agenda, member assignments.
Majority Leader: Legislative strategist, develops agenda.
Minority Leader: Represents minority interests, communicates party positions.
Whips: Maintain party discipline, count votes.
Senate Leadership
President of the Senate: Role primarily held by the Vice President.
Majority Leader: Central power for policy agenda and strategy.
Minority Leader: Balances party interests, negotiations with majority.
Page 10: House Majority Party Leadership
Speaker
Presiding official, must control House order and conduct votes.
Historical context: Power shifts from past leadership norms to present structures.
Page 11: House Party Leadership
Majority Leader and Minority Leader
Elected through party caucus, responsible for strategic legislative planning.
Whips
Elective position focusing on discipline and voter mobilization.
Page 12: Other Chamber Leadership
Republican Conference Chairman: Organizes Republican House members.
Democratic Caucus Chairman: Leads Democratic members.
Policy Committee Chairman: Focus on policy development within the party.
Assistant Democratic Leader: Supports main party leader.
Page 13: House Party Organization
Rules Committee
Appointed by the Speaker, manages legislation procedures and framework.
Committee Chairs
Control agenda, staffing, and subcommittee appointments.
Page 14: Current Party Membership
Reference to current membership data with ongoing Speaker's race.
Page 15: Senate Leadership Structure
Majority Leader
Evolved into a powerful position under Lyndon Johnson's influence.
Minority Leader
Limited specific powers, relies on negotiation and persuasion skills.
Page 16: Senate Leadership Continued
Assistant Majority & Minority Leaders (Whips): Facilitate party unity and discipline.
Page 17: Positive Agenda Control Game
Legislative dynamics on amending bills based on committee rulings (open vs closed rules).
Page 18: Party Caucus/Conference
Details on party member organization for leadership selection and strategic discussions.
Page 19: Campaign Committees
House Campaign Committees
DCCC and NRCC: Focus on fundraising and candidate recruitment.
Senate Campaign Committees
Develop strategies for Senate elections and engagement.
Page 20: Other Important Leaders
Role descriptions of campaign chairs and party committees focused on coordination.
Page 21: Delegating Power to Leaders
Conditions Favoring Leader Influence
Homogenous preferences within the party.
Significant legislative challenges requiring cohesive party action.
Page 22: Conditional Party Government
Effects of ideological balance on Speaker's power dynamics.
Page 23: Investigating Party Influence
Key Inquiry
Exploring how party influence manifests in legislative processes.
Page 24: Strong vs. Weak Parties
Weak Party Indicators
Many votes are non-partisan, direct pressure to change votes is infrequent.
Strong Party Indicators
Parties exert subtle influence, especially in procedural aspects.
Page 25: Party Unity Vote
Measures cohesiveness of party votes against opposition.
Divisions highlight the complexity of understanding party influence.
Page 26: Observational Equivalence Problem
Examining two spatial models demonstrating party influence on voting patterns.
Page 27: Evidence of Party Influence
Case Studies
Details on instances where partisanship affected legislative outcomes.
Page 28: Variation Across States
Comparative analysis of party influence and voting behavior in different states.
Page 29: Evidence of Party Influence in Congress
Most visible during procedural votes, indicating underlying party unity.
Page 30: Conclusion
Affirmation that parties matter in legislative processes, despite variances in influence.
Page 31: Upcoming Topics
Discussion on election procedures for leaders and committee assignments.
Page 32: Leadership Delegation Game
Additional Information:
President pro tempore is typically a majority party senator with the longest service
The raising arm of the congressional