PS201 Review

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REVIEW

These discussion questions are to help refresh your memory on course material. This is
not a comprehensive study guide, if you want to do well on the exam you will need to
utilize the textbook and recorded lectures as well as your notes because these questions
do not cover everything.

As you are studying, think about the positive and negative effects that changes in
government structure or processes might have.

Helpful video links are on the last page

1. How are members of Congress elected?


a. Members of congress are elected by voters in congressional districts. A
Representative is elected by only those eligible voters residing in the
congressional district that the candidate will represent. Election winners are
decided by the plurality rule. The Constitution sets three qualifications for service
in the U.S. Senate: age (at least thirty years of age); U.S. citizenship (at least
nine years); and residency in the state a senator represents at time of election.

b. House of Representatives - Elected proportionally by districts


i. Article I, Section 2, Clause 1:
ii. No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have
attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven
Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not,
when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he
shall be chosen.
1. Must be 25 or older
2. Been a citizen for 7 years or more
3. Live in the state that they are elected to represent
iii. Elected every 2 years
c. Senate - Equal Representation
i. [U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 3, clause 3]
ii. No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of
thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who
shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall
be chosen. [U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 3, clause 3]
1. Must be at least 30
2. Citizen for at least 9 years
3. Live in the state that they represent
iii. Elected every six years
1. But ⅓ of senate is up for reelection every two years
2. How are the Senate and the House of Representatives different and why?
a. A senator represents the entire state while the House represents specific
districts.
b. The Great Compromise influenced the structure that is laid out in the Constitution
to balance the demands of large states for national representation and those of
small states for the protection of state rights. Additionally, both the House and the
Senate have created their own rules and structures to deal with the problems of
collective action (committees are just one example).
c. Senate → More insulated chamber. Theoretically, it can be considered
to be like a cooling saucer to calm and moderate ideas flowing up from
the public or the House of Representatives to pursue public interest
rather than temporal sways in public opinion or emotion. Equal
representation.
i. Senators are also more independent than house members because they
serve longer terms and have the rule of equality (within the senate). Party
leadership in the senate is less formal.
d. House → More related to the public and therefore more closely reflects
the public will. Proportionally representation. Committees tend to be
more powerful and formal in the House of Representatives.

3. What is Congressional Redistricting? What are the advantages and disadvantages


of this reoccurring process?
a. Every 10 years accompanied by new census data, the party in control of
congress can redraw districts for representation. The advantage of this is that
parties often redraw districts to advantage themselves and slight their opponents
to continue their majority as long as possible, this can often lead to
gerrymandering which is often fought over in court and can lead to media
spectacle (Moore v Harper for example).
b. When redistricting, state legislatures or redistricting commissions are
provided certain criteria with which to draw the lines. These criteria are
intended to make the districts easy to identify and understand, and to ensure
fairness and consistency.
c. All states must comply with the federal constitutional requirements related to
population and anti-discrimination. For congressional redistricting, the
Apportionment Clause of Article I, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution requires
that all districts be as nearly equal in population as practicable, which
essentially means exactly equal. For state legislative districts, the Equal
Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires
that districts be substantially equal. Some say that 10 percent deviation in
population from one district to the next is a safe standard. However, that has
not proven to be a guaranteed protection from court scrutiny or revision.
Several states have provided for their own deviation standard. For instance,
Colorado prohibits districts from having a population deviation above 5
percent (Colo. Const. Art. V, § 46).
d. In addition to population equality, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
prohibits plans that intentionally or inadvertently discriminate on the basis of
race, which could dilute the minority vote.
e. In addition to these mandatory standards set out by the U.S Constitution and
the Voting Rights Act, states are allowed to adopt their own redistricting
criteria, or principles, for drawing the plans. Principles, or criteria, may be
found in state constitutions or statutes or be adopted by a legislature,
chamber, or committee, or by a court that is called upon to draw a plan when
the legislative process fails.
f. These traditional districting principles (or criteria) have been adopted by
many states:
■ Compactness: Having the minimum distance between all the parts
of a constituency (a circle, square or a hexagon is the most
compact district).
■ Contiguity: All parts of a district being connected at some point
with the rest of the district.
■ Preservation of counties and other political subdivisions: This
refers to not crossing county, city, or town, boundaries when
drawing districts.
■ Preservation of communities of interest: Geographical areas,
such as neighborhoods of a city or regions of a state, where the
residents have common political interests that do not necessarily
coincide with the boundaries of a political subdivision, such as a city
or county.
■ Preservation of cores of prior districts: This refers to maintaining
districts as previously drawn, to the extent possible. This leads to
continuity of representation.
■ Avoiding pairing incumbents: This refers to avoiding districts that
would create contests between incumbents.

