With reelection rates topping ninety percent, the American Congress is a political institution that rarely sees new faces (Mataconis). Many have wondered, why career politicians are the rule and not the exception. Especially considering that according to a poll conducted by Gallup, only thirteen percent of Americans claim to approve of the job that Congress is doing (Jones). In the scholarly article Congress: The Electoral Connection, author David R. Mayhew contended that there are several factors that contribute to this phenomena in the political system (1975, 339-343). Mayhew commented that factors such as advertising, credit claiming, and position taking contributed to the high incumbency reelection rates; however, I would add that another factor, such as gerrymandering plays a role as well.
First, Mayhew determined that advertising accounted for high rates of reelection for incumbents. In his article, Mayhew explained that politicians would have to come up with a political brand. (1975, 340). Often times that political brand would have to a small amount to do with the issues facing the candidate’s constituents but rather favorable characteristics of the candidate, such as knowledge, concern, and sincerity. An example of this can be found simply by looking at the campaign slogans. In election cycles, slogans like “A name you can trust” are used in association with the candidate’s name. During his 1982 bid for reelection to the Indiana Senate, former Senator Dick Lugar used the slogan, “Dick Lugar, A good man for tough times”(YouTube). These slogans have nothing to do with the merit of the candidate and serve as more of a catchy phrase that allows the constituents remember the candidate’s name.
Mayhew also went on to say that p...
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... mail privileges declines." The Frederick News-Post. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/politics_and_government/article_4c801a0f-b166-5e56-9673-9bebf0a4109f.html (accessed April 7, 2014).
Mataconis, Doug. "House And Senate Incumbent Re-Election Rates Top 90%." Outside the Beltway. http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/house-and-senate-incumbent-re-election-rates-top-90/ (accessed April 7, 2014).
Mayhew, David R.. "Congress: The Electoral Connection.." Political Science Quarterly 90, no. 2 (1975): 339-343.
Tannahill, Neal R.. "Campaigns and Elections." In Think: American government. 2012 ed. [4th ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2012. 196.
Wolf, Z.. "Rand Paul’s 13 Hour Filibuster The Talking Kind Against John Brennan." ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/rand-paul-launches-filibuster-the-talking-kind-against-john-brennan/ (accessed April 6, 2014).
The excerpt “Congress: The Electoral Connection” written by David Mayhew centers around the fundamental arguments that discusses how members of congress are self-interested for reelection. Mayhew further elaborates on his idea by discussing the electoral activities that congress members devote their time into and resource from, which are advertising, credit-claiming, and position taking. Mayhew’s excerpt further examines the framework in how congress operates which contributes to the explanation of how and why congress partakes in the certain electoral activities.
What motivates members of Congress to act the way they do? Mayhew would argue in Congress: The Electoral Connection that members of Congress are ‘’single-minded re-election seekers’’ and that re-election is their one and only goal. Whilst the assumption that all members of Congress are ‘‘single-minded re-election seekers’’ does go some distance in analysing the motives behind members of Congress, the reading fails to take into account the other key goals of members of Congress. Other goals include good policy and future career positions. It is important to remember that the achievement of both re-election and other goals are not exclusive, members of Congress often are motivated by more than one goal.
Most individuals with a general background knowledge of the United States Federal Government system are aware that in order for a bill to become a law, it must first pass a majority vote in Congress. There is, however, a very important step in the legislative process that sometimes goes unnoticed. The committee system of the legislation process ensures that the appropriate attention is given to each bill introduced to Congress. Each member of both chambers are assigned to committees and subcommittees, and are expected to become subject matter experts in their respective roles as committee members.
Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/la_riot/article/0,28804,1614117_1614084_1614831,00.html. Levy, W. (2013). The 'Standard'. United States presidential election of 2000.
