• Approval of Congress relative to the president. o Congress tends to be less popular than the president. • Basic info. on Congress o Why is it bicameral (why are there two chambers?) 1. Practical Reasons ▪ Came from the Great Compromise 2. Philosophical Reasons ▪ To keep power spread out and dispersed • House of Representatives o Representation based on population o 435 Total o 2 year terms o Seats are reapportioned every ten years because we get the census back every ten years. o Entire membership elected in November of even number years. • Senate o 2 Per state o 100 total o 6 year terms that are staggered ▪ Staggered means that only 1/3 of the seats are up for election in each two year election cycle. This is so that it does not change radically in one election. o This means one third elected in November of even numbered years. • Congressional organization: o Leadership – the political parties work through the leadership structure of congress because the leaders of the majority political party are, at the same time, the leaders of the House and the Senate. ▪ Leaders (know the top posts) • Leadership in the House o The speaker of the house- the person who is recognized in the constitution and stands second in the line of succession to the president, after the vice president. o Nancy Pelosi from 2007-2010 o Todays speaker is John Boehner o Whip- a political party member in congress charged with keeping members informed of the
