Ted Cruz Rhetorical Analysis

In the past century, people continued to express an increasingly discontent view of Congress especially true when one looks back before the Clinton Impeachment debacle As the size of the nation and the number of congressman have grown, the congress has come under attack by both public influences and congressman themselves. Yet looking at one congressman's relationship with his or her constituents, it would be hard to believe that this is the branch of government that has come under suspect. In "If Ralph Nader says congress is 'The broken branch,' how come we love our congressman so much?" author Richard F. Fenno, Jr., provides insight into this view and why, through congress coming under fire, constituents still feel positively about

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

Rand’s use of diction shows Equality as lively and energetic with phrases such as “risen in one leap”, “body whirled”, “seized a branch”, and “swung us high” to show his energy. Moreover, Rand makes the imagery seem bright and free giving a more energetic mood. His actions actions and thoughts throughout chapters 7-8 help develop more and energetic characteristics. These characteristics show more individualism than collectivism. Rand portrays him this way to show he is different from his collectivist society.

Congressional members are influenced by their subjective experiences as well as their intellectual and psychological dispositions in dealing with the variability of global politics. Foreign policies, such as declarations of war, are conceived with the intent to defend congressional interests to protect the powers of Congress. Senators and Representatives frequently determine their stance on an issue by determining how it would impact their appointment to higher office, chances for reelection, and improving their influence and legacy. Once Members of Congress have established their interests, the United States Constitution provides the framework of how Congressional interests are conveyed into laws. The lawmaking process, however, may be a tedious

In an era where strong partisan divisiveness continues to paralyze Congress, The Challenge of Congressional Representation offers a well-formulated, insightful study of the intricate relationship between Congress and their home constituencies. It invokes nostalgia for a time before the Tea Party insurgency and the dreadful Citizens United decision – a time when Congress members put “country before party”, by listening to the people they represent rather than their echo chamber and the unlimited fiscal influences of Political Action Committees. To be sure, author Richard F. Fenno presents this noble exploration as a follow up piece to his earlier study, Home Style, and maintains focus on the micro-analysis of Congress members and their relationships with their constituents (p. 1). Indeed, The Challenge of Congressional Representation seeks to fill the chasm of Congress ' personal narratives within their home constituencies through the innovative approach of personal observation and storytelling. However, the author’s transitions between first and third person can be dizzying at times. Nevertheless, the book is enjoyable and presents the reader with a captivating cast of characters and an inside glimpse of the painstaking process of casework while juggling family, hectic travel schedules, and legislative duties.

Through elaborately decorated rooms and immense marble staircases, I never expected my time in the Pennsylvania Capital Building to be quite so interesting. On June ninth, I was fortunate enough to not only attend a state senate meeting but to shadow the Senate President pro tempore, Joseph Scarnati, for an entire afternoon. This was not my first time meeting Senator Scarnati, as I had the opportunity to get to know him through various political functions in my hometown of Brookville. Brookville, located in Jefferson County, is one of eight counties that make up Senator Scarnati’s district. I first met Senator Scarnati when I was just a toddler, and upon hearing of this summer assignment, I immediately thought to call him to see if it would be possible for me to attend a senate meeting. To my surprise, I was not only in for a

In Part II of this portfolio, I selected a research paper from American Government 101 concerning Senator Dan Coats. This document represents a man who has a driving passion in government in regards to representing Indiana Hoosiers in Washington D. C. and serving the nation in various roles. Senators have many important responsibilities; therefore, by providing this research paper, critical readers and viewers may grasp a more comprehensive understanding of a senator’s role in governmental affairs throughout United States and in Indiana. Senator Dan Coats represents political responsibility by exemplifying himself as a strong-minded Indiana Senator set on limiting government, fighting for the rights of constituents, and upholding the sound

It was in this spirit that I was honored to serve as a U.S. Senate Page this past summer. Working daily on the floor of the so-called “greatest deliberative body in the world” made me further recognize the beauty of democracy. I gained such an appreciation for Congress by having a front row seat to America’s lawmaking, which exposed me in new ways to the problems and issues that we as a nation must confront.

