US Congress
CMC Gov 101, Spring 2019
Monday and Wednesday 11AM -12:15 PM Classroom: Bauer 36
J.J. Pitney -- Office:
232 Kravis, Telephone: 909/607-4224
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 1-2 PM, Friday 11 am - noon.
If
these times are inconvenient, please
make an appointment
Email:
jpitney@cmc.edu
and Web: http://www1.cmc.edu/pages/faculty/JPitney/
General
Woodrow Wilson wrote: "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." 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, I will take account of the
quality
of your writing, applying the principles of
Strunk and
White’s
Elements of Style. If
you object, 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.
- Please do not use electronic devices (tablets, laptops, smartphones) in class. Take notes the old-fashioned way, by hand, on paper. Why? Research suggests that it works better.
- Check
due dates
for coursework. Do not plan on extensions.
-
Plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty are not a victimless offenses, because they 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."
This class welcomes viewpoint diversity. See: https://heterodoxacademy.org/teaching-heterodoxy-syllabus-language/
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.]
- 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)
- Jacob R. Straus and Matthew E. Glassman, eds., Party and Procedure in the United States Congress, 2d ed. (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield, 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 23: 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."
-- Lin-Manuel Miranda, "The Room Where It Happens," -- our class anthem.
What are the major
functions of Congress?
Jan 28, 30: 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.
- Thurber, ch. 1.
Feb 4, 7: 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.
- Thurber, ch. 3.
- Ceaser, Busch, Pitney, Defying the Odds (2018 epilogue). On Sakai
Feb 11, 13 : 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.
- Straus, ch. 1, 3, 13, 14
- Robert Draper, "Nancy Pelosi's Last Battle," New York Times Magazine, November 25, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/magazine/nancy-pelosi-house-democrats.html
-
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 18, 20: Process I
"The Affordable Care Act contains more than a few examples of inartful drafting." -- Chief Justice John Roberts
Who writes the bills, and how? What is the role of congressional committees?
-
Davidson
ch. 7-8
- Straus, ch. 2, 6, 8.
FIVE-PAGE PAPER
ASSIGNED FEB 18, DUE IN SAKAI DROPBOX BY FRIDAY, MAR 8.
Feb 25, 27:
Process 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?
- Straus, ch. 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15
Mar 4, 6: 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.
- Davidson, ch. 9, 13.
Mar 11, 13: Congress and the Executive I
"It's a temper tantrum by the president. I'm a mother of five, grandmother of nine. I know a temper tantrum when I see one."-- Speaker Nancy Pelosi
How do the executive and
legislative branches check each other? Do they intrude on each other's
legitimate authority?
- Davidson, ch. 10
- Thurber, ch. 2, 4, 7, 8
Mar 18, 20: Spring Break
Mar 25, 27: 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 8, 10: Oversight and the Courts
"Upon written request from the chairman of the Committee on Ways
and Means of the House of Representatives, the chairman of the
Committee on Finance of the Senate, or the chairman of the Joint
Committee on Taxation, the Secretary shall furnish such committee with
any return or return information specified in such request..." 26 U.S. Code § 6103
How
does Congress try to influence the composition of the judiciary?
How do the branches battle over control of information?
- Davidson,
ch. 12
- Thurber, ch. 6, 9.
SIMULATION
WRITEUP DUE IN SAKAI DROPBOX BY FRIDAY, APRIL 19
Apr 15, 17: Budgets and Domestic
Policy
"This Act may be cited as the `Stop the Shutdowns Transferring
Unnecessary Pain and Inflicting Damage In The coming Years Act.'" [aka, The "Stop STUPDITY Act"] -- Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA)
What is domestic policy? How does Congress makes decisions on
issues such as employment and health care?
Davidson, ch. 14.
- Fisher, ch. 7
- Straus, ch. 5, 12, 15
Apr 22, 24: 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 24, DUE IN SAKAI DROPBOX BY MAY 8
Apr 29, May 1: Reviewing Congressional History I
"[B]etween 1830 and 1860, there were more than seventy
violent incidents between congressmen in the House and Senate chambers
or nearby streets and dueling grounds, most of them long forgotten...I
found canings, duel negotiations, and duels; shoving and fistfights;
brandished pistols and bowie knives; wild melees in the House; and
street fights with fists and the occasional brick." -- Joanne Freeman, The Field of Blood.
How does today's Congress compare with that of the past? Have lawmakers gotten better or worse?
May 6, 8: 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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