Chapter 11: Congress

Question 1

How do cracking and packing work?

Answer 1

Dividing a district where the opposing party has a large majority, making it a minority in both parts of the redrawn districts; concentrating one party’s voters into a single district to dilute their influence in other districts.

Question 2

What is a caucus?

Answer 2

A regional, ethnic, racial, or economic subgroup within the House or Senate. also used to name the party in the House and Senate (as in the “Republican caucus” or the “Democratic caucus”)

Question 3

Describe a bicameral system of a legislative body.

Answer 3

Consists of two houses or chambers.

Question 4

What is casework as applied to the legislative branch?

Answer 4

Services provided by members of Congress for constituents.

Question 5

What do filibusters and clotures do?

Answer 5

Filibusters are devices used in the Senate to refuse to end the debate so that a bill doesn’t come to a vote. Cloture is a vote to end a filibuster, requires 2/3 votes.

Question 6

Who is the committee chair?

Answer 6

The head of a standing committee with lots of power over legislation within the committee.

Question 7

Who makes up conference committees and what do they do?

Answer 7

Members of both the Senate and the House. Reconciles differences in the provisions of bills.

Question 8

What was decided in the Connecticut/Great Compromise?

Answer 8

A lower legislative house based on population size (House of Representatives) and an upper house based on equal representation of the states (Senate).

Question 9

What is a constituency?

Answer 9

The collective group of individuals who live in the district of a legislator.

An individual is called a constituent.

Question 10

What is a delegate versus a trustee?

Answer 10

Delegates are representatives who act in perfect accord with the wishes of their constituents. Trustees act on their own judgement.

Question 11

Contrast descriptive versus substantive representation.

Answer 11

Descriptive representation is the degree to which the demographic composition of a representative body reflects the demographic composition as a whole.
Substantive representation is the degree to which a representative reflects the preferences of their constituents.

Question 12

What is the concept of a divided government?

Answer 12

Executive and legislated branches are controlled by different parties.

Question 13

What is the elastic/necessary and proper clause (Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution)?

Answer 13

Congress has the authority to make whatever laws are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated responsibilities.

Question 14

What defines Congress’s enumerated versus implied powers?

Answer 14

Powers mentioned explicitly in the Constitution are enumerated, implied are not specifically mentioned.

Question 15

What are congressional hearings?

Answer 15

The taking of testimony by a congressional committee or subcommittee.

Question 16

What does a hold do in the Senate and why does it happen?

Answer 16

A single senator prevents action on a bill or nomination; based on an implied threat of refusing to agree with unanimous consent on other Senate matters or willingness to filibuster the bill/nomination.

Question 17

Who brings about presidential impeachment and how?

Answer 17

House brings formal charges, Senate may or may not remove them.

Question 18

What is the incumbency advantage?

Answer 18

Incumbent members of Congress have an advantage in elections because of the institutional resources they receive from their office.

Question 19

Who is the majority leader in the Senate?

Answer 19

The leader of the Senate, and head of the majority party.

Question 20

What are majority-minority districts?

Answer 20

Districts where a racial minority is the majority of voters.

Question 21

How does an open-seat election occur?

Answer 21

No incumbent officeholder is running.

Question 22

Describe Congress’s responsibility of oversight.

Answer 22

Monitors actions of executive branch agencies and personnel to ensure they are following the law.

Question 23

Describe the idea of a permanent campaign.

Answer 23

Members of Congress are always running for reelection, so they are focused on that rather than governing.

Question 24

What is a pocket veto?

Answer 24

A bill is automatically rejected if the president takes no action on it for ten days and Congress adjourns during that period.

Question 25

What is political polarization?

Answer 25

Political parties have become more internally consistent in ideology and more ideologically distant from one another.

Question 26

Who leads the populist-nationalist Republicans and what do they stand for?

Answer 26

Donald Trump; prioritizes antielite, anti-immigrant, and anti-free trade principles.

Question 27

What is pork?

Answer 27

Federally funded projects that bring jobs and public money to the constituency that members of Congress can claim credit for.

Question 28

What is needed to override a presidential veto?

Answer 28

A 2/3 vote in each house of Congress.

Question 29

Contrast procedural, roll-call, and substantive votes in Congress.

Answer 29

Procedural votes occur on motions or rules to conduct the business of the chamber.
Roll-call votes are recorded votes taken in the House or the Senate.
Substantive votes are roll-call votes used when passing or adopting amendments to a bill.

Question 30

Who are quality challengers in an election?

Answer 30

Individuals running against incumbent members of Congress who have experience in office.

Question 31

What is reapportionment?

Answer 31

The reallocation of House seats among the states, done after each national census, to ensure that seats are held by the states in proportion to the size of their populations.

Question 32

What is redistricting?

Answer 32

The redrawing of congressional district lines within a state to ensure roughly equal populations within each district.

Question 33

What is the regular order when passing a bill? What is the opposite?

Answer 33

Standard congressional procedures. The opposite is unorthodox lawmaking.

Question 34

What does the Rules Committee do?

Answer 34

They determine time limits for debate and whether amendments will be allowed on a bill.

Question 35

What is the scare-off effect?

Answer 35

Members of Congress raise more money than needed to signal support and resources to potential challengers, who are then discouraged from running against them.

Question 36

What are standing committees?

Answer 36

Permanent congressional committees that address specific areas of legislation.

Question 37

How does unanimous consent work in the Senate?

Answer 37

Legislative action taken “without objection” as a way to do much of the business.