Exam II

Question 1

List the requirements to run for the House of Representatives.

Answer 1

The requirements to run for the House of Representatives are:

• Must be 25 years old
• Must be a citizen of the US for at least seven years

*Also, they’re popularly elected by the people every two years, and they have no term limits, which ensures that the House is closely connected to the people. The Founders intended for the House to be strong in relation to the Senate because it’s closer to the people.

Question 2

List the requirements to run for the Senate.

Answer 2

The requirements to run for Senate are:

• Must be 30 years old
• Must be a citizen of the US for at least nine years

*Also, it is argued that small states are overrepresented because they have more access to their senators. Other things to note is that there is no need for redistricting, they have been popularly elected since the 17th amendment, and there are no term limits (one term is six years).

Question 3

Explain Fenno’s Paradox.

Answer 3

Fenno’s Paradox is the idea that people generally disapprove of Congress as a whole, but they approve of the members of Congress who represent their own district.

Question 4

Explain how incumbency impacts congressional elections.

Answer 4

Incumbency impacts congressional elections because they have experience, they have more money, and people recognize their name.

*Something to note about this is that it is stronger in the House of Representatives than in the Senate.

Question 5

Define the coattail effect.

Answer 5

The coattail effect is the added votes received by congressional candidates of a winning presidential party.

*Some other things to note about this is that it has been less significant in recent elections, and the electorate tends to be more Democratic in election years and more Republican in midterm elections.

Question 6

Identify how many voting members there are in the House of Representatives and in
the Senate.

Answer 6

There are 435 voting members in the House of Representatives, and 100 in the Senate.

Question 7

Identify the length of terms for members of the House of Representatives and members
of the Senate.

Answer 7

The length of the term in the House is two years, and the length of the term in the Senate is six years. There are no term limits in either.

Question 8

Define the difference between enumerated and implied powers.

Answer 8

Enumerated powers are those specifically listed in the Constitution, and implied powers are extensions/applications of those powers.

Question 9

Identify what powers the House of Representatives has.

Answer 9

The House of Representatives has the power of appropriation bills.

Question 10

Identify what powers the Senate has.

Answer 10

The Senate has the power to confirm Presidential appointments.

Question 11

Define filibusters, explain who can use them, how they end, and why they are important.

Answer 11

Filibusters are the practice of using unlimited debate in the Senate to prevent or delay a floor vote on a bill. These can be used by anyone in the Senate, and are ended by cloture (requires 60 votes). These are important because just the threat of a filibuster is usually enough to kill legislation.

Question 12

Define holds, explain who can use them, how they end, and why they are important.

Answer 12

Holds are the practice of asking party leaders before taking action. These end when they’re resolved. These can be used by Senators, and they can be anonymous. These are important because they’re an implied filibuster, and they can delay legislation.

Question 13

Define cloture and explain why it is important.

Answer 13

Cloture is the vote to cut off debate and end a filibuster. SIXTY VOTES are required for this to happen.

Question 14

Identify and explain the stages of the legislative process.

Answer 14

The stages of the legislative process are:

1) Identify the Problem- the problem can be a negative change in data, a crisis, or just current political events or feedback
2) Policy Entrepreneurship and Drafting the Bill- only Congress has the power to do this, but the President can be helped by Congress to pass/propose legislation
* 3) Referral to Committees
4) Bill Reported Out of Committees
* 5) Floor Consideration in the House- House Rules Committee can set rules that are designed to kill legislation
* 6) Floor Consideration in the Senate- The filibuster can kill legislation
7) Floor Votes
* 8) Conference Committees
9) Presidential Approval
10) Veto Override
* Where most legislation dies

Question 15

Explain why interest groups are influential in the legislative process.

Answer 15

Interest groups are influential because they can join forces with a bureaucratic agency and a congressional subcommittee to pass legislation. Interest group contributions can “buy” participation from allies, and they provide specialized expertise. Overall, they encourage legislative action.

