Reference no: EM133698819

Assignment:

In his book, Congress: The Electoral Connection, David Mayhew argues that members of Congress are "single-minded seekers of reelection." As such the have organized the process of lawmaking (their ostensible purpose as an institution) to facilitate their reelection efforts and allow them to engage in "position-taking," "credit-claiming," and "advertising."

1) Read through the first chapter of Mayhew's book.

2) Find Mayhew's description of the three activities mentioned above and redefine them

3) For each of the three activities search the internet for examples of your Congressperson (Grace F. Napolitano) (in the news) engaging in these activities. Write down what they were doing, cite your source, and explain how this fits into Mayhew's understanding of members of Congress.

4) Write a summary paragraph in which you describe how this has impacted your understanding of Congress and members of Congress. Describe what you have learned from this exercise and your evaluation of your Congressperson.