US Congress
CMC Gov 101, Spring 2018
Monday and Wednesday 11AM -12:15 PM Classroom: Roberts North 15
J.J. Pitney -- Office:
232 Kravis
Telephone: 909/607-4224
Office
Hours: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu 1:15-2:15
If
these times are inconvenient, please
make an appointment
Email:
jpitney@cmc.edu
General
Like a vast picture
thronged with figures of equal prominence and crowded with elaborate
and obtrusive details, Congress is hard to see satisfactorily and
appreciatively at a single view and from a single stand-point. Its complicated forms and
diversified structure confuse the vision, and conceal the system which
underlies its composition. It
is too complex to be understood without effort, without a careful and
systematic process of analysis.
-- Woodrow Wilson, Congressional
Government
In this course, we shall
undertake such analysis. We
shall ask how lawmakers behave at home and on Capitol Hill. We shall study Congress's
procedures and structures, with an eye to explaining why some bills
pass while others languish.
Classes
Class sessions will include
lecture and discussion. Finish
each week's readings before class because our discussions will involve
those readings. We
shall also talk about breaking news stories about Congress, so you must read a good daily news source such
as
Politico
or
Real
Clear Politics.
Blog
Our
class blog is at
http://gov101.blogspot.com.
I shall post videos, graphs, news stories, and other material
there. We shall use some of this material in class, and you
may review the rest at your convenience. You will
all receive invitations to post to the blog. (Please let me
know if you do not get such an
invitation.) I encourage you to use the blog in these ways:
-
To
post questions or comments about the readings before we
discuss them in class;
-
To
follow up on class discussions with additional
comments or questions.
-
To
post relevant news items or videos.
Grades
The following will make up
your course grade:
- One three-page paper: 15%
- One four-page paper: 20%
- One five-page paper: 25%
- Simulation and writeup: 25%
- Participation and blog: 15%
Details
- The papers
will
develop your research and writing skills.
In grading your papers, I will take account of the
quality
of your writing, applying the principles of
Strunk and
White’s
Elements of Style. If
you object to this approach, do not take this course, or anything else
that I teach.
- The simulation
will require you to study your part and spend several sessions in
character. Do
not take this class if you cannot
take part in the simulation.
- Class
participation
will hone your ability to think on your feet, as I shall call on
students at random. If
you often miss class or fail to prepare, your grade will suffer. I shall use the cold calls to judge how
well you are keeping up with the material.
If
you object to this approach, do not take this course. I
also expect you to post relevant material to the blog.
- In addition to
the required readings (below), I may also give you handouts,
emails, and web links covering
current events and basic factual information.
- As a courtesy to your fellow students, please
arrive on
time, and refrain from eating in class.
- Check
due dates
for coursework. Arrange your schedule accordingly.
Do not plan on extensions.
-
Plagiarism is not a victimless offense, because it hurts fellow students. Please study our Statement of Academic Integrity, which reads in part: "The
faculty of Claremont McKenna College is firmly committed to upholding
the highest standards of academic integrity. Each faculty member has
the responsibility to report cases of academic dishonesty to the
Academic Standards Committee, which has the duty of dealing with cases
of alleged academic dishonesty."
If you have any questions related to Disability Support Services at Claremont McKenna College, please get in touch with disabilityservices@cmc.edu.
Required
Books [Make sure that you get the correct editions of the Davidson and Thurber books.]
- William F. Connelly, Jr., John J. Pitney, Jr., and Gary J. Schmitt, eds., Is Congress Broken? The Virtues and Defects of Partisanship and Gridlock (Washington: Brookings: 2017).
- Roger Davidson, Walter J.
Oleszek, Frances
E. Lee, and Eric Schickler Congress and Its Members,
16th ed.
(Washington: CQ Press, 2018).
- John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage (New York: HarperCollins, 2006 [1955]).
- Jill Lawrence, The Art of the Political Deal (independently published, 2017)
- James A. Thurber and Jordan Tama, eds., Rivals for Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations, 6th ed. (Lanham, Maryland:
Rowman and Littlefield, 2018).
