Cox And Mccubbins Analysis

The difference in ideological views and decision making within congress creates a separation of agreement among the legislative decisions as whole and prevents logical and neutral policy making ( Wilson pg 12). The polarity in congress prevents neutralism and supports individualism due to the strongly motivated ideologies from each member instead of a unified unit that functions singularly An important hierarchy and responsibility of the legislative branch determines the order and ability for policies and laws to be stable and without bias. Individualism clouds the overall objective of creating stability in the United States. “Congress has, to a decree,been deinstitutionalized and individualized: its leadership has become weaker,power within it has been dispersed” (Wilson pg 13).

This again, all goes back to Mayhew’s theory of how members of Congress seek

The article is written by Richard Fenno in 1978, summarizing the dilemma of congressmen in the contemporary time. The author was specifically discussing about members of the House, who always seek for reelection during his legislative career, as stated in the initial part of the paper. Fenno went on to propose the conflict in incumbent congressmen 's career: more attention for the Washington career leads to less attention for the congressmen 's home state. The Washington career required commitment to build up support within the House. However, focusing on Washington rendered the congressman homeless, or losing his home 's supportive forces.

There are far too many occurrences in which Congress was unable to reach a happy medium to appease both side in the division of the House. For example, gun violence has been relatedly discussed in congress, yet no solution has been reached while the number of victims continues to rise. Immigration reform has been reviewed many times in Congress as well and there still is no true answer to the problem or agreeance upon what the problem truly is. Those are but a few examples of the reason why citizens have little faith in the American Congress system; it consistently fails to make any notable strides or achievements in bettering the country. Works Cited David Nakamura, Ed O 'Keefe.

Congressional term limits have been what restricted the amount of time that anyone can work in office whether it be to a representative, senator, or even the president. People have debated over keeping or losing the term limits, since each come with their own benefits and faults at the same time. In the argument for term limits, some may argue that they are necessary because, “Congress will be more responsible toward their constituents because they will soon be constituents themselves” (Weeks). The validity in this statement proves to be one of the strongest arguments because the creation of laws is mean to serve all people, and if the people in office had complete immunity, it would serve unfair and unjust to the rest of society. For this reason, it always will make those in office consider how impactful and

Jones quotes a recommendation made by the Committee on Political Parties of the American Political Science Association in 1946. The Association stated that in an effective party system, the party that is not in control acts as a critic of the party in power, and develops, defines, and presents policy alternatives “’which are necessary for a true choice in reaching public decisions’”. I believe that the government cannot work this way. Jones argues that by this perspective, a good president uses his resources to make government work. However, the president does not have complete control of the functions of the government.

This occurs because the minority party can make long speeches to get their point across and develop their points to persuade the majority political parties to vote for a bill they want (Bond,

Then there is Gerrymandering where they manipulate the borders of the states in such way that their part's candidate may win. A positive factor of gerrymandering is that it allows politicians, who could not otherwise get elected, to be elected and negative is that it allows politicians, who could not otherwise get elected, to be elected. In conclusion, the congress is very influential as they have created many different sections and processes in order to maintain checks and balances among themselves. There have been corruptions, inefficiencies and equal representation.

A citizen should act upon their free will or judgement without having the pressures of society around them. The House of Representatives member should worry about the diverse community values rather than the citizen. Even if they are in a specific party they do not have to vote upon what that party thinks what is

Attempting to enact significant legislation requires Congress and the White House to compromise and anticipate what others will approve of and pass. When a bill successfully passes both houses of Congress, which has become increasingly difficult due to party polarization and radical groups within the House of Representatives and the Senate, it then goes to the president for signing. This is a lengthy process, and in order for groups of people with opposing views to settle in agreement on a measure, a great deal of negotiation is often required. This can result in a piece of legislation that is a compromised, diluted version of its original form that is not an effective solution to the initial problem. Vague, weak legislation often necessitates further action by the other two branches of government in order to interpret and execute it properly.

In the aftermath of the first real wave of retiring legislators, supporters and opponents have debated on the benefits and detriments of term limits and neither side could come to a conclusion. In Maine where term limit restrictions resulted in a legislature comprised of 40% first term members resulted in the state’s budget being passed in march, the earliest in the state’s history. Supporters saw this as an example that members were working harder and were being more effective, while detractors saw the early budget as inexperienced legislators were passing proposals with inadequate understanding and scrutiny. Supporters emphasize the annual turnover increase in both chambers since the adoption of Proposition 140, as well as the significant increase in the number of members retiring voluntarily before they were 'termed-out '. Supporters are also quick to point out the increase in minority and women legislators increased as had been predicted.

The representatives would be the voices of their constituents, leaving them with the responsibility of making decisions for the public good.

They do not place themselves at the center; they place others there. They do not seek attention of others; they give their attention to others. They do not focus on satisfying their own aims and desires; they look for ways to respond to the needs and interests of their constituents. They are not self-centered; they are constituent-centered. (p. 28)

He argues that politicians faced with limit to their terms are more likely to cut taxes, rein in long-term deficit spending programs and be more inclined to balance the budget” (Issues and Controversies,

Both houses are elected by the people and create laws based on what the people want. In the following paragraph the author explains that each government needs a