Congressional Leadership: Crash Course Government and Politics #8
Summary
TLDRCrash Course Government and Politics explores the intricate leadership structure of Congress, highlighting key figures like the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader. The video explains how these leaders, often elected by the majority party, wield significant influence through committee assignments, agenda setting, and media access. It also touches on the role of political parties in shaping legislation and maintaining discipline, emphasizing the impact of party unity on Congress's efficiency and the public's perception of government actions.
Takeaways
- ποΈ The Congressional leadership includes roles such as Majority Leader, Minority Whip, and they are closely tied to political parties.
- π£οΈ The Speaker of the House is the third most powerful person in the U.S. and is elected by the majority party every two years.
- π The Majority Whip's role is to count votes and ensure party members vote in line with the party's stance.
- π The House Majority Leader is chosen by the Speaker and is influential within the party, often due to popularity with certain factions.
- π The Minority Party also has leadership roles, including a Minority Leader who acts as the party's spokesperson.
- π The Senate's leadership structure is simpler with the Majority Leader and Minority Leader, and the Vice President presiding over sessions.
- πΌ Congressional leaders exercise power through committee assignments, shaping the legislative agenda and rewarding or punishing members.
- π° Leaders have greater access to the press, which they use to set the public agenda and maintain influence.
- π΅ They also wield power through fundraising and campaign finance, directing money to key races and influencing colleagues.
- π€ Political parties are crucial in Congress for organizing, setting agendas, and providing a framework for cooperation and discipline among members.
- π€ The unity of a political party can significantly impact the leadership's ability to set andζ¨θΏ an agenda, as seen with the challenges faced by Speaker Boehner and the Tea Party Movement.
Q & A
Who are considered the leaders in Congress?
-The leaders in Congress are those with titles such as Majority Leader, Minority Whip, and others who play significant roles within their respective political parties.
What is the significance of the Majority Leader and Minority Whip in the House of Representatives?
-The Majority Leader and Minority Whip are key figures in the House of Representatives. The Majority Leader is responsible for managing the legislative agenda and ensuring party discipline, while the Minority Whip assists the Minority Leader in counting votes and maintaining party unity.
Who is the third most powerful person in the United States according to the script?
-The Speaker of the House of Representatives is considered the third most powerful person in the United States.
How often are the elections for the Speaker of the House held?
-Elections for the Speaker of the House are held every two years, coinciding with the election of the entire House of Representatives.
What is the role of the Majority Whip in the House?
-The Majority Whip's primary task is to count votes on important legislation and ensure that party members vote in line with their party's stance.
Who presides over the Senate sessions, and what is their role?
-The Vice President of the United States presides over the Senate sessions, although this is one of their few official constitutional duties.
What is the President pro tempore's role in the Senate?
-The President pro tempore presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President and is typically the most senior member of the majority party.
How do Congressional leaders exercise power in terms of committee assignments?
-Leaders exercise power by assigning members to committees, which allows them to ensure their views are represented and to reward or punish members with desirable or undesirable committee assignments.
What is the significance of the House Rules Committee in shaping the agenda of Congress?
-The House Rules Committee is significant because it decides how debate will occur in the House, including the duration of debate and whether amendments will be allowed.
How does the majority party's control of Congress impact the legislative process?
-The majority party's control of Congress ensures that they have a majority on all important committees, choose the committee chairs, and thus have a significant influence over the legislative agenda.
What challenges can lack of party unity pose to Congressional leadership?
-Lack of party unity can make it difficult for leadership to set and maintain an agenda, as seen with the Tea Party Movement's impact on Speaker Boehner's ability to lead in 2011.
How does the media's interaction with Congressional leaders influence the public's perception of political issues?
-Congressional leaders have greater access to the press, particularly TV, which allows them to set the public agenda by determining which issues are discussed and highlighted in the media.
Outlines
ποΈ Congressional Leadership Structure
This paragraph introduces the topic of Congressional leadership, emphasizing the importance of understanding the roles of key figures like the Majority Leader and Minority Whip. It explains that these leaders are deeply connected to political parties and their functions within Congress. The paragraph also mentions the significance of the Speaker of the House, who is the third most powerful person in the U.S. and is elected by the majority party every two years. The duties of the Majority Whip and Majority Leader in the House are outlined, as well as the roles of the Minority Leader and Minority Whip. The paragraph humorously notes the Speaker's influence and the process of electing these leaders, using then-Speaker John Boehner as an example.
π£οΈ Power Dynamics in Congress
This paragraph delves into the powers and strategies of Congressional leaders, particularly focusing on how they exercise influence through committee assignments, shaping the legislative agenda, and controlling media access. It discusses the role of the Speaker of the House in assigning members to committees, which can be used to reward or punish them. The paragraph also highlights the importance of party unity in facilitating an efficient legislative process and how the majority party's control over committee chairs can significantly impact the legislative agenda. The narrative touches on the challenges faced by leadership when party unity is weak, using the Tea Party Movement's impact on Speaker Boehner as an example. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to pay attention to the agenda set by Congressional leaders and the issues that are not being discussed, suggesting that understanding these dynamics can provide insight into the government's actions and inactions.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Congressional Leadership
π‘Majority Leader
π‘Minority Whip
π‘Speaker of the House
π‘Political Parties
π‘Committee Assignments
π‘Agenda Setting
π‘Media Access
π‘Fundraising
π‘Party Unity
π‘Tea Party Movement
Highlights
Congressional leadership includes positions like Majority Leader and Minority Whip, which are closely tied to political parties.
