Reference no: EM133943444

Assignment:

Members of Congress and Voting Decisions

In this assignment, you will examine in detail how Members of Congress decide to vote on proposed legislation. In this case, there is a bill to amend the U.S. constitution to ban burning the American flag.

First, review Chapter 11 in the Patterson text. Then, find the interactive module "How a Member Decides to Vote" [note: the simulation takes a minute or two to load in your browser]

Go through the simulation, putting yourself in the position of a Member of Congress and think about how would you make your decision. As you go through the module, take notes (you don't need to turn them in) on how various individuals, groups, and factors influenced your decision. These could include:

• Communications from average constituents in your district
• Contacts from community leaders in your district
• Lobbying/pressure from interest groups inside/outside your district
• Advice of political leaders - party leaders, other members, the president, etc.
• The type of district you represent (urban/rural)
• The majority view/overall public opinion in your district
• Your personal views about flag burning and constitutional rights

Now, respond to the following questions in complete sentences. Be sure to reflect your learning from Patterson as well as the module.

1. First, tell me what kind of district you represent (urban, suburban or rural) and how you voted on the amendment: yea or nay. I need to know in order to best evaluate your responses below.

2. Which people or groups made the most compelling arguments on the substance of the legislation? That is, who had the biggest influence on your support or opposition to the bill based strictly on its merits (the pros and cons of banning flag burning)? Name at least three people and briefly explain why they were important to your voting decision.

3. How did political considerations influence your decision? That is, how did you evaluate the impact of your vote on things like your re-election chances, your position in Congress, your standing in your political party, local community and so forth? Discuss at least three people not mentioned above from your meetings, phone calls and emails, and explain how their input had an impact on your political calculations. (Remember, the assignment is to put yourself in the position of a Member of Congress, not just a student with nothing to lose).

4. As a lawmaker would you generally act as a trustee or delegate? Explain.

5. Let's say your party leaders strongly support you and are concerned your vote may have a negative impact at election time. So, they (and you) want to make it easier for you to get reelected. Because your party controls the state legislature and governorship, they can redraw your district boundary to make it very unlikely you'll face competitive challengers in the future. Doing so would be an example of ________________. (no need to explain; just give the term)

BONUS :

True or False: In terms of the legislative process, the Speaker has more power in the House of Representatives than the Majority Leader has in the Senate. [just respond with True or False; no need to explain].