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Clearly Communicated Learning Objectives in Written Form
• Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:– discuss and critically analyze political events in the
United States government– identify and explain the role of formal
(congressional) institutions and their effect on policy.
The House vs. The Senate
House• More hierarchical
• Stronger Committees and more policy specialists
• Strict control of the floor
• Debate is more formal, limited and controlled
Senate• More consensual
• Weaker committees, policy generalists
• Loose Control of floor
• informal and unlimited debate
Very Formal
• No Personal Attacks• Outrage in Congress
– Compared • UK • Australia • Outrage in Korea• Everywhere Else
The Speaker of the House
• John Boehner (R-Ohio)
• Elected From the Majority Party
• Leads the Debate
• Assigns Committee Positions
House Minority Leader
• Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
• Leader of the minority party (currently the Democrats)
The President Pro-Tempore of the Senate
• Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii)
• Mostly a ceremonial position
• Third in-line for the presidency
• Had to wait since 1959 to get the job
Senate Majority Leader
• The power position in the Senate
• Harry Reid (D-NV)
• Leads the Democratic Party
Party Rules the Day
• You sit with your party
• You vote with your party
– 60% are straight party votes
– Members support their party <75% of the time
Voting in the House
• A Majority of votes moves legislation (218)
• You get a minimum winning coalition
• Omnibus Legislation
Voting in the Senate
• 51 votes in theory, 60 in reality– Filibuster– Cloture
• UCA’s
• Reconciliation
The Final Steps
• Must Pass both Houses in Identical Form– Conference Committee
• Sign or Veto
• Finally Becomes Law
Standing Committees
• Permanent entities• 19 in the House – about 42 per committee
• 16 in the Senate – 20 per committee
• Membership reflects party proportion.
You want to be a chair
• Selected by party leaders
• Chairs wield vast power
• PACS give money to chairs and ranking members