In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Senator Smith is called upon to step up and serve his state through representation in the United States Senate. As a proud citizen of his country, Smith says that he will honor the appointment and, before long, has been whisked off to the nation’s capitol. There, he is introduced to the corruption and double-sidedness of politics. Regardless of the external stimuli, Smith never strays from his belief that the Senate should do what it was created to do and he wants to teach the country’s children the same thing. While writing his bill for a children’s camp, he says that “‘liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books’” (Mr. Smith

David Mayhew suggests member of Congress are “single-minded seekers of reelection.” Mayhew outlines several institutional factors that allow members of Congress to actively and more importantly for Mayhew’s argument, effectively, seek reelection. The effectiveness of the system to allow its members to seek reelection is notable. Mayhew comments on the systems of Congress “[meeting] the electoral needs of its members [remarkably well].” The institutions of Congress provide its members with several beneficial services and opportunities that ease the process of being reelected. First, members of Congress are granted opportunities to provide both their staff and their constituents with casework which increase loyalty to a member of congress.

Scandals from the Senate happen often and infringe upon representation. These scandals emerge from Senators breaking or not following certain rules of becoming a Senator. The types of scandals involved in the senate have various ways of undermining the acute portion of representation that is noted within the confines of becoming a Senator. Although the appointment process has proven, as previously

Toward the end of that first week I got a stark lesson in politics. Tom Linton, Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries, and I rode the same bus to work as we lived fairly near each other. One afternoon late in that first week he stopped by my office and asked if I wanted to accompany him on a visit to New Hanover County Senator John Burney’s office in the Legislative Building on the way to the bus stop. Linton had promoted development of a bill that would allow ¼ of 1% of the un-rebated motorboat fuel tax to be assigned to his program for research and development. Burney was handling the bill in the Senate. The door was open to Burney’s office and he was standing with his back to us as we walked in. Linton, in his usual “hail-fellow-well-met” manner asked Burney how his [Linton’s] motor boat fuel tax bill was faring. Burney did not respond for what seemed an eternity. Then he slowly turned, faced Linton, stuck his finger at Linton’s chest and said, “Doctor, I asked you for a favor on a permit 10 days ago, you have done nothing with my request and your motor boat fuel tax bill will rot in hell.” Linton was taken aback and Burney turned back to shuffling papers on his desk. Then he turned again and, with a sly grin, growled, “Politics is hell, Doctor.” We both backed out of Burney’s office and walked to the bus stop in

Fenno argues studying the behavior of House members in their district or their home style is important because this interpretation reveals the logic behind of representative’s behavior in a more nuanced manner than attributing their actions to the political climate of Washington, D.C. Fenno describes home style as the manner in which a representative conducts herself or himself in their district and constituents. Observing a House member’s behavior at in their district explains several factors of a representative’s conduct not explained when only focusing on their actions in Washington. First, studying a representative’s home style reveals the logic behind a representative’s allocation of their resources. Second, a representative’s relation

In chapter 5 of, Readings In American Politics Analysis and Perspective by Ken Kollman, David R. Mayhew poses the question of “what would Congress look like if its members were only interested in re-election?” Mayhew poses this question as a pretext for his theories on this topic and uses it to form his own viewpoint based off of his experiences in the realm of domestic politics, more specifically Capital Hill. Directly after Mayhew poses this question, he answers it by saying that members would “posture” and “preen” and occasionally produce pieces of legislation that are useful to there constituencies, which would then be a direct representation of the legislation we observe in the United Sates in present day. In order to help the reader

"Single-minded reelection seekers" (Mayhew 1974, 17) has been used to describe Congress since David Mayhew's study in 1974, Congress the Electoral Connection. In his research of Congress, Mayhew uses each Member of Congress as the appropriate unit of analysis. He claims that all 535 members of Congress act as individuals; therefore, they need to be individually analyzed (1974). Mayhew was not wrong in1974 when parties in Congress were weak, but as Congress has started to change his initial argument has become outdated. In this essay, I will explore why David Mayhew dismisses other positions and units of analysis to examine Congress. Additionally, I will argue that Congress has evolved due to Southern realignment and can be studied using Conditional Party Government theory due to an electoral shift.