David Mayhew's Analysis

The congressional behaviors of Representative Maxine Waters, a Democratic representative for the 43rd district of California, and that of Democratic Representative Darren Soto are both inspired by the goal of reelection. This common goal of reelection coined by David Mayhew is achieved differently by each representative depending on the demographics, political leaning, and incumbency of the district. When comparing the legislative behavior of Darren Soto, the representative of Florida’s newly drawn 9th congressional district, and that of Representative Maxine Waters from California’s 43rd Congressional district, this holding becomes evident. This paper will argue that while both Rep. Waters, and Rep. Soto are inspired by the common goal of

Most members of Congress are concerned with representing their constituents and how to change policies in order to better their districts. Fenno takes an in-depth look at how Congress represents their constituents and to what extents. Fenno’s goal in writing this book is to also show the audience that Congressmen and Congresswomen work to accurately

The Term Limits and the 1974 Budget Reform are the two reflections for week five. There has been a great debate concerning term limits. Term limits are considered to be the key point in rebuilding the relationship between the government and U. S. citizens. American citizens has lost faith in their government, because the citizens feel they are not represented, but the officials are focused on benefiting themselves. However, term limits can remove good leaders out, who may deserve to stay in office for a longer period of time. “As the authors states that “political bodies do not experience they need when there are limits on how long they can be in office. It also may keep qualified individuals from running for office” (Lee, Johnson and

Throughout the course of American politics, superstar senators have risen from the frameworks of capitol buildings on federal, state, and local levels. Some were ruthlessly manipulative in their desire to achieve success, choosing to push their own agenda for the sake of a spot in history. Others served a more earnest cause, putting their country before their party. From the founding fathers to post World War II America, senators of the extremely partisan kind worked in Washington, these men certainly were not the last of the “cut throat” politicians, their actions setting a precedent for future men and women in their partisan agenda. However, noble men who worked endlessly for the prosperity, safety, and unity of America are often swept

Term limits are a powerful political force and a vital political reform. The movement to limit political terms and thus political power has been steamrolling through American politics for years. Many American citizens have approved term limits for Congressmen, moreover many states and hundreds of cities and counties across the United States have adopted term limits for state and local officials. Such widespread support of the phenomena shows that the public is not satisfied with the prevalent careerism and thinks that amendments to the federal legislature would be beneficial for the Congress and the country as a whole. The below paper will present objective political arguments for and against the Congressional term limits. Firstly, the arguments for the term limits will be presented, the arguments against them will proceed, followed by the conclusion drawn by the author based on the conducted research.

The inter workings of Congress have been studied extensively by Richard Fenno and David R. Mayhew. Mayhew’s study of Congress took place in Washington, while Richard Fenno conducted his research by following politicians within their congressional district. Mayhew attributes three primary goals to congressmen- getting reelected, achieving influence within Congress and making “good Policy”. Fenno also attributes three basic goals, having influence inside the House than other congressmen. Second, helping their constituents and thereby insuring their reelection, and lastly helping make good policy. The purpose of this paper is to research a member of Congress and to make a direct connection between his activity in Washington and his home district. The paper will answer whether the congressmen is a delegate or trustee. Are the actions a pursuit for reelection? Are the committee assignments a path for movement within the House or outside? What legislation has he/she sponsored or co-sponsored and does it directly reflect his/her districts political view. And finally, do major industries and interest groups within his/she district affect the way he/she votes.

It was John Adams who noted that "men in general, in every society, who are wholly destitute of property, are also little too acquainted with public affairs for a right judgment, and too dependent upon other men to have a will of their own."1 This shared attitude guided the Founding Fathers in their establishment of what has become America's modern day political system. When today's modern day student is asked just what sort of system that was, it seems the answer is always "democracy." In reality, the House of Representatives is the nearest idea in accordance with a system of democracy that this country would ever reach.2 Washington, Adams, and Jefferson were the wealth and success of their time, and coincidentally, it was these same

“Not only are incumbent members of Congress able to support pork barrel legislation and do casework, they are also positioned to be able to claim credit and advertise their constituent service.” (pg.259) They often use the postal system to get their name out there and “remind the members’ constituents of all the pork he/she is responsible for delivering to his/her constituents.” (pg.260) Incumbents also use gerrymandering to their advantage in order to gain the political benefits. Another benefit to going into re-election is that incumbents “will win re-election, whether they spend more or less than their opponents.”

