Please contact me at lee.hannah@psu.edu for original files.

1. Day 4 – The Professionalization of
Congress
July 1, 2013

2. Edmund Burke in the News
 “Edmund Burke Has a Lot to Teach Today’s
Conservatives”
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ej-dionne-
edmund-burke-has-a-lot-to-teach-todays-
conservatives/2013/06/30/10f8c95c-e1b5-11e2-
a11e-c2ea876a8f30_story.html

3. Institutionalized Organizations
 Three major characteristics:
 Well-bounded
 Example?
 Relatively Complex
 Example?
 Use of universalistic rather than particularistic criteria
 Example?

4. Well-Bounded
What argument is Polsby supporting with this graph?
The “Graying Congress” -
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-
CONGRESS_AGES_1009.html

5. Relative Complexity
 How does the early Congress make decisions/divide
the labor of law making?
 http://www.house.gov/committees/
 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/committees/
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_United_S
tates_House_of_Representatives_committees

6. Universalistic Criteria
 What argument is Polsby supporting with this graph?

7. Are these patterns still supported?
 The GOP’s “Young Guns”
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedde
d&v=2GXMqSLpOJQ
 DOL (p.34) – House reforms in the 1970s
 The “Republican Revolution” in 1994.
 In spite of efforts like the “Young Guns” and reforms
in the House, seniority is still a powerful force.
 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487044057
04576063940105791446.html

8. Evolution of a Legislator’s Job
 What mechanisms drive the increase of careerism in
the U.S. Congress?
 Increase in one-party states and districts (following what
events?)
 Growth of national government
 Increased prestige with the position
 Benefits of seniority

9. Tonight’s Reading
 “The League of Dangerous Mapmakers” by Robert
Draper.

10. In Class Response Essay
 In roughly one handwritten page, answer the following
question. You can use your notes to answer the
question.
 Both the text (DOL pp.28-40) and Polsby (1968) discuss
the increasing “institutionalization” of Congress. Many
argue that institutionalization is bad for the country and is
the reason why Congress is ineffective. This has led to
a number citizens and groups to advocate imposing term-
limits on members of Congress (e.g. establishing a
maximum number of terms they can serve). Would you
support a constitutional amendment that imposed term-
limits on members of the House of Representatives?
Why yes or no? Use the course material to support your
argument.
