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Representational Style And Congressional Elections: New York's 19th District In The 115th Congress, Margaret Mccormick
Representational Style And Congressional Elections: New York's 19th District In The 115th Congress, Margaret Mccormick
Honors Theses
The disconnect between members of Congress and the American public is no secret. Of the three branches of government, the legislative branch is intended to be the most representative of the people. However, it consistently faces the lowest approval ratings among the American public. Although the public largely disapproves of Congress as a legislative body, most Americans support their own representative. This phenomenon is reflected in high reelection rates for congressional incumbents. My thesis examines the relationship between congressional representation and elections through an evaluation of the representational style of Congressman John Faso. Faso, who represented New York’s 19th District …
Institutional Ambition And The Decline Of Congress, Ryan A. Case
Institutional Ambition And The Decline Of Congress, Ryan A. Case
Honors Theses
According to James Madison's theory of separated powers, ambition among members of each branch of government should prevent one branch from usurping the powers of another. However, this is hard to reconcile with the modern trend of congressional decline and executive aggrandizement. This paper takes a historical and developmental approach to argue that the informal changes to the American Constitution that took place throughout the 20th century combined with the modern trends of polarization and weak citizenship have left Congress weak and Madison's theory ineffective.