128 Congressional politics
there is a sharp conflict between the party leadership and powerful pressure
groups. Very often in such battles the Congressmen seem bemused by the
conflicting demands being made upon them. In such circumstances they may
look to other groups in Congress with whom they have shared interests – the
other members of the congressional delegation from their home state, the
members of the committees on which they serve, or other individuals in Con-
gress whose opinions they respect because of their expertise or experience.
Finally, the importance of personality must not be overlooked. It is true
that on the vast majority of the issues that come before Congress the at-
titudes of its members are determined by administration pressure, or by
constituency or group attitudes, but there are always mavericks whose be-
haviour is unpredictable. In many cases, where the considerations of party,
constituency and group pressures are nicely balanced, the Congressmen’s or
Senators’ personal inclinations may be decisive in determining the way they
cast their votes.
This then is the overall picture of congressional voting behaviour. It sug-
gests a rather anarchic situation, but this is only a half-truth. Congress is in
fact a highly organised, highly structured body. Indeed, if it were not, then
anarchy would certainly reign. It is the fluidity of the voting patterns and the
slackness of party ties that make the organisational structure of Congress so
significant, and which give to the committee system in particular its vitally
important role.
The structure of Congress
The task that Congress has to perform imposes upon it the necessity of a
highly organised procedure for dealing with legislation. Priorities have to
be determined between conflicting claimants for limited congressional time;
procedures have to be devised to enable legislation to be dealt with in an
orderly manner; and the requirements of adequate representation of the
interests involved have to be met. In a parliamentary system it is usually
the government that undertakes the task of determining the legislative pro-
gramme for the session and ensuring that it is seen through complex legisla-
tive procedures. But there is no government in Congress. The constitutional
separation of powers, as it has been interpreted since the early days of the
Republic, prevents the president or his advisers from participating in the
formal processes of legislation other than by transmitting messages to Con-
gress. They cannot vote, or even speak in debates, and they are not allowed
to have seats on the floor of the House. Of course, a wide range of informal
contacts supplements the formal relationships between Congress and ad-
ministration, but it remains true that the leadership that a president must
attempt to exercise over the operations of Congress must be conducted from
outside that body.
This lack of a directive government inside the legislature has meant that
Congress has evolved its own leadership. The organisation of Congress, the