Examination No. 3 – Essay (optional)
PS365 – Legislative Process
Professor Russell Renka
April 28, 2008
As usual, here’s a choice of one among three items on which
you’re to write an essay of approximately 3 pages. The essay is due in
print on or before midnight on Friday, May 2 at the
Drop Box under "Essay 3"
heading.
This essay is optional. I recommend it only for
those who have done a lot better on essays than on the in-class part of the
exams, and for those who are close to a letter division (just above or just
below the cutoff line for an A, a B, or a C). If you submit it, I grade it
"blind" and post it on Grade A without looking at its effect on your
grade. If you don't submit it, then the grade average won't
include this item.
1. Standing committees vary in power and prestige, in their size of membership, and in how attractive they are to careerist Members. What distinguishes the House Appropriations Committee from the House Transportation Committee? Why has the House Appropriations Committee lost considerable power since 2001? Finally, what importance do committees have for the parent chamber in terms of informational expertise?
2. How much obstruction has existed in the postwar Senate on judicial nominations? What factors contributed to making the Senate a haven for Democrats who opposed some Bush Administration appellate court nominations? What would likely happen if the Senate's majority party should invoke the so-called "nuclear option" on the filibuster?
3. Rudder, Wolfensberger and others have addressed the differences in thinking between the congressional Democrats and the congressional Republicans. What are the principal differences in policy preferences of the two congressional parties? How do liberals and conservatives differ with respect to the following things: cultural issues such as abortion and homosexual rights, fiscal issues of taxation and spending, and national defense issues?