Evaluate the view that the main factor affecting voting behaviour in Congress are the divisions within and between political parties. Flashcards
Introduction - Themes
- Lobbyists
- Constituents
- Partisan Voting
Introduction - Argument
Lobbyists and Constituents can be said to influence Congressional voting, however, the underlying issue for both of these is ideological which means divisions within and between political parites are the main factors affecting voting behaviour
Disagree - Lobbyists - Point
It can be argued that divisions play a limited role on voting behaviour due to the influence of lobbyists. These groups are able to affect voting behaviour massively
Disagree - Lobbyists - Examples
- On average Congressmen spend 3 out of 5 days a week with lobbyists, there are roughly 20 lobbyists for every Congressman
- The US Chamber of Commerce persuaded Congressmen to vote to make pizza a vegetable in 2011
Agree - Lobbyists - Point
Lobbying is highly partisan, many groups will be affliated with either the Democrats or the Republicans, and by persuading Congressmen to vote a certain way they are simplet reinforcing the divisions between political parties
Agree - Lobbyists - Examples
- The Legalisation of Marijuana is promoted largely by the Democrats, as a result, NORML which is pro-marijuana has ties with many Democrat Congressmen including Bernie Sanders
- Planned Parenthood, a pro-choice organisation, endorced all but 1 Democrat in 2020. The republican endorsed was Sarah Davis, on the left of the Party and in favour of abortion rights
Disagree - Partisan Voting - Point
Recently there have been a number of bills passed in Congress which have been supported by both the Democrats and the Republicans. This would suggest that divisions between the parties is not actually the biggest dictator of voting behaviour
Disagree - Partisan Voting - Examples
- Biden was able to pass his Rescue Bill which provided $1.4 trillion to increase spending on healthcare, vaccination roll outs and help for small businesses
- After the Uvalde School Shooting in May 2022, Biden was able to pass a Bipartisan Gun Reform Bill which stopped the sale of firearms to those deemed ‘dangerous’
Agree - Partisan Voting - Point
These examples are the exception to the rules - Congress is effectively in legislative gridlock as hyper partisanship has made passing bills near impossible
Agree - Partisan Voting - Examples
- Biden was able to pass his Rescue Bill, but this was not before, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin had turned it into a reconciliation bill meaning it had to be reviewed after 1 year
- Ketanji Brown Jackson was a Democratic nominee for the Supreme Court and she was passed 53-47 in the Senate. Amy Coney Barratt was a Republican nomination and she pass 52-48
Disagree - Constituent - Point
There is an argument that Congressmen perform a representative role and therefore it is their Constituents that have the biggest influence on their voting within Congress
Disagree - Constituents - Examples
- In the House of Representative there is an incredibly short election cycle, this means that representative have to be incredibly cautious of their decisions or they will lose their seat
- Democrat Joseph Crowley served as a representative for New York’s 14th District from 1999 to 2019, until he was defeated by Democrat primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Agree - Constituent - Point
Constituents’ preferences defintely play a role in dictating voting behaviour, but just like lobbying it is ideology which it boils down to
Agree - Constituents - Examples
- Joe Manchin is said to be a ‘Democrat in Name Only,’ however, his Constituency is West Virginia which is rural and older, normally Republican voters. This means Manchin makes the decisions based off the ideology of his Constituents
- Susan Collins is the most liberal Republican in the Senate - she is Senator for Maine and one again the demographic would suggest a more Democratic electorate