Schedule
The schedule is subject to change,
with advance notice.
Jan 17: Introduction
"The art of the compromise,
Hold your nose and close your eyes.
We want our leaders to save the day,
But we don't get a say in what they trade away.
We dream of a brand new start,
But we dream in the dark for the most part."
-- Lin-Manuel Miranda, "The Room Where It Happens," -- our class anthem.
What are the major
functions of Congress?
Jan 22, 24: Two Political Branches, Two Chambers, Two Congresses, Two Parties
"In the House
of Representatives, an institution of 435 people that is incredibly
diverse, getting enough people in common cause – 218 people to pass
anything – is a real challenge. But particularly one of the big
differences between the House and the Senate is if you’re in the House
of Representatives, and you happen to be in the minority party,
whatever that might be ...it’s almost an abject minority because the
rules of the House control the process in such a way that the majority
largely controls everything primarily through a traffic cop called the
Rules Committee." -- Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
Congress is both a lawmaking bodies and a
representative
assembly. It has two distinct chambers with majority and
minority parties. And it must work with the executive branch. How do these dualities affect its work?
-
Davidson,
ch. 1, 2, 5.
- Connelly, ch. 1, 7.
Jan 29, 31: Congressional Elections
"Everyone up here has politics in his blood. Kind of like herpes." -- Senator John Neely Kennedy (R-LA)
How do congressional candidates emerge onto the scene? What accounts for the party balance in the House and Senate?- Davidson, ch. 3, 4.
- Connelly, ch. 3.
- Thurber, ch. 3.
Feb 5, 6: Parties and Leadership
"So
why is compromise
so hard in the House? ... [The answer could be this instead: individual
members of Congress are responding fairly rationally to their
incentives. Most members of the House now come from hyperpartisan
districts where they face essentially no threat of losing their seat to
the other party. Instead, primary challenges, especially for
Republicans, may be the more serious risk." --
Nate Silver
How do leaders and followers influence each other on Capitol Hill?
-
Davidson,
ch. 6.
- Connelly, ch. 2, 8.
-
Rowland
Evans and Robert Novak, "The Johnson System," in The
Legislative Process in the US Senate, eds. Lawrence K. Pettit and
Edward Keynes (Chicago: Rand-McNally, 1969). On Sakai.
Feb 12, 14: Process and Decision Making I
“If you let me write
procedure and I let you write substance, I'll screw you every time.” --
Rep. John Dingell (D-MI)
How
does the majority try to control the floor? How can the
minority overcome the majority's procedural advantage? Who writes the bills, and how? What is the role of congressional committees?
- Davidson
ch. 7-8
- Connelly, ch. 4-5.
FIVE-PAGE PAPER
ASSIGNED FEB 12, DUE IN SAKAI DROPBOX BY FRIDAY, MAR 2.
Feb 19, 21:
Process and Decision Making II
"If
procuring votes with offers of employment is what you intend, I’ll
fetch a friend from Albany who can supply the skulking men gifted at
this kind of shady work. Spare me the indignity of actually speaking to
Democrats. Spare you the exposure and liability." -- William Seward (David Strathairn) in Lincoln
How
do members decide how to
vote? What is the relative influence of leadership,
constituency, and ideology? How the "outside game" of media
politics complement the "inside game" of legislative maneuvering?
- Davidson, ch. 9, 13.
- Thurber, ch. 2.
Feb 26, 28: The Art of the Political Deal
"When you got skin in the game, you stay in the game
But you don’t get a win unless you play in the game."
-- Lin-Manuel Miranda, "The Room Where It Happens"
How do lawmakers engage in deliberation and bargaining?
- Lawrence, all.
- Connelly, ch. 10, 11.
