Congressional Decisions: Crash Course Government and Politics #10

Summary

This Crash Course episode explores the factors influencing Congress members' decisions, focusing on constituents, interest groups, and political parties. It explains how these factors vary in importance and affect voting behavior, emphasizing the role of information in shaping policy. The video also discusses the impact of party discipline, the Hastert Rule, and the president's influence on Congress, highlighting the complexity of decision-making in a representative democracy.

Takeaways

• 🤔 The decisions of congressmen are influenced by three main factors: their constituency, interest groups, and political parties.
• 🗳️ Constituents matter most to representatives and senators, especially when voting on bills that can be checked by voters before an election.
• 🏠 Congressmen often focus on direct service to constituents, known as case work, to build up their record and spend more time in their home states and districts.
• 📊 Constituents' views can affect congressmen through public opinion polling, allowing them to anticipate and respond to voter preferences.
• 💼 Interest groups provide valuable information to congressmen for bill writing and policy cases, and are most influential during the committee stage of legislation.
• 💵 Interest groups contribute financially to campaigns and assist in bill writing, but their influence is often more about excluding provisions rather than inserting them.
• 🎉 Political parties can pressure congressmen to vote a certain way, especially when the party is unified and strong.
• 📉 The Hastert Rule exemplifies how party leadership can control what legislation comes to the floor for a vote.
• 🤝 Logrolling, a form of quid-pro-quo bargaining, is facilitated by parties and can occur during both the writing and voting stages of legislation.
• 🏛️ The president has the most power when their party also holds the majority in Congress, allowing them to set the policy agenda.
• 🚫 Divided government, where the president and congressional majority are from different parties, can lead to obstructionism and an opposition-focused policy agenda.

Q & A

What are the three main factors that influence congressmen when making decisions?

The three main factors that influence congressmen are their constituency, interest groups, and political parties.

How do constituents influence a congressman's decisions?

Constituents influence a congressman's decisions primarily through voting, direct service (case work), and public opinion polling.

Why do representatives pay more attention to their constituents when voting on bills?

Representatives pay more attention to their constituents when voting on bills because votes are a public record that constituents can easily check, especially before an election.

What is the role of interest groups in influencing congressmen?

Interest groups provide valuable information to congressmen for writing bills or making policy cases to their constituents. They also contribute to campaigns and assist in bill writing.

Why is the influence of interest groups more negative than positive during legislation?

Interest groups are more influential in excluding provisions from laws rather than inserting them, making their influence more negative. This practice is easier and helps to obfuscate their impact on legislation.

How do political parties affect lawmakers?

Political parties affect lawmakers by exerting pressure through party leadership, organizing logrolling, and setting policy agendas, especially when the party is unified and strong.

What is the Hastert Rule and how does it influence legislation?

The Hastert Rule is a practice where a bill is brought to the floor for a vote only if a majority of the majority party supports it. It influences legislation by ensuring party unity and discipline.

How does the president's party influence Congress?

The president's party influences Congress by setting the policy agenda when the same party controls both houses and the presidency, allowing them to take credit for successful policies or avoid blame for unsuccessful ones.

What is logrolling and how does it occur in Congress?

Logrolling is a quid-pro-quo bargaining system where lawmakers exchange votes on legislation. It occurs most obviously at the voting stage but can also be part of the writing of legislation in committees.

What is the impact of divided government on Congress's policy agenda?

Divided government, where the president and the congressional majority are from different parties, makes it easier for Congress to set a policy agenda by opposing whatever the president wants.

What are some other factors that influence congressional decision-making besides the main three?

Other factors include personal lives of individual congressmen, congressional history, and the structures and procedures of Congress itself.