Congress Class

US Congress

CMC Gov 101, Spring 2007

Monday and Wednesday 1:15-2:30 Classroom: RN-15

J.J. Pitney -- Office: Pitzer 215

Telephone: 909/607-4224

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 11AM-noon, 4:15-5:15 PM

If these times are inconvenient, please make an appointment

Email: jpitney@cmc.edu Alternate email: profpitney@yahoo.com

Web: http://govt.cmc.edu/jpitney

See also my Congress Links page.

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 the New York Times, Washington Post or ABC's The Note

Grades

The following will make up your course grade:

One three-page essay	15%
One five-page essay	20%
Legislative simulation	25%
A sit-down final exam	30%
Class participation/Fantasy Congress	10%

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.
The exam will test your comprehension. In place of the sit-down final, graduating seniors will write a take-home, due on the last day of class.
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. You will also play Fantasy Congress.I
In addition to the required readings (below), I may also give you handouts, emails, and web links covering current events and basic factual information. The exam will cover this material.
As a courtesy to your fellow students, please arrive on time, and refrain from eating in class. I reserve the right to withhold class handouts from latecomers.
Check due dates for coursework and the exam. Arrange your schedule accordingly. Do not plan on extensions.
Plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty will result in referral to the Academic Standards Committee. See: http://registrar.claremontmckenna.edu/acpolicy/plagiarism.asp.

Required Books

Amy E. Black, From Inspiration to Legislation: How an Idea Becomes a Bill (Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2006).
Colton C. Campbell, Nicol C. Rae, and John F. Stack, Jr., eds., Congress and the Politics of Foreign Policy (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2003).
Roger H. Davidson and Walter J. Oleszek, Congress and Its Members, 10th ed. (Washington: CQ Press, 2006).
Juliet Eilperin, Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship Is Poisoning the House of Representatives (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield, 2006).
Richard F. Fenno, Jr. Senators on the Campaign Trail: The Politics of Representation (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1996).

Schedule The schedule is subject to change, with advance notice.

Jan 17: Introduction

"Ron Howard is about to make a risky career move. His friend and collaborator, Russell Crowe, is waxing poetic about Franklin Roosevelt, the New Deal and laws passed by Parliament to battle the Great Depression when Howard musters the courage to interrupt the star. `Pssst,' Howard says, leaning over, his mouth cupped. `It's Congress. Congress passes the laws in the U.S.'" -- USA Today 5-24-05

What are the major functions of Congress?

Jan 22, 24: Two Chambers, Two Congresses

"From my back-row vantage point, I quickly learned that the Senate was a very different institution from the House. One paradox was that while there were one hundred senators, compared with four hundred and thirty-five House members, many of the senators were themselves distant, all but impossible to befriend." -- Trent Lott, Herding Cats

What are the "two Congresses"? What are the major differences between the House and Senate? How has Congress evolved since the Founding?

Davidson & Oleszek, ch. 1-2.

Fenno, Introduction, ch. 1-2.

Jan 29, 31: Elections

"This is the people’s Congress. And most of the people don’t care which party controls it; what they want is a government that is limited, honest, accountable, and responsive to their needs. The moment a majority forgets this lesson, it begins writing itself a ticket to minority status." -- John Boehner, opening day of the 110th Congress.

What is campaign strategy? How do House and Senate elections differ? Why did Republicans lose control of Congress in 2006?

Davidson & Oleszek, ch. 3-4.
Fenno, ch. 3-4.

William F. Connelly Jr., "Wall vs. Wave?" The Forum 4 (2006), at: http://www.bepress.com/forum/vol4/iss3/art3

THREE-PAGE ESSAY ASSIGNED JAN 29, DUE FEBRUARY 7.

READ STRUNK AND WHITE FIRST.

Feb 5, 7: Hill Style and Home Style

"In the last campaign, Burns called Arabs `ragheads' and had to apologize. In 1994 he played along when a rancher made a demeaning comment about African Americans. Last month he told a woman, within earshot of the media, that he was looking forward to getting `knee-walking drunk.' ... Asked what his greatest successes over two decades were, aides touted a cell-phone measure that requires providers to route emergency calls to the closest hospital and another that opens the satellite spectrum to public auction." -- Time on Conrad Burns, who lost in 2006

Do lawmakers present different faces on Capitol Hill and at home? How do Hill activities affect their standing at home? And how do constituency pressure affect what they do on the Hill?

Davidson & Oleszek, ch. 5
Fenno, ch. 5-6

Feb 12, 14: Leaders and Parties

"Having five children in six years is the best training in the world for speaker of the House. It made me the ultimate multitasker and the master of focus, routine and scheduling." -- Nancy Pelosi

Do leaders drive the rank-and-file members, or merely reflect their views? What is the connection between congressional parties and electoral parties? How does majority or minority status change the way lawmakers do their work?