g.
4. Why is the modern Congress often gridlocked or viewed as ineffective?
a. Modern Congress is often gridlocked or viewed as ineffective because of the
difficulty to make collective decisions among political parties, as well as the
chambers themselves (the Senate and the House of Representatives). Congress
heavily relies on committees (know the different types) which filter bills and
effectively reduce the number of bills introduced to the floor (increasing
efficiency). However, committees can also have political bias which leads to the
withholding of bills for purely ideological reasons, so while they can be effective
in some instances, in most, bills never make it to the floor, meaning fewer and
fewer bills are being passed.
b.
5. At what points can a bill fail (die) in the legislative process?
a. On the house calendar, sometimes it doesn’t reach the floor at all
b. In committee, when it gets to floor, can pass different versions which then means
a conference committee must vote and if they don’t agree then it dies, president
can veto, congress overrides veto and it becomes a law, once a law supreme
court can kill the law (judiciary)
c. If an agreement cannot be reached, the bill “dies.” If an agreement is
reached, the bill returns to both chambers. Both the Senate and the
House of Representatives must approve the bill before it can be sent to
the governor for signature. The Governor Signs The Bill Into Law.
d. Look at the chart in your textbook
e. https://www.voxmagazine.com/city/how-a-bill-lives-and-how-a-bill-
dies/article_97cebf42-d7b7-11e8-bc11-6bcf8d3e18d1.html#1
f.
6. What are the different theories of presidential power and what do they say affects
power?
See below
a. What affects presidential greatness?
1) Tenure in office
2) Public Persuasion
3) Military hero
4) Crisis Leadership
5) Economic Growth
6) Intellectual brilliance
7) Assassination
8) Scandal
9) Longer serve in office
10) Moral Authority
11) International Relations
7. What did the War Powers Act of 1973 do?
a. The War Powers Act of 1973 requires the president to inform Congress within 48
hours of committing troops abroad in a military action. It also requires the
operation to end within 60 days unless Congress approves an extension. The bill
was passed over Nixon’s veto.
8. Describe / Summarize Article II of the Constitution
a. Article II of the constitution states the power of the executive branch is vested in
the president. It enumerates the powers given to the president, such as they are
the commander in chief of the army, they can make treaties etc. It also describes
the process for electing and removing the president and establishes the
president’s powers as well as their responsibilities. It says that the president has
to be elected through the electoral college and must be a natural born citizen of
at least 35 years of age. Article II also discusses term length. Article II discusses
the terms of presidential succession (what would happen if the president died,
removed from office, or resigned). It is also stated that presidential pay may not
be changed during the term.
9. What are the informal powers of the President, and what purpose do they serve?
What are the limitations of these informal powers?
a. The informal powers of the president include issuing executive orders,
b. influencing legislative agenda
c. Activating the military without a declaration of war. Limitations of the president
include that they need congressional approval to declare war
d. Signing Statements
e. Etc. There are more
10. How has Presidential power changed over time and what have been the
ramifications of these changes?
a. Give examples
b. Presidential power has increased over time due to the involvement of the United
States in global politics as well as the necessity of presidential power during
times of crisis.
c. Growth of the size of government is another reason presidential power
has increased. Why might this be the case?
d. FDR Modern presidency shifts towards, significant role for the president in
domestic policy, dominant role for president in foreign policy, substantial
administrative state, and vast federal government with expansive policy
responsibilities.
e. Ramifications: The president’s unilateral policymaking ability is limited by money
(because of Congress), this often leads to gridlock. Polarization. Too much
presidential power undermines the American democratic system.

11. What is the bureaucracy, how has it changed over time and why has it grown?
What are the impacts of these changes?
- George Washington was given the sole right of removal of officials by the First
Congress. Thanks to Vice President John Adams’ tie breaking vote in the Senate. -
thanks john
- The Spoils System- created by Andrew Jackson to democratize administration, it
supported rotation in offices and allowed winning parties to dispense government jobs.
- The fight against the Spoils System began with the Pendleton Act (1883).This was a
response to Garfield’s assasination. :( The Pendleton Act was the basis of the modern
civil service, but put only 10 percent of federal jobs under the merit system.
- The Brownlow Committee- as the power of the Federal government and presidential
power increased, the president found himself more in need of help. In 1937, the
Brownlow Committee created the Executive Office of the President as a collection of
agencies designed to advise and otherwise assist presidents.
- The bureaucracy is a complex structure of offices, tasks, and rules in which employees
have specific responsibilities and work within a hierarchy of authority. Government
bureaucracies are charged with implementing policies
- The bureaucracy has changed and has expanded over time with economic growth. More
government agencies were needed to regulate this growing economy.
- The impacts of these changes include a more powerful federal government and
executive branch, being able to better respond to the needs of the people due to
specialization; helps us avoid corruption and incentivizes high quality work

12. What advantages do bureaucrats have over lawmakers or the president


a. Expertise
b. See if there are others using Dr. Morris’ lectures and the textbook
13. What is the relationship between bureaucracy and Congress?
a. How do bureaucracies grow? How are they funded?
14. How do federal judges and Supreme Court Justices obtain their positions, what
are the advantages and disadvantages of this system?
a. Appointed by president, confirmed by senate
b. What are advantages and disadvantages of this process?