Question 16

Define policy entrepreneurs and explain how they influence the legislative process.

Answer 16

Policy entrepreneurs are legislators who become experts in a specific area and take leadership roles. These people are important because they are the main advocates for a piece of legislation.

Question 17

Define gridlock and explain how it impacts the legislative process.

Answer 17

Gridlock is the measurement of whether or not Congress and the President can compromise on pieces of legislation. It occurs during divided government.

Question 18

Define partisan gerrymandering and explain its effect on the legislative process.

Answer 18

Partisan gerrymandering is the drawing of an electoral district to favor one political party over the other.

*Some things to note about this are that it IS still a problem, it happens when the census occurs and the state legislatures draw the lines, and it is a problem in the Texas and US House of Representatives as well as the Texas Senate, but it ISN’T a problem in the US Senate.

Question 19

Identify and describe the four types of committees used in Congress.

Answer 19

The four committees in the Congress are:

1) Standing- permanent, focus on different policy areas and have subcommittees, party leaders choose who lead these
2) Select- temporary, created for a specific issue
3) Joint- permanent, Senate and House work together
4) Conference- temporary, at the end of the legislative process, sorts out difference between House and Senate legislation, composed of senior members

Question 20

Explain how the role of committees and committee chairs have evolved over time.

Answer 20

Committees play an important role in winning re-election by securing benefits for constituents by giving members a circuit through which their needs can be met. These chairs gain power and influence through seniority.

Question 21

Explain the difference in the power of party leaders to set the agenda between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Answer 21

The leaders in the House of Representatives have more power to set the agenda.

Question 22

Identify which party currently controls the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Answer 22

The House and Senate are currently dominated by the Republicans.

Question 23

Define descriptive, substantive, and surrogate representation and explain the
differences between them.

Answer 23

• Descriptive representation is the demographic representation of the population in Congress.
• Substantive representation is when representatives act in the interest of a particular group of constituents.
• Surrogate representation is representation provided by a member of Congress who doesn’t represent your own district or state.

Question 24

Define pork barrel policies and explain how they influence the legislative process.

Answer 24

Pork-barrel policies are policies for a single representative’s districts. This is capable of influencing policy because politicians can “exchange pork” in order to get legislation passed.

Question 25

Explain how the president’s powers have changed over time.

Answer 25

The President has been able to expand his power greatly over time, especially since FDR’s presidency.

Question 26

Define enumerated powers and inherent powers.

Answer 26

Enumerated powers are those that are explicitly listed in the Constitution, whereas inherent powers are those that are implied, but not specifically listed.

Question 27

Identify and explain 3 critiques of the Electoral College.

Answer 27

Three critiques of the Electoral College are:

1) In the case of a tie (270 votes each), the House decides who becomes President
2) Faithless electors, or electors who don’t vote as they’re required to
3) Candidates can win the popular vote, but lose the Electoral College vote (legitimacy concerns), and candidates can ignore smaller states (representation concerns)

Question 28

Identify the number of terms the president can serve and explain why we have presidential term limits.

Answer 28

A President can only serve two four-year terms, and this is so that the President can not have too much power.

*Something else to note about this is that it is listed in the 22nd amendment, which was proposed two years after FDR, who was elected four times, died.

Question 29

Identify the Constitutional grounds for a presidential impeachment.

Answer 29

The Constitutional grounds for impeachment are treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors.

*Something to note about this is that it is NOT explicit, so it is very flexible, and as such can be a threat made by partisans. Johnson was impeached because he tried to remove the Commander-in-Chief, and Clinton was impeached by perjury.

Question 30

Identify and list the president’s legislative powers.

