CMC Congress Course: Congress in Multiple Dimensions

ABOUT THIS BLOG

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.

There are only two major limitations: no coarse language, and no derogatory comments about people at the Claremont Colleges.

Monday, February 3, 2020

Congress in Multiple Dimensions

FOR WEDNESDAY, READ:

https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/how-to-strengthen-congress
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2020-01-21/imperial-presidency-alive-and-well (full text in email)

In Home Style, members try to convey

Qualification
Identification
Empathy

AOC-DC questions Michael Cohen:

Consider the characteristics of NY 14 as AOC goes local:

And in the Senate:

"What you have to understand about my people is that they are a noble people. Humility is their form of pride. It is their strength; it is their weakness. And if you can humble yourself before them they will do anything you ask." -- Frank Underwood

See a 1993 clip of McCain talking to little old ladies in Arizona.

Parties

Demographic sorting

Four Strategic Postures Since 1996 (House, by election year)

Majority Minority

Pres Party Dems 08 GOP 06, 18

GOP 00, 02, 04, 16 Dem 96, 98, 10,12,14

Out Party GOP 96,* 98, 10,12,14 GOP 08

Dem 06, 18* Dem 00, 02, 04, 16

* Impeachment

And there are even more flavors, as Matt Glassman points out.

Staff and staff allocations

FOUR WAYS OF BEING A MEMBER:

DISTRICT (OR STATE) SERVANTS
COMMITTEE SPECIALISTS
PARTY LEADERS
NATIONAL POLITICAL FIGURES

One major difference between the chambers is that few sitting House members run for president, and seldom get far when they do. But a fairly large fraction of current senators have gone for the White House: