Consider: What is the most significant influence on an MoC?
Homework: Assignment #6 for tomorrow; quiz and test Friday
THE “FEEL” OF CONGRESS: REPRESENTATION AND DECISION-
MAKING
AP Government and Politics Chapter 6
What Does “Representation” Mean?
“Represent”: to act in place of or on behalf of someone else
“Constituency”: the group on whose behalf the legislator acts
Representation in Congress
A historical question in US history since 1789:Is the primary concern of a representative the interests
of the whole nation or those of his/her constituency? In traditional political science, two models of
representative function of Congress have been offered:Trustee model – elected representatives are obligated
to act in accordance with their judgment as to what policies are in the best interests of society
Delegate model: elected reps are obligated to carry out the wishes of those who elected them to office.
Politico – a little bit of both, depending on the situation
Influences on Decision-Making Later political research offers at least 3 theories why MoCs vote the way
they do: Representational view
Members want to get re-elected and therefore vote to please their constituents○ In what situations might this view be most likely?○ What might make this view weak or less reliable?
Organizational view Members respond to cues provided by their fellow members; party is the single
most important of these cues, but interest groups/PACs may also be important○ In what situations might this view be most likely?○ From which group inside Congress do members often take cues on how to vote on
bills? From which group outside of Congress? Attitudinal view
Position that ideology impacts a members vote; members are more ideological in their thinking
Because there are conflicting pressures, members are free to vote their ideologies.
On which type of issues will this be most strong? Most weak?
Questions to Consider Which of the three theories above (Rep, Org, Att) do you believe
is practiced by most members during campaign season? Would you expect the longer term of Senators to result in a different
mode of representation?
Which of the three theories do you most endorse? Which would you endorse as an MoC? Why might this be different?
If you wanted an MoC to choose the representational model, how could you make that happen?
If representatives are voting with their party, does this necessarily mean they are less likely to be representing their constituents’ attitudes?
Video: Thinking Like a Political Scientist
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg4_Constitution_v2.html
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How Members Make Decisions
Political Parties Constituents Colleagues and Caucuses Interest Groups, Lobbyists and Political
Action Committees Staff and Support Agencies
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Political Parties
Influence of political parties on the passage of legislation
Divided government Different political parties control
presidency and Congress Unified government
Same political party controls presidency and Congress
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Constituents
People who live, work and vote in a member’s district Vote with about 2/3rds of the time
Wedge issues
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Colleagues and Caucuses
Logrolling - Supporting another member’s legislation in exchange for future support The widest accepted origin is the old custom of neighbors assisting
each other with the moving of logs. If two neighbors had cut a lot of timber which needed to be moved, it made more sense for them to work together to roll the logs. In this way, it is similar to a barn-raising where a neighbor comes and helps a family build their barn, and, in turn, that family goes and returns the favor, helping him build his.
Special Interest Caucuses Informal groups based on shared interest
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Interest Groups, Lobbyists and Political Action Committees
Research and Data Provide information to justify members’ positions on
legislation Persuade constituents to contact or pressure members
Fundraising PACS
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Staff and Support Agencies Congressional staffers Agency staffers Committee staffers
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