CMC Congress Course: Political Deals II

For next week, Davidson, ch. 10.

Student hours tomorrow by appointment only.

Reviewing research sources

Statements of Administration Policy -- indications of whether POTUS will sign or veto.
Lobbying data
Congress.gov (http://www.congress.gov/) -- official site for bill summary and status
GovTrack (http://www.govtrack.us/) – unofficial site for congressional information
ProQuest Congressional (http://congressional.proquest.com/profiles/gis/search/basic/basicsearch ). -- many congressional documents including searchable Congressional Record. If your computer will not accept this URL, go through the library web page (http://library.claremont.edu). Click “databases,” then the letter “P,” then “ProQuest Congressional.”)
Committee web pages, which usually contain testimony and text of reports. See http://www.house.gov/committees/ or https://www.senate.gov/committees/index.htm

Crisis and Scandal as a Prod to Action

Public Lands Case Study

Most public lands are in the West:

A couple of quotations about Congress and life in general:

"At some point somebody has to decide, let's do it the old-fashioned way, which is `one thing I hate for one thing I love.'" (Lawrence, p. 39)
"Here's a list of what we have to have. Here's a list of the ones we really, really hate. Here's a list of `if you put this language on page 4 we could swallow it.' And then you work that list." (Lawrence, pp. 40-41).

Suspension of the rules gets around germaneness issues.

More recent examples:

The Dairy Cliff: