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The Incumbency Advantage Incumbency tradition is high in both Senate (generally above 50%)
and House (generally above 80%, incumbent rate more stable than Senate)
Media coverage is higher for incumbents Incumbents have greater name recognition
due to franking (use govt $), travel to the district, news coverage
Members secure policies and programs for voters Easier to raise campaign contributions because
lobbyists seek their favors Redistricting that incumbents do (gerrymandering and
malapportionment) Sophomore surge- second term election strength Constituents can see what incumbents are doing in their
community Exception to incumbency advantage: scandal or unpopular president Consequences?
Continuity (less radical change), more experienced, established relationships with interest groups, policy specialization
discourages challengers, lack of responsiveness, fewerminorities
Incumbent House Members Running for Reelection, 1964-2006
19641966
19681970
19721974
19761978
19801982
19841986
19881990
19921994
19961998
20002002
20042006
0
100
200
300
400
0
Number defeated Number reelected
Reelection Rates of House and Senate Incumbents
1946-2006
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
50
60
70
80
90
100Percent reelected
House Senate
In 1974, huge drop in House and Senate Republican seats due to Watergate scandal; huge drop of Democratic incumbents due to Ronald Reagan’s popularity and Jimmy Carter’s failure
Determinants of voting patterns
• Representative as ______________ vs. _____________
– Delegate: act on what constituents want (agent of the voters, even if they disagree)– Trustee: members act on their own personal beliefs of what is best for society
• _________________ (Constituent influence): members vote to please their constituents, in order to secure re-election– Interest group influence, constant visits at home with constituents,
e-mails, phone calls, town hall meetings• _________________(colleague and party influence): where
constituency interests are not vitally at stake, members primarily respond to cues from colleagues– Party leadership pressure, vote along party lines (more than 75% of
the time)• _________________ (personal views): the member’s ideology
determines her/his vote
• Congressional approval ratings very low (30%) overall distrust of Congress as a whole; higher approval of individual members
• Anomaly: incumbents reelected
Confidence in American Institutions, 2007
Source: CNN/USA Today/ Gallup poll, June 11-44, 2007.
"I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one--a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little?"
The m ilitarySmall business
The policeThe church
BanksSupreme Court
Public schoolsM edical systemThe presidencyTelevision news
NewspapersCrim inal justice
Organized laborBig business
HM OsCongress
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80Percent responding "great deal" or "quite a lot"
Confidence in government institutions is comparatively low.
Congressional Approval, 1974-200619
74
1975
19
76
1978
19
86
1990
19
92
1994
19
95
1996
19
97
1998
19
99
2000
20
01
2002
20
03
2004
20
05
2006
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Per
cent
resp
ondi
ng "
appr
ove"
“Do you approve of the way Congress is handling its job?”
Americans are far more favoring
towards their own member of Congress
Party Leadership in Congress Overview After legislative election (every 2 years), the party with the most
representatives is the “___________” party – Significance: majority party holds the most significant leadership positions and
the majority of seats in committees Political parties are very important in the basic organization of leadership
and member’s voting in the House and Senate
Overview of leadership positions:
• Speaker of the House (House of Reps) – Nancy Pelosi• Majority leader (House and Senate) • Minority leader (House and Senate)• Party whips (House and Senate)• President pro-tempore (Senate)• President of the Senate (Senate)- Joe Biden
- Currently the 111th Congress January 2009- January 2011 Democrats- Soon we will be in the 112th Congress January 2011-2013 Divided
Party Structure in the House House___________________is most important leader of majority party and presides over
House (once all powerful until revolt in 1910) – voted for by majority party, senior member w/ leadership exp
– __________________ over meetings – Recognizes members to speak– ___________________ members to select & conference committees– Directs business on the floor– _____________________ to committees– Exercises behind the scenes influence over
party members– 3rd in line for succession– Usually one votes in case of a tie
• ____________ leader and ____________ leader: floor leaders, schedules bills, rounds up votes for party favors, stepping stone to Speaker position, spokesperson for minority party
