If As Ralph Nader Says Analysis
In articles “If, As Ralph Nader Says...We Love Our Congressmen So Much?” by Richard F. Fenno, Jr. and “The Case for Congress” by Lee H. Hamilton, readers are introduced to arguments related to Congress. Upon completion of the texts, one may conclude that Congress is an institution that is often disliked by the American public due to common misconceptions about how Congress functions. The first article, “The Case for Congress,” Hamilton attempted to educate the American public as to how Congress works for America as a whole. In the beginning, he states that Americans often take Congress for granted, however they should not do so because Congress is an example of “health of representative democracy amid...distrust of its central institution.” …show more content…
explores the Congress’s image in American society. Fenno points out the interesting phenomenon of Americans disliking Congress as an institution, but describing their district’s Congressman as “the best congressman in the United States.” Certainly, if every Congress member truly was fantastic at their job, the American public would not be so disapproving of Congress as an institution. He offers several explanations for why Congress is viewed so negatively in the public eye. His hypotheses include that Americans have lower standards for Congress members as individuals than they do for the institution as a whole and that Congress is the “most familiar and most human of our national institutions,” so the members are easy targets for criticism. Also, Fenno states that Congress members are easily individualized because they are focused on the personal goal of re-election, not the betterment of the institution. In doing so, he says, they often claim that they are going to try to fix Congress if they are related, claiming that “members run for Congress by running against Congress.” He also explains the roles of committees in Congress, and how Congress’s overall performance heavily relies in its committees. As a reader, I find Dr. Fenno to be a more credible resource on the inner workings of Congress because he is a political scientist who has completed years of observations and studies concerning
Summary Of Richard Fenno's Expectations Of Congressmen
242 Words | 1 PagesThe 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.
Brief Summary Of The Excerpts Freeman's 'Affairs Of Honor'
1143 Words | 5 PagesFreemen asserts that “congressional oratory was key” in a political culture where personal reputation was most important (27). Maclay stated that he was determined to say something everyday. Speeches in congress held particular power because, through them, lesser known members could rise to the top or fall from grace. Speeches left the members vulnerable to personal attacks which were devastating in the time period. Through the use of Maclay’s diary, Freeman introduces the “culture of honor” idea of the importance of personal
Pros And Cons Of Representative Long
1144 Words | 5 PagesUnder Mayhew’s criterion for a successful political career, it is easy to argue that Representative Long has fulfilled the criterion and has led a successful career. Constituents directly influence many of the political actions members of Congress make because they are the ones who possess the power of the vote, not the representative himself. As observed his television advertisement was a tool utilized by Long to reach a larger audience and for voters to be able to associate a face with the name, “Billy Long.” By enacting and sponsoring certain pieces of legislation, Representative Long was successful in claiming credit and taking a strong position to rally support around his campaign and platform. All of these moves attributed to the multiple reelections of Representative Long.
Summary Of The Disease Of American Democracy By Robert Reich
1103 Words | 5 PagesFor every year that passes, it seems as though more and more people are beginning to lose their faith in the US government. Many have grown tired of being ignored by their representatives, while others are disgusted by the greed and corruption that appears to control every movement congress makes. In the blog, "The Disease of American Democracy," published in the Huffington Post, the author, Robert Reich, explores this very idea; however, instead of merely agreeing with the majority of the American public, Reich uses his blog to motivate Americans to once again become politically active, so as to restore the democracy that there once was in the US. Just like any other author, Reich certainly took his audience into much consideration. Reich
Congressional Dysfunction Will Only Grow Analysis
1121 Words | 5 PagesCongressional Caucus Chaos In “With Boehner’s Departure, Congressional Dysfunction Will Only Grow,” Norman J. Ornstein argues that a radical group in the Republican Party has kept progress from being made and John Boehner resigning from his Speaker of the House position will not make things on Capitol Hill any more productive. Ornstein says that, “The realists, like Boehner, understand that divided government requires compromise,” but unfortunately, extremists are unwilling and outright opposed to doing just that. Ornstein believes a successful upcoming congressional session does not have a chance at occurring and finds Radical Republicans to blame because they have made stopping President Obama’s plans a priority. I agree that one group of Republicans are keeping Congress from not only passing meaningful legislation on the controversial topics, but keeping them from passing common sense laws; however, I disagree with the author in regards to Congress staying on this uncivil, unproductive path.
