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

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

3. Practice frq #10

4. The 115th U.S. Congress

5. 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

6. 2016 Election Results

7. 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?

13. Congressional Leadership

14. 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

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

16. 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) --->

17. 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) ---->

18. 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

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

20. 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
----->

21. 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) ---->

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

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

24. 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

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

26. 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.

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

28. Pihs mock congress intro