Representative Function Of Congress Flashcards
What is the most important role of congress ?
Representation
each member of congress has a direct to represent what ?
Have a direct mandate to represent the constituent in their district/state and represent nation as a whole especially during midterm elections
Congress represents the nation as a whole when what happens
When electorate has the opportunity to show their views on the presidental performance so far
What are the different ways to think about representation
- Trustee model
- Delegate model
- Resemblance model
What is the Trustee model ?
Representation model that believes that elected representatives are given responsibility to exercise their judgement and help accountable for their next election
Connection with congress and trustee model ?
Most members of congress see their representatives function in theses terms
Especially senators who are elected for 6 years and more insulated from short term view of the population
What is the delegate model ?
Representatives should not be free to exercise their own judgment instead should base their decisions and voting on wishes of constituents
Which house resonates with the delegate model most ?
House of Representatives as they have 2 year terms as allows them to be more responsive to short term view of their districts
What is the resemblance model of representation?
Focuses on how representatives a legislative body is of the population in terms of gender, ethnicity, and social and cultural factors
Why is the resemblance model impotent for representation ?
Different groups prioritise different issues and no groups excluded from power
What is mid-terms ?
Election that takes place inbetween presidental election described as referendum
What is incumbency ?
Is when a candidate currently holding a seat runs to retain it
Success is very high and hard to defeat
Example of incumbency ?
In 2022 the House of Representatives election, 94% incumbent who ran for reelection were elected
What can the success of incumbency mean ?
Congressional election have little impact and that democracy is weak and few that are defeated can change control of the senate/house of representatives from one party to another
How is the success of incumbency overstated ?
As the success of incumbency reflects partisan of state
What are the advantages of incumbency?
- Office and financial advantage
- safe seats and gerrymandering
What is the official and financial advantage of incumbency ?
Incumbency can use their place in office to establish popularity and attract funding from majority donors as incumbent have more greater recognition so attract funding and support
Official and financial advantage
What can cause an incumbent have much greater recognition so attract funding and support ?
By probing a track record of supporting constituents and donor intrest
Example of official and financial advantage of incumbency
In 2022 senate election , incumbent raised an average of $29M around 14 times amount of challengers who raised average of just over 2M
Safe seats and gerrymandering
Why is safe seats in incumbent?
- FPTP Electoral system led to large number of safe seats which is decided before election.
Safe seats and gerrymandering
How have some safe seats in districts in house of representatives made worse ?
By gerrymandering
Safe seats and gerrymandering - incumbent
How is safe seats in districts of House of Representatives made worse by gerrymandering
When state legislature draw up congressional district boundaries to benifit own party
Safe seats and gerrymandering
Examples of district boundaries to benifit own party
REDMAP In 2008 led to republicans targeted democrat state due to re-draw their districts boundaries with huge amount of campaign spending so retook control of state legislation to redraw districts boundaries to their favour
What is pork-barrel legislation in incumbency ?
When a representative proposes an amendment to legislation that will benifit a particular group in their constituents to help their re-election chances. - THIS IS KNOWN AS EARMARKS to bills
Example of pork barrel legislation of incumbency of representatives lesson to unnecessary spending
- In financial year 2023, it was estimated that $26 billion was spent on earmarks
- senator Richard Shelby (republican Alabama ) alone passed 18 earmarks costing $666M in total as the highest amount of any member of congress
