Government by Committee: Balancing Act: National vs. Local Priorities
Members of Congress are often asked about the role their constituents play in the decisions they make, as if the issues lack complexity and their constituents speak with one voice. Legislators are elected, in part, to exercise wise judgment when fac...
Government by Committee: Interest Groups and Professional Lobbyists
Every member of Congress is besieged by interest groups and professional lobbyists whose job it is to provide information about legislation that will support their causes. Members of Congress, legislators agree, need to listen to competing sides of ...
Government by Committee: How Party Interests Impact Legislative Decision making
In comparison to other pressures that face members of Congress as they make voting decisions, party interests sometimes take a back seat. Still representatives know just how important it is for their party to be in control. Sometimes mistakes are ma...
Health of the Nation; Health of the Planet: Is Affordable Healthcare an Individual or Governmental Responsible?
Congressman Jim McDermott argues that it is government's responsibility to see that everyone has healthcare that cannot be taken away. The United States, Mexico and Turkey lead the industrialized nations of the world in numbers of people without hea...
Government by Committee: Forming Coalitions
Getting enough votes to pass legislation is challenging, particularly when the partisan margins in the two chambers are Members of Congress need to know how to craft coalitions to either pass or block legislation. They also learn to trade votes, sup...
Government by Committee: Decisions, Decisions!
In any given year an average of 2,000 bills will make it through the various committees to the House and Senate floors. Jim McDermott, Loretta Sanchez, and Mickey Edwards talk about the strategies they have employed to help them make intelligent dec...
Party Politics: Ideological Differences Between Republicans and Democrats
There are distinct ideological differences between Republicans and Democrats. In recent years the Republicans have become more coherent in their conservatism, whereas Democrats debate about whether or not the party should be more moderate. Democrats...
Leader for a Nation: Presidential End Runs
No member of Congress can compete with the ability of the president to get news attention. In recent years some presidents have elected to appeal to the American public for support of their policies rather than rely on their ability to bargain with ...
Candidates and Campaigns: Costs of Campaigning, The
Campaigning is expensive, and the costs keep rising. Only people who have their own money or can put together an alliance of interests can finance a campaign. The constant need to raise campaign funds corrodes the process, says Tom Patterson. "You c...
Balancing Act: In Economic Terms...
In 1998 revenues from taxes equaled expenditures and the United States had a balanced budget for the first time since 1969. Only a small portion of the federal budget is really discretionary. When the country is in a deficit rather than a surplus si...