Davidson & Oleszek, ch. 6
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).
Harold Meyerson, "How Nancy Pelosi Took Control," The American Prospect, June 2004, at http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=12361
Elsa Walsh, "Minority Retort" (Harry Reid profile), The New Yorker, August 8, 2005, at http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/050808fa_fact

Feb 19, 21: Bills and Committees

"As members of the minority party, we have virtually no influence on the [Judiciary] committee. Our legislative initiatives are usually blocked -- except in a few cases, such as the 1984 crime bill" -- Rep. Vin Weber (R-MN), 1987

"Throughout Friday's Judiciary Committee hearing, the Chairman treated Democratic Members and the witnesses with hostility and contempt. He disparaged Democratic Members, refused to entertain points of order, and in violation of the Rules, abruptly adjourned the hearing in a fit of pique." -- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), 2005

Do lawmakers actually read or write the bills? What are the strategies and tactics of legislative drafting? What do committees do? How do they differ from one another?

Davidson & Oleszek, ch. 7.
Victoria Nourse and Jane Schacter, "The Politics of Legislative Drafting: A Congressional Case Study," New York University Law Review 77 (June 2002), at: http://famguardian.org/TaxFreedom/LegalRef/StatConstruction/Nourse.pdf
Black, ch. 1-5.

FIVE-PAGE PAPER ASSIGNED FEBRUARY 19, DUE MARCH 5.

ONE-PAGE MEMO ON SIMULATION ROLE DUE FEBRUARY 26.

Feb 26, 28: The Floor and Procedure

“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? How does Congress deliberate on issues?

Davidson & Oleszek, ch 8-9.
Black, ch. 6-8.

Mar 5, 7: Congress and the President

"I was removed from office after being found not guilty, and here we are talking we cannot censure. Today we have reached the zenith of
unfairness. Our military, under the aegis of our President, is attempting to downgrade weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and we are
en masse as a body degrading the institution of the presidency." -- Rep. Alcee Hastings, during the Clinton impeachment

In the struggle between Congress and the president, what circumstances favor each side? How does the president try to influence Congress?

Mar 12, 14: Spring Break

Mar 19, 21: Congress and the Bureaucracy

"Can I quit now? Can I go home?" -- FEMA director Michael Brown, during Hurricane Katrina

How do bureaucratic and congressional structures affect each other? Do "iron triangles" actually exist? How well does Congress oversee the bureaucracy?

Davidson & Oleszek, ch. 11.
Campbell, ch. 6.
US Army Training and Doctrine Command, "So You've Been Asked to Testify Before Congress," at http://www.tradoc.army.mil/tpubs/misc/HANDBOOKTestifyingBeforeCongress.pdf
Susan B. Glasser and Michael Grunwald, "Department's Mission Was Undermined From Start," Washington Post, December 22, 2005, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/21/AR2005122102327.html

Mar 26-30: Legislative Simulation -- Legislative sessions may run from Monday through Friday nights. Leave evenings open.

“Termination of fecundation.” -- 1998 simulation

SIMULATION WRITEUP DUE APRIL 9.

April 2, 4: Congress, Courts, and Interests

"Depending on whose party is running the show, the arguments about how judges should be confirmed has gone back and forth like a windshield wiper. When the GOP was out of power, Republicans pounded the table about their responsibility to study the records of the nominees, while the Democrats insisted the president deserved deference. Flip things around and — boom — the Republicans want deference and the Dems bust out the Federalist Papers." -- Jonah Goldberg

In the relationship between Congress and interest groups, which is more prevalent: bribery by lobbyists, or extortion by lawmakers? How does the Senate appraise court nominees? How do interest groups affect the confirmation process?

Davidson & Oleszek, ch. 12-13
Campbell, ch. 8.

April 9, 11: Budgets and Domestic Policy

“They are depositing IOUs back into the Social Security trust fund, spending the money today, now that it is time to talk about the possibility of, oh, my God, now they are in panic, some people are pointing this out, mindless, across-the-board cuts. First, let us jack up the military spending by 10 percent, then we will cut it by 3 percent and we might get back to putting something in the lock box. I doubt it. It is fuzzy math.” -- Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), September 11, 2001, 9:20 AM.

How does Congress manage budgets, appropriations, and revenue legislation? How much federal spending is controllable? How do budgetary and policy goals shape each other?

Davidson & Oleszek, ch. 14.
Anthony Downs, "Up and Down with Ecology: The Issue-Attention Cycle," The Public Interest 28 (Summer 1972), 38-50, at http://www.anthonydowns.com/upanddown.htm
David M. Walker, "Long-Term Budget Outlook: Saving Our Future Requires Tough Choices Today" (Washington: Government Accountability Office, 2007)at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07342t.pdf
Reading on domestic policy in 110th Congress, TBA.

April 16, 18: National Security, Homeland Security, and Foreign Policy

Al Qaeda is what, I asked, Sunni or Shia?

“Al Qaeda, they have both,” Reyes said. “You’re talking about predominately?”

“Sure,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

“Predominantly — probably Shiite,” he ventured.

He couldn’t have been more wrong. Al Qaeda is profoundly Sunni. If a Shiite showed up at an al Qaeda club house, they’d slice off his head and use it for a soccer ball. -- Jeff Stein interview with Silvestre Reyes, incoming chair of the House Intelligence Committee

Davidson and Oleszek, ch. 15.
Campbell, ch. 1-5.

Apr 23, 25: Polarization

"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

What is party polarization? How has it affected each chamber?

Eilperin, all.

Apr 30, May 2: Two Congresses, Revisited

How do congressional careers evolve? Do members get better or worse? Have the House and Senate become more alike?

Fenno, ch 7-8
Davidson & Oleszek, ch. 16.

FINAL EXAMINATION: THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2:00 PM

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