How Did John Henry Adams Decision To Support Louisiana Purchase
791 Words | 4 PagesBy following his conscience, he engaged in an act of civil disobedience in the Senate. Once called a political heretic, Adams defied the common tendency of freshman Senators to blindly follow the dictates of the party. “He denied the duty of elected officials ‘to be palsied by the will of their constituents’… by flattering their prejudices, by ministering to their passions, and by humoring their transient and changeable opinions.” I believe that John Quincy Adams understood the grave weight of his political decision. Nevertheless, meaningful progress and development within political institutions sometimes involves a reformation of its internal practices.
Comparing The Political Theorists Of Cox, And Mccubbins
1483 Words | 6 PagesThe political theorists David R. Mayhew, Gary W. Cox, and Matthew D. McCubbins argue on how the US Congress functions. They focus on the members of Congress and their actions. The basis of disagreement between the theorists lies in what Congress members find of importance. Mayhew argues that members of Congress, primarily concern themselves with reelection, as such, any action taken only benefits that. Cox and McCubbins’, however, formulate that Congress functions on the basis of majority party control and unity.
Discussion Of The Relationship Between The Founders And The Constitution
742 Words | 3 PagesBy distancing the Senate from the people, the Founders hoped the Senate would ensure the United States’s diplomatic consistency. Likewise, the Founders staggered senators’ selection, so the states only appointed one-third every two years. In theory, this selection timeline would offer continuity in legislative governance, while frequent elections would elect a new House every two years. Ultimately, the Senate’s existence ensures that lawmaking necessitates a near national consensus rather than a momentary majority because of its unrepresentative nature according to Dennis Hale and Marc Landy. Because smaller
The Connection Between Framers And Congress
222 Words | 1 PagesI believe that Congress is a very important factor that links both the citizens of America and their government together. Furthermore, the connection between these two respective parties creates a form of checks and balances. I firmly think, without hesitation, without a bondage between the two there would be tyranny among the federal government, most importantly the legislative branch. Lee Hamilton believed that people were disinterested or skeptical in Congress as they were less educated about the branch.
Why Is Congress Called The Great Compromise
550 Words | 3 PagesThe framers of the constitution regarded Congress as the preeminent branch of the federal government and granted Congress the power to make laws. The U.S. Congress is a bicameral legislature, which consist of the House and Senate. Congress was created in a way to satisfy both large and and small states through a debate to be known as the Great Compromise. The compromise stated that each state would have two Senators, in one chamber(Senate), and a number of Representatives propertaint to the state's population in the second chamber(House of Representatives).
Congress Rhetorical Analysis
1262 Words | 6 PagesThe popularity of the members of Congress and Congress overall has been declining as the years pass and time changes. The dissatisfaction and disapproval of the public is so high because according to David Mayhew who wrote Congress the Electoral Connection members of Congress are single-minded people who are only focused on reelection, involve in “smart” behavior such as position taking, credit-claiming and advertisement. Also, according to Mayhew parties are weak, however, that is all not true people tend to vote more so for their party than the person in general. Arnold the writer of Logic of Congressional Outcome, states that Congress has many things to take into account such as citizen preference, robe-challenger, has to take into account
American Crucible: A Nation Under Siege
536 Words | 3 PagesOne way Gerstle proves how the congressmen have shaped the nation
Consequences Of Congressional Oversight
1591 Words | 7 PagesConsequences of Congressional Oversight The types of choices that congressman have to make when it comes to oversight are often moderated by the different costs and benefits from engaging in congressional oversight. In previous sections the way members make decisions on congressional oversight whether to exercise or which technique to use was discussed. McCubbins and Schwartz highlight how difficult this process is by distinguishing general neglect from congress versus rational behavior. Rationality in this area makes it so that members can actually perform their other functions, which have higher priority so they can keep their jobs (McCubbins and Schwartz 1984).
Argumentative Essay On Filibusters
1586 Words | 7 PagesIn recent years, the U.S. Senate has been embroiled in a countless number of filibusters which have a long history in the U.S. Congress. To supporters of the filibuster, such political procedures play an important role in a democratic society. They believe that the filibuster embodies the spirits of democracy to protect the minority from oppression in the United States. Reformers or skeptics of the filibuster, on the other hand, believe that filibusters sometimes severely hinder the operations of the government. Although people have witnessed many filibusters in history, the number of filibusters in the past few years surprised and infuriated many in America.
The Importance Of Congress
440 Words | 2 PagesCongress is broken into two parts, House of Representative and a Senate. The House of Representative follows the people’s concerns and works to resolve it. The Senate is in place to keep the peace when there is a debate and to bring up ideas
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