Leaders and Parties

 Americans hate Congress but like their own Members.

For Wednesday, we shall discuss the history of parties and leadership.  Carefully read the Boehner excerpt on Sakai or Canvas.

Also watch the interview with Cocaine Mitch (only 14 minutes).

(The story behind the nickname.)

Why is the House more diverse than the Senate?  (I.D.)

Hill leadership

• House
• Senate

Leadership Activities

• Legislation
• Whips and for real (Scalise is now majority leader)
• Communication:  Johnson v. Thune
• Campaign Activity; Hill Committees 
• Literally "paying your dues"

Edmund Burke:

 In all bodies, those who will lead, must also, in a considerable degree, follow. They must conform their propositions to the taste, talent, and disposition, of those whom they wish to conduct: therefore, if an assembly is viciously or feebly composed in a very great part of it, nothing but such a supreme degree of virtue as very rarely appears in the world, and for that reason cannot enter into calculation, will prevent the men of talent disseminated through it from becoming only the expert instruments of absurd projects!

Speakership elections 

McCarthy concessions (Davidson 19th ed., 135-138).

More on Wednesday about McCarthy's skill set.

After compromising with Democrats, McCarthy fell to MTV change that he had accepted.

And then came Mike Johnson

• Is party unity the same as party discipline? 
• The Cheney vote

Member Organizations

• Congressional Black Caucus
• Links to Off-Hill organizations;  the CBC Foundation

Informal Groups

• House Freedom Caucus
• The Squad