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CHAPTER SEVEN Study Chapter Summary ·
Members of Congress are responsible for both
representation and lawmaking. These two duties are often at odds because what
is good for a local district may not be beneficial for the country as a whole. ·
Representation style takes four different
forms—policy, allocative, casework, and symbolic—and congresspersons attempt to
excel at all four. However, since the legislative process designed by the
founders is meant to be very slow, representatives have fewer incentives to
concentrate on national lawmaking when reelection interests, and therefore
local interests, are more pressing. ·
The founders created our government with a
structure of checks and balances. In addition to checking each other, the House
and the Senate may be checked by either the president or the courts. Congress
is very powerful but must demonstrate unusual strength and consensus to
override presidential vetoes and to amend the Constitution. ·
Citizens and representatives interact in
congressional elections. The incumbency effect is powerful in American politics
because those in office often create legislation that makes it difficult for
challengers to succeed. ·
Representatives want autonomy and choice
committee assignments to satisfy constituent concerns. They achieve these goals
by joining together into political parties and obeying their leadership and
party rules. House and Senate members make their own organizational rules,
which means that the dominant party in each house has great power over the internal
rules of Congress and what laws are made. ·
Citizens, interest groups, the president,
and members of Congress all have a stake in the legislative process. Voters
organized into interest groups may have a greater impact on legislative
outcomes than may the individual. Yet Congress, with various legislative tools
and strategies, holds the most sway over the fate of legislation. Learning Objectives After
reading this chapter, you should understand ·
the clash between representation and
lawmaking ·
the powers and responsibilities of Congress ·
congressional membership and elections ·
the organization of Congress and the rules
of congressional operation ·
the relationship of citizens to Congress |
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