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