Day 4 – The Professionalization of Congress

July 1, 2013

Edmund Burke in the News “Edmund Burke Has a Lot to Teach Today’s

Conservatives” http

://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ej-dionne-edmund-burke-has-a-lot-to-teach-todays-conservatives/2013/06/30/10f8c95c-e1b5-11e2-a11e-c2ea876a8f30_story.html

Institutionalized Organizations Three major characteristics:

Well-bounded Example?

Relatively Complex Example?

Use of universalistic rather than particularistic criteria Example?

Well-BoundedWhat argument is Polsby supporting with this graph?

The “Graying Congress” - http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-CONGRESS_AGES_1009.html

Relative Complexity How does the early Congress make

decisions/divide the labor of law making? http://www.house.gov/committees/ http://www.govtrack.us/congress/committees/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

List_of_current_United_States_House_of_Representatives_committees

Universalistic Criteria

What argument is Polsby supporting with this graph?

Are these patterns still supported? The GOP’s “Young Guns”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2GXMqSLpOJQ

DOL (p.34) – House reforms in the 1970s The “Republican Revolution” in 1994. In spite of efforts like the “Young Guns” and

reforms in the House, seniority is still a powerful force. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487

04405704576063940105791446.html

Evolution of a Legislator’s Job What mechanisms drive the increase of

careerism in the U.S. Congress? Increase in one-party states and districts

(following what events?) Growth of national government Increased prestige with the position Benefits of seniority

Tonight’s Reading

“The League of Dangerous Mapmakers” by Robert Draper.

In Class Response Essay In roughly one handwritten page, answer the following

question. You can use your notes to answer the question.   Both the text (DOL pp.28-40) and Polsby (1968) discuss the

increasing “institutionalization” of Congress. Many argue that institutionalization is bad for the country and is the reason why Congress is ineffective. This has led to a number citizens and groups to advocate imposing term-limits on members of Congress (e.g. establishing a maximum number of terms they can serve). Would you support a constitutional amendment that imposed term-limits on members of the House of Representatives? Why yes or no? Use the course material to support your argument.