Midterm 1

Representatives are single-minded seekers of reelection

Advertising, Credit Claiming, Position Taking

Legislator, Constituency Servant, Partisan

Policy specialists (largest share)
Party soldiers
District Advocates
Party Builders
Ambitious Entrepreneurs

Person-to-person (canvassing)
Issue-oriented (town halls)
Demographic connection
Partisan loyalist

Member might alter their behavior depending on which facet of their constituency they're appealing to
From smallest to largest: personal, primary, re-election, geographic

Delegate vs Trustee
Constituent (interest of their district) vs Collective (majority of country/party)

Theory: People communicate more with reps of their race, individuals living in segregated areas are the least likely to communicate with an out-group representative
Variables: Did the race of the delegate coincide with that of the respondent, did the respondent choose to communicate
Findings: black and white respondents both less likely to communicate with rep of different race, equally likely to talk with same group rep, segregated areas most reluctant

Public interest group (AARP, NRA), Union, Corporation with lobbying wing

Proliferation Hypothesis (as society more complex, groups form to reflect these new issues), Disturbance hypothesis (stable equilibrium that is interrupted when new groups form to societal disruption), Exchange hypothesis (Groups form because of the efforts of "entrepreneures" who offer benefits to potential members to get them to join)

Direct lobbying (Present their clients' cases directly to members of Congress and their aides), social lobbying (Casual interactions between members of congress and lobbyists), Coalition lobbying (alliances created between different organizations with similar causes), grassroots lobbying, digital lobbying, advocacy campaigns

Congress, interest groups, bureaucracies

Individual: Credit claiming, expertise, leadership
Institutional: Centers for policymaking and executive oversight
Division of labor
Safety valve

Distributive theory: Legislatures organize committees to give lawmakers policy influence in areas critical to their re-election
Informational theory: Committees are established to provide lawmakers with the specialized expertise required to make informed judgements
Partisan theory: Committees are tools of the party and members are expected to support policies touted by their party

House Rules + House Administration (2:1), House Ethics (Even)

House Rules, House Ethics, House Administration, Senate Judiciary, Senate Rules + Administration

Conditional Party Government Theory: If there is more ideological consensus within the parties AND less agreement between the parties (AKA as party polarization increases), then rank-and-file members should favor strong, centralized leadership

Imposed term limits for committee chairs amongst House Republicans
*Did this to get rid of moderates and put “real conservatives” in the seats
Part of his 10-point-plan
Centralized power away from committees towards leadership
Now leadership chose committee leaders instead of just having to respect seniority

Reduce transaction costs (give indicator for how people might vote, organize the chamber, summarize bills), form coalitions

Rucho said gerrymandering is a political question outside the reach of federal courts

Conditional Party Government Theory: As polarization increases, rank-and-file members should favor strong, centralized party leadership
Procedural Cartel Theory: Legislative parties specialize in controlling the agenda, rather than controlling votes
Strategic Party Government: Legislators unite behind strong party leaders to avoid losing, even when they do not agree with the policies their party is advocating
Pivotal voter theory, parties can't formally fire anyone

Steering committee

Party Caucus (or conference): The organization of all partisans in the chamber, Elect party leaders, approve committee assignments, etc
Party Committee: Each of the four congressional party groups, which establish committees to serve partisan needs
Informal Party Groups: Groups within parties that work to spotlight their priorities (progressives, blue dogs)

Memberless organizations—especially corporations—now dominate organized interest politics in Washington, both in numbers and lobbying resources. This creates a democratic representation problem because organizations representing wealthyusiness interests have much greater political resources, while less affluent citizens and broad public interests are less likely to have an effective political voice

Despite Congress becoming much more polarized and party leaders becoming more powerful, majority parties have not become better at passing their own agendas; most laws still receive substantial bipartisan support. The authors argue that constitutional checks, the need for minority-party support, and other institutional constraints mean that congressional lawmaking remains primarily a process of bipartisan compromise

Standing Committees: Permanent entity created by public law or chamber rules that processes the bulk of Congress’s daily and annual agenda
Select/Special Committees:Temporary groups that typically are eliminated after one Congress, which do not usually have legislative authority, but rather study, investigate, and make recommendations
Joint Committees: Include members from both chambers and are used for study, investigation, oversight, and routine activities
Conference Committees: Short term committees comprised of members of both chambers for the express purpose of remedying chamber differences on specific legislation
Subcommittees

Procedural: Presides over the house Rules on points of order, Announced the results of votes, Refer legislation to committee, Maintain order and decorum in the House chamber
Politica: Setting the House Agenda, Control the Rules Committee, Sets the rules for debate, Influence the decisions of their party’s committee assignment panel, Express policy positions to the public, Face of the party (especially if the president is not of the same party), Coordinate major policymaking efforts Bestow or withhold rewards

Majority leader: Meets with committee chairs, Administrative tasks, tracks bills, coordinate between leadership
Minority leader: Promotes party unity, Forms coalitions, Strategizing how to win back chamber

Constitutionally its VP, but often its president pro temp or a rotation of senior members, rarely senate majority leader

Wasn't formalized until 1954, not a full-time role (still on committees), elected by a secret ballot, helps build consensus since Senate requires more of it

Institutional: Organize the Chamber
Scheduling Floor Business
Setting the agenda
What comes up for debate and when and who speaks on it
Count votes and rally support
Consulting the President
Liaison between Congress and the President

Party:
Organizing and Uniting the Party
Selecting committee members, revise party rules, choose other leaders, appoint party committees
Winning and Holding Chamber Majorities
Build party message
Advancing the Party’s Policy Goals
Lead negotiations