Representation in Congress

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Representation in Congress
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Are Representatives Representative?
Category Senate House
Avg. Age 62 57
Women 20 80
Afr-Amer 2 43
Lawyers 55 156
Business 27 187
Education- H.S. Only 1 (Mark Begich-AK) 21
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How Wealthy Are They?

• Nearly 200 are millionaires
• 21 Senators are worth at least 3.1 million. (Mark
  Warner-VA. Worth 96 mil
• 29 House members worth that much. (Darrell
  Issa-CA. worth 330 mil.)

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Are Representatives Representative?

• Representatives are better educated and wealthier
  than public.
• Who is interested in serving?
• Most are self-starters
• Fewer are reluctants people urged by their
  friends and family

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OREGON REPS

• Senators
• Sen. Ron Wyden D (Lawyer)
• Sen. Jeff Merkley D (National Security
  Analyst/OR. World Affairs Council)
• Representatives
• 1st Rep. Suzanne Bonamici D (Lawyer)
• 2nd Rep. Greg Walden R (Radio Station Owner
  in Gorge)
• 3rd Rep. Earl Blumenauer D (Multnomah Co.
  Commissioner,
• Portland City Councilman)
• 4th Rep. Peter DeFazio D (Gerontologist)
• 5th Rep. Kurt Schrader D (Veterinarian)

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Three Roles of Representatives

• Delegate a representative is a vessel, filled
  with the views of their constituents (ie. Ron
  Wyden pushing legislation allowing for more
  logging on federal land)
• Trustee a representative elected to make
  decisions for people, in their best interest,
  regardless how they feel (Net Neutrality or
  CIA Investigation)
• Politico A person who acts as both, depending on
  the situation

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The Nature and Style of Representation
The Delegate Model of Representation
Legislators must act in the same manner as the
whole body would act, were they present.
Thomas Paine (1776)
Politico Model The legislator should be a
trustee and vote how he sees fit until the public
gets involved, at which point he should return to
the delegate mode.

• To say the sovereignty rests in the people, and
  that they have not a right to instruct and
  control their representatives, is absurd to the
  last degree.
• Elbridge Gerry

Conscience Model The legislator is a delegate
most of the time, but if an issue keeps her head
off the pillow at night, she turns into a trustee.
The Trustee Model of Representation
The legislator should consider the will of the
people, but then should do what he or she thinks
is best for the nation as a whole and in the long
term. -Edmund Burke (1774) "his unbiased
opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened
conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to
any man, or to any set of men living. ...
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The Delegate

• For the delegate theory to work, representatives
  must have some idea of what their constituents
  want, which they do through
• Polling
• Questionnaires
• Election returns
• Constituent profile
• Mail and phone calls to office
• Home style
• Squeaky wheel gets the grease (most visible
  problems ie health cares impact on business)

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The Trustee

• Representatives must act as a trustee when they
  vote on arcane issues that the public does not
  follow (ie., research and development subsidies,
  aid to foreign nations)
• These are perhaps the most difficult votes to
  make for a delegate-minded representative, who is
  afraid that a vote will unexpectedly activate a
  group in the district against the representative