U.S. CongRESS

1. Why do we love our Congressperson, but hate Congress? October 2008 Congress Approval Rating (CBS/NYT) : 17% October 2008 My Representative Approval Ratingn (CBS/NYT) 50% 2008 Re-Election Rates : House 94%, Senate 83% www.opensecrets.org/bigpicture/reelect.php “The Paradox of Congress”: It is a locally elected body, responsible for making national policy! U.S. CongRESS

2. Bicameralism • Original differences between House & Senate:Age, size, basis of representation, term length, method of election (not anymore), size of constituency, Constitutional responsibilities • Evolved differences: rules of procedure, level of partisanship, power/function of leadership & committees, power of majority • Why the lower and more variable re-election rate for Senators? • Longer term, more diverse constituencies, more national visibility, more perceived responsibility, more qualified and better funded challengers

3. Congressional Structure • HOUSE • Size fixed at 435 • Apportionment of Districts (based on census)Who gains? Who loses? • Supreme Court and “one person, one vote” • Redistricting process – who does it?a.) Partisan gerrymanderingLULAC v. Perry, 2006b.) Racial gerrymandering and MMDs

4. Congressional Structure • SENATEEffects of equal representation for each state: state admissions in 19th Century, grant formulas, urban v. rural issues, leadership • THE IMPORTANCE OF MAJORITY CONTROL • HOUSE PARTIES & LEADERSHIP1.) House Democratic Caucus -- electsSpeaker (Nancy Pelosi), Majority Leader (Steny Hoyer), Majority Whip (James Clyburn)2.) House Republican Conference – elects Minority Leader (John Boehner), Minority Whip (Eric Cantor)

5. Congressional Structure • SENATE PARTIES AND LEADERSHIPConstitutional Leadership: Vice-President (Joseph Biden), President ProTempore (Robert Byrd)Why they did not evolve into the “real” leaders of the Senate1.) Senate Democratic Conference: elects Majority Leader (Harry Reid), Majority Whip (Dick Durbin) • 2.) Senate Republican Conference: elects Minority Leader (Mitch McConnell), Minority Whip (Jon Kyl)

6. Congressional Structure • COMMITTEES“Congress in Committee is Congress at Work” • Positive and negative power (agendasetting, gatekeeping) • Jurisdictions, competition, and multiple referral • The Committee Assignment Process: self-selection, seniority, party loyalty • How Committee Chairpersons are Selected: committee majority & seniority, caucus approval

7. How a Bill Becomes a Law (or Not) • 1.) Introduction and Referral to Committeesponsorship v. cosponsorship2.) Committee consideration a.) hearings – who testifies? b.) markup session c.) report (noun and verb) • 3.) From Committee to the Floor – HouseHouse Rules Committee: “gatekeeper to the floor”

8. How a Bill Becomes a Law (or not) • 4.) From committee to the floor – SenateThe ever-present “filibuster” threatUnanimous consent agreements • 5.) House and Senate floor debate & floor amendment process--sneaky ways to “kill” a bill on the floor • 6.) How House members and Senators decide to vote: cue-taking, constituency, ideology, and partyRepresentative roles: delegate, trustee, politicoNational vs. local interest

9. How a Bill Becomes a Law (or Not) • 7.) Reconciling House and Senate versions of the same bill: the conference committee8.) The President’s options – • regular veto, pocket veto • SAPs and signing statements

10. Why do Members of Congress get re-elected so easily? • a.) advertisingb.) credit claiming: “pork barrel” projects and “casework”c.) strategic position-takingd.) the financial advantagee.) the “scare-off” effect on potential opponents • Is it more important that our congresspersons take the “right” positions, or that they be successful at getting things accomplished?

11. What Americans Don’t Like About Congress • John Hibbing and Elizabeth Theiss-MorseStealth Democracy: Americans' Beliefs About How Government Should Work (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2002) • Compromise = Selling Out? • Debate=Petty Attack Politics? • Does Congress reflect the deep divisions in American society?Morris Fiorina, Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America