Reference no: EM133748788

Problem

1) What are the powers of Congress as enumerated in the US Constitution?

2) What powers are reserved specifically for the House of Representatives, and what powers are held by the Senate alone?

3) What is the Constitution's elastic clause, and how is it used to expand the powers of Congress?

4) What are the advantages of making Congress the chief policymaking body? What might the disadvantages be?

5) What is a bicameral legislative structure, and why was it established in Congress?

6) What are the different characteristics of the House and Senate? What makes the House and Senate differ in character? How do the media portray the two bodies?

7) How is the design of the House intended to make its members particularly responsive to their constituents?

8) How are political parties in Congress organized?

9) What role do political party organizations play in Congress?

10) How do factional organizations function in Congress?

11) What is a caucus? What are some of the different caucuses in Congress?

12) How do political parties help organize Congress? Why does media coverage tend to focus on party conflicts?

13) What criteria do House members use when selecting their leadership?

14) What roles do the Speaker, floor leaders, and whips play in the House?

15) What is the House Rules Committee? What makes it important to controlling what legislation gets through the House?

16) Who makes up the Senate leadership? What roles do the presiding officer, floor leaders, and whips play in the Senate?

17) What formal power does the vice president wield in the Senate? Who presides over the Senate when the vice president is absent?

18) What is the right of first recognition? How does it give the Senate majority leader anadvantage in legislative battles?

19) What is the role of congressional committees? What determines which committees members of Congress seek to be on?

20) What are generally considered to be the most powerful and prestigious committees in Congress? What do you think makes those committees so influential?

21) How does a bill become law?

22) How do members of Congress develop and draft legislation?

23) How does the congressional budget process work?

24) What are the two steps of the budget process? Which committee has the power to initiate funding bills?

25) Who represents you in Congress? How do they compare with the typical member of Congress?

26) How can members of Congress attract media attention? What are the dangers of trying too hard for media attention?

27) What makes Congress difficult for the media to cover? What do the media tend to focus on when covering Congress?

28) How do the insider and outsider strategies for having influence in Congress differ in the way they use the media?