Essay: The legislative branch (US)

The Legislative Branch
Congress is a meeting of representatives from various districts. Become a member through primary election. Made up of people who think of themselves as independent representatives of their districts or states. Support their party on many matters, but expect to vote based on their beliefs and interests.
Parliament is made up of people loyal to the national party leadership who meet to debate and vote on party issues. Become a member through self persuasion of the party. Can only make a decision whether or not to support government.
Phase Five of the House of Representatives: The Members Rule – Beginning the 1970s, committee chairs would no longer be chosen by seniority, but by election through majority party. Chairpersons can’t refuse to call committee meetings, and most had to be public. Subcommittees along with their chairs had to be created if not already. Phase Six of the House of Representatives: The Leadership Returns – It was harder to get things done since every member had power.
The main issues in the development of the Senate were how its members would be chosen. Another major issue was the filibuster which is an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill. Rule 22 was developed to allow a debate to be cut off if two-thirds of the senators present and voting agreed to a “cloture” motion.
Congress has gradually become less male and white. From 1950 to 2011, the number of women increased from 9 to 75 and the number of African Americans increased from 2 to 42.
Congressional districts have become safer for incumbent reelection because the members live in safe districts. Safe districts are where incumbents win by margins of 55% or more. There are a few factors that can affect reelection. The incumbent is already known and can pass legislation benefiting their district which makes them popular. They can send out a lot of free mailings and travel frequently to meet constituents at public expense.
Congress has become more ideologically partisan since the 1980s. In the past the Democratic party was more deeply divided than the Republicans, because of the presence in Congress of conservative Democrats from the South. Often these southern Democrats would vote with Republicans, thereby forming a conservative coalition. Since the 1980s, the conservative coalition has become much less important. Congress has since become more ideologically partisan and created more party unity in voting.
There are three theories about how members of Congress behave: representational, organizational, and attitudinal. The representational explanation is based on the assumption that members want to be reelected, and therefore they vote to please constituents. The organizational explanation is based on the assumption that since constituents do not know how their legislator has voted, it is not important to please them. But it is important to please fellow members of Congress, whose goodwill is valuable in getting things done and in acquiring status and power in Congress. The attitudinal explanation is based on the assumption that there are so many conflicting pressures on members of Congress that they cancel each other out, leaving them virtually free to vote on the basis of their own beliefs.
Malapportionment – (of a state or other political unit) poorly apportioned, especially divided, organized, or structured in a manner that prevents large sections of a population from having equitable representation in a legislative body.
Gerrymandering – the dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible.
The sophomore surge is an increase in the votes congressional candidates usually get when they first run for reelection. It happens because members run personal campaigns instead of party campaigns, take advantage of free mail, frequent trips home, radio and television broadcasts, and the distribution of services to their districts to develop among their constituents a good opinion of themselves, not necessarily their party. The effect is has is that people running to be reelected are more likely to be reelected than the new candidate to replace them.
The issues that arose in the case of Baker v. Carr were that no clear majority emerged from either side of the case. The issues that arose in the case of Wesberry v. Sanders was that they had to find when redrawing district lines became unconstitutional.