POS Exam 2 Study Guide Two worlds of Congress 1 World on Capitol Hill in D C Lawmaking Congress 2 World of the District members relate to constituents the Representing Congress Congressional paradox disliking Congress as a whole but liking individual members of Congress that represent us Power of incumbency almost all incumbents run for re election and almost all win senators have larger chance of losing re election bid than house members but still an 80 90 chance of winning state wide elections harder to win due to diverse constituency longer terms Electoral advantages of incumbency 1 Name recognition relevant experience and record of service 2 Campaign money easy to raise for election and re election 3 Campaign organization 4 Time challengers run a compressed campaign Campaign Spending Political Action Committees PACs are organizations that help raise and distribute money for campaigns Kernell and Jacobson s Strategic Politicians Hypothesis Experienced politicians make strategic and rational decisions about when to run for higher office potential campaign contributors make strategic decisions about when to and whom to contribute to appearance of incumbent invincibility deters strong challengers self fulfilling prophecy In Congress The Electoral Connection argues that incumbents need to accomplish things constantly during office term continuous campaigns need to be run year after year to maintain relationship with voters for name recognition and service record Single minded seekers of re election theory can let us see behaviors of Congress members and have it explained three basic activities 1 Advertising members get their names in front of constituents in a positive light with trips home and franking privilege where they can mail newsletters and fliers 2 Credit Claiming members claim personal responsibility for moving government to do things for the district and constituents federal grants and money pork barrel and earmarks give concentrated benefits with dispersed costs case work helps constituents deal with government bureaucracy and make friends and no enemies and hire non partisan staff members Fiorina s argument 3 Position taking If there is an upcoming vote that is important to home territory members will take position in line with constituents taking the right vote and right position operate as instructed delegates on these important matters Problems with continuous campaigns against members pursuit of particularized benefits programs earmarks projects tax breaks targeted at constituents using pork to get reelected members always tempted to overproduce especially if primary concern is reelection individual responsiveness to the district creates danger problem of little collective responsibility on part of Congress set term limits to regulate control of government branches collective action problem with each member pursuing a rational reasonable strategy that is individually productive leading to collective irresponsibility When incumbents lose reelections most of the losing members are from the same political party that is currently in power anti party wave elections 1994 elections Democrat incumbents defeated 2006 elections Republicans defeated 2010 elections Democrats defeated none witnessed anti incumbency wave Instructed Delegate member votes the way constituents want Trustee Edward Burke member listens to constituents but votes his her own conscience Sociological Members do not share socio demographic characteristics of constituents and Congress doesn t look like the nation Congress as Law Making body collective action problem with divided government 5 000 bills introduced annually two chambers and 535 members needed to pass anything Features that enable bills to get passed 1 Formal organization with committee system that work with House and Senate to get bills drafted and redrafted split into various categories like finance agriculture education etc 2 Political parties and party leadership help push things along 3 Informal norms and rules of behavior act as a code of conduct for members to work together in a civilized way ex respect and institutional loyalty reciprocity and logrolling Role of Congressional standing committees Committees that exist from one Congress to the next unless disbanded have fixed jurisdictions and stable memberships that facilitate specialization Subcommittees Appointed to solve specific problems within a larger issue House Rules Committee In charge of determining under what rule certain bills will be introduced on the floor of the House referred to as the traffic cop of Congress Conference committee Appointed to resolve differences between the House and the Senate versions of bills Majority Minority leaders Keep the peace and order in Congress within more specialized groups apart from the Speaker of the House Committee system Serve as filters to trap bills and prevent overload 90 of bills die with committee provides a provision of labor that enables members to develop expertise and facilitates information provision Political party and party leadership Speaker of the House and party leaders guide Congress in duties and tasks majority party in the House controls all major leadership positions floor debate what bills to vote on meeting schedules etc all committee chairs in Senate Democrats and in the House Republicans as well as sub committees and their chairs party leaders serve as traffic cops where they control agenda and schedule of business in Congress coalition builders who persuade other members to vote with their party address potential coordination problems The Speaker of the House has chief assistants called the majority leader and majority whip the minority leader is head of the minority party the party whips form the communicative network connecting leaders with other members that help solve coordination problems the head of the Senate is the majority leader the President pro tempore and led by the Vice President Political parties serve as readymade coalitions that reduce transaction costs members pursue their own goals including re elections where party leaders don t control their electoral fate Rise in party unity Disappearance of conservative democrats in the south and of the so called conservative coalition results in ideological differences between Republicans and Democrats these former Democrats either became Republicans or were replaced by Republicans Conditional Party Government Ideological homogeneity within each party
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