Congress For Dummies

David Silverberg

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781118053812
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

A clear, direct guide into the nitty-gritty workings of Congress and the way the institution really functions Congress For Dummies helps you sort out what Congress does on a daily basis and what it all means to you, the citizen. It shows you how to get organized, make your voice heard, and influence legislation that might affect you. Full of helpful resources such as contact information for House and Senate offices, and smart, straightforward explanations of the legislative process, this book is everything you need to understand Congress and get involved in your government.

Whether you just want to know how government works, or you want to get involved to change your country, this simple guide covers all the ins and outs of Congress. It's a nonpartisan look at Congress that includes forewords by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. Inside you'll find easy explanations and helpful tips on how to:

• Get involved in the democratic process
• Influence legislation that's important to you
• Understa nd Congress and the media
• Contact your senators and representatives
• Check out Congress in action, in person
• Deal with congressional staff

Expert author David Silverberg — Managing Editor and a columnist at the Washington weekly The Hill — takes the mystery out of getting something done in Congress, introducing you to the players and explaining everything from legislation and lobbying to caucuses and coalitions. Written with the citizen advocate in mind, this helpful guide gives regular people the tools and knowledge they need to achieve their aims. Inside, you'll discover:

• How the three branches of government work together
• How to register your opinion with your elected officials
• How the legislative process works — from idea to law
• How debates, conferences, and vetoes work
• How budgeting and appropriations work
• How to get the most effect from your political contributions
• How the lobbying process works
• How to advocate for legislation
• How to deal with congressional staffers
• How to make use of congressional services

Getting something done in the messy confusion of democracy and bureaucracy is no easy task. Full of the kind of information and knowledge that Washington insiders take for granted, Congress For Dummies levels the playing field so that regular people — just like you — can make a difference, too.

Part I

Considering the Two Chambers

In this part . . .

These chapters introduce you to the institution as a whole and give you background and history of each of the chambers.

Chapter 1

Welcome to Congress

In This Chapter

The basic structure of American government

The three branches of government

Your role in the government

Basic forms of participation

Studying American government is incredibly easy. The conquests, dynastic rivalries, clashing clans, and all the rest of the murky history that makes the political science of other countries so difficult is absent here. American government is very rational and logical and proceeds in a straight line from the day it was started. The entire government’s functioning is contained in a single document, the Constitution, which can be read in a few minutes.

Unlike so many other countries whose histories began in the dim recesses of time, the United States began on a particular day — July 4, 1776 — when Americans declared their independence from Great Britain. After declaring independence and fighting an eight-year war to establish a separate identity and sovereignty, Americans set out to establish a permanent government.

Initially, the United States was run by a Continental Congress, which, in 1777, adopted the Articles of Confederation, a loose system designed to keep the states working together in a confederacy. The Articles served well enough during the War of Independence, but, afterwards, it became clear that the Articles were insufficient to govern the new nation. Delegates from the 13 states gathered in Philadelphia to come up with a new constitution. After working in secret through a hot summer, on September 17, 1787, the Framers of the new system, with George Washington presiding, signed the new Constitution. The Constitution was then submitted to the states for ratification and went into effect in June 1788 when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.

The Framers wouldn’t recognize the country today, but they would certainly recognize the government. For all the changes in the preceding two centuries, and despite 27 amendments to the Constitution, the government they created remains substantially what they conceived.

The Three Branches of Government

Having rebelled against a tyrant, the Framers were leery of any part of the government becoming too powerful. Accordingly, each branch was meant to balance the others, a system known as checks and balances. Congress provides a check on the president’s powers and initiatives by approving them. The president provides a check on congressional action through a veto. The judicial branch provides a check on both by interpreting the laws and determining whether they’re constitutional. No one branch can act alone without the approval of the other two.

Because the fight against Britain was designed to allow the people of America to govern themselves, the Congress was designed to reflect popular will — up to a point. The Framers were very aware of the weaknesses of democracy. Democracies are subject to mass emotionalism, demagogues, mob rule, passing passions, fickleness, and panic. Not only did the Framers draw on the experiences of republics before theirs, they’d been through a revolution and had seen all those things.

Instead of direct democracy, the government created under the Constitution was designed to put in place political institutions that would protect the government from popular passions and allow knowledgeable and experienced people to direct the country’s course while still reflecting popular desires. Additionally, the government would reflect the interests and desires of all its citizens while providing a forum to peacefully work out their differences.

The congressional branch

The Framers decided that the American government would be first and foremost a consultative form of government rather than a monarchy or a dictatorship, and that Congress would be its leading institution. The very first provision of the Constitution established Congress and outlined its powers.

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of Senate and a House of Representatives.

— Article 1, Section 1, The Constitution of the United States.

The Constitution is quite explicit about congressional powers. Congress is empowered to:

Establish taxes and other forms of revenue

Pay debts and borrow money

Provide for the national defense

Regulate commerce and bankruptcy

Establish laws for citizenship and naturalization

Issue money and punish counterfeiters

Establish post offices and the means to deliver the mail

Promote science and the arts by providing copyrights and patents

Establish courts below the Supreme Court

Define and punish piracy and felonies committed at sea

Declare war

Raise and support armies and a navy and regulate them

Organize a militia and call it out when necessary

Oversee and regulate the capital city

Make any other laws necessary

Why we have two chambers

The reason there are two senators for each state is so that one can be the designated driver, according to comedian Jay Leno. Very funny, but not terribly accurate.

Although the Senate doesn’t have a great many duties actually spelled out by the Constitution, it plays an important role. The Senate was the creation of something that came to be known as the Great Compromise.

When the Framers met in Philadelphia in 1787, they faced a deep split between the interests of small states and large ones. The small, less populated states would have less clout if representation were proportional (by population). Rhode Island, Connectic...

Table of contents

• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part I : Considering the Two Chambers
• Chapter 1: Welcome to Congress
• Chapter 2: Running Your House: The House of Representatives
• Chapter 3: Scoping Out the Senate
• Part II : Looking at the Legislative Process
• Chapter 4: Introducing a Bill
• Chapter 5: Meeting the Players, Setting the Schedule
• Chapter 6: Reaching the Floor and Beyond
• Part III : Following the Money
• Chapter 7: Raising Revenues
• Chapter 8: Budgeting, Authorizing, and Appropriating Government Money
• Chapter 9: Putting Your Political Contributions to Work
• Part IV : Lobbying from All Angles
• Chapter 10: Looking at Lobbying
• Chapter 11: Explaining Your Cause
• Chapter 12: Getting Down to the Nitty-Gritty: Lobbying Members of Congress
• Chapter 13: Getting the Job Done: Congressional Staff
• Chapter 14: Making the Most of the Media
• Chapter 15: Working with Various Media
• Part V : Putting the Practical Side to Use
• Chapter 16: Making Use of Congressional Services
• Chapter 17: Visiting Congress
• Part VI : The Part of Tens
• Chapter 18: Ten Tips for Conducting a Lobbying Campaign
• Chapter 19: The Ten Commandments for Dealing with Congressional Staff
• Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Dealing with Journalists
• Chapter 21: Not Even Ten Suggestions for Improving Congress
• Part VII : The Appendixes
• Appendix A: Glossary of Congressional and Political Terms
• Appendix B: Committees of the 107th Congress