Essay About Elite Members Of Society And House Of Representatives

Congress
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Congress is central to our democracy because it serves as the voice of the American
people in Washington and because it controls a formidable battery of powers that it uses
to shape policies. The framers of the Constitution provided for a bicameral (or divided)
legislature, consisting of two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate, to
serve different constituencies. The Senate was to represent the elite members of society
and be attuned more to issues of property than of population. The House was designed to
be more representative of the common people. Today, members of both chambers are
elected directly by the people. The Senate has 100 members, two from each state. It is
the more deliberative of the two bodies, while the House is more centralized and
organized. Senate rules give its leadership relatively little power and discourage
specialization. The 435 members A composite of a typical member of Congress would be
a middle-aged male lawyer whose father was of the professional or managerial class; a
native-born white, or, if he cannot avoid being an immigrant, a product of northwestern
or central Europe, or Canada.
of the House are elected from districts apportioned according to population. House rules
give House leaders more control over the legislative process and provide for House
members to specialize in certain legislative areas.
Each members primary responsibility is to the people who live in his or her district, not
to the congressional leadership or to the members political party. There are two types of
representation, or circumstances under which a person is trusted to speak for another.
Sociological representation occurs if two individuals are so similar in background,
character, interests, and perspectives that anything said by one would very likely reflect
the views of the other. These attributes are thought to help promote good representation.
The other type is agency representation, in which two individuals are formally bound
together, sometimes with a contract, so that the representative is in some way
accountable to those he or she is representing. There is an incentive to provide good
representation here because there is the possibility of being punished or somehow held
accountable for failing to speak properly for their constituents. They could be fired, or not
be re-elected.
The social composition of Congress is divided into several categories. The religious
affiliations of members are overwhelmingly Protestant. Catholics comprise the second
largest category, with Jews as a much smaller third category. In the past twenty years
minority representation has increased to include representatives who are African
American, Latino, and Asian American. The legal profession is dominant, with business
and industry and public service also being significant. A composite of a typical member of
Congress would be a middle-aged male lawyer whose father was of the professional or
managerial class; a native-born “white,” or, if he cannot avoid being an immigrant, a
product of northwestern or central Europe, or Canada.
Representatives are agents for the people, similar to the way a lawyer is an agent for his
or her client. At the very least, representatives are expected to constantly determine the
interests of their constituency and speak for those interests in Congress. Communication
is constant between constituents and congressional offices. Over one-quarter of a
representatives time and two-thirds of the time of his or her staff members is devoted to
constituency service (called “case work”).
There are several factors that determine who gets into office. First, of course, is who
decides to run and how ambitious they are, because candidacy must be decided early.
Another factor is having enough The committee system is central to the operation of
Congress.
money to fund a credible campaign. The right connections to interest groups, politicians,
and national party organizations are important. Incumbents generally have a better
chance than their challengers because of a history of service to their constituents. Every
ten years, state legislatures redraw congressional districts to reflect population changes,
and this redistricting can create open seats and pit incumbents of the same party against
one another, ensuring that one of them will lose. Redistricting can also give an advantage
to one party by clustering voters with some ideological or sociological characteristics in a
single district, or by separating such voters into several districts.
The direct benefits that congressional members provide for their constituents are
called “direct patronage,” and the most important