Lecture11 - Congress-student - Congress Lecture12POL1101...

Congress
Lecture 12 – POL 1101
Dr. Daniel Matisoff

The Great Compromise (again)

Distributing the power between large states & small
states through bicameral legislature

Senators elected by state legislature; 1/3 at a time;
every 2 years

17th amendment, 1913, direct election of Senate

Highly contentious – Senate didn’t want change

House of Representatives apportioned via census;
“reapportionment” 435 members

Powers of the House

Power of impeachment

Originate revenue bills (shared in practice)

Powers of Senate

Trial, in case of impeachment (2/3 for conviction)

Andrew Johnson

Nixon

Clinton

Advise & Consent – Appointments

Constitution vs. Reality

Treaties (2/3 vote)

Congressional Checks and Balances

Budgeting

Confirmation of presidential appointees & judiciary

Senators often suggest nominations for districts

Scope & authority of lower courts

Size of Supreme Court

Treaty ratification

Congressional Oversight Committees

Impeachment

Lawmaking

Congress vs. Parliament

Congress “coming together” vs. Parliament – Parler
“to talk”

Parliament – National party

Congress – individual representatives, representing
districts

Parliament – keeps party in line; less so in Congress
(more unity with Republicans)

Separation of executive leads to more powerful
Congress; more “stable” government

Congress has staff, salary, office, research capacity,
travel budget, computer services, etc; parliament has
little pay, no staff, tiny budgets

The Filibuster

Prevent “cloture” by talking an issue to death

1917 Wilson had foreign policy measure talked to
death by “11 willful men”

Rule 22: 2/3 of senate can cut off debate

1950s – 60s: used to stop civil rights legislation

1957 Strom Thurmond filibustered for over 24 hours

1964 civil rights act legislation filibustered by Southern
Democrats for over 75 hours

“Tracking system” allowed other business to go on

1970s – revised rule to allow cloture with 60 votes

Shift away from actual filibusters to “threatened”
filibusters

112 filibusters by end of 110th Congress!
Some 40+ in 111th, on pace for 2nd most in history

Why has the use of filibusters increased?

“Because Democrats are pussies” – Stephen Colbert

Republicans are more homogenous than Democrats

Republicans are OK blocking government action
since it is consistent with the mantra of “small
government”

Filibustered defense spending in order to delay action on