William_T._Bianco,_David_T._Canon]_American_Polit

382 Chapter 11 | Congress

regulations. Some are wealthy and urban, where citizens are more supportive of

foreign aid and higher taxes. Some are suburban, where funding for education and

transportation is critical. Some are conservative and rural, where agricultural policies,

gun rights, and support for tax cuts dominate. Districts vary from the religious to the

secular, from domination by one industry to a diversified corporate base to no industry

at all. Some consider government a force for good, while others argue that government

should get off people’s backs. And some districts are a mixture of all these things.

Because districts are so multifaceted, the legislators they elect differ from one

another as well. Regardless of the office, most voters want to elect someone whose policy

positions are close to theirs. As a result, legislators tend to reflect the central tendencies of

their districts. At one level, electing a legislature that “thinks like America” sounds good:

if legislators act and think like their districts, then the legislature will contain a good

mixture of the interests representing the country or state. But this often makes finding

compromise difficult. We elect legislators to get things done, but they may be unable to

agree on anything because their disagreements are too fundamental to bridge. Consider

abortion rights. The country is sharply divided on this issue, as are the House, the Senate,

and most state legislatures. The fact that legislators have not come to a decision on this

issue is no surprise: just as citizens disagree, so do their elected representatives.

Despite the vast differences between congressional constituencies, voters want

many of the same things: a healthy economy, a safe country (in terms of national

defense and local crime), good schools, and effective health care. Figure 11.2 reports

responses to a survey about how citizens feel that legislators should do their jobs. The

FIGURE

11.2

Vote for what the people

they represent want

Vote according to their own

conscience and experience

Don’t know/no opinion

80%

17

3

Work across party lines

Stick to their own principles

Don’t know/no opinion

67%

29

4

Spend more time at home

Spend more time in Washington

Don’t know/no opinion

67%

27

6

What Do People Want from Congress?

Members of Congress are often criticized for being out of touch with their constituents. Based on a USA Today poll, Americans

seem to want their congressional members to vote in line with their constituents’ views, to work across party lines, and to spend

more time in the district rather than Washington, D.C. But what happens if these goals conflict? What if the member represents a

very partisan district where the majority does not want him or her to work with the other party? Also, is there no room for trustees

who follow their conscience and stick to their principles?

Source: “Divided We Still Stand—and Getting Used to It,” USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com (accessed 4/11/14).

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