Answer 30

The President’s legislative powers are:

• The power to veto (enumerated), which is the President’s authority to reject a bill passed by Congress, is powerful because it’s not often overridden.
• The power to deliver the State of the Union address (enumerated), which has changed from being just written down and read to Congress to being televised, which is due a lot to FDR’s presidency; this shows that the President can recommend legislation
• The power to convene and adjourn Congress (enumerated), which is rarely invoked
• The power to issue signing statements (statements recorded along with signed legislation clarifying the President’s understanding of the constitutionality of a bill, popular in Washington’s presidency)

Question 31

Identify and list the president’s diplomatic powers.

Answer 31

The President’s diplomatic powers are:

• The power of the position as Chief of State (inherent); as such (s)he welcomes foreign leaders, hosts state dinners and funerals, and attends other ceremonial functions
• The power of the position as Chief Diplomat (enumerated); as such (s)he makes treaties with Senate approval, and has the authority to make executive agreements (inherent)
• The power to appoint and receive ambassadors (inherent)

Question 32

Identify and list the president’s military powers.

Answer 32

The President’s military powers are:

• The power of the position as Commander-in-Chief; as such (s)he makes decisions about military operations and strategies
• However, (s)he may NOT declare war

Question 33

Define executive agreements, executive orders, executive privileges, and signing statements and explain how they are different from each other.

Answer 33

• Executive agreements are agreements the President can make with leaders of other countries, and they carry the weight of the law.
• Executive orders are presidential directives to agencies to establish new policies or indicate how an existing policy is to be executed.
• Executive privileges are the prerogative of the President to decline to give information regarding his/her actions to other branches.
• Signing statements are statements recorded along with signed legislation clarifying the President’s understanding of the constitutionality of a bill.

Question 34

Identify key provisions of the War Powers Resolution.

Answer 34

The War Powers Resolution says that the President can only send troops abroad in times of attack/threat, in which case Congress must be notified within 48 hours, and troops must leave within 60 days without congressional approval or declaration of war.

Question 35

Explain who serves in the Cabinet and how they assist the president.

Answer 35

The Cabinet is composed of the VP and the heads of the 15 executive departments. The Cabinet’s role is to advise the President on any subject (s)he may require relating to the duties of each member’s respective office. They provide advice and expertise, oversee daily operations, and provide support and outreach.

Question 36

Explain who serves in the Executive Office of the President and how they assist the president.

Answer 36

The EOP assists the President by providing information and advice. This is the President’s go-to resource because the entire purpose of it is to serve the President.

Question 37

Explain the importance of the presidential establishment and the president’s advisors.

Answer 37

The Presidential Establishment is composed of the entire bureaucracy, and it’s a great resource because the President has all elements at his/her disposal, as well as all of the information.

Question 38

Define divided government and explain how it impacts the president’s ability influence legislation.

Answer 38

Divided government is when one party controls the presidency, and the other party controls one or both chambers of Congress. This impacts legislation by causing gridlock.

Question 39

Define and explain the president’s power to persuade.

Answer 39

The President’s power to persuade is his/her ability to convince Congress and other political actors and the public to cooperate with the administration’s agenda.

*Some things to note about this is that it varies depending on the President, and it is high during the honeymoon period as well as when the economy is doing well, and in times of crisis.

Question 40

Define and explain the presidential strategy of going public.

Answer 40

The presidential strategy of going public is when (s)he appeals directly to the public. The goal of this is to get members of the public to ask their members of Congress to support the President’s agenda.

Question 41

Identify some of the benefits and challenges associated with “going public.”

Answer 41

The benefits and challenges of “going public” are:

• The benefits are that this strategy appeals to a wider audience, makes the President/candidate seem more approachable, and gets the policy more exposure
• The challenges of this strategy are that this may not accomplish the goal of getting people to promote certain legislation, and it may trivialize the matter as a whole

Question 42

Define bureaucratic discretion and explain why we give it to bureaucrats.

Answer 42

Bureaucratic discretion is the authority of the bureaucracy to use its own judgement and expertise to interpret and carry out congressional law because it has expertise in the specific area that the law concerns.

