Descriptive representation is representing constituents by mirroring their personal, politically relevant characteristics. Yet, the desire to represent the interests of their constituents compelled Republicans to use another tool at their disposal, the symbolic vote. Yet, demographically speaking, Congress as a whole is still a long way from where the country is and remains largely white, male, and wealthy. In fact, the presence of more politicians of color helped to stymie progress in many ways. In ranching, an earmark is a small cut on the ear of a cow or other animal to denote ownership. After many years of deadlocks and bickering on Capitol Hill, the national perception of Congress is near an all-time low. For Pitkin, disagreements about representation can be partially reconciled by clarifying which view of representation is being invoked. In neighborhoods where comrades from Central Jersey Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and I have organized, like in New Brunswick or Trenton, there are countless people who are desperate for masks, medicine, and food. One of the events that began the approval ratings downward trend was Congresss divisive debate over national deficits. Pick a cause or industry, and investigate whether any earmarks ever favored it, or research the way earmarks have hurt or helped your state or district, and decide for yourself. For example, Patsy Mink (D-HI) (Figure 11.11), the first Asian American woman elected to Congress, was the coauthor of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, Title IX of which prohibits sex discrimination in education. I felt like somebody. What Is Descriptive Representation? - TheSBB My experience hasnt been unique. Chapter 1: American Government and Civic Engagement, Chapter 2: The Constitution and Its Origins, Chapter 6: The Politics of Public Opinion, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, Describe the extent to which Congress as a body represents the U.S. population, Explain the concept of collective representation, Describe the forces that influence congressional approval ratings. Congresss job approval rating reached a high of 84 percent in October 2001 Yet, incumbent reelections have remained largely unaffected. Private-public projects were sacrosanctinstead of building public housing, for example, Stokes sought collaborations with white property developers. The deterioration, the pain, the trauma, the fear, the humiliation, the feeling of powerlessness and desperation, the slow moving economic and political crisesits all happened despite historic numbers of people of color serving in government. Every other week our editorial team brings you a mixture of discussion, analysis, and whimsy. Nor do constituents always agree on everything. Indeed, when the ratings are graphed, the two noticeable peaks are at 57 percent in 1998 and 84 percent in 2001 ((Figure)). Political theorists like Davis, Rosa Luxemburg, and Marx himself have consistently warned against relying on electoral politics, no matter how representative those elected officials might be, to create a more just society. Indeed, following the 2010 election, a handful of Republicans began living in their offices in Washington, convinced that by not establishing a residence in Washington, they would appear closer to their constituents at home.[7]. Congress works on hundreds of different issues each year, and constituents are likely not aware of the particulars of most of them. Like Mink, many other women sought and won political office, many with the help of the NWPC. Her career illustrated the upside of descriptive representation. The Republican Partys constituency interpreted the allocations as bribery and the bill as inherently flawed, and felt it should be scrapped entirely. This definition of Yet, it was also true that in the aftermath of uprisings in places like Ferguson and Baltimore, Obama pushed policies that would reform policing without changing its nature as a brutal and oppressive institution. It could also mean that the issue is not salient to their constituents. Navigating their sometimes contradictory demands and balancing them with the demands of the party, powerful interest groups, ideological concerns, the legislative body, their own personal beliefs, and the country as a whole can be a complicated and frustrating process for representatives. A major reason is that until well into the twentieth century, white men of European background constituted an overwhelming majority of the voting population. Navigating their sometimes contradictory demands and balancing them with the demands of the party, powerful interest groups, ideological concerns, the legislative body, their own personal beliefs, and the country as a whole can be a complicated and frustrating process for representatives. Study Guide (Chapter 11) Flashcards | Quizlet Between teaching, reading, researching, organizing, and typing up essays that I sometimes lose interest in halfway through, I remember talking to others I care for. African Americans made up the largest percentage, with fifty-seven members, while Latinos accounted for forty-six members, up from thirty just a decade before.29 Yet, demographically speaking, Congress as a whole is still a long way from where the country is and remains largely White, male, and wealthy. Electing Biden and Harris or even real progressive representatives like AOC would never be enough to meet the needs of Black and brown people. Similarly, despite critiquing Biden in the early debates during the primaries, rightfully condemning him for his collaboration with the Senates most notorious racists, Harris later claimed her opposition was purely theatrical, as it was just a debate. Still, theres a long way to go before the multiracial coalition envisioned by progressives becomes sturdy enough to take on the entrenched forces of capital. While black political officials tend to be anti-racist, taking hard lines against racial discrimination, we see them mirror the rhetoric of their white counterparts when it comes to issues of poverty and crime. Following the attacks on the World Trade Center nearly two decades ago, I was deemed a foreigner, someone