15. Describe the structure of the Federal Court system


a. Supreme Court: 9 ppl
i. Highest court
b. Court of Appeals: 3 ppl
i. Appellate Jurisdiction- Power to change or reverse a ruling made by
district courts
c. District Courts
i. Original Jurisdiction- First to hear a case
16. How can the branches of government hold each other and the bureaucracy
accountable?
a. President check on congress
i. Presidential veto
1. Congress can override the veto via ⅔ vote
b. Court check on Congress and President
i. Judicial review
c. Congress check on President
i. President can’t introduce legislation on his own
ii. Can override veto
iii. Can impeach
iv. Senate confirms key political appointments
v. Can pass laws to limit power
d. Congress check on Court
i. Can pass amendments
e. Checks on Beaucracy
i. Look at Morris’ lectures, textbooks, or the videos posted at the bottom of
this document
17. Example Essay -
a. Is government efficient (explain your answer and give examples of what makes
government efficient or inefficient)
i. Yes. By the design of the founders, the constituents within districts rely on
the forces of opportunism and self-service from their representatives. The
constant effort and strain for positive public perception urges politicians to
do what they think their voters would like best, and therefore by doing so
they help themselves to remain in power as well as benefitting the welfare
of their constituents. As a byproduct of the clash of these forces, we have
deliberation, through which conscious and purposeful legislation can be
passed. The existence of checks and balances exists to root out the
things that slip through the cracks or the excess of this process.
b. what change would you to do improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
government?
i. Term limits to prevent the existence of career politicians, encouraging
more capable people to run to serve the issues of their specific time.
c. What political opposition or ramifications would result?
i. Problems that this could raise is the argument about the job of politician
being an incredibly specialized and inaccessible field or one that should
be sought after by Americans who wish to advocate for change. As it
takes many terms to pass large legislation, term limits could also throw a
wrench in the swift and seamless completion of collective action
problems.

Helpful Videos Below

Interactions among Branches of Government - Kahn Academy


Policy and the Branches of Government

Congress
● Crash Course on the Bicameral Congress
● Crash Course - Congressional Elections
● Crash Course - Congressional Committees
● Crash Course - Congressional Leadership
● Crash Course - How a Bill Becomes a Law
● Crash Course - Congressional Decisions
● Kahn Academy - The Senate and the House of Representatives
● Kahn Academy - Structures, Powers, and Functions of Congress
● Kahn Academy - Congressional Behavior
● Kahn Academy - Congressional Elections

The Presidency
● Crash Course Presidential Powers (Part 1 - Formal Powers)
● Crash Course Presidential Powers Part 2 (Informal Powers ---Growth of Presidential
Powers)
● Crash Course How Presidents Govern
● Changes to the role of the Presidency
● Expansion of Presidential Power
● How Have the Powers of the President Changed
The Bureaucracy
● Bureaucracy Basics - Crash Course
● Types of Bureaucracies - Crash Course
● Controlling Bureaucracies - Crash Course
● Introduction to the federal bureaucracy - Khan Academy
● Iron Triangles and Issue Networks - Kahn Academy
● Discretionary and Rule-making Authority -Kahn Academy
● Congressional Oversight of the Bureaucracy - Kahn Academy
● Presidential Oversight of the Bureaucracy - Kahn Academy

The Federal Judiciary


● Legal System Basics - Crash Course
● Structure of the Court System - Crash Course
● The Supreme Court of the US - Crash Course
● Judicial Review - Crash Course
● Judicial Decisions - Crash Course
● Article Three of the Constitution - Kahn Academy
● Marbury v Madison - Kahn Academy
● Stare Decisis and Precedent in the Supreme Court - Kahn Academy
● The Court in Action - Kahn Academy
● Executive and Legislative Disagreements with the Supreme Court - Kahn Academy
● Checks on the Judicial Branch - Kahn Academy
● State Checks on the Judicial Branch - Kahn Academy
● Senate Confirmation as a Check - Kahn Academy
● Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint - Kahn Academy
● Increased Politicization of the Supreme Court - Kahn Academy

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