Voting in Congress

Question 1

What are the 6 determinates of how a congressman will vote?

Answer 1

1) Party
2) Constituents
3) Pressure Groups
4) Personal Views
5) Administraiton
6) Colleagues and Staff

Question 2

How many votes in 2013 in the House and how many in the Senate?

Answer 2

664 in the House and 229 in the Senate

Question 3

Compare US parties to UK parties?

Answer 3

Political parties in the US are less centralised and less ideologically cohesive than their US counterparts

Question 4

What do US parties not have that UK parties do have?

Answer 4

carrots and sticks

Question 5

What means that house and senate members have to mindful of the constituent’s views rather than their party’s views?

Answer 5

Constituents have control over candidate selection, not the party

Question 6

What means that house members are even more susceptible to constituent’s views than Senate members?

Answer 6

they are up for re-eleciton every two years

Question 7

What does the executive branch not depend on for that it does in the UK?

Answer 7

It does not depend on getting policy through the legislature of its existence

Question 8

Give an example of a party vote

Answer 8

1994 contract with america

Question 9

Why is the term party vote deceptive?

Answer 9

It is not a unified one, but when the majority of one party votes YES and the majority of another votes NO

Question 10

What is an example of a party vote?

Answer 10

2011 budget compromise. Passed by 260-167
The GOP voted 179 yes and 59 no
The Democrats voted 81 YES and 108 NO

Question 11

rather than party votes, what is more normal (although ever-less so)

Answer 11

For members of the house to vote the same way

Question 12

What are bleu dog democrats?

Answer 12

Fiscally conservative but socially liberal democrats

Question 13

Where can partisan votes in congress be seen more obviously?

Answer 13

Non-legislative issues such as confirmations

Question 14

With the 1994 contract with America, what percentage of the House and What percentage of the Senate voted along Party lines?

Answer 14

73% of the house and 69% of the Senate

Question 15

When in time are party votes more common?

Answer 15

After a mid term that gives new found control of a house

Question 16

About how many blue dog democrats are there?

Answer 16

50

Question 17

Why, partly, do Congressmen, unlike MPs, represent constituents?

Answer 17

They are free to represent them

Question 18

What does the constitution state that means that congressmen are more likely to represent constituents?

Answer 18

The locality rule means that they must be residents of the state in which the district that they represent is in

Question 19

How do some states take the locality rule that bit further?

Answer 19

They say house members must be members of the district that they represent

Question 20

What does Elizabeth Dole show?

Answer 20

You can’t expect any ransomer to survive. Those that do best are those who are born and raised in the state

Question 21

How often do house members face re- elction?

Answer 21

Every two years

Question 22

When in washington, they represent how?

Answer 22

visitis from constituents
Phone calls and emails (1000 a day)
Keep in touch with their offices back in the state and reading the state media

Question 23

What are the 5 ways that they represent when at home?

Answer 23

Holding party and two hall meetings 
surgeries 
make visits around the state  
appear in/on local media 
Address businesses, groups and round table meetings

Question 24

What is, unless on an exceptional cause, local option likely to be?

Answer 24

divided

Question 25

Those constituents that do visit and lobby congressmen are likely to be..

Answer 25

the discontented rather the the contented

Question 26

What kind of model is the congressmen based on, what is it not based on and what does this mean for constituents?

Answer 26

Trustee model not the delegate model and this means that they need to balance factors beyond simply the wishes of their constituents

Question 27

voting with your president all the time if they are unpopular can be what?

Answer 27

Your DOWNFALL dun dun dunnnn!!

Question 28

How often did Elizabeth Dole vote with Bush?

Answer 28

92% of the time

Question 29

What is the key for heads of debarment trying to influence Congressmen?

Answer 29

Persuasion

Question 30

What are the three keys to effective executive persuasion?

Answer 30

1) They have to talk to people on both sides
2) They have to offer something in return, it’s a two way street
3) can’t just be nice when the votes are near, you need to sustain this

Question 31

What acronym enumerates how Pressure groups may influence congressmen for votes?

Answer 31

ELOPE

Question 32

Expand ELOPE

Answer 32

Endorsement 
Lobbying 
Organising Grassroots Activities 
Publicity 
Electioneering

Question 33

What may pressure groups raise for sympathetic congressmen?

Answer 33

Campaign funds