who needed to prove their loyalty to the country. Name and explain 4 powers of the Speaker of House, 4 powers are: Presides over the house when it is in session, -plays a major role in the making od committee assignments, -appoints or plays a key role in appointing the partys legislative leaders and the party leadership staff, -exercise substantial control over which bills get assigned it which committees. WebThe increasing value constituents have placed on descriptive representation in Congress has had the effect of _____. is a derogatory term referring to appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district. If a party has a higher percentage of members in a committee with more dominant chairs, they can obviously skew legislation to support their own ideology. The political theorist Jane Mansbridge gives a more detailed synopsis in her classic piece, Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? If you enjoyed this article, please consider subscribing to our magnificent print edition or making a donation. Define two of the following elements of the congressional committee system and explain how each influences the legislative process. Descriptive and Substantive Representation in Congress: American Government by cnxamgov is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. At one time, there was relatively little concern about descriptive representation in Congress. These experiences have been at the forefront of my mind in recent months as the most diverse administration in history rose to power. The extent to which the characteristics of a representative correspond with the general characteristic of that person's constituency. By the end of this section, you will be able to: The tension between local and national politics described in the previous section is essentially a struggle between interpretations of representation. An excellent way to demonstrate to passersby that you are an individual of unusually well-cultivated taste. WebThe two main types of representation are descriptive and agency representation. Theoretically, the process of constituents voting regularly and reaching out to their representatives helps these congresspersons better represent them. In 2009, the extended debates and legislative maneuvering in Congress over the proposed health care reform bill triggered a firestorm of disapproval from the Republicans and protests from their supporters. Indeed, such an attempt would likely make it more difficult for Congress to maintain collective representation. As the country sank into recession and Congress tried to use spending bills to stimulate the economy, the public grew more acutely aware of its earmarking habits. divided government- work is sperad out and makes it hard, weak party discipline- there are a lot of not passing bills because of lack of napity. Truancy occurs disproportionately among children whose parents are poor and less-educated, and among children who dont feel safe at school, who have to work or support their families, who have mental and physical health issues, and who are in unstable living situations. According to Gallup polls, Congress has a stunningly poor approval rating of about 16 percent. While women in many western states could vote sooner, all women were not able to exercise their right to vote nationwide until passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, and they began to make up more than 5 percent of either chamber only in the 1990s. To soothe white fears, Stokes pitched himself as the man who could maintain law and order. A deficit is what results when Congress spends more than it has available. The reason is that it blunts voters natural desire to replace those in power who are earning such low approval ratings. They offered sympathetic members of the Republican Party valuable budgetary concessions; they attempted to include allocations they hoped the opposition might feel compelled to support; and they drafted the bill in a purposely complex manner to avoid future challenges. He soon became bogged down dealing with minor issues, instead of the structural ones hed been elected to solve. The desire for comprehensive universal health care had been a driving position of the Democrats since at least the 1960s. By the end of this section, you will be able to: The tension between local and national politics described in the previous section is essentially a struggle between interpretations of representation. Du Bois, there was renewed possibility for at least a social democracy to flourish in the South following the end of the Civil War, thanks to the rise of coalitions between African Americans and radical white Republicans across the region. Current Affairss all-new Single Issue page is coming soon. Descriptive Representation The disconnect between the common public perception of running a deficit and its legitimate policy goals is frequently exploited for political advantage. Historically, this job has included what some have affectionately called bringing home the bacon but what many (usually those outside the district in question) call pork-barrel politics. When the Democrats took control of Congress and the presidency in 2009, they quickly began putting together their plan. Local government is more diverse than ever. We will look at the way members of Congress navigate the challenging terrain of representation as they serve, and all the many predictable and unpredictable consequences of the decisions they make. I heard my friends voice again. Candidates routinely smell blood in the water, battle for delegates, go head-to-head, cripple their opponent, and make heads roll. But references to actual violence arent the only metaphorical devices commonly used in politics. Our print magazine is released six times a year, in a beautiful full-color edition full of elegant design, sophisticated prose, and satirical advertisements. As noted by the great social scientist and activist, W.E.B. But with deadlocks and stalemates becoming more common, some quiet voices have begun asking for a return to the practice. Are earmarks a vital part of legislating or a corrupt practice that was rightly jettisoned? In fact, the