For Thursday, read Davidson ch. 1.
Objectives of the course:
- Why the institution operates the way it does
- What motivates members
- Reelection
- Power: individual and party
- Public policy
- Attention and disruption
- How the institution has changed in recent years
- Polarization
- Nationalization of elections and internal congressional politics.
- How lawmakers, activists, and ordinary citizens accomplish their aims.
- Dualities
- Two Congresses: Representative assembly and lawmaking body.
- Two chambers: House and Senate are different.
- Two parties: Republicans and Democrats differ ideologically, geographically, and demographically, though the lines have shifted over the years.
- Two kinds of status: being in the majority is really different from being in the minority.
- Two layers of lawmaking: high-profile and partisan (The Public Congress), lower-profile and practical (The Shadow Congress)
- Recent developments
- Trump administration and executive actions
- Narrow House majority, change of Senate control
- Deliberation and compromise
- Will the situation change
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