Institutions of American

Governmnent

Module 4.1: Congress

Section 2: Views of Representation

Lesson Objectives

• Report normative qualities of representatives

• Test individual representatives for normative qualities

• Describe the typical Congressman as viewed by the Federalist

• Identify five distinct views of representation

Qualities of the Ideal Representative

• Name three qualities you would like your representative to have.

• Does your own representative possess these qualities? Why or why not?

Popular Attitudes about Congress

• The “Two Congresses”– Most polls show Americans have a negative attitude

towards Congress– Most polls show Americans have a neutral to positive

attitude towards their own representatives.

• Congressional Power underestimated– Slow to decide?– Diffuse?– Less significant than other branches?

Question #1

• Which is a typical assessment of Congress?a) Congress is highly responsive to the needs of

constituents

b) Congress is respected on the whole, but constituents view their own congressman with suspicion.

c) Congress is viewed unfavorably both on the institutional and individual levels

d) Congress is viewed unfavorably on the whole, but constituents view their own congressman favorably.

Question #2

• Why do many Americans underestimate the power of Congress?

a) Congress is slow to respond in times of crisis

b) Congressional power appears overly diffuse

c) Congress spends most of its time deliberating.

d) All of the above

The Federalist on Representatives

• Federalist #57– Representatives are Provincial

• “They will enter into the public service under circumstances which cannot fail to produce a temporary affection at least to their constituents”

– Representatives are Ambitious• “His pride and vanity attach him to a form of government

which favors his pretensions and gives him a share in its honors and distinctions”

– Representatives are Factious• Care must be taken that Congress “can make no law which

will not have its full operations on themselves and their friends, as well as the great mass of society.”

Question #3

• The authors of the Federalist believed that members of Congress would

a) always act in a manner consistent with the public good

b) leave behind their local interests for the sake of union

c) try only to help themselves and their friends if left unchecked

d) not try to seek more than one or two terms in office

The Congressman’s View of Representation

• Trustee– The duty of the legislator is to use info and deliberation to “enlarge and

refine the public will”– From Edmund Burke—the representative hails from the people, but is

not necessarily dependent on their will– John Calhoun—Have the people of this country snatched the power of

deliberation from this body? Are we a body of agents and not a deliberate one?

• Delegate– The duty of the legislator is to act in accordance with the will of his

constituents– Delegates answer “Yes” to Calhoun—the voters give “marching orders”– Elbridge Gerry—To say the sovereignty rests in the people and that

they have not a right to instruct and control their representatives, is absurd to the last degree.

Question #4

• Which of the following would a trustee likely do?

a) seek professional staff members from his own legislative district

b) scour public opinion polls to determine his approval rating

c) call for closed investigative hearings

d) seek professional staff members based on party loyalty

Question #5

• Which of the following fits the delegate role?a) The delegate is from the people, but not necessarily

dependent on their will

b) The delegate exercises his best judgment in cases where levels of public knowledge are low

c) The delegate is always a strident partisan

d) The delegate avoids committing to legislative proposals that are unpopular in his district

The Congressman’s View of Representation

• Politico– A legislator may follow his own sense of what is appropriate until the

public becomes involved in the issue, where he may be instructed.– J. William Fullbright— “The average legislator early in his career

discovers there are certain interests or prejudices of his constituents which are dangerous to trifle with…”

• Conscience– A legislator follows the will of his constituents in most cases, until his

conscience dictates otherwise– Sherwood Boehlert’s “pillow test”

• Symbolic Representation– The claim that a group of citizens is best represented by a legislator

who belongs to that group– “When a member of an ethnic or racial group goes to Congress, it is a

badge of legitimacy for the entire grouping…Moreover, there can be tangible gains in the quality of representation.” Davidson & Oleszky, Congress & Its Members, 10th ed. (2004)

Question #6

• The basic character of representatives according to the Federalist is that they are

a) trustees, delegates, and politicos

b) provincial, ambitious, and factious

c) conscientious symbolic representatives

d) slow to decide and diffuse

Question #7

• In the 1980s, Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson sought to secure Congressional support for the Mujahedeen after visiting Afghanistan. Wilson’s constituents were unaware of the conflict, and also asked very little of their congressman. What view of representation best fits Wilson’s actions?

a) The trustee viewb) The conscience view c) The politicod) Symbolic representation

Question #8

• Which of the following views do you think is the most relevant for representation?a) Trustee

b) Delegate

c) Politico

d) Conscience

e) Symbolic representation