Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Deals and the Shadow Congress

Adjourn at 10:35 for preliminary meetings.  Harrison Steck-- Shaheen from 2025 -- will be present to provide guidance and answer questions.  From my presidency course, recruit a president and cabinet members.

For your write-ups, explain how what you learn this week could guide your activity in the simulation.

Questions on the assignment?

For Monday, read Davidson, ch. 10.

Expertise and acceptable sources of information.

  • "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"
  • Stipulated knowledge and CBO.
  • Knowledge levels of members.    
Repeated interactions
The Secret or Shadow Congress


The final two-plus years of the Trump administration, for example, began with a government shutdown and featured two presidential impeachments. But they also saw the passage of a major conservation bill, a new trade agreement, significant criminal-justice reform, and several pandemic-relief packages.


In 2022: The House overwhelmingly passed legislation to reform the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service. Days later the Senate approved, without a single vote in opposition, a bill proposed in response to the #MeToo movement that bans the use of forced arbitration in workplace sexual-harassment and assault cases. A bipartisan group of senators also announced an agreement on a long-stalled reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, likely clearing the way for its passage.


Update 

One key is the presence of institutionalists (Cole and DeLauro -- and Thune!)

Another key is privacy

 Think about the downsides of public meetings

  • Who actually attends (or watches) and takes notes?
  • How do members behave?  What kindsof questions do they ask?

A third key is the range of potential beneficiaries:



 Image result for public lands forests map


The vehicle



Suspension of the rules gets around germaneness issues.

More recent examples:

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