The inquiry of whether the Congress is representative towards the American populace has been a longstanding inquiry that has become the limelight of legion political arguments. Many people believe that with a rank of about all-white males from a higher societal position in society, it is about impossible for a true representation to happen. This is a error. The Congress is a just representation of the American populace. With the usage of a bicameral legislative assembly that serves both public sentiment and national involvements, congressional vote that is representative of its components, and the power to vote, congressional representation is so met.
One of the most controversial issues sing the representation of the Congress is how the deficiency of minorities and adult females in rank affect a true representation of the American populace. For much of the life of Congress, the rank has been comprised wholly of white males. However, with the surface of the civil rights motion and a turning consciousness of a diverse America, rank in the Congress has begun to alter. There are now African Americans, adult females, Latino Americans, Asiatic Americans, and American Indians that are all members of Congress. Many adult females used to derive rank into Congress by going widows, nevertheless, today about all are elected functionaries and this tendency is on the rise. Nevertheless, white males continue to rule the bulk.
Does this mean that representation is still unequal?
The reply is no. Regardless of race, civilization, and gender differences, members typically make their picks in conformity with their components. For illustration, although most of the African American members vote broad, this does non needfully intend that African Americans are all broad. Rather, these members represent territories that are broad. This means that voting inclinations don t rely on race ; instead they rely on the positions of their territories. If a territory is broad, it s merely proper for their congresswoman to do more broad determinations every bit good. Therefore, if Congress rank were based on racial, cultural, and gender representatives, they would vote in a similar manner that the Congress of today does. Basically, in malice of the fact that white males dominate the bulk of Congress, adult females and racial minorities vote in the same mode. This mode is stand foring their component s positions. This proves that it is unneeded to organize a Congress based on gender and racial features.
Another issue environing the representation of Congress pertains to how representation should be handled. Some say that it is the duty of the Congress to move in conformity with the positions of its components. Still, others believe that members of the Congress have earned the duty to move on their ain determinations and upon what they deem to be the most of import issues. The best manner to work out this job is to run into someplace in the center. One must recognize the fact that members of Congress are responsible and educated persons, if they weren t they wouldn t be in Congress. However, as a representative for a territory, it is besides the duty of the member to cover with the issues of import to the territory. Therefore, by covering with the issues of the populace and holding the duty to move on their ain judgement, members of the Congress are able to stand for the American populace in a more beneficial mode.
The issue of congressional representation besides depends on three of import factors: place manner, name acknowledgment, and midterm elections. In a nutshell, place manner is the mode in which members of Congress present themselves to the voting populace. The ground why place manner is of import to understand is that if a member of Congress is particularly good at it, he/she has a important advantage over other campaigners running for office during an election. Many politicians make place manner one of their personal ends in order to derive excess ballots. If person s place manner is truly good, they can derive the ballots from electors who might non even agree with their political positions. This can evidently hold a dramatic impact on representation because the positions of the territory could easy be contradictory to the positions of their congresswoman.
A similar factor to place manner, name acknowledgment besides plays a cardinal function in the vote procedure and in bend, the representation of a territory. Name acknowledgment is of import because when person enters a canvass booth and they merely see a few names they recognize, those are traveling to be the 1s they vote for. A worst-case scenario occurred in the film The Distinguished Gentleman where a con-artist used the name of a late deceased member of Congress to win an election that sent him straight to Washington. Obviously this is a stretch from world but it represents the power of name acknowledgment. The 3rd factor, midterm elections, is slightly different than the other two. Midterm elections occur during a president s term in office. If public sentiment towards the president is negative during a midterm election, running functionaries that are members of the same party as the president have a reduced opportunity of going elected. This is of import to retrieve because it represents the sentiment of the populace at a specific point in clip, which may merely be a short-run feeling. As a consequence, functionaries are elected that might non stand for the overall feeling of the populace. One recent illustration occurred during the Clinton presidential term. Public blessing was highly low and this was apparent by the vote that took topographic point during the 1994 midterm elections where the populace voted in the largest sum of Republicans in old ages.
All in all, the American public holds the deck of cards because it has the power to vote. Just because the bulk of congresswomans are white males doesn t mean that the state is misrepresented. If the United States deemed it necessary to implement a Congress that represented all people of the populace, where would it stop? Who would acquire representation and who wouldn T? Would the uneducated have representation? This is unjust. Why in the universe would we set person with no certificates other than the fact that he/she represents a specific sector of society? Bing a member of Congress is a occupation. In the existent universe, if you lack the certificates, you don t acquire the occupation. So why should this differ in Congress particularly since it is one of the most of import determination doing subdivisions in the United States. What about homophiles, the blind, vegetarians, etc. ? These are all communities within the United States. It s merely non executable to implement a Congress of complete descriptive representation. Equal representation doesn T imply good representation. The members of Congress base their determinations and actions on where their territories involvements are and that surely peers clear representation.
