congress

Question 1

elections to the house of representatives

Answer 1

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

Question 2

elections to the senate

Answer 2

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

Question 3

concurrent powers within congress

Answer 3

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

Question 4

house of representatives powers

Answer 4

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

Question 5

senate powers

Answer 5

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

Question 6

factors affecting voting in congress

Answer 6

-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

Question 7

details of congressional elections

Answer 7

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

Question 8

legislative function

Answer 8

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

Question 8

positives of the legislative process

Answer 8

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

Question 9

negatives of the legislative process

Answer 9

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

Question 10

oversight powers

Answer 10

-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

Question 11

factors affecting congressional oversight over the executive branch

Answer 11

-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

Question 12

oversight of the supreme court

Answer 12

-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

Question 13

who does congress represent

Answer 13

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

Question 14

effectiveness of the house

Answer 14

-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

Question 15

effectiveness of the senate

Answer 15

-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

Question 16

how has the role of declaring war changed

Answer 16

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

Question 17

how has the role of passing the budget changed

Answer 17

increased bipartisanship in congress, arguments over budget more frequent

Question 18

how has the role of passing legislation changed

Answer 18

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

Question 19

how is the power of investigation effective in congress

Answer 19

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

Question 20

how is the power of investigation ineffective in congress

Answer 20

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

Question 21

how is ratifying justices effective in congress

Answer 21

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

Question 22

how is ratifying justices ineffective in congress

Answer 22

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

Question 23

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

Answer 23

the house has successfully exercised this power in 1800 1824

Question 24

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

Answer 24

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

Question 25

the relative importance of parties- positives

Answer 25

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

Question 26

the relative importance of parties- negatives

Answer 26

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

Question 27

how is ratifying treaties effective in congress

Answer 27

the senate has ratified + rejected treaties

Question 28

how is ratifying treaties ineffective in congress

Answer 28

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

Question 29

how is impeachment effective in congress

Answer 29

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

Question 30

how is impeachment ineffective in congress

Answer 30

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

Question 31

how is declaring war effective in congress

Answer 31

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

Question 32

how is declaring war ineffective in congress

Answer 32

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

Question 33

positives of legislative function

Answer 33

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

Question 34

negatives of legislative function

Answer 34

-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

Question 35

powers of the legislative branches - UK parliament

Answer 35

-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

Question 36

powers of the legislative branches - US congress

Answer 36

-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

Question 37

strengths of the house of commons

Answer 37

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

Question 38

weaknesses of the house of commons

Answer 38

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

Question 39

strengths of the house of lords

Answer 39

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

Question 40

weaknesses of the house of lords

Answer 40

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

Question 41

strengths of the house of representatives

Answer 41

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

Question 42

weaknesses of the house of representatives

Answer 42

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

Question 43

strengths of the senate

Answer 43

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

Question 44

weaknesses of the senate

Answer 44

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

Question 45

similarities between legislatures

Answer 45

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

Question 46

differences between legislatures

Answer 46

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