Ap Government - Congress

Front 1

The difference between Parliament and Congress affect what two important aspects of these lawmaking bodies?

Back 1

1. How you become a member
2. What you do as a member

Front 2

Parliament: Those who run try to persuade a _ to put them on the ballot; suggestions are taken from _ ; local groups will select someone who will support the ___.

Back 2

1. political party
2. national party headquarters
3. national party program

Front 3

In regards to Parliament, voters will not choose between two or three personalities, but between what?

Back 3

two or three national parties

Front 4

Congress: One becomes a candidate by running in what?

Back 4

Primaries

Front 5

Congress: Describe the role of political parties in choosing candidates.

Back 5

they have very little influence

Front 6

Congress: Voters select based on what criteria?

Back 6

personality, positions, issues

Front 7

Even in general elections, American vote for what- as opposed to voting just for the party?

Back 7

they vote for the person

Front 8

Where do the loyalties of MPs and Congressional representatives differ?

Back 8

MPs- loyal to national party
CRs- loyal to constituents

Front 9

What is the only major important decision that an MP makes?

Back 9

to support the government or not

Front 10

From where does the PM and the Cabinet come?

Back 10

majority party in Parliament

Front 11

What happens if the members of the party in power vote against the PM and Cabinet?

Back 11

the government collapses

Front 12

What powerful incentive does this give the party in power?

Back 12

keep followers in line

Front 13

What is the drastic penalty meted out to those in Parliamnet who do not follow their party's line?

Back 13

Not renominated

Front 14

Give two reasons why Congress's not picking the president actually gives them more power than Parliament.

Back 14

1. Congressmen can vote against the President with out government collapse
2. vote as they wish and not fear ballot removal

Front 15

Give two reasons why Congress can express individual views freely, and vote as they wish.

Back 15

1. not nominated by the party leaders
2. Congress is independent of the President

Front 16

When did it appear that parliamentary governance of a sort had come to Capitol HIll?

Back 16

1994

Front 17

In that year, what party took control of both houses of Congress for the first time in four decades?

Back 17

Republicans

Front 18

Whose powers did htey increase, with regards to setting the legislative agenda?

Back 18

Speaker of the House

Front 19

Thous initially successful at passing legislation, it was not long before what happened?

Back 19

fought agains each other

Front 20

By the end of the first session of the 104th Congress, how many bill shad been enacted? What was the previous low?

Back 20

67; 145

Front 21

What is the fundamental difference in the principal daily work of Parliament and Congress?

Back 21

Parliament debates while Congress does committee work and runs a beauracracy

Front 22

Compare the pay and benefits of MPs and Congressional Representatives.

Back 22

MPs- poorly paid and no office budget
Congress- staff allowance and paid $171,000

Front 23

Explain why the Framers put legislative powers in the hands of a Congress rather than a parliament.

Back 23

Framers feared centralizing power into a single institution

Front 24

How was legislative power shared with the executive branch?

Back 24

veto power

Front 25

What input does the Supreme Court have with regards to Congressional legislation?

Back 25

judicial review- can decide what is and is not constitutional

Front 26

Until the 20th century, struggles for national power were within Congress. Over what two things were they struggling?

Back 26

1. rules
2. leadership

Front 27

Describe Centralization (4 things)

Back 27

1. strong leadership
2. limits on debate
3. limit on stalling tactics
4. minimal committee interference

Front 28

Describe Decentralization (3 things)

Back 28

1. weak leadership
2. rules allowing fore delay and discussion
3. many oppurtunities for committee action

Front 29

What has been the general trend in this country (centralization or decentralization)

Back 29

has been decentralization until recently

Front 30

During the first three administrations, who often supplied leadership in Congress?

Back 30

the president

Front 31

After asserting its independence, which house predominated?

Back 31

the House

Front 32

Who kept the Democratic -Republicans in line, and whose party caucus was often influential in shaping policy?

Back 32

Henry Clay

Front 33

What political fact made early presidents quite sensitive to congressional desires?

Back 33

Congressional party caucuses choose presidential candidates

Front 34

How did Andrew JAckson assert the power of the presidency over a waning House?

Back 34

slavery

Front 35

At what point did the Speaker of the House gain power?

Back 35

end of 19th century

Front 36

What rights did Thomas B. Reed gain as Speaker in 1889?

Back 36

1. right to slect committee chairmen
2. right to decide what business comes for vote
3. right to decide who speaks or not

Front 37

What did Thomas Reed produce a lot of?

