“The Senate and the country need Senators of courage who are prepared to make their mark on history by standing with past profiles in courage, and defending not party, not partisanship, but defending principle and democracy itself” (Congressional Record 151:8 p.10442). These words, said by the former senator of Massachusetts John Kerry, encompass the idea of an American senator. In the modern world that we live in, the government has morphed into a different institution than it was even fifty years ago; people have started to lose trust, faith, and adoration of government officials. Senators are one of the few main source links between individual states and the federal government. The lives of senators have soured substantially leaving them in the negative opinions of people. Senators are often portrayed as sneaky, underhanded, or aggressive people; they can be viewed in a positive light but these characteristics are exaggerated in ways that don’t mirror the actual careers at all. The media often portrays senator’s daily lives as stressful, shady, and full of critical issues that can change the country with one word. Every media portrayal has some drop of truth to it but some sources stand to prove what senators are truly like. In a lot of major media sources the common idea surrounding senators is that they are powerful, well-known, and often times engage in illegal deals. In the films Bobby, as well as The Candidate, these themes are used. Both of these films base their main character off well-known persons who were already involved in politics of some sort before becoming, or running for a seat as, a senator. 14 Women is an amazing documentary about the fourteen female senators that were active in 2007; the entire movie gives ... ... middle of paper ... ... of them disliking their officials a greater chance. There is hope in our future that the American people will begin to understand the differences between the real senators and the popular media version of them. Works Cited 14 Women. Dir. Mary Lambert. Vertical Films, 2007. Film. Bobby. Dir. Emilio Estevez. The Weinstein Company, 2006. Film. The Candidate. Dir. Michael Ritchie. Warner Brothers, 1972. Film. Franken, Al. Telephone Interview. 29 Sep. 2013. Gregg, Judd. Interview by Ken Strickland. The Exit Interviews: Sen. Judd Gregg 13 Sept 2010. NBC News, New York City. 13 Sept 2010. Web. 29 Oct 2013. Klobuchar, Amy. Personal Interview. 13 Oct 2013. Power. Dir. Sidney Lumet. 20th Century Fox, 1986. Film. Representative Kerry (MA). Congressional Record 151:8 (June 6, 2002) p. 10442. Available from: LexisNexis Congressional; Accessed: 10/30/13.
The oldest currently serving US Senator, Dianne Feinstein, has done her share of leading our Senators and fighting to keep our country safe and free of crime. Feinstein is a member of the Democratic Party, as well as the former thirty-eighth mayor of San Francisco. Eight years after being elected into the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1970, Feinstein served as the board’s first female president. The assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk caused Feinstein to succeed as mayor of San Francisco in 1978. While Feinstein served as San Francisco’s first female mayor she renovated the cable car system and oversaw the 1984 Democratic National Convention.
In the past century, people continued to express an increasingly discontent view of Congress especially true when one looks back before the Clinton Impeachment debacle As the size of the nation and the number of congressman have grown, the congress has come under attack by both public influences and congressman themselves. Yet looking at one congressman's relationship with his or her constituents, it would be hard to believe that this is the branch of government that has come under suspect. In “If Ralph Nader says congress is 'The broken branch,' how come we love our congressman so much?” author Richard F. Fenno, Jr., provides insight into this view and why, through congress coming under fire, constituents still feel positively about there congressmen. Although congress is often criticized, its fine tuned functioning is essential in checking the power of congress without hindering the making of legislation.
Stemming from a loose interpretation of the Constitution – and specifically the necessary and proper clause -- congressional oversight is one of many enumerated powers bestowed upon Congress per Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. As the legislative body, Congress is charged with overseeing the inner workings of the Executive Branch and its federal agencies as a part of a system of checks and balances. However, as previously mentioned, this power is one of the implied powers of Congress, thus making it very difficult for many to delineate rightful oversight from reckless meandering. In the Constitution, for example, there is no singular mention of a definitive power such as “congressional oversight.” Consequently, there is no clear set of goals or practices through which Congress can oversee the executive branch. This is where things can become slightly tricky, however.