If Congress should have term limits or not has been a long debated question that is suggested as an amendment to the qualifications division of the Constitution. There are outstanding arguments on both side of the issue 5; unconstitutionality versus limiting power and mixture versus seniority are just a few. Term limits are requirement to upload the founder’s objectives, to inhibit unfair advantages given to resident, and to permit an assembly of additional benefits. Opponents of term limits have said in today’s world we need men and women to represent them in congress and term limits which will remove legislators when the start to become useful to constituents.

Today, career politicians are constantly looking for what will aid them in getting reelected. They become more loyal to their campaign fund contributers than to the people whom they represent. This increases the likelihood of having corrupted politicians in office, as they use the government as a vehicle to further their own career (Kurfirst, 1996, p. 123, 129). George Will, a well-known political journalist, was quoted as saying “[The] worst feature of professionalism in politics is that it obliterates the proper distance between the representatives and the represented” (Kurfirst, 1996, p. 125). Even James Madison agreed that legislators were meant to represent the people, not hold office as a career. In The Federalist No. 57 (1788), he wrote, “From this change of men must proceed a change of opinions; and from a change of opinions, a change of measures.” The lack of new faces in Congress today symbolizes that the American legislative branch is straying from its intended purpose.

However, statistics show that currently there is a ninety-four percent re-election rate in the House and eighty-three percent in the Senate. Because of name recognition and the advantage of money, it can be easy to stay in office. Representative John Dingell, Jr. of Michigan is an example of a long-serving politician. He is now eighty-seven years of age and has been serving continuously in the House of Representatives for more than fifty-seven years. Obviously, Representative Dingell has the experience. However, age may have impaired some of the effectiveness he exhibited earlier in his career. More than likely, he would not have the stamina required for the non-stop debates that we witnessed prior to the recent government shut-down. Representative Dingell certainly has had no effective campaign competition during his almost fifty-eight years in office. Without legitimate competition, there are not a lot of incentives for a member of Congress to serve the public. Furthermore, it is almost impossible for the average citizen to try to campaign against current members of Congress. 3

In order to correct “factious spirits that have tainted our public administrations”(Madison, 72), the government must control the effects of factions. He argues, “as each representative will be chosen by a greater number of citizens in the large than in the small republic, it will be more difficult for unworthy candidates to practice with success... will be more likely to centre in men who possess the most attractive merit and the most diffusive and established characters (Madison, 77).” With this statement by creating an extended republic with more representatives, the tyranny of a majority could be avoided with the addition of more qualified, democratically-elected representatives. As a result, Madison felt that creating an extended republic with more representatives with more people voting would quell the effects of

Members of Congress are voted to office by their electorate as their representatives at the congress level of democracy. In their capacity, they may decide to exercise their powers by the will of the people or according to their personal judgment. When the members of Congress opt to be the people’s delegate, their actions in the House and other congressional engagements are a reflection of the will of their district. As such, the delegate representative does not have or exercise the autonomy to represent and decide for their district. Instead, a strenuous consultation process is required to keep the people in control of all relevant decisions.

As a remedy to the issues in Congress, term limits should be implemented in the US Congress because they can prevent corruption and provide turnover in Congress. Throughout the years, working as a Congressman has become

The behavior of voters has great importance to politics as the people decide mainly who wins. The study of the behavior of the electorate has increased as politicians seek to appeal to the voters and find ways to gain followers and most importantly votes. The two articles Democratic Practice and Democratic Theory and The Responsible Electorate discuss the behavior of voters in the United States, and the importance of the electorate.