Back 37

party unity

Front 38

What was the fundamental difference between Reed and the next Speaker, Joseph Cannon?

Back 38

Cannon even more conservative

Front 39

What powers were stripped from Cannon in 1910-11?

Back 39

1. right to appoint committee chairs
2. removed from post on rules committee

Front 40

In the aftermath, what three sources of power emerged?

Back 40

1. party caucuses
2. rules committee
3. standing committee chairmen

Front 41

Why did the power of the party caucuses wane?

Back 41

they could be defied

Front 42

What two major powers were given to the Rules Committee?

Back 42

1. what legislation comes for vote
2. restrictions on debate

Front 43

Whit regards to congressional bills, what did the chairment of the standing committees decide?

Back 43

1. what is discussed
2. what will be sent out of the committee

Front 44

Once the speaker no longer appointed them, how did they acquire office?

Back 44

seniority

Front 45

What did the House strike out against in the 1960s and 70s? Over what issue?

Back 45

struck out against all forms of leadership; civil rights

Front 46

How were powerful committee chairmen from the South aggravating newly elected Democrats?

Back 46

stocking up civil rights legislation

Front 47

Beginning in the 1970s, how was the selection of committee chairmen changed?

Back 47

no longer based on seniority; elected by majority

Front 48

What happened to committees without subcommittees? Who chose the new subcommittee chairmen?

Back 48

committees w/o subs had to form them: the members of the committees (choose based on ideaology)

Front 49

In what two ways did the committee meetings change? What changed about their staffs?

Back 49

1. chairman could no longer refuse to call committee meetings
2. most meetings had to be public;
staffs enlarged greatly

Front 50

How were individual members of the House now empowered?

Back 50

each member could introduce bills

Front 51

What was the cost of this congressional individualism?

Back 51

harder for House to get anything done

Front 52

In the late 1970s and early 80s, the Speaker reacquired what powers?

Back 52

1. power to choose members of rules committee
2. choose members of committee that give assignments

Front 53

What where the changes that a Republican House made in the mid 1990s?

Back 53

1. no one chairs committee more than 6 years
2. reduce # of committees
3. ignore seniority

Front 54

What fundamental problem faces the House?

Back 54

It wants to be individualistic and strong at the same time

Front 55

Many things are different about how business is conducted in the House and Senate. Why can the Senate be run w/o giving much authority to any small group of leaders?

Back 55

because of its small size

Front 56

Why did the Senate not need a Rules Committee, as in the House?

Back 56

because it's small enought, the debate didn't need to be restricted

Front 57

Until this century how were senators chosen?

Back 57

state legislatures

Front 58

From where did the big changes in the Senate eventually come? By the end of the 19th century, what was the Senate known as?

Back 58

over how members chosen; millionaire's club

Front 59

Which constitutional amendment required the popular election of senators?

Back 59

17th amendment

Front 60

How did this amendment change the composition of the Senate?

Back 60

It didn't - same people appointed won election

Front 61

What is a filibuster? Were they popular or unpopular?

Back 61

prolonged speech to kill a bill; unpopular

Front 62

What did Rule 22 specify?

Back 62

2/3 of senators present could end a debate

Front 63

Today, How many senators are needed for a cloture motion to pass?

Back 63

60

Front 64

Depsite these changes, what tradition remains strong in the US senate today?

Back 64

tradition of unlimited debate

Front 65

Describe the "typical" member of Congress.

Back 65

white, male, protestant, lawyer

Front 66

Gradually, Congress has become "less" what two things?

Back 66

white, male

Front 67

Between 1950 and 1997, how did representational numbers for women and blacks change in Congress?

Back 67

women- 9 to 51
blakcs- 2 to 37

Front 68

What might the absence of strong black leadership in the Democratic Congressional caucus indicate about the party itself?

Back 68

it has become decentralized

Front 69

Did the Senate change more quickly or more slowly than the House?

Back 69

much more slowly

Front 70

How manly blacks are in the US Senate today? How many Hispanics?

Back 70

1 and 1

Front 71

What reason is given for the fact that in 1994 four blacks and three Hispanics chaired House committees, while no women did?

Back 71

seniority status

Front 72

What happened in 1995 that reduced minority influence in the House?

Back 72

Republicans controlled the House

Front 73

Why, in the 19th century, did most congressmen not consider being in congress a career? (5 reasons)

Back 73

1. low pay
2. difficulty in travel
3. DC's bad climate
4. the states made most decisions
5. congressional districts are more competitive

Front 74

By the 1950s, Congress had become a career. How did the percentage of first term congressmen change between 1863 and 1969?