Senate Historical Office. “About the Senate Committee System”. Senate.gov, September, 2002. Web. Feb. 25, 2012.
Mr. Smith was appointed to be a Senator on a whim. He was the leader of the Boy Rangers with no political experience. He was principled with a clear view on right and wrong. Mr. Smith took his ideals as far as risking his career when he did not compromise in order to maintain his beliefs. In addition, special interest groups did not impact Mr. Smith's decisions. He was untouched by the corruption that he learned existed in the legislature. Yet upon discovering it, he did not change himself. Mr. Smith did not place any emphasis on re-election and did not care if people thought negatively about him as long as he remained with his values.
Contrasts in the lawmaking methodology utilized as a part of the House and Senate reflect the distinctive size of the two chambers and individual terms of its parts. In the House, the dominant part gathering is inflexibly in control, stacking advisory groups with lion 's share party parts, and utilizing principles to seek after enactment supported by its parts. In the Senate, singular parts are better ready to hold up the procedure, which prompts lower similarity costs, however higher exchange costs. The complication of the lawmaking procedure gives rivals different chances to murder a bill, making a solid predisposition for the present state of affairs.
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
Many Americans in today's society will find it difficult to answer the question of what Congress exactly does and why it exists. Others simply don't care and see Congress as a failed system where nothing gets done. Lee Hamilton, in his book Why Congress Works and Why you Should Care, proves these people wrong and gives an insider's look at what Congress actually does do and how it affects every American each day.
The Running Mate, Joe Klein’s political novel, contained a fictional candidate named Charlie Martin. In this book, Charlie Martin is democratic candidate for the U. S. Senate. Martin was a Vietnam veteran, who became a politician because of his mother who was Martin’s hometown Mayor. Four years earlier, Mr. Martin ran for President. He was defeated in the primary election by the current fictional President, Democrat Jack Stanton and at the end of novel has aspirations to run for Governor. Charlie Martin has several strengths and weakness as a political candidate. Some of his strengths are that he is a good speaker, as demonstrated in the debates, a Vietnam veteran, and has experience. His major weakness was that his mind was not on the campaign, but on a woman. Also, in this novel, there were the Lords. These characters served were Charlie Martin’s Vietnam buddies. They were his friends and some were his advisors, like Gidian Reese, who was the National Security Advisor. His role as a Senator was like that of any other Senator. He votes on bills, like the bills that were proposed by President Jack Stanton, proposes bills, and accepts illegal money from outside sources. The President, media, interest groups, committees, congressional staff and money all influence on who is appointed to office. All of these people/groups influence by giving money, influencing of a persons’ background, or on who is an important person. Policy for appointing someone to office is that, if you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. Meaning, that if someone gives you a large amount of money, then the candidate usually returns the favor by appointed him or her to a selected office.
South University Online. (2013). POL2076: American Government: Week 4: People and Politics—Interest Groups. Retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com
Hudson, William E. American Democracy in Peril: Eight Challenges to America’s Future – Fourth Edition. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2004.
Senator Taylor is well-liked and seen as a “family man” by the public. He is respected by both the public and his colleagues for being fair
The Hidden Relationship Between Government and Media Rather than being a neutral conduit for the communication of information, the U.S. media plays an intricate role in shaping and controlling political opinions. Media is extremely powerful in the sense that without an adequate functioning media, it is virtually impossible for a sophisticated social structure like the U.S. Government to exist. Henceforth, all known sophisticated social structures, have always been dependent upon the media’s ability to socialize. The U.S. government generally exploits the media, often times manipulating the enormous power of the printed word. Ultimately empowering the U.S. government, strengthening it with the ability to determine and control the popular perception of reality.
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
The Power of the Media in Politics The mass media possesses a great deal of influence in society and politics in the United States. Newspapers, radio, magazines and television. are able to use their own judgment when reporting current events. The The power of the mass media is an asset to the government in some instances and a stumbling block in others. Recent technology and regulations related to The media have improved the means by which the public can get information.