THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
POL 211
Fall 1995

Dr. Susan Roberts

"I am now here in Congress. . . I am at liberty to vote as my conscience and judgement dictates to be right, without yoke of any party on me, or the driver at my heels, with his whip in hand, commanding me to Ge-WO-haw, just at his pleasure."

-- Representative Davy Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett 1834, p. 113

"You send me to Washington to represent you in the senate. But you do not send me there because you are interested in grave questions of national or international policy. When I come back to Arizona, you never ask me any questions about such policies; instead you ask me: 'What about my pension?' or 'What about that job for my son?' I am not in Washington as a statesman. I am there as a very well paid messenger boy doing your errands. My chief occupation is going around with a forked stick picking up little fragments of patronage for my constituents."

-- Attributed to Senator Henry Fountain Ashurst, Rocky Mountain Politics, 1940

Voters in 1994 would find little humor in the jocular comment made by Will Rogers that he often looked to the Congressional Record whenever he needed new comedy material. Public dissatisfaction with Congress is real and it is growing. While presidents have long portrayed the U.S. Congress as dilatory and obstructionist, such criticisms are more widespread and they are deeply felt in the American public. The move for "term limitations" is less a symbol of Americans' intrinsic distrust of politicians and more a symptom of serious systemic troubles in government.

Complex and critical problems such as economic recovery, health care, the reduction of the deficit, and welfare increasingly call into question Congress' ability to forge workable compromises let alone find consensus on solutions. As record numbers of members have retired over the past several years, Congress faces crucial questions on its structure and its functioning (or failure to function). While not entirely directed at Congress, the recent retirement of Senator Bill Bradley represents the latest in a series of departures from Congress related to member frustration with gridlock and failures of consensus. We will pay significant attention to the phenomenon of "divided government" as it was recently resurrected with the end of Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate.

The fundamental objective of this course is to understand the politics of the structure and functioning of Congress, against the backdrop of current deligitimation crisis and the resurgence of Republican rule on the Hill. The projects and the readings share the general focus on how do individuals get to the Hill and what do they do when they get there. Given that much has changed since the "earthquake" elections of 1994 and many new members envision much more radical change, we will pay particular attention to the contemporary Congress.

In addition, we will examine the factors which propel individual citizens and local politicians to run for Congress. We will investigate such topics as the emergence of candidates, campaigning, incumbency, and PAC expenditures. With recent allegations against Senator Bob Packwood, we will look more closely at the institutional and individual ethics concerns in Congress. What should we ask of our elected representatives and how does this affect our public perception of the institution? At this most critical juncture for Congress we will also assess the movement for term limitations and its impact on constitutional democracy.

COURSE TEXTBOOKS

Davidson & Oleszek Congress And Its Members 4th ed.

Congressional Quarterly The 104th Congress (Davidson&Oleszek, ed)

Herrnson Congressional Elections

Kazee Who Runs For Congress?

Mann & Ornstein Congress, The Press, and The Public

Thompson Ethics in Congress

Martin Lessons From The Hill

Washington Post Weekly

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

This course is designed around essay testing, writing papers and discussion.

Midterm Examination 25%

Shorter papers 20%

Legislative Case Study 25%

Final Examination 30%

Examinations:All examinations are essay in format. A study sheet will be given out approximately one prior to the examination. This is in no way a violation of the Honor Code. I encourage discussion of class ideas outside of the confines of the classroom.

Class Preparation: Students are expected to have read materials prior to class and to be prepared to engage in class discussion. To the extent possible given class size, the class will be conducted in a partial seminar fashion.

Papers:

"If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made."

-- Otto Von Bismarck

There will one major paper in this class and several shorter papers. The major paper is a legislative case study. This paper will be a semester long project; it will be closely monitored and structured in order to avoid the perils of a last minute attempt to research and write a paper such as this. The case study will involve primary research, especially extensive use of government documents. We will be working with library staff to familiarize ourselves with the collection.

Several shorter papers will be assigned throughout the semester. These will be between 3-6 pages each; they will be assigned with a lead time of at least one week.

Late work will be subject to penalties.

All work in this class is bound by the Honor Code.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend class regularly. Attendance is often the deciding factor in close grade situations at the end of the semester. As stated in "The Red Book," students missing in excess of one fourth of scheduled classes will receive a failing grade in the course.

OFFICE HOURS AND CONSULTATIONS

Office: 329 C Chambers
Office Hours: MWF 9:30-10:20; M 1-2:20; Tu 1-2:15 and by appointment
Office Telephone: 2458

Home Telephone: 892-9874 *Please do not call after 9pm.

Students with questions are encouraged to come by either during office hours or to make an apointment for assistance with the course. I am in my office most of the day (9-3) and students should feel free to drop by at times other than office hours (I just can't guarantee that I won't be busy or in library or in a committee meeting).

I will also try to be available to have lunch with students on Mondays on a regular basis, roughly from 11:30-1:30 or so. I am also available for "coffeehouse" on Tuesdays. Please schedule individually or with a group.

TOPICS & READINGS

Aug. 28 - Sept. 6
I. Introduction to Congress & Capitol Hill

Sept. 11 - 25
III. Congressional Elections & "Single Minded Seekers"

Sept. 27 - 29
IV. HILLSTYLES AND HOMESTYLES: CANDID CONGRESS

Oct. 2 - 11
*Oct 6 = convocation at 11 am. Please attend.
*Oct. 7 -10 Fall Break
V. "'SCAMS, 'GATES, FIVES, PACKWOOD, REYNOLDS, 'WRIGHT' STUFF": CONGRESSIONAL ETHICS

Oct. 13 (Friday) = Midterm examination

Oct. 16 - 18
VI. TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER

Oct. 20 - 23
VII. "THE LITTLE LEGISLATURES": COMMITTEES IN CONGRESS

Oct. 25 - 27
VIII. THE RULES OF THE GAME: CONGRESSIONAL RULES & NORMS

Oct. 30 - Nov. 1
IX. CONGRESSIONAL DECISONMAKING

Nov. 3 - 15
X. WHY THEY CALL IT AN ACT OF CONGRESS: POLICYMAKING

Nov. 22 - 26 = Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 27 - 29
Nov. 29 (Wednesday) = Legislative Case Studies due
XII. "GUCCI GULCH": CONGRESS & ORGANIZED INTERESTS

Dec. 6
XIV. CONGRESS & THE FUTURE