Dual Nature of Congress The authors of the Constitution could not have foreseen the institution which they created. Congress has become an institution that is dictated by parliamentarian procedures and rules, as well as a series of norms and traditions that are difficult for the outside world to comprehend. Members find themselves trying to represent their diverse constituencies in a world of rapidly changing political and social beliefs, while caught in an institution bound by complexity and rules. To the American people, this creates an atmosphere of a ‘do nothing’ Congress that is consistently delayed by inaction and confusion. Members of Congress find themselves attempting to represent a district with special interest and needs, while maintaining the roles in Washington that see them debating issues which impact the nation as a whole. There are numerous reasons that these worlds collide and both worlds must be understood in order grasp the complexity that plagues a modern day Congress. …show more content…
As types of communications increase, this role becomes more important. Constituents are better able to share their views and interact with their members through a wide array of sources, increasing accountability measures for inaction (Davidson et. al.,38). Members reelection depends upon their ability to represent their districts, but their political aspirations in Washington depend on their ability to work with colleagues. As the members’ workload has increased and developed into a full time career, there have been an increasing number of members who have become career politicians. For those members who hold aspirations of leadership positions in the Capitol, it is important that they not make the crucial mistake of placing their career aspirations before the people that they are sworn in office to represent (Davidson et. al.,
The three theories of representation in Congress are: delegate, trustee, and politico. First is the delegate model of representation is the philosophy that legislators should represent the preferences of their constituents. Next is the trustee model of representation is the philosophy that legislator should consider the will of the people but act in ways they perceive best for the long term interest of the nation. Finally, is the politico model of representation it is a mixture of the two, it is delegate on which constituents have intense views, and trustee on issues that are important for national interests.
The first activity that was presented by Mayhew is due to the tremendous advertising that the members undertake. Through advertising, a congressman is able to build a favorable reputation for himself which will then attract voters. Although the incumbent’s image can have “little or no issue content,” it is still important to gain credibility from the voters so reelection of the specific incumbent can be achieved. Different ways that congressman advertise are through frequent visits to their district, mailings or letters sent to homes, and “nonpolitical speeches to home audiences.” With
Members of congress have three specific goals. The one that seems to be the most important
Most individuals with a general background knowledge of the United States Federal Government system are aware that in order for a bill to become a law, it must first pass a majority vote in Congress. There is, however, a very important step in the legislative process that sometimes goes unnoticed. The committee system of the legislation process ensures that the appropriate attention is given to each bill introduced to Congress. Each member of both chambers are assigned to committees and subcommittees, and are expected to become subject matter experts in their respective roles as committee members.
Representation: the effort of elected officials to look out for the interests of those who elect them
In conclusion, even though some of the Congress processes and its structure seem to be made to slow things down and to reduce effectiveness, they exist to, as discussed in class, protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority. After all, one of the main objectives of having a government is to create a balanced society, and to reduce the chances of having social convulsion and anarchy.
...ilities of Congress is that minorities and factions exist: dissent takes place, not disagreements. Verbal brawls take place rather than actual argumentation, and that is what kills democracy. That is why things never get done.
Congressional committees are the part of the iron triangle that puts bills into the legislative process after they work with interest groups. A member of a congressional committee proposes a bill into the committee to be voted on. Members of congressional committees are members of the legislative branch, so when they propose the bill into their committee they work with the other members to get it passed. If one member doesn't like the bill they can try to get the bill maker to change it to his liking so he will vote for it. For example in my congressional committee, the judiciary committee, congressman Mclenan proposed a bill to give tax cuts to banks who approve a certain amount of low income people's loans. We all thought that other people that needed loans might be overlooked just because they were not low income people. We made him make guidelines for that issue, so we could vote for it.
Congress is split into two large bicameral legislatures, the house of representatives and the senate. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers which shows how they have too much power because even though they are split into two separate entities, they can share and overtake other parts of the government and basically do whatever they want from making laws to declaring war.
As seen quite often in the Obama administration, legislation gets stuck and lost in Congress due to the polarization of the parties in recent years. In Obama’s case, he has frequently threatened to go around the House and Senate if they could not reach an agreement or would shoot down his plans. Cato’s Pilon points out, however, that the hurdles of Congress are no mistake. Pilot states that the framer’s of the Constitution knew what they were doing, and this was intended to keep the checks and balances as well as accountability to the public (Lyons,
These pluralistic interest groups are free to operate and lobby in the political arena, fighting against the majority and other competing factions for voice in Congress. With the influence of multiple factions operating throughout the political system, a balance of power is created (Kernell 2000, 429). This is much like the international theory of sovereign states balancing each other’s power to create a political system that focuses on stability, yet is always in a constant flux of power. With this in mind, special interest groups are constantly contending for power by raising money, campaigning, and lobbying in Congress. When a special interest group is threatened by a competing policy, the group will organize efforts to balance, or transcend the power of the competing group.
The Role of the Senate and House of Representatives. The Congress of the United States consists of the Senate and the House. of Representatives, which means the USA is bi-cambial. The Congress of the United States was created by Article I, Section 1, of the Constitution, adopted by the Constitutional Convention in September.
Will there ever be a balance of power between the President and Congress? Many people can argue that there already is a balance of power similar to how many others can argue that there is no balance in power. Constitutionally, Congress is assigned numerous responsibilities, which demonstrates that Congress has more power than the president. The president as well is assigned various responsibilities; however, they are not as many as the Congress’ responsibilities. Both the president’s and the Congress’ powers are also limited and one can not easily overrule the other.
In our countries government, Congress plays a major role in decision making. They’re primary role is to pass laws. These laws start off as bills. Bills can only be introduced by members of Congress. Although these bills only come from Congressman, there are many people who influence these bills. Such as the president, regular citizens, offices in the executive branch, and many others. The bills right off the bat do not have a very good chance of passage. Only one out of every ten bills even gets any attention at all. This is because they must go through many tests and hearings before they even have a chance of landing on the president’s desk. These steps in a bill becoming a law are very important, and make sure that all bills passed into law are the best of the best.
Van, B. S. D., & University of Pittsburgh. (1995). Post-passage politics: Bicameral resolution in Congress. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. 6th edition http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/text idx?idno=31735057897302;view=toc;c=pittpress