Unit 2 Interactions Among Branches of Government Lecture

Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government Lecture & Discussion 3: Congressional Behavior

Enduring Understanding The republican ideal in the United States is manifested in the structure and operation of the legislative branch.

Objective(s) To explain how congressional behavior is influenced by election processes, partisanship, and divided government.

Do Now Read the information graphic “In Congress as well as Public, the Center Increasingly Cannot Hold” and respond to the prompts. 1. Describe the data. 2. Describe a pattern or trend in the data 3. Draw a conclusion about the pattern or trend.

A Profile: 116 th U. S. Congress

A. Congressional Profile Most members of Congress are. . . • middle-aged • White • Protestant • male • lawyers

A Look at Our Representatives U. S. House GOP members celebrating passage of legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare (ACA) with American Health Care Act (AHCA) - 2017

A. Congressional Profile Review your profile of Congress to answer the following questions. 1. Viewed simplistically, how might the make-up of Congress impact public policy 2. Given the traditional make-up of Congress, what factors might account for the diversity of views among seemingly similar people over the years?

B. Political Polarization 1. Data shows Congress has become more politically polarized in past few decades 2. Ideological separation between Democrats and Republicans has resulted in gridlock 3. Question…What has contributed to the divide?

C. Contributing Factors 1. Role Conception • representational view: members vote as “delegates” based on the clear view of his or her constituents related to a specific issue • organizational view: members vote as “partisans” or along party-lines to demonstrate goodwill towards his or her colleagues

C. Contributing Factors 1. Role Conception • attitudinal view: members vote as “trustees” based on his or her own ideological beliefs or convictions • Evidence politico: members combineview the is roles of shows attitudinal becoming “delegate, ” “partisan, ” “trustee”members to act as more prevalent as moreand ideological a “practical” politician are elected into office contributing to political polarization in Congress

C. Contributing Factors 2. Incumbency • serving in Congress has become a career • “professional politicians” have become increasingly “out of touch with the people”

C. Contributing Factors 2. Incumbency • most incumbents running for reelection win in “safe” districts with over 55% of the vote due to : high visibility franking privileges Incumbent reelection rates in “safe” districts low voter turnout enable elected officials togerrymandering behave in a more ideological manner contributing to political credit for district improvements polarization in Congress capacity to fundraise

A Look: Congressional Reelection

C. Contributing Factors 3. Gerrymandering • the creation of an odd-shaped electoral district in order to favor the candidate of one party

C. Contributing Factors 3. Gerrymandering • fragmenting: party in power shapes districts that break the other party’s majority into fragments, thereby denying fair representation • packing: creating a few districts that contain a large majority of the minority party’s voters, leaving the several remaining districts for the party in power to win

How Are Districts Drawn? 37 state legislatures draw congressional boundaries (majority party) 4 states use an independent commission: Arizona, California, Idaho, and Washington 2 states use politician commissions: Hawaii and New Jersey 7 states have only one congressional district each, so do not draw boundaries for the U. S. House of Representatives - Brookings Now, 2017

C. Contributing Factors 3. Gerrymandering creates “safe” districts for the two major parties and diminishes the influence of moderates contributing to political polarization in Congress

The Redistricting Game http: //redistrictinggame. org

Supreme Court Speaks Gerrymandering, redistricting, and unequal representation of constituencies have been partially addressed by the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Speaks Directions: 1. Read the case summaries for Baker v. Carr (1962) and Shaw v. Reno (1993). 2. Respond to the prompts. 3. Complete a brief for both cases that includes the facts, arguments, decision, opinions, and precedent.

Supreme Court Speaks Baker v. Carr (1962): established the right of federal courts to review the “political question” of state redistricting issues and paved the way for the “one man, one vote” standard of American democracy. Shaw v. Reno (1993): established that redistricting on the basis of race must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny under the equal protection clause.