Congress

Congress is central to our democracy because it serves as the voice of the American

people in Washington and because it controls a formidable battery of powers that it uses

to shape policies. The framers of the Constitution provided for a bicameral (or divided)

legislature, consisting of two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate, to

serve different constituencies. The Senate was to represent the elite members of society

and be attuned more to issues of property than of population. The House was designed to

be more representative of the common people. Today, members of both chambers are

elected directly by the people. The Senate has 100 members, two from each state. It is

the more deliberative of the two bodies, while the House is more centralized and

organized. Senate rules give its leadership relatively little power and discourage

specialization. The 435 members A composite of a typical member of Congress would be

a middle-aged male lawyer whose father was of the professional or managerial class; a

native-born 'white,' or, if he cannot avoid being an immigrant, a product of northwestern

or central Europe, or Canada.

of the House are elected from districts apportioned according to population. House rules

give House leaders more control over the legislative process and provide for House

members to specialize in certain legislative areas.

Each member's primary responsibility is to the people who live in his or her district, not

to the congressional leadership or to the member's political party. There are two types of

representation, or circumstances under which a person is trusted to speak for another.

Sociological representation occurs if two individuals are so similar in background,

character, interests, and perspectives that anything said by one would very likely reflect

the views of the other. These attributes are thought to help promote good representation.

The other type is agency representation, in which two individuals are formally bound

together, sometimes with a contract, so that the representative is in some way

accountable to those he or she is representing. There is an incentive to provide good

representation here because there is the possibility of being punished or somehow held

accountable for failing to speak properly for their constituents. They could be fired, or not

be re-elected.

The social composition of Congress is divided into several categories. The religious

affiliations of members are overwhelmingly Protestant. Catholics comprise the second

largest category, with Jews as a much smaller third category. In the past twenty years

minority representation has increased to include representatives who are African

American, Latino, and Asian American. The legal profession is dominant, with business

and industry and public service also being significant. A composite of a typical member of

Congress would be a middle-aged male lawyer whose father was of the professional or

managerial class; a native-born "white," or, if he cannot avoid being an immigrant, a

product of northwestern or central Europe, or Canada.

Representatives are agents for the people, similar to the way a lawyer is an agent for his

or her client. At the very least, representatives are expected to constantly determine the

interests of their constituency and speak for those interests in Congress. Communication

is constant between constituents and congressional offices. Over one-quarter of a

representative's time and two-thirds of the time of his or her staff members is devoted to

constituency service (called "case work").

There are several factors that determine who gets into office. First, of course, is who

decides to run and how ambitious they are, because candidacy must be decided early.

Another factor is having enough The committee system is central to the operation of

Congress.

money to fund a credible campaign. The right connections to interest groups, politicians,

and national party organizations are important. Incumbents generally have a better

chance than their challengers because of a history of service to their constituents. Every

ten years, state legislatures redraw congressional districts to reflect population changes,

and this redistricting can create open seats and pit incumbents of the same party against

one another, ensuring that one of them will lose. Redistricting can also give an advantage

to one party by clustering voters with some ideological or sociological characteristics in a

single district, or by separating such voters into several districts.

The direct benefits that congressional members provide for their constituents are

called "direct patronage," and the most important