Political Science 1100, Introduction to American Politics, March 16, 2015
Current events
Congress: From the Institution's Point of View
- Congress was designed to be the heart and soul of American national government
The Problem:
How can you make an institution work when all its members "go it alone" and
often resist cooperation?
- Parties and Leaders help make members cooperate and make it work
- But Committees, Rules, and Norms often frustrate leaders and
make it even harder for members to cooperate
1. The Problem: How do you get individual members of Congress to cooperate?
Remember, to pass a law,
you have to get majority approval in both the House of
Representatives and the Senate
- and in identical form
Congressional Leaders are Political Party Leaders (but the parties are weaker)
Congressional
Leaders, 114th Congress
|
|
Majority |
Minority |
|
House of
Representatives |
Speaker: John Boehner (Ohio) Majority
Leader: |
Minority Leader: |
|
|
|
|
- 2). What can leaders use to control the organization?
- a) Persuasion
- b) Agenda Setting
- c) Committee Assignments
- d) Information: The Whip System
- e) Logrolling
- f) Access To The President
3. Committees And Subcommittees
a) Most of Congress's work is divided up and given to
Committees And
Subcommittees
b) Committees And Subcommittees therefore
are Central to The Law-Making Process
c) Standing Committees
d) Other Committees
e) Committees And Subcommittees Decentralize Congress
often make cooperation very difficult because they
resist control
4. Rules
a) Rules Make It Easy To Obstruct The Law-Making Process
Examples: Senate Filibusters
b) Rules That Overcome Congressional Obstacles Are Hard To Use
Examples: Cloture
c) Political Polarization makes things worse because members
don't have to cooperate with leaders
5. Conclusions About Congress from both points of view (individuals & the institution)
A. Policy-Making Biases
1) Parochialism
2) Symbolism
3) Delay and crisis-driven action
B. Is Congress full of Bad People, or just Normal People In A Peculiar Institution?
Normal people who behave the way the institution encourages them to behave
We Distrust Congress, But We Tend To Like Our Individual Representatives
D. These biases can be overcome --
with Leadership And Public Support
A
Detour from Political Science:
An Anthropological Standpoint, or How we look to others
Presidents and the Presidency
1. We expect the president to be our mythical Hero
Americans expect the president to
- Protect us
- Solve national problems
- Be a moral guide
Why has the Mythical Presidency developed?
- Every country elevates its leader
- The U.S. leader is commander in chief and most active government leader
- The president is a media celebrity
2. The Reality of the Presidency: Who are the Presidents?
A. Presidents are only Human
1). Presidents’ Personalities are different
2). Presidents' Political & Administrative Skills are different
-Presidential Leadership Requires Management and Sales Skills
|
Presidential Leadership |
Selling Skills: Strong |
Weak |
|
Management Skills Strong |
Charismatic
Lincoln, |
Administrative Nixon, Bush |
|
Weak |
Political Reagan, Clinton |
Mediocre Carter |
3. The Reality of Presidential Powers: Using the Presidency is Difficult
a). Emergency Powers / Military Leadership
Powers:
- Can accomplish goals directly and quickly
Limits:
- must use these powers briefly and successfully, or
risk
substantial loss of support
b). Appointment
Powers:
Can appoint 2500 top administrators
when the President takes office
Limits:
- the Senate must approve these appointments
- the President appoints only 1% of federal
employees
- 2500 loyal and competent appointees are hard to
find in three months
c). Reorganizing Government
Powers
- Can try to improve bureaus' performance
Limits:
- Congress must approve major reorganizations
- Reorganization may not change bureaus at all
d). The Power to Issue Executive Orders
Powers:
- Can make some
policy choices without having to go through Congress
Limits:
- Congress can pass laws that reverse them
- the next president can reverse them
d). The Power to Set The Legislative Agenda
Powers:
- To determine some of Congress's priorities
Limits:
- Congress can
change or ignore Presidential proposals
e). Party Leadership:
Powers:
- To rally the
"party-in-government" and end gridlock
Limits:
- American
government was designed to make this difficult
- Legislators who now can "go it alone"
f). The Veto
Powers:
- To stop Congressional actions
- To change laws by threatening a veto
- Only 4% of Presidential vetoes are overridden
Limits:
- The veto can only stop something from happening -
it is only a negative power
h). Publicity
Powers:
- To build personal popularity
Limits:
-Popularity can swing widely
4. The Presidency as An Invitation To Tragedy
- We expect Presidents to Use the Presidency Actively, but
the
Presidency is hard to Use
- there are lots of constraints on Presidential Power
Presidents will use the tools that are easiest to use.
Presidents can most easily control National Security and Publicity,
so ...
We tend to get
1). The Covert Presidency:
-
Presidents are tempted to abuse "national security"
to achieve their goals
2). The Permanent Campaign:
-
Presidents are tempted to manage their image
instead of improving public policy