The Speaker of the House is the third most powerful person in the U.S. and is always from the majority party.
The Majority Whip's role is to count votes and ensure party members vote along party lines.
The House Majority Leader is chosen by the Speaker and is often popular within the party.
Minority Party leaders include a Minority Leader and a Minority Whip, but no Speaker.
The Senate's leadership structure is simpler with the Majority Leader and Minority Leader as key figures.
The Vice President presides over the Senate sessions, with the President pro tempore filling in when needed.
Leadership in Congress exercises power through committee assignments, shaping the legislative agenda.
The Speaker of the House has significant influence over committee assignments.
Leadership can set the agenda by controlling which issues are discussed in Congress.
Agenda setting is often a negative power, exercised by keeping items off the agenda.
Congressional leaders have greater access to the press, which helps set the public agenda.
Leadership can raise and distribute campaign funds, influencing colleagues and races.
Political parties play a crucial role in organizing and raising funds to win elections.
The majority party in each house chooses the Speaker and controls committee chairs.
Political parties provide a framework for cooperation and common values among members.
Party discipline is essential for leadership to set an agenda and maintain unity.
Lack of party unity can hinder the leadership's ability to set andζ¨θΏ an agenda, as seen with the Tea Party Movement.
Understanding Congressional leadership and their motivations can explain why certain issues are addressed or ignored.
Transcripts
Hi, I'm Craig and this is Crash Course Government and Politics, and today we're going to examine
the leadership structure of Congress! I know, pretty exciting stuff! Now calm down, let me explain.
[Theme Music]
Are you ready to talk about Congressional leadership? You better be.
So, the Congressional leadership are the Congresspersons with titles like Majority Leader
and Minority Whip, and they have a lot to do with political parties, so we're going to talk about
what the political parties do in Congress as well. Even if you don't follow politics, you probably
have heard of the name and titles, if not the functions, of the various leaders. I'm
going to need some help on this one, so... Let's go the Clone Zone!
In the Clone Zone today I've got House Clone and Senate Clone to help me explain Congressional
leadership. House Clone in the house! Take it away.
The leader of the House of Representatives is the Speaker of the House, and he or she
is the third most powerful person in the country. The speaker is always elected by whichever
party is in the majority. These elections take place every two years, because the whole
House is elected every two years. That's a lot of elections! At the time of the shooting
of the episode the Speaker of the House is John Boehner from Ohio, known for his tan, tears, and tacos.
Yeaah, he's oddly really good at making tacos. I had the barbecue pork at his house one time....
Yeah, I had the beef taco! He called it la lengua. Interesting choice.
Yeah. The speaker has two assistants to help run the house. The Majority Whip has the primary
task of counting votes on important pieces of legislation, and making the party members
vote along with their party. Whipping them into line, I suppose. (whipping noise)
The third in line is the House Majority Leader, who helps the majority and probably does other
stuff, but mainly he's chosen by the speaker because he's popular with particular factions
within the party. The Minority Party, that's the one with fewer members elected in a term,
duh (scoffs), also has a Minority Leader, and a Minority Whip, but no speaker. The Minority
Leader is the de facto spokesperson for the minority party in the House, which is why you often see him or
her on TV, or on your phone, or, your iPad, or your pager. I don't think you can see it on your pager.
Hey, that was some pretty good stuff you said there House Clone.
What's the deal with the Senate, Senate Clone?
Things are simpler over in the Senate because we have only 100 august members and not the
rabble of 435 to try to "manage." The leader of the Senate is the Majority Leader and he
(so far it's always been a he) is elected by the members of his party, which by definition
is the majority party, the one with 51 or more members. There's also a Minority Leader,
which, like the Minority Leader in the House, is the party's spokesperson. The Vice President
presides over the Senate sessions when he doesn't have anything better to do, even though
it's one of his few official constitutional duties. When the veep is off at a funeral,
or undermining the president with one of his gaffes, the President pro tempore presides.
The President pro tem is a largely ceremonial role that is given to the most senior member
of the majority party. Senior here means longest serving, not necessarily oldest, although
it can be the same thing. No one would want to be a Congressional leader if there was
no power involved, so it's important to know what powers these folks have, and how they
exercise them. Also, I'm not supposed to do this, but let's go to the Thought Bubble.
I love saying that!