• _________________ keep leaders informed (go betweens for leaders and members), round up votes of party members, pressure members to support leadership, inform members of important bills
• Committee assignments and legislative schedule are set by each party
Senate Party Leadership • President of the Senate is the Vice President of U.S. (rarely present,
only votes in ties) – ____________office• President pro tempore ______________; this is the member with
most seniority in majority party (a largely honorific office, no real powers)
• ___________ leaders are the *majority leader and the minority leader, elected by their respective party members – first Senator heard on the floor, determines Senate agenda, influences committee assignments
• Party whips: keep leaders _________, round up ______, count noses
• Each party has a policy committee: schedules Senate business, prioritizes bills
• Committee assignments are handled by a group of Senators, each for their own party
Committees_____________work of Congress
• Bills are worked out or killed in committees • Investigate problems and oversee the executive branch
Four types of committees:
1) ___________ Committees (*legislation)Most important, basically permanent, handle bills in diff. policy areas, only type of comm. to propose legislation by reporting a bill to full House (Senate-16, House-19) *Most important: Ways and Means (taxes), Senate judiciary, Rules Committee
2) ____________(*special, temporary issues)• Formed for specific purposes, temporary (but may become standing committees), sometimes
produce legislation• Ex. Investigated Watergate scandal
3) ____________Committees (*joint special issues)• Select comm. consisting of members from both House and Senate,
conduct business between houses, help focus public attention on major issues, oversee institutions , investigations
4) ______________ Committees (*compromise bill)• Consist of members from houses, hammer out differences between House and
Senate versions of similar bills, make a compromise bill to be sent back to each house for approval
1995-1996 (104th Congress, Republicans) reformed # of committees (reduced from 252-198), term limits on committee chairmen (6 yrs)
Each member of House serves on 1-2 standing committees (unless limited to one of exclusive); Senators may serve on two major committees (average – 7 subcommittees) and one minor committee
Committee Membership
_____________and majority of each standing committee comes from ___________ party with a minority of minority party members (try to be proportionate to Congressional party split)
Assignments are based on personal and political qualities of the member, region, reelection help Members from safe districts (elected with _____ than ___% of the vote, guaranteed
reelection) can be on an important committee that helps the nation and public welfare,
while marginal districts (elected with _____ than ___% of vote, reelection is not secure) need committees that suit the need of constituents (ex. Kansas rep on Agricultural committee)
Method of committee membership: Each party has a Committee on Committees Speaker of the House selects Select and Conference Committee members
(powerful!)
Committee Chairmen (House) Powerful – decides what is on the committee _________
1910 -- House Revolt transferred power to chairmen andaway from Speaker of the House
1910-1970 -- Chairmen chosen by __________ system
Member with the longest continuous service of majority party on committee is placed automatically as chair (whoever has been in the committee the longest is the chairman)
1970 reform – secret ballots of majority members elected chairmen, may only chair 1 committee, committee meetings usually public, increased staff size for all
Before 1970s, work was done primarily by chairmen behind closed doors Reforms gave more rights to members, especially with little seniority _____________________________________ but still very powerful In practice, most chairmen are still senior members
1995 Republican Reforms – 6 year term limits for House chairmen
Functions of Committees Proposed bills are assigned to specific committees, the comm. Controls the life or
death of the bill
11,000 bills are introduced in each 2 year session, committees weed the bad bills out
Pigeonholed – when a bill is put aside in a committee for possible future consideration majority of bills are forgotten forever and never make it out of committee
Those approved move to subcommittees who hold hearings over bill – supporters and critics of the bill appear at hearings and are questioned by subcommittee.
Bill is then ___________ (changed or rewritten) and returned to full committee where more alterations may be made
Sent to ________ Committee (House – decides on rules for the bill, may be amended by members, amount of debate) or straight to floor (Senate)
A Bill’s Destiny:
Option 1:_________ by committee or chair (not considered)
Option 2:_____________ (temporarily put aside for future consideration)
Option 3: ____________to subcommittee for further consideration