I Hill Styles 1 Congress s ability to represent the large and diverse population of the nation is affected Being There Hill Styles and Home Styles by the diversity of the members of Congress A Who are the Legislators 1 Elections involve active participants who are self starters looking for a contact of two to six years with no guarantee of renewal 2 Members of Congress represent the social elite well educated come from prestigious occupations a Pay of legislators puts them in the top 1 percent of the nation s wage earners b Around half or more of legislators are millionaires 3 Central purpose of the representative body is to bring together diverse individuals to deliberate on public policy 4 Descriptive representation refers to whether a legislature s membership reflects the diversity of backgrounds and interest in society 5 Substantive representation occurs when legislators consciously act as agents for constituents and their interests 6 Race ethnic background and gender shape the legislative styles of representatives 7 Many representatives and staffer have law degrees more previously 8 Military used to have a large showing 9 Farm labor services trades manual and skilled labor and domestic service are considered low status occupations and rare on Capital Hill 10 African American 13 1 of the population and 9 of the House 11 Latinos 16 7 of the population and 6 7 of legislators 12 When African Americans are represented by African American law makers the represented population tend to know a lot about their representative and have high approval ratings 13 Black representatives tend to introduce bills and be more outspoken on issues effecting African American s than white legislators 14 U S ranks 77th worldwide in women serving in the legislature 15 Nancy Pelosi first women Speaker of the House 16 Women s issues are now taken much more seriously 17 Women tend to be viewed as less competent on military and security issues 18 Tammy Baldwin first lesbian representative that was known before the election 19 One study found that having lesbian and gay elected officials was the most important factor in local adoption of domestic partner benefits 20 98 of Congress identify with a specific religion and 16 of the population are 21 133th Congress has one the oldest average age throughout history 57 for representative considered unaffiliated and 62 for senators 22 The Senate s divergence from population based representation affects many social and economic groups including racial and ethnic minorities 23 Users of federal land such as ranchers and farmers have a larger voice because they make up a lot of less populated states compared to nationwide 24 Less populated states have a closer bond with their elected officials they receive more benefits than they pay in taxes and benefit in federal spending programs 25 Largely populated states pay more in taxes than they get back B Congressional Roles 1 Congress legislator constituency servant and partisan 2 Formal aspect of Capital Hill legislative work investigation and committee 3 Legislators need to be creditable and knowledgeable to influence others 4 Most members want committee assignments that serve the needs of the people they 5 Senators now have to be knowledgeable on a wide range of issues due to overlapping specialization represent committee assignments 6 House relies on formal channels of power than informal norms important work done in committees members should be specialized in the committees they serve 7 Today s member are more concerned with partisanship and ideologically 8 Casework individual cases for constituents very important 9 Service over policy is often the feeling of members 10 Taking pork back to local constituents helping with name recognition and the likelihood 11 Legislators try to impress the leadership with fundraising and campaign to get leadership of being reelected position C How Do Legislators Spend Their Time 1 Time is the most precious commodity and most frequent complaint 2 Committees take up a lot of time most senators sit on three full committees and seven subcommittees and representatives sit on two full and four subcommittees It is recommended that new members spend 40 50 of time fundraising 3 D The Shape of the Washington Career 1 Seniority typically boosts legislative achievement 2 New members have energy and fresh ideas but lack patience bargaining skills memory and respect citizens II E Looking Homeward Independent Judgment or Constituency Opinion 1 Representation is the hallmark of democratic regimes dedicated to sharing power among 2 Legislators have to decided how to represent to take the actions that are popular with constituents or to do what the legislator feels is the best decision 3 Legislators use their information about policy broader perspective and their judgment to make decisions F What are Constituencies Incumbents prefer safe districts 1 The average House district is more than 720 000 people 2 3 Senate seats are more closely challenged than House seats 4 Supporters are expected to vote for the candidate 5 Loyalist are the strongest of supporters and defeat the politician in times of adversity 6 Intimates close friends provide advice and support G Home Styles 1 Home styles can be seen in personal appearances mailings newsletters press releases telephone conversations radio and television spots and websites with a direct reflection on the members personality background constituency and resources 2 Voters tend to remember styles more than issues or the voting record 3 Voters expect their legislators to be able to describe interpret and justify their actions 4 Media give more attention to representative who are out of step with the constituents 5 6 Two stages of constituency career Inconsistency is mentally and politically costly a Expansionism members a reelection constituency by solidifying help from hard core supporters and reaching out for additional help b Protectionism the member stop expanding the base content with protecting support already won 7 Home styles may have to change if the demographic of the constituency changes or if the 1 Legislators can travel home as much as they want as long as they stay within the expense personal goals of the legislator changes III Office Of The member INC H Road Tripping allowance 2 Senior member go home less than newer members I Constituency Casework 1 Most frequent reasons for contacting legislator a Express views or get information on an issue b