Posted: November 8th, 2015

Reforming Congress

Keeping in mind the current theme (i.e., congressional partisanship and gridlock) what reforms would you propose to make Congress a more effective branch of government? Would your reforms overcome current legislative inertia, or is the nation deeply divided on critical issues, making conflict an inherent part of the legislative process and dimming the prospects for simply reforms?
The reading response must meet the following criteria:
use critical-thinking skills to analyze how the reading(s) relate to each other and illustrate the theme of the unit
be at least 600 words long (consider using the Word Count feature in your text editor)
use at least two citations to substantiate your point of view. Use the text(s) for this unit, in the form of:
direct quote
paraphrasing
a summary
adhere to the following formatting requirements:
use current MLA guidelines
use 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font
double-space lines
list the following in the upper-left corner of page 1:
your name
your instructor’s name
the course prefix, number, and title
the date
list the following in the upper-right corner document header on all pages except page 1:
your last name
the page number.

Readings:
Lanahan Readings in the American Polity: (will be attached soon)
Mayhew, Congress: The Electoral Connection [Lanahan #22]
Binder, Stalemate [Lanahan #24]
Wawro & Schickler, Filibuster [Lanahan #25]
Ellwood & Patashnik, In Praise of Pork [Lanahan #29]

http://www.nationaljournal.com/hotline/redistricting/modern-gerrymanders-10-most-contorted-congressional-districts-maps-20120330

Film:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-making-congress-work/12634/