CHAPTER SEVEN
Congress

Take a Position

The representatives of Congress do not mirror the demographics of America. As this chapter illustrates, Congress is much older, better educated, and wealthier and has a higher proportion of whites and males compared to the rest of the country. Like John Adams, some claim that a legislature that does not descriptively represent the United States does not really represent the United States.

Take a position: Should we have a system, such as shifting quota requirements, so that the representatives of Congress better reflect the demographics of the United States? How would such a system operate? What should the rules be?

As you develop your argument, answer the following questions:

• Do you think the trend of increasing numbers of women, Hispanics, and African Americans in Congress will continue naturally until the percentages equal the presence of these groups in society?
• How would a more demographically representative Congress affect policymaking? Take a look at the bills currently under consideration in Congress. How would the nature of these bills change if Congress was more representative? What new issues would be given priority over issues currently on the legislative agenda?
• Would a more representative Congress lead to better representation? In other words, do the other forms of representation such as policy representation, allocative representation, casework, and symbolic representation eclipse demographic representation? Would the realities of representing one's constituency outweigh social and economic characteristics?