Week 3

Question 1

Party polarization

Answer 1

The size of the ideological gap between the two parties

Question 2

How polarization is happening:

Answer 2

• decline of conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans
• partisans vote together because of similar districts and constituents

Question 3

Polarization reduces

Answer 3

Incentives for bipartisanship

Question 4

Multiple roles of a member of Congress

Answer 4

• legislator
• constituency servant
• partisan

Question 5

Standing committees

Answer 5

Permanent committees established under the standing rules of the senate and specializing in the consideration of particular subject areas

Question 6

Special or select committees

Answer 6

Temporary committees that deal with -

1. Matters of great public concern such as crime
2. Overlooked problems such as hunger
3. Problems of interest groups such as small business owners, who claim that congress has not met their needs

Question 7

Joint committees

Answer 7

Made up of members from both chambers of a bicameral legislature. Both house and senate.

• temporary or permanent committees that act as study guides with responsibility for reporting their findings back to the house and senate

Question 8

Congress in session is congress on public exhibition, whilst congress in its committee-rooms is congress at work

Answer 8

Committees also enable legislatures to utilize and develop expertise in areas that interest them

Question 9

Conference committee

Answer 9

Temporary committee set up to resolve the different versions of the same bill that house and senate have passed

Question 10

Conferees

Answer 10

Members of the conference committee

Question 11

Seniority system

Answer 11

Gives the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee

Question 12

Fill in

Answer 12

Members who work for the many house and senate committees

Question 13

Conference report

Answer 13

When a majority of the members of the conference committee from each house draft a final bill

Question 14

Impeachment

Answer 14

Article II, section 4, of the constitution allows for the impeachment vote of removal of the president, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United states

• they shall be impeached for and conviction of treason bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors

Question 15

Largest and most powerful check vested in congress ?

Answer 15

Impeachment

Question 16

House has the authority to impeach an official with a simple majority, where the senate will hold trial of the official thereafter

Answer 16

A 2/3rds majority is required to remove an official from public office and complete the conviction process

Question 17

Only impeached federal judges have been convicted by the senate. Two presidents have been impeached Johnson and Clinton but neither were convicted

Answer 17

Richard Nixon was going to be impeached, but resigned office prior to the vote once he saw the writing on the wall

Question 18

Important: the lack of impeachment cases against presidential appointees likely reflects?

Answer 18

The effectiveness of political mechanisms for holding them accountable