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US Politics > congress > Flashcards

congress Flashcards

1
Q

elections to the house of representatives

A

-each state= 1 representative minimum- depending on population
-435 voting members
-2 year term
-must be 25 years old + citizen for 7 years

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2
Q

elections to the senate

A

-each state= 2 senators
-100 members
-6 year term
-30 years old, citizen for 9 years

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3
Q

concurrent powers within congress

A

-constitutional amendments
-declaring war
-confirming a new vice president
-passing legislation

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4
Q

house of representatives powers

A

-initiate money bills
-elect president if the electoral college is deadlocked
-sole power to bring cases of impeachment

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5
Q

senate powers

A

-try cases of impeachment
-elect VP if the electoral college is deadlocked
-confirm presidential appointments
-ratify treaties

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6
Q

factors affecting voting in congress

A

-public opinion due to re-election cycles
-state/district ideology
-shared ideology
-campaign finance
-mobilising the public
-party leadership
-party discipline
-party factions
-state or issue factions

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7
Q

details of congressional elections

A

-called mid terms
-every 2 years
-when there isn’t a presidential election
-a candidate must win a primary first

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8
Q

legislative function

A

-committee stage
-timetabling
-second reading + vote
-third reading + vote

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8
Q

positives of the legislative process

A

-high level of scrutiny
-protects state rights
-prevents a tyranny of the majority
-with unanimous consent in the senate, bipartisanship is required

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9
Q

negatives of the legislative process

A

-incredibly slow
-lack of bipartisanship leading to gridlock
-congressional politicians often choose to focus on re-election over legislation

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10
Q

oversight powers

A

-impeachment + removal of members of the executive
-determining the funding available/agreeing on the budget
-declaring war
-ratification of treaties
-investigation of actions of the executive branch
-ratification of federal justices + other appointments

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11
Q

factors affecting congressional oversight over the executive branch

A

-whether the house, senate + presidency are the same party
-when the next election is
-which branch has the most recent mandate
-poll rankings/ popularity of the president
-national circumstances

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12
Q

oversight of the supreme court

A

-the ratification of judicial nominees
-the creation of lower courts
-justices can be impeached
-the number of justices
-initiate a constitutional amendment to overturn a supreme court ruiling

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13
Q

who does congress represent

A

congressional caucuses, their party, individual constituents, interest groups, descriptive representation, districts/states as a whole

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14
Q

effectiveness of the house

A

-shorter election cycle makes house members more responsive to constituents
-congressional politicians represent smaller numbers of people
-party discipline is stronger than in the senate
-more populous states can be better represented

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15
Q

effectiveness of the senate

A

-senators represent the view of the whole state
-unanimous consent allows individual senators to be powerful in representing their state
-it also makes party discipline weaker
-6 year terms mean they can get on with the business of gov

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16
Q

how has the role of declaring war changed

A

developments in technology/weapons means wars aren’t launched in the same way, authorisation for the use of military force are more common

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17
Q

how has the role of passing the budget changed

A

increased bipartisanship in congress, arguments over budget more frequent

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18
Q

how has the role of passing legislation changed

A

lack of bipartisanship led to record low production of legislation, decrease in legislative output + focus on president as head of gov

19
Q

how is the power of investigation effective in congress

A

congress can investigate any aspect of the executive branch + highlight the problems that need correcting

20
Q

how is the power of investigation ineffective in congress

A

investigations end in recommendations + congress cannot bring criminal proceedings, meaning it can only apply pressure

21
Q

how is ratifying justices effective in congress

A

as the senate must approve nominees, they’re usually thoroughly vetted

22
Q

how is ratifying justices ineffective in congress

A

the senate is reactive in this power and can only act once the president has nominated someone

23
Q

how is electing the president (if the electoral college is deadlocked) effective in congress

A

the house has successfully exercised this power in 1800 1824

24
Q

how is electing the president (if the electoral college is deadlocked) ineffective in congress

A

this is largely just a defunct power, but one that remains just in case

25
Q

the relative importance of parties- positives

A

-increased partisanship is clear - led to fall in legislature output/gov shutdowns
-differing parties control the presidency + congress
-they control significant appointments + roles

26
Q

the relative importance of parties- negatives

A

-liberals + conservatives exist with both parties
-party discipline is weak due to state loyalties
-unanimous consent gives individual senators greater individual power

27
Q

how is ratifying treaties effective in congress

A

the senate has ratified + rejected treaties

28
Q

how is ratifying treaties ineffective in congress

A

the president can manoeuvre around this power by not using the phrase ‘treaty’ as Obama did with the Iran deal

29
Q

how is impeachment effective in congress

A

while impeachment is rarely used, it is an effective threat + congress has shown it is willing to use this power

30
Q

how is impeachment ineffective in congress

A

in all 3 full cases the president was found not guilty, failure to successfully impeach makes it a weaker power

31
Q

how is declaring war effective in congress

A

congress has used this power 11 times and authorises presidential military action

32
Q

how is declaring war ineffective in congress

A

congress arguably has little choice in authorising action, especially if their constituents favour action, such as after 9/11

33
Q

positives of legislative function

A

-legislation is well scrutinised through a lengthy process
-with the increased likelihood of divided gov, it reduces the tyranny of 1 branch

34
Q

negatives of legislative function

A

-there is a lack of legislative output by congress
-it is difficult to overturn a presidents veto
-the likelihood of presidential bills passing is largely unhindered

35
Q

powers of the legislative branches - UK parliament

A

-can declare war
-passes legislation based on the leading party’s manifesto
-scrutinises the gov, which usually holds a majority in the house of commons
-a vote of no confidence can be held to remove the gov + force an election

36
Q

powers of the legislative branches - US congress

A

-can declare war
-passes legislation based on the presidents, and its own electoral platform
-scrutinises the executive branch, which is completely separate from congress
-a president can be impeached but fixed terms means his VP will take over

37
Q

strengths of the house of commons

A

-more powerful chamber
-strong backbench power
-strong constituency links

38
Q

weaknesses of the house of commons

A

-strong party whip
-executive dominance
-gov majority in committees

39
Q

strengths of the house of lords

A

-more time to debate
-reduced party discipline
-increasingly willing to challenge the HoC, especially past reforms

40
Q

weaknesses of the house of lords

A

-unelected + includes hereditary peers
-Salisbury convention
-the size of the HoL membership

41
Q

strengths of the house of representatives

A

-strong constituency links
-representation by population
-effective control by the majority party

42
Q

weaknesses of the house of representatives

A

-short election cycle
-power of the speaker means the minority party can be ignored
-shared legislative power

43
Q

strengths of the senate

A

-unanimous consent
-power of the filibuster
-6 year terms enable continuity
-representation of state interests, not just the electorate

44
Q

weaknesses of the senate

A

-shared legislative power
-unanimous consent can cause gridlock
-overrepresentation of smaller states + underrepresentation of big ones

45
Q

similarities between legislatures

A

-bicameral nature of the 2 legislatures
-limited powers to scrutinise, with outcome, the executive branch
-strong constituency links in the lower chancers

46
Q

differences between legislatures

A

-level of party discipline
-equality of power between chambers
-legislative output

US Politics (9 decks)

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