The United States Congress was created by the framers of the Constitution as the most important part of the legislative branch of the national government. The Congress was set up with a bicameral structure composed by the House of Representatives or Lower Chamber and the Senate or Upper Chamber. According to “Origins and Development” and “History of the House”, two descriptions of the history of the Congress, both chambers assembled for the very first time in New York in 1789 and then moved to Philadelphia in 1790 where they stayed for 10 years. In 1800 the Congress moved to Washington, DC; however, it was not until 1857 and 1859 that the House of Representatives and the Senate respectively moved to their current meeting locations in the Capitol after its restoration due to the British invasion of 1814 that burned the building. With more than two centuries legislating, the Congress has acquired great expertise in governing the country and meeting the Constitution’s mandates. Yet, in order to accomplish all its tasks the Congress has a very well-defined structure and very specific ways to proceed. Indeed, in order to undertake the most important of its mandates, “to enact law”, the Congress has a rigorous procedure that is combined with some of the different structural elements of Congress which indicate the direction that bills must follow once introduced. One of the most important of such elements is the congressional committee structure.
Congressional terms have no limits. Controversy exists between those who think the terms should be limited and those who believe that terms should remain unlimited. The group that wants to limit the terms argues that the change will promote fresh ideas and reduce the possibility of decisions being made for self-interest. Those who oppose term limits believe that we would sacrifice both the stability and experience held by veteran politicians. They also point out that our election process allows the voter to limit terms, at their discretion. While experience and stability are important considerations, congressional terms should be limited to a maximum of two.
Norman Ornstein is regarded as one of our nation's foremost experts on Congress. Mr. Ornstein received a Ph.D.. from the University of Michigan, he writes for the NewYork Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and he has a regular column in Roll Call newspaper called 'Congress Inside Out';. Mr. Ornstein is also an election analyst for CBS and appears frequently on television shows including the Today Show, Nightline and the Mac Neil/Lehre News Hour where he has been a consultant and contributor for
Congress has helped develop the Presidency as we know it today. This is because Congress argues over proposals and legislation proposed by the President. They are a major determent in whether bills turn into laws. But it’s not easy. One reason for this is because there are many powerful groups out there who argue about what should be discussed such as air pollution with the EPA or jobs.
Shugart, Matthew. "Elections: The American Process of Selecting a President: A Comparative Perspective." Presidential Studies, 34, 3 (September 2004): 632-656.
This basis for this research requires further explanation. The rationale for excluding Senators from this study and for narrowing the focus exclusively to black House members reflects the difference in representation between House members and Senators. By studying House districts comprised of a smaller electorate, one can draw important conclusions about the constituency characteristics and the subsequent...
Dye, Thomas R. , L. Tucker Gibson Jr., and Clay Robinson. Politics In America. Brief Texas Edition ed. New Jersey: Pearson, 2005.
In addition, due to the establishment of the three branches the negative effects of factions have been discouraged. One of the numerous institutions that have helped with the discouragement of factions is the Legislative branch. The Legislative branch is comprised of two parts, The House of Representatives and The Senate. The House is composed of Representatives elected by the people within a district and is determined by population, thus the more people in a state, the m...
"Elections, especially of representatives and counselors, should be annual, there not being in the whole circle of the sciences a maxim more infallible than this, 'where annual elections end, there slavery begins.' These great men . . . should be [chosen] once a year — Like bubbles on the sea of matter bourn, they rise, they break, and to the sea return. This will teach them the great political virtues of humility, patience, and moderation, without which every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey." —John Adams
When the United States was founded, the theme behind the new government was to establish an efficient system without doling out too much power to any one person. The Founders intended to prevent a rebirth of tyranny, which they had just escaped by breaking away from England. However, when members of Congress such as Tom Foley, who served as a Representative from 1964 through 1995, and Jack Brooks, who served as a Representative from 1952 through 1994, remain in the legislative system for over forty years, it is evident that tyranny has not necessarily been eradicated from the United States (Vance, 1994, p. 429). Term limits are a necessity to uphold the Founders’ intentions, to prevent unfair advantages given to incumbents, and to allow a multitude of additional benefits.
Van, B. S. D., & University of Pittsburgh. (1995). Post-passage politics: Bicameral resolution in Congress. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. 6th edition http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/text idx?idno=31735057897302;view=toc;c=pittpress