Question 43

Define patronage and explain why it is important.

Answer 43

Patronage is a system in which a successful candidate rewards contributors, friends, etc. with support for their jobs, favors, etc. (a.k.a. spoils system).

*Some things to note about this is that it is less of a problem now and that, in present-day government, merit matters more. This means that they no longer have a partisan motivation, and they have more knowledge and less bias.

Question 44

Identify and explain the differences between Cabinet-level departments, independent agencies, regulatory agencies, and government corporations.

Answer 44

• Cabinet-level departments are departments like the Department of Labor, Education, and Homeland Security
• Independent agencies are little more removed from the political process because their actions can’t be challenged in court, and the President can’t manipulate them if the person is a permanent official.
• Regulatory agencies are often at the center of ideological debates.
• Government corporations can make profits and charge fees, and usually provide services; these also act more independently from Congress and the President.

Question 45

Identify two reasons it can be difficult to hold bureaucrats accountable for their actions.

Answer 45

It is difficult to hold bureaucrats accountable because bureaucrats are unelected, people can only indirectly hold bureaucrats accountable (democratic accountability), bureaucrats have different interests, goals, and experiences, and they need to prevent subordinates from slacking off, not following directions, or actively opposing their supervisors (principal-agent problems).

Question 46

Identify which political actors control the bureaucracy and explain how they do it.

Answer 46

• The President has the appointment power, power to make budget recommendations, reorganization, and powers of persuasion.
• Congress confirms appointments, controls agency budgets, reauthorizations, oversight, legislative veto, and procedural controls.
• Courts enforce procedural controls, and their role is limited.

Question 47

List the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act of 1946.

Answer 47

The Administrative Procedures Act of 1946 requires the bureaucracy to give the public notice of their proposed action and allows them to comment on it. However, they still choose how they respond to them.

Question 48

Explain whether or not comments are influential in the rulemaking process.

Answer 48

Comments are marginally influential in that they tend to make limited, minor changes, and they (the bureaucracy) tend to be more responsive to supporters.

Question 49

Identify the 3 key actors in an iron triangle.

Answer 49

• Standing Congressional Committee
– Consider legislation in a particular policy area
– Oversee departments and agencies working on those policies

• Bureaucratic Department or Agency
– Experts on their policy area
– Implement laws and administer programs in their policy area in
ways that have important impact on interest groups

• Interest Groups
– Represent people impacted by laws Congress passes and
bureaucrats implement and administer
– Share expertise with committee and bureaucrats

Question 50

Explain what an issue network is and who participates in them.

Answer 50

An issue network is a complex system of relationships among groups that influence policy including elected leaders, bureaucrats, etc. These are much more complex than iron triangles.

Question 51

Explain why the Texas legislature is considered a citizen legislature.

Answer 51

The Texas legislature is considered a citizen legislature because the members get paid less, and they meet infrequently.

Question 52

Identify when the Texas legislature meets and how long their sessions last.

Answer 52

The Texas legislature meets every odd year for 140-day sessions.

Question 53

Explain why the Lt. Governor is considered to be a powerful state-level official.

Answer 53

The Lt. Governor is considered to be a powerful state-level official because (s)he has more power to set agenda than the House, which is opposite than in the US House of Representatives and Senate. (S)he is the presiding officer in the Senate, has a great deal of power, and doesn’t have a ceremonial role.

Question 54

Explain why the Governor is considered relatively weak.

Answer 54

The Governor is relatively weak because his/her powers are very limited (e.g. they can call for special sessions, but this is mainly used as a threat, and they can make budgets, but his/her budget is not preferred over the legislative budget).

Question 55

Explain how Sunset Laws work and why they are important.

Answer 55

The Sunset Laws are laws that automatically terminate regulatory agencies, boards, or functions on a certain day, unless renewed. These are important because they cut down the number of bureaucratic agencies.