From 84b0faeb02cae815fe5e2138cbb70323b8fca601 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Holden Rohrer Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2020 22:39:37 -0400 Subject: watched sep 14 lecture --- rich/15_congress | 67 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 67 insertions(+) create mode 100644 rich/15_congress (limited to 'rich') diff --git a/rich/15_congress b/rich/15_congress new file mode 100644 index 0000000..06ad5fd --- /dev/null +++ b/rich/15_congress @@ -0,0 +1,67 @@ +Article I, Section 8 (on Congress) +- Enumerated powers +- Implied powers +"The legislative authority necessarily predominates" (Madison, #51) + - The modern power of the presidency wasn't intentional + - Article II gives very little express power. Mostly legislated +- The power struggles of the time influenced the founders + - Senators represented each state legislature + - House meant to represent the people + - Class structure: senate = elite + - Only in 1913 did the 17th amendment elected the Senate by pop. + - Professional ruling class like Plato's society + - "Big picture," "protectors of society" + - The House also had class stratification. +Term length and constituencies + - House + - 435 members + - Equally populated districts + - 2 year term + - Senate + - 100 members (2 per state) + - 6 year staggered terms +Governing rules (like parliamentary procedure) +- House has more and more strict rules (size, time limits) +- In the Senate, everyone can address an issue +Prestige! +- Senate is a less formal "coming-together," so it has prestige. + - Represent the entirety of the state, so a huge amount of + canvassing + - Responsibility entrusted for 6 years +- House is less prestigious (strict rules, short terms, small areas) + - Districts can be very small + - Don't conduct impeachment trials + - Less responsibility + +Functions/Responsibilities of Congress +1) Lawmaking - the primary/intended purpose + - Founders wanted broad (collective good) national policy + - Vast majority of proposals (bills) don't become laws + - Meant to be able to die in many ways + - Congresspeople don't (mostly) write their own bills + - Executive branch writes bills + - Parties write proposals and help push them through + - Interest groups + - Like the executive branch, experts = interests +2) Constituent Services + - Help out the people from your district + - Casework (e.g. handling phone call complaints) + - Acts as an access point to the political network +3) Representatives' two roles + - (Burkian) Trustee: prevent constituents from enacting dumb laws + - Act as part of the larger body + - Senators play this role more often + - Instructed Delegate + - Do what your constituents want, based on polls, casework + - House Representatives with a more sensitive seat + - Instance: tobacco + - Senators and Representatives hurt Big Tobacco as trustees + - But Virginia's tobacco industry was harmed, so labor voted + against Representatives who acted as Trustees +4) Oversight + - How is the executive handling congressional legislature? + - Confirmation/appointment powers (this is a check/balance) + - Public hearings + - Despite the quantity of these, things fall through the cracks + - Ex: FEMA officer during Katrina lied on his resume. + - There is a lot of legislation and officials. -- cgit