Examine the Decision making process in Congress. How do you explain the results that emerge from this process?

The way in which decisions are made is also very important. The party line in America is not as concrete as it is in the British political system. The congressmen in America are more free to vote on what bills they want to. They also vote more regularly on the oppositions bills. Therefore a democrat can and will vote for a republicans bills. The result of the vote depends on what the issue is, this can swing either way as the issues change on a day to day basis. Coalitions form and deform on certain issues thus meaning that a party can never be sure as whether a bill will pass the congress vote or not. When there is no strong opposition from the constituency to the Presidents policy the congressmen will often follow the line of the party. However, if there is strong feeling from the constituency then The congressmen will put his constituency first and party loyalty last. This is also good for the party image, the party do not want to be seen as the party that tells its members how to vote a certain way. This therefore gives the electorate who voted in the congressmen in a feeling that they have some control over the decision making process. In a way this system is good, because it allows the congressmen to vote the way in which he/she feels is right by them and by the constituents who have put them into power. However, there is a draw back to this system and that is that most bills that travel through this chamber will not often be a concern of the electorate as individuals, they are a concern to businesses or others. Therefore there are several opportunities at which other groups can influence the way in which the congressmen will vote. One of these is pressure groups which I will come to later in the essay. The President has incentives to offer in order for the congressmen to vote in the way in which he wants them to. Such inducements as patronage and support for federal expenditures.

Pressure groups are of major importance when it comes to making laws in the United States. A pressure group is a body, organised or unorganised, that actively seeks to promote its particular interests within a society by exerting pressure on public officials and agencies. A major area of concentration for pressure groups in the United States is the Congress, which may draw up legislation affecting the interests of the group. Through promises of financial support or of votes by interest group members at the next election, the organization hopes to persuade certain legislators, especially appropriate committee chairmen, to endorse favourable legislation. This is one of the reasons that incumbents, regardless of party, receive the preponderance of campaign funds. Much effort is also expended in influencing executive decisions, because the bureaucracy often possesses considerable discretion in implementing legislation. This is especially true of the independent regulatory agencies (e.g., the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission). Political parties are also targets for pressure groups. However, because influencing public policy rather than electing a certain candidate is the aim of an interest group, most groups avoid heavy involvement with one party and generally remain at least formally non-partisan. Because any particular pressure group reflects the interests of only a part of the population, it is argued that such organizations are contrary to the interests of the general public. However, it is pointed out that some interest groups supply legislators with much needed information, while others, such as the labour unions, perform a broad representative function. When there is no response to a bill from the constituency or the party then pressure groups will see this as a opportunity to influence the congressmen. When the pressure groups agree to the issue along with the constituent then the party's opinion on the subject is entirely irrelevant. However, there is difficulty when comes to pressure group interest versus party loyalty. When this happens the congressmen turns to other congressmen who may sit on his committees and ask them for help on how they should vote on the bill.

Members spend a great deal of time seeking an accurate idea of how a majority of their constituents feel about specific legislative proposals. They do not rely exclusively on the correspondence or calls received by their office, for they understand that many constituents will not take the initiative to contact them. They are also fully aware that those constituents and groups with passionate views on a subject will organize mass mailings or a barrage of phone calls or visits that may not accurately reflect the wider electorate. Rather than rely only on the voices of those constituents who volunteer their opinion, most Members engage actively in outreach to a broader spectrum of the electorate. Virtually every Member of Congress goes home several times a month to meet with constituents, seeking them out at public events, holding open office hours and town meetings, visiting shopping centres and other community centres. They closely follow public opinion surveys, and often undertake polling of their own constituents. Members are keenly aware that they have a responsibility to reflect the viewpoint of a majority of their constituents in their work in Washington, and that if they fail to read the pulse of public opinion in their District or State accurately, a majority of the voters in that area will find someone else in the next election who does.

The factors which influence a Member's voting decisions are not a matter of science but of individual and varied circumstances. There is no neat, mechanical formula that is followed nor can a computer model predict the thought process a Member goes through in arriving at a vote. No single factor is the most important across-the-board for all Members on all issues. Policy arguments do not always persuade. Political pressures are often withstood. Campaign contributions are not always rewarded. Public opinion is always gauged but not always followed. Members consult their consciences, but sometimes cede to the majority perspective. The decision-making process that precedes casting a vote is often lengthy and complex and known fully only to the Member going through it. And as they vote, each Member knows that in our democracy they alone will be held accountable for the decision they are about to make.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Bailey, C., The U.S. Congress

Fisher, L., The Politics of Shared Power

Dodd, L. and B. Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered, 4th. Edn.

Mayhew, D., Divided We Govern

Stern, P., The Best Congress Money Can Buy

Philip Walsh Po520 pacw1

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