Mar 5, 7: Congress and the Executive I
"I
just want to repeat, I'm president, I'm not king. If Congress has laws
on the books that says that people who are here who are not documented
have to be deported, then I can exercise some flexibility in terms of
where we deploy our resources, to focus on people who are really
causing problems as a opposed to families who are just trying to work
and support themselves. But there's a limit to the discretion that I
can show because I am obliged to execute the law. That's what the
Executive Branch means. I can't just make the laws up by myself. So the
most important thing that we can do is focus on changing the underlying
laws." --
President Obama, October 25, 2010.
How do the executive and
legislative branches check each other? Do they intrude on each other's
legitimate authority?
- Davidson, ch. 10
- Thurber, ch. 1, 4, 7, 8
Mar 12, 14: Spring Break
Mar 19, 21: Congress and the Executive II
"It is often difficult to separate the
merits of the underlying policies from the means used to achieve them.
It so happens that I agree with many of the goals of the Administration
in the various areas where the President has circumvented Congress.
However, in the Madisonian system, it is often more important how you
do things than what you do." -- Prof. Jonathan Turley
How does Congress try to control the bureaucracy?
- Davidson, ch. 11
- Thurber, ch. 5.
Apr 2, 4: Oversight and the Courts
"[House Oversight Chair Jason] Chaffetz, who is now entering
his fourth term in Congress, says he sought out [former chair Henry]
Waxman when he arrived in Washington in 2009. `I just proactively went
up and shook his hand and said I care about this and I admire what he’s
done,' Chaffetz says. `Although I disagree with him on just about
everything,' Chaffetz says, Waxman is “passionate about [Congress as
an] institution, the process by which you do oversight, and the
elements and keys to success.' `If you look at his effectiveness,
ouch,' Chaffetz says. `He took a bite out of the [Bush] administration
and, from that respect, I admire what he did.'" -- Eliana
Johnson
How
does Congress try to influence the composition of the judiciary?
How do the branches battle over control of information?
- Davidson,
ch. 12
- Connelly, 6.
- Thurber, ch. 6, 9.
SIMULATION
WRITEUP DUE IN SAKAI DROPBOX BY FRIDAY, APRIL 13
Apr 9, 11: Budgets and Domestic
Policy
"In
phonemarking, a lawmaker calls an agency to request financing for a
project. More indirectly, members of Congress make use of what are
known as soft earmarks, which involve making suggestions about where
money should be directed, instead of explicitly instructing agencies to
finance a project. Members also push for increases in financing of
certain accounts in a federal agency’s budget and then forcefully
request that the agency spend the money on the members’ pet project."
--
Ron
Nixon, New York
Times
What is domestic policy? How does Congress makes decisions on
issues such as employment and health care?
-
Davidson,
ch. 14.
- Connelly, ch. 9
- Thurber, ch. 10
Apr 16, 18: National Security, the Two Congresses, and Political Courage
"Politics are changing and you don't want
to be the last one holding the dog collar when the oversight committee
comes." -- "Dan" (Jason Clarke) to "Maya" (Jessica Chastain) in
Zero Dark Thirty
Can Congress effectively
check the executive branch in wartime? Do lawmakers have the
expertise and information to make decisions about national and homeland
security? What is political courage?
-
Davidson, ch. 15-16
-
Thurber, ch. 11.
- Kennedy, ch. 1.
FOUR-PAGE PAPER ASSIGNED APR 18, DUE IN SAKAI DROPBOX BY MAY 1
Apr 23, 25: Reviewing Congressional History I
"It
quickly became clear that there is nothing new or unusual about the
pattern of sharp partisanship shown in the past two presidential
elections and in the frequent battles on Capitol Hill. David Brady of
Stanford University made the point that the late 19th century and parts
of the 20th century were also times of party warfare; the anomaly was
the relative truce for roughly 25 years after World War II." -- David Broder
How does today's Congress compare with that of the past? Have lawmakers gotten better or worse?
Apr 30, May 2: Reviewing Congressional History II
"It
may take courage to battle one's president, one's party, or the
overwhelming sentiment of one's nation; but these do not compare, it
seems to me, to the courage required of the Senate defying the angry
power of the very constituents who control his future." -- John
F. Kennedy
How had divided government worked since the Second World War? Why has polarization waxed and waned?
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