use of earmarks to encourage Republicans to help pass health care reform actually made the bill less popular with the public. Yet, incumbent reelections have remained largely unaffected. Although wed alternate between supermarkets, depending on who wed heard had the best mangos and fish at the time, the workers always looked the same. Paradoxically, this tendency to hate the group but love ones own representative actually perpetuates the problem of poor congressional approval ratings. Founding members of the CBC include Ralph Metcalfe (D-IL), a former sprinter from Chicago who had medaled at both the Los Angeles (1932) and Berlin (1936) Olympic Games, and Shirley Chisholm, a founder of the NWPC and the first African American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives (Figure 11.12). In this section, we will explore three different models of representation and the concept of descriptive representation. Millions were suffering economically, out of work, or losing their jobs, and the idea that Congress was busy passing large stimulus packages, working on finance reform, and grilling unpopular bank CEOs and financial titans appealed to many. 11.3 Congressional Representation - American For example, while running for the presidency in 2008, Barack Obama slammed the deficit spending of the George W. Bush presidency, saying it was unpatriotic. This sentiment echoed complaints Democrats had been issuing for years as a weapon against President Bushs policies. Delegates must employ some means to identify the views of their constituents and then vote accordingly. By definition and title, senators and House members are representatives. I remembered another thing hed said during the protests, something that revealed the shallowness of the representation he offered: If you believe, as I do, that we should be able to reform the criminal justice system so that its not biased and treats everybody fairly, I guess you can use a snappy slogan like Defund the Police, but, you know, you lost a big audience the minute you say it. I know who Obama is now, and his words no longer lift me. In his book The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, the sociologist Aldon Morris wrote: For bus boycotts to be successful, masses of blacks had to participate and cooperate. A paperback copy of the book "Echoland," which envisions a socialist future transformed by artificial intelligence. The diversity of the country is not reflected in the U.S. Congress, whose current membership is approximately 76 percent male, 77 percent White, and 88 percent Christian. At the time, President Obama did initially acknowledge the fact that if he had a son, the boy would look like Trayvon. WebWhat is descriptive representation? He promised whites that, as a Black man, he could be expected to keep the peace in Black neighborhoods and would not tolerate violence in the streets. He promised business a climate conducive to investment. In the early 1990s, Carol Moseley Braun was the lone African American in the U.S. Senate. McCains criticism of the earmark as a form of corruption cast a shadow over a previously common legislative practice. That feeling of aloneness when watching Obamas interview. And if they did, he would certainly have vetoed them. Indeed, when the ratings are graphed, the two noticeable peaks are at 57 percent in 1998 and 84 percent in 2001 (Figure 11.15). Two of the states leading South Asian American political figures joined him on the trip. Yeah. In some cases, representation can seem to have very little to do with the substantive issues representatives in Congress Even earlier, organizers had understood that voting had its usesbut also its limitations. Indeed, following the 2010 election, a handful of Republicans began living in their offices in Washington, convinced that by not establishing a residence in Washington, they would appear closer to their constituents at home.32. The reason is that it blunts voters natural desire to replace those in power who are earning such low approval ratings. In 2001, approval spiked after the September 11 terrorist attacks and the Bush administration launched the War on Terror, sending troops first to Afghanistan and later to Iraq. In 2018, close to 500,000 workers took part in strike events, well beyond the 50,000 workers who did so in 2017. I asked him about his parents and his job. What Are Civil Rights and How Do We Identify Them? But it was important for these representatives to demonstrate to their constituents that they understood their wishes and were willing to act on them. The 116th Congress has been the most racially and ethnically diverse in U.S. history, with 56 Black members, 43 Hispanic members, 17 Asian members, and four Native American members. Websuggest descriptive representation leads to substantive representation in Congress. In the words of the eighteenth-century British philosopher Edmund Burke, who championed the trustee model of representation, Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests . In her successful 1970 congressional campaign, Bella Abzug (b) declared, This womans place is in the House the House of Representatives!. His parents, like mine, are immigrants of color, having migrated from El Salvador years ago. Figure 5. The Symbolic Benefits of Descriptive and Substantive Something had changed. In the 20th century, white opposition to equal rights evolved but did not disappear. As the first Black and South Asian womanthe first woman, periodto serve as vice president, Harris success is indeed an achievement worth recognizing. At one time, there was relatively little concern about descriptive representation in Congress. A Contingent Yes: Representatives and voters who share some version of a set of common experiences and the outward signs of having lived through those experiences can often read one anothers signals relatively easily and engage in relatively accurate forms of shorthand communication. Yet I still cant forget the excitement and optimism that surged through me back in 2008, when Barack and Michelle Obama emerged on stage in Chicago. Follow-up activity: Find out where your congressional representative stands on the ban on