|
Unit 4
Politics in Congress is the process of lining up legislative
support. It permeates the entire legislative process since Congress
deals with differences of opinion for which there is no clearly
accepted right answer. Each of the following political strategies
help build support.
1. The Naming Game: Bill names are like headlines in newspapers--they
attract interest and summarize a bill in a positive way making
it more difficult for Members to oppose.
The
Naming Game: Introduction with Popular Names [Note: The
Naming Game requires the use of Microsoft PowerPoint.]
2. The Numbering Game: Bills are often referred to by
their number. A bill's number may have some meaning if it is linked
to a particular historical event or seems to be a high priority
because the number is low. The party leadership reserves the first
few bills numbers for their priority items. Patriotic bill numbers,
such as "HR 1776," have been used for bills supporting
national defense, funding the Coast Guard, promoting home ownership
and protecting pensions.
COMING SOON!
[Video: introduction with numbers (1776, S1 etc)]
3. Co-Sponsorship: Bill proponents recognize that the
more initial support they can show, the more likely their colleagues
are to support a piece of legislation. Proponents seek out co-sponsors
who indicate their support by signing on to the bill.
Video:
Announcement of Co-sponsors Time: 0:24 [Requires most
recent version of the RealPlayer. To find which version you
have installed, open the RealPlayer and click on Help >>
About RealPlayer.]
Don't have RealPlayer? Click to Download 
4. Omnibus
Legislation: At times more is better. A Member of Congress
does not have to agree with every portion of a bill to support
it. Adding many desirable initiatives into a bill may draw support
despite perceived shortcomings elsewhere in the bill.
Video:
Member Supporting Portions of a Bill Time: 0:40 [Requires
most recent version of the RealPlayer. To find which version
you have installed, open the RealPlayer and click on Help >>
About RealPlayer.]
Don't have RealPlayer? Click to Download
5. Humanizing Abstract Problems: Legislation is often
promoted by linking it to an individual whose problem would purportedly
have been ameliorated if the legislation had been in force. Click
on the following to see examples.
James Brady, President Reagan's press secretary, was wounded
in an attempt on the President's life in 1981. Few people would
get very excited about "H.R. 7" or the "Omnibus
Crime Bill", but naming the legislation the "Brady
Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1991" (H.R. 7) put a
human face on the misuse of firearms. The legislation established
a national seven-day waiting period before the purchase of a
handgun, giving law enforcement officials time to conduct a
criminal background check.
After Megan Kanka was assaulted and killed by a convicted sex
offender who lived in her neighborhood, pressure built for a
method of warning children and their parents of potential risks.
While the official name of the proposed federal legislation
was "To amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement
Act of 1994 to require the release of relevant information to
protect the public from sexually violent offenders," it
quickly became known as "Megan's Law" and passed with
little difficulty.
While helping AIDS victims was controversial since many Americans
linked AIDS to risky personal behavior, teenager Ryan White
was seen as an innocent victim of tainted blood transfusions.
He became the poster child for the necessity of increased funding
for research. "The Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency
(CARE) Act" was given increased political momentum by referring
to it as the Ryan White CARE Act.
|
