Ap u.s. government & politics Monday, January 8, 2018

Hw discussion “Mr. Smith Re-writes the Constitution”

Practice frq #10

The 115th U.S. Congress

History of Congressional Membership Demographic Landmarks First African-American Congressmen: Rep. Joseph Rainey (SC-1870) Sen. Hiram Revels (MS-1870) Rep. Oscar DePriest (IL-1928) First Women Congressmen: Rep. Jeanette Rankin (MN-1917) Sen. Hattie Carraway (AR-1932) First Openly Gay Congressmen Rep. Gary Studds (MA) Rep. Barney Frank (MA) Sen. Tammy Baldwin (WI) Constitutional Changes Direct Election of Senators: 17th Amendment 1913 Membership in the House: Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 Set the number of Representatives at 435 Unclear why this did not require an Amendment

2016 Election Results

Polarization in Congress Congress has increasingly become more polarized Conservatives are more conservative, liberals more liberal, and the gap between political ideologies is wider with less chance for compromise Reasons: Districts drawn to favor one party --> constituents are more likely to favor this party --> elect polarizing candidates --> Congressional behavior reflects ideological attitudes of constituencies House more likely to be more extreme in political views than Senate because of districts Other Reasons?

Congressional Leadership

Leadership in the House Speaker of the House Highest leadership position in House Member of majority party, 3rd in line to presidency Presides over House in session, assigns bills to committees, assigns committee positions, influences which bills are debated Paul Ryan (R-WI) •Former Chairman of the House Budget Committee •Considered a “Budget Hawk” •Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential Nominee in 2012 •A “rising star” in the Republican Party

More Pictures of Paul Ryan (Just ‘cause it’s fun) Speaker Ryan (trying to be like Mr. Koenig): P90X Paul Ryan:

House Majority Leader Floor leader of the majority party, assistant to Speaker Schedules bills on House calendar and leads party to vote/debate by party position Currently Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) --->

House Majority Whip Works as a “messenger” between party leaders (Speaker, Majority Leader) and rest of party Makes sure party members are present to vote, influences undecided votes Currently Steve Scalise (R-LA) ---->

House Minority Leader Highest leadership position of minority party in House, floor leader for minority (Same as majority leader, only for minority party) Currently Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) -----> (Who was also the first female Speaker of the House) Won a closer-than-expected re-election as Minority Leader

House Minority Whip (Same as majority whip, only for minority party) Currently Steny Hoyer (D-MD) ------>

Leadership in the Senate Highest leadership position in Senate held by Vice-President Acts as President of Senate (rarely present) Cannot debate or vote unless to break tie Not a Senate member Currently Mike Pence ----->

President Pro Tempore Serves in the absence of the Vice-President 4th in line to presidency Usually the most senior member of Senate Currently Orrin Hatch (R-UT) ---->

Senate Majority Leader Schedules bills for debate on floor, leads party in voting/debate by party position Currently Mitch McConnell (R-KY) -->

Senate Majority Whip (Same role as House majority whip) Currently John Cornyn (R-TX) --->

Senate Minority Leader (Same as majority leader, only for minority party) (But does not schedule bills for debate/vote) Currently Charles Schumer (D-NY) -----> Replaces Harry Reid, who retired at the end of last term

Senate Minority Whip (Same role as House minority whip) Currently Dick Durbin (D-IL) ---->

Exit Ticket: Practice MCQ An electoral system based on single--‐member districts is usually characterized by a. Strong, centralized political parties and a weak executive. b. Higher rates of voter turnout than are common in other systems. c. Legislative representation of each party in proportion to the number of votes it receives proportion. d. Domination of the legislature by two political parties. e. Ideological rather than mass--‐based parties.

Homework Textbook, Chapter 11 – Reading & Outline Due Friday, January 19 Vocab Quiz that Same Day

Pihs mock congress intro