earmarks and write to support or dissuade him or her. But we dont have a choice. Despite this benefit, voters rarely appreciate deficits. I was in my dorm room at Rutgers at the time, and a childhood friend called me with his voice cracking. The Black elite retain the illusion of power, but are invested with little authority in its own right. Its rules and procedures require Congress to use flexibility, bargaining, and concessions. It then conducts additional deficit spending by increasing the national debt. She opposed the most tepid of reforms to create more oversight over law enforcement, like requiring officers to wear body cameras. Abstract. Elitism, Pluralism, and Tradeoffs, The Pre-Revolutionary Period and the Roots of the American Political Tradition, Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism. Many a road, hospital, and airport can trace its origins back to a few skillfully drafted earmarks. Our mission is to improve educational access and learning for everyone. On the political right, an issue that demands support might be gun rights; on the left, it might be a womans right to an abortion. WebPolitical representation is the activity of making citizens "present" in public policy-making processes when political actors act in the best interest of citizens. As decades of polling indicate, few events push congressional approval ratings above 50 percent. Hearing this made many of us feel, briefly, that we had someone powerful in our corner. As Taylor noted: [Stokes] promised to deliver services and improve social conditions in Blackneighborhoods. A Review of Descriptive Representation for African Americans in Legislative Offices Christopher T. Stout, Katherine Tate, Meghan Wilson * The authors are listed in alphabetical order to represent equal contribution. While pork-barrel politics are often deplored during election campaigns, and earmarksfunds appropriated for specific projectsare no longer permitted in Congress (see feature box below), legislative control of local appropriations nevertheless still exists. WebThe increasing presence and political power of women and minorities in Congress has led scholars to investigate whether the election of descriptive (women and minorities) social work based on close study of the personal histories and circumstances of individuals and families. Symbolic Representation The disconnect between the common public perception of running a deficit and its legitimate policy goals is frequently exploited for political advantage. A vast literature debates the efficacy of descriptive representation in legislatures. The country missed the chance to build an inclusive middle class. A Current Affairs subscription is one of the best known ways to improve your life in a hurry. Pick a cause or industry, and investigate whether any earmarks ever favored it, or research the way earmarks have hurt or helped your state or district, and decide for yourself. Colorful satirical ads and essays exposing the erasure of human labor by corporations, medical quacks, the truth about lotteries, board games, how to think about clothes styling in a time of climate crisis, and more! Due in part to the class struggle that had rattled the country during the Great Depressionand the white ruling class subsequent need for more alliesthe meaning of whiteness evolved to include most European immigrants, not only those from northern and western Europe. Explain why the President has been sometimes called the chief legislator. In what ways can the President try to influence the legislative process? I could hear the anxiety squeezing his vocal chords. The 114th Congress, which began in January 2015, had a historically large percentage of racial and ethnic minorities. Soon, however, the politics grew complex, and the proposed plan became very contentious for the Republican Party. A representative who sees him- or herself as a delegate believes he or she is empowered merely to enact the wishes of constituents. They are political persuaders who represents organized groups. While pork-barrel politics are often deplored during election campaigns, and earmarksfunds appropriated for specific projectsare no longer permitted in Congress (see feature box below), legislative control of local appropriations nevertheless still exists. Congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses. This photo shows the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, which at the time of its founding in 1971 had only thirteen members. Prior to the pandemic, I was knocking on doors as a labor organizer for my union (AAUP-AFT) and our Central Jersey DSA chapter, spreading information on how people could fight their landlord or boss. Many modern economists contend that during periods of economic decline, the nation should run deficits, because additional government spending has a stimulative effect that can help restart a sluggish economy. Often, Id wander off to look for random items I believed were essential to a healthy diet, like jars of mango pickles or microwavable samosas. Nor is it a solution to attempt to match the diversity of opinions and interests in the United States with those in Congress. Instead, proper representation for some is rooted in the racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, and sexual identity of the representatives themselves. Importance Of Descriptive Representation In WebIn this section, we will explore three different models of representation and the concept of descriptive representation. At the apartment complex where my partner and I have been staying, most of the residents are working people. Instead, most find themselves attempting to balance the important principles embedded in each. Except where otherwise noted, textbooks on this site This book uses the They argue that Congress works because representatives can satisfy their responsibilities to their constituents by making deals. Candidates routinely smell blood in the water, battle for delegates, go head-to-head, cripple their opponent, and make heads roll. But references to actual violence arent the only metaphorical devices commonly used in politics.
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