American National Government Review Sheet Test 3 POLS 206 This is a list of general topics you will need to know in order to do well on the second test This test covers chapters 11 12 and 15 and includes the topics of Congress the Presidency and the courts 1 Where is the center of policymaking a Congress is the center of policy making 2 What are the attractions to the job of being a member of Congress a First and foremost is Power b In addition members of congress earn a salary of 174 000 and receive generous retirement and health benefits 3 What is substantive representation 4 What is meant by pork barrel projects a Substantive Representation is representing the interests of groups which they themselves are not members b For example members of Congress with a background of wealth and privilege can be champions for the interests of the poor most members of congress have lived in the constituencies they represent for many years and share the beliefs and attitudes of a large portion of their constituents even if they do not share their demographics a Pork Barrel Projects are Federal projects grants and contracts available to state and local governments business colleges and other institutions in a congressional district b Pork barrel is the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative s district c The term pork barrel politics usually refers to spending which is intended to benefit constituents of a politician in return for their political support either in the form of campaign contributions or votes a Advertising contact w the constituents The goal is visibility Members of Congress work hard to make themselves known and spend a lot of time in their districts Incumbents use the Franking Privilege which is the ability to send free mail newsletters to every household in their constituency b Credit Claiming is enhancing their standing w constituents through service to individuals and the district This is all about servicing the constituency Members of congress can do this either by casework or by pork barrel Case Work is helping constituents individually c Position Taking is knowing your constituents and the public opinion so that you can base your position of politics based off of what the majority wants This leads to higher percentage of reelection d Weak Opponents most of the time incumbents face weak opponents because a lot of people are scared of the advantages of the incumbency The individuals who do choose to run are usually not well known not well 5 What are the advantages of incumbency and why do incumbents lose qualified lack experience and financial backing A lot of times incumbents don t even get challengers e Campaign Spending the more money spent most of the time equals more voters because you earn more recognition Obviously challengers are at a disadvantage when it comes to funds and cannot keep up financially with the incumbents Incumbents usually outspend their challengers 3 1 f Lastly Incumbents lose because they are vulnerable Their challengers are na ve about their chances of winning but sometimes they get help from scandal or corruption of the incumbents Incumbents may also lose votes and supporters if the boundaries of their districts change Finally major political tidal waves occasionally roll across the country leaving defeated incumbents in their wake 6 What do PACs buy with their money a They buy stuff for campaigns and things to support the incumbent 7 What is bicameralism a Bicameralism is the legislature divided into two houses The U S Congress and all state legislatures except Nebraska s are bicameral 8 Know what is meant by the act of impeachment and the process of impeachment a The act of impeachment is the indictment by the house This is where the b The process of impeachment is the trial in the senate where they try to reach house acts as a Grand Jury a 2 3 vote 9 What are the differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate 10 What do congressional whips do a The House is four times the size of the Senate the House is also more institutionalized that is more hierarchical more centralized and more disciplined Also party loyalty to leadership and party line voting are more common in the House than in the Senate The House has 2 year terms and has less political prestige than the Senate b The Senate is less centralized and less disciplined The Senate approves many presidential nominations and treaties and tries impeached officials The term of office is 6 years and the senate has bigger constituencies The Senate has higher political prestige over the House a Congressional whips are party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party b Party whips also report the views and complaints of the party rank and file back to the leadership c They count votes The principle task of a party whip formally known as assistant party leader is to keep track of the number of votes for and against a piece of legislation They re also responsible along with the party s leader for whipping up support for a particular position a A filibuster is a strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the Senate from ever voting on a bill Sixty members present and voting can halt a filibuster b An action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures 11 What is a filibuster c Each Senator has at least six opportunities to filibuster a single bill These opportunities can be used one after another 12 Why are committees and subcommittees important to Congress 13 Know the different types of committees a They are extremely important because most of the real work of Congress goes on in committees and committees dominate congressional policymaking in all its stages b Committees regularly hold hearings to investigate problems and possible wrong doing and to oversee the executive branch Most of all they control the congressional agenda and guide legislation from its introduction to its send off to the president for his signature c Committees and subcommittees conduct research line up witnesses for hearings and write and rewrite bills The most important output from committees is the marked up rewritten bill itself which it
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