Summary: The Influence On Members Of Congress

It’s been argued ever since the constitution was made how in touch the congress members where with the people who elect them and this argument still goes on today. With the 425 members of the House each has a district which averages nearly 650,000 people, this is a vast number with many arguing that there is little chance that congress can be in touch with the people when they have to represent such vast numbers. However, the other side of the argument displays evidence that in fact the members of congress are able to stay in touch and represent the people who elect them.

The Power and Significance of Congress Firstly it is important to look at the power and significance of congress as a legislative body. This includes the creation of law, and the scrutiny of the executive. Because the US federal system is ruled by 'separation of powers', it is important that the legislative - congress - acts as a good check and restraint on the executive - the president.

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.

Throughout history, there have been many factors that seem to have influenced the operations of Congress. Some of these factors have been the committee system, seniority, and political parties. These are only a few of the factors that actually have an influence on Congress’s decisions of certain operations.

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.

In forming a government for the people, by the people, and of the people, our Founding Fathers developed the idea a bi-cameral legislature. This Congress, composed of the House of Representatives and Senate, thus became known as the people’s branch of government. American children are taught in schools that anyone can be elected to Congress, so long as they meet the qualifications of the Constitution. So long as you meet the age and residency requirements you are indeed qualified to be a candidate for Congress.

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

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

Within the United States of America 's democratic system, there are paths that representatives can follow in voting when it comes to the terms of how to best influence the living state of the government and the country. There are numerous ways that Congressional members can be influenced in regards to how they cast ballots, but the most prominent ones are found in constituent opinions, interest groups, and political parties in general. The Legislative Branch of government that Congress resides in was designed to hold the strongest amount of power, even with checks and balances of other Branches enabled, because it is to represent the Framers ' major goals (Ginsberg et al 2012, 41). With how this branch of the government was designed it holds many powers in regards to voting on major government issues, and is full of individuals who we place our trust in. However, the influences mentioned above can be done in both positive or negative ways, so what we must find and address are if the influences are for the greater or worsening of our existence, and if allowing these to continued is the proper way to achieve the best outcome in regards to decisions made for the country. Is it possible that there is a grandly best path for members to follow in deciding how to vote, or are these aforementioned influences the only way to truly decide such important decisions?

In my opinion, I feel that constituents have power over congress members because they have the power to vote them in or out of office. On the other hand, I feel that voting constituents have the least amount of influence over congress members, who strive for money contributions in order to, run their political campaigns, compared to donors and PACs.

Members of Congress are held accountable to a variety of political forces ranging from the district and federal level. Overall, members of Congress’ predominant goal are to be reelected. To accomplish this feat, the support of the constituents is the driving influence. When analyzing

The author, David Doherty, in this article, “To Whom Do People Think Representatives Should Respond: Their District or the Country”, attempts to understand whether voters recognize the incentives in a representative democracy and reward legislators for prioritizing district preferences over the nations. In order to answer this question, the author performs two experiments by asking participants to examine legislators who supported or opposed a certain bill. By understanding people’s responses, political scientists are able to evaluate whether the accountability principle is constant with the mechanism built into Congress by the Constitution.

We, as American citizens, get the opportunity to choose who is a part of Congress, so do not reelect the person that lied and failed to uphold their promises. The perception that many people have towards the Congress members only caring about themselves also influences a number of people less

The phrase, “We the people”, holds a lot of meaning to American citizens. As the first three words of the United States Constitution, it signifies a core value intended to act as a unifying factor in America’s democratic society: popular sovereignty. This is the idea of a majority rules, or to put more simply, the one with the most votes wins. The U.S. system of government relies upon the fact that the American people are capable of coming together to make informed decisions about matters that will ultimately better the lives of everyone. Despite this, however, there are certain instances in which a minority group will impose on or have more influence than the majority group. This phenomenon occurs all the time in politics, as politicians tend to regard the predilections of small groups of citizens as opposed to the general populace.

The consequences of federal pork barreling are today's public opinions of Congress. Voters express a sixty percent approval rating of their own personal representatives. However, voters opinion of Congress as a