POLS 110 1st Edition Lecture 20 Outline of Last Lecture I. The Constitution and CongressII. BicameralismIII. The Constitutional powers of CongressOutline of Current Lecture I. Four primary functions of congressII. Representation III. The inherent contradiction of representation IV. A brief discussion of Congressional Elections V. Incumbency Current LectureI. Four primary functions of congressa. Representation i. How do they reflect the people that elected them in governance decisions?b. Lawmakingi. How do they decide which proposals should become law?c. Constituent servicei. What do they do to help the people in their districts?d. Oversightsi. What do they do to ensure the government is functioning as intended?II. Representationa. Edmund Burkei. Theory on representation1. How members of Congress represent the views of the people whoelected themThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.b. Trustee Representativei. Members makes his/her decisions based on what the member thinks1. Does not rely on public opinion for decisions c. Delegate Representativei. The member is a delegate of the people, and should vote based on what constituents want, rather than what is necessarily right 1. Relies on public opinion for decisions d. Politico Representation i. A theoretical compromise between the 2: the politician looks out for the interests of the district when it is relevant, but looks nationally when the policy is not relevant to the district e. *problem with being delegate, they’re thinking short-term and local interests i. Because nobody watching out for good of country, only for local interests ii. Politico: most politicians CLAIM they doIII. The inherent contradiction of representationa. Voters claim they want their representatives to make the decisions the nation needs, AS LONG AS IT DOES NOT RAISE MY TAXES!b. Voters want “everyone else” to should the burdeni. NIMBY: not in my backyard problemc. Members of Congress focused on re-election may be compelled to follow such wishes to stay in office (Mayhew)i. It is easier to say “yes” than to say “no” to votersIV. A brief discussion of Congressional Electionsa. Most members of Congress get re-elected if they choose to run againb. Districts often drawn to help members get re-elected (Gerrymandering)c. The Incumbency Advantage:i. More moneyii. Better access to the mediaiii. Name recognition iv. Voting record, to show the publicV. Incumbencya. On average, <10% of incumbents who run for re-election loseb. 50% retire in less than 10 yearsc. 80% retire before they have served 20
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