Back 74

58% to 8%

Front 75

As the public took note of this shift, they began to complain about what? What did the public begin calling for?

Back 75

career politicans; term limits

Front 76

What happend to a constitutional amendment to term limits?

Back 76

passed by House, died in Senate

Front 77

What about a similar move done by and independent state?

Back 77

shot down by Supreme Court

Front 78

What three things were responsible for the increasing numbers of first and second termers in the House by 1995?

Back 78

1. redistricting of 1990
2. voter disgust at scandal
3. Republican victory of 1994

Front 79

In 1994, what percentage of the House and Senate were reelected? How many incumbent senators lost in 1996?

Back 79

over 90% ; 1

Front 80

What is the difference between a marginal district and a safe district? Out of 435 House races in the 2002 midterms, how many were considered competitive?

Back 80

less than 55% of vote vs more than 55% of vote; 35-40

Front 81

What percentage of House incumbents won reelection by more than 60%, by the late 1980s?

Back 81

90%

Front 82

Wat are two reasons why Senate incumbents are less safe than House incumbents?

Back 82

1. there are no safe districts
2. they run against more competitive opposition

Front 83

What are three advantages for incumbents?

Back 83

1. money
2. staff
3. a name

Front 84

Simply having what is important to getting elected?

Back 84

a name

Front 85

Some scholars argue that incumbents use their powers to do what?

Back 85

to get programs passed or funds spent for their districts

Front 86

What does the tendency of voters to return to incumbetns mean?

Back 86

don't expect dramatic changes in congress

Front 87

How often does a new Congress convene?

Back 87

every 2 years

Front 88

Describe the Democratic domination of Congress in the 31 congresses from 1933 to 1994.

Back 88

democrats dominated Congress
in 28- they had a one house majority
in 25- they had both houses

Front 89

As to why Republicans garner a higher percentage of the popular vote than they do House seats, there is anecdotal evidence for what?

Back 89

that democratic controlled state legislators have redrawn congressional districts to favor Democrats

Front 90

what were Texas's republican voter and seat percentages in 1992?

Back 90

48% of vote and 30% of the seats

Front 91

In 1984, the Democrats won nine more House seats in congress despite what?

Back 91

getting fewer votes naturally

Front 92

What accounts for the fact that Republicans frequently get more overall votes in the 435 House races, but historically had been the minority party in the House?

Back 92

democrats do better in low voting turnout areas

Front 93

What things must one party control in order to control the redistricting process?

Back 93

1. state supreme court
2. control both houses

Front 94

What three things brought the Republicans into power in the House and Senate in the 1994 elections?

Back 94

1. a dislike of professional politicians
2. 1990 census redistricting
3. shift to the south for republicans

Front 95

When souther Democrats voted along with the Republicans in the House or Senate, what was it called? by what name are conservative Democrats known today?

Back 95

conservative coalition; blue dog democrats

Front 96

What is the reason that the conservative coalition has become much less important since 1994?

Back 96

because many southern democrats have become republican

Front 97

What is the effect of this change? This in turn explains what?

Back 97

the House of Reps has become more ideolagically partisan; party unity

Front 98

What does the Consitution say about how representatives are selected, with regards to state and district?

Back 98

very little; you must live in your state

Front 99

What is malapportionment?

Back 99

districts with uneven population

Front 100

If a district is twice as large as another, what results?

Back 100

the smaller district's votes count more

Front 101

What is gerrymadering?

Back 101

drawing districts into bizzare shapes to favor one party or another

Front 102

Explain the Texas and California gerrymandering cases.

Back 102

Texas- one district had 1 million, the other had less than 250,000
Calif.- democrats connected two rpublican strongholds with a strip of beach

Front 103

Four problems to solve in deciding who gets represented in the House:

Back 103

1. the total size of the House
2. allocating seats in the House amongs the states
3. determining size of districts
4. determing shape of districts

Front 104

Though the Congress decided the first two, who decides the second two- and with whose strict rules?

Back 104

states; supreme court

Front 105

What is the fixed number of seats in the House?

Back 105

435

Front 106

How often is reapportionment done?

Back 106

every 10 years

Front 107

What states have been routinely losing House seats?

Back 107

New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan

Front 108

Which states are gaining them?

Back 108

Florida, Arizona, Texas

Front 109

What is the size of the average House district, in people represented?

Back 109

700,000