The primary way that leaders in both the House and Senate exercise power is through committee
assignments. By assigning certain members to certain committees, the leadership can
ensure that their views will be represented on those committees. Also, leaders can reward
members with good committee assignments, usually ones that allow members to connect with their
constituents, or stay in the public eye, or punish wayward members with bad committee
assignments. Like the committee for cleaning the toilets or something. The Speaker of the
House is especially powerful in his role assigning Congressmen to committees.
Congressional leaders shape the agenda of Congress, having a huge say in which issues
get discussed and how that discussion takes place. The Speaker is very influential here,
although how debate happens in the House is actually decided by the House Rules Committee,
which makes this a rather powerful committee to be on. The Senate doesn't have a rules
committee, so there's no rules! Aw, yeah! There's rules. The body as a whole decides
how long debate will go on, and whether amendments will be allowed, but the Majority Leader,
if he can control his party, still has a lot of say in what issues will get discussed.
Agenda setting is often a negative power, which means that it is exercised by keeping
items off the agenda rather than putting them on. It's much easier to keep something from
being debated at all than to manage the debate once it's started, and it's also rather difficult
for the media to discuss an issue that's never brought up, no matter how much the public
might ask, "But why don't you talk about this thing that matters a lot to me?" Thanks, Thought Bubble.
Speaking of the media, Congressional leaders can also wield power because they have greater
access to the press and especially TV. That's the thing people used to watch. Instead of YouTube.
This is largely a matter of efficiency. Media outlets have only so many reporters, and they
aren't going to waste resources on the first-term Congressman from some district in upstate
New York. No one even goes to upstate New York. Is there anyone in upstate New York?
Has anyone ever gone to upstate New York?
When the Speaker calls a press conference reporters show up, and the Majority Leader can usually
get on the Sunday talk shows if he wants. Media access is a pretty handy way to set an agenda for the public.
Finally, Congressional leaders exercise a lot of power through their ability to raise
money and to funnel it into their colleague's campaign. I want colleagues like that. Each
House of Congress has a special campaign committee and whoever chairs it has the ability to shift
campaign funds to the race that needs it most, or to the Congressperson he or she most wants
to influence. The official leadership has little trouble raising money since donors
want to give to proven winners who have a lot of power, and get the most bang for their
buck. Since the leaders usually win their races easily, this is more true in the House
than the Senate. They frequently have extra campaign money to give. Often the donations
are given to political action committees, or PACs, which we'll talk about in another episode.
We're going to spend a lot of time talking about political parties, and probably having
parties of our own in later episodes, especially their role in elections, but they are really
important once Congress is in office too. One way that parties matter is incredibly
obvious if you stop to think about it. It's contained in the phrase "majority rules."
This is especially true in the House, where the majority party chooses the Speaker, but
it's also the case in the Senate. This is why ultimately political parties organize
and raise so much money to win elections: if one of the parties controls both houses and the presidency,
as the Democrats did in 2008 through 2009, that party is much more likely to actually get things done.
The party that's the majority in each house is also the majority on all of that house's
committees, or at least the important ones, and, as we saw in the last episode, committees
are where most of the legislative work in Congress gets done. Gets did. As you probably
figured out, the majority party chooses the committee chairs, too, so it's really got
a lock on that sweet legislative agenda. Parties also can make Congress more efficient by providing
a framework for cooperation. The party provides a common set of values, so a Republican from
Florida and one from Wyoming will have something in common, even if their constituents don't.
These common values can be the basis of legislation. Sometimes.
But sometimes -- [punches eagle] -- that happens.
Political parties also provide discipline in the process. When a party is more unified
it's easier for the leader to set an agenda and get the membership to stick to it. Right? Unified.
Lack of party unity can make it difficult for the leadership. In 2011 a large group
of very conservative newbie Congressmen associated with the Tea Party Movement made it difficult
for Speaker Boehner to put forward an agenda.
The Tea Party caucus felt Boehner compromised too much with the Democrats, even though his
agenda was, by some standards, pretty conservative. As a result, Congress wasn't able to get much
done, except make itself unpopular.
So, if you combine all this with the stuff we learned about Congressional committees,
you should have a pretty good understanding of how Congress actually works. Yay! Understanding!
As this course progresses and you fall in love with politics, and myself, be on the
lookout for how the leadership sets the agenda and pay attention to what issues might be
floating around that aren't getting discussed in Congress.
Understanding who the Congressional leaders are, and knowing their motivations, can give
you a sense of why things do and don't get done by the government. And, if you're lucky,
you live in a district represented by a member of leadership. In that case, the person you
vote for will be in the news all the time, which is kind of satisfying, I guess.
Yeah, I voted for that guy! Yeah! And now he's on the TV! Yeah!
Thanks for watching. We'll see you next week. What do you think, can we be unified?
Can we get things done? We can't.
Crash Course Government and Politics is produced in association with PBS Digital Studios. Support
for Crash Course US Government comes from Voqal. Voqal supports non-profits that use
technology and media to advance social equity. Learn more about their mission and initiatives
at voqal.org. Crash Course was made by all of these nice people.
Thanks for watching.
Someday, maybe the eagle and I will get along.
Not today. Not today.
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