A2-AQA GOV4A Politics 10th June 2013

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Against the influence that committee's have over the legislative process. If we take your question on Woodrow Wilson's quote, there would have to be some sort of counterargument to the idea that legislation is focused in committee rooms?

So you'd say that the influence is in fact on the floor because:

It is them that take the vote on legislation
No enforcement or initiation in committees
As you said the discharge petition
Senators can filibuster so have significant powers in blocking legislation
There has been a decline in conference committees showing other ways round it

Reply 241

Scatach

Original post by Bord3r

Yeah, that's the issue I have is that there aren't many arguments to say Committees aren't extremely powerful. I guess you could mention how a bill must pass through both chambers and still go through a floor vote to pass, so there's only so much influence a committee can have.

That's a good idea. Perhaps even the argument could be stretched as far as the reliance on the President to then deal with the legislation once it's on his desk, if the question deals with the legislative process as a whole. A bit of a weak link but I really would struggle to argue against their influence.

Reply 242

Scatach

Original post by Josh94

Their vote in only recomendatory, the chamber can vote against their amendments.

I was under the assumption that if a committee decided to not go to a second reading in the Senate, that the bill was killed. Is that not the case?

Reply 243

Bord3r

Original post by adamgraver

Also use Engel v Vitale for Restraint

This isn't really restraint though, the court made a landmark decision to rule School Prayer laws unconstitutional. It was applying the constitution, yes, but it was still overturning legislation made by other branches of government. It does depend on your view of what "activism" actually is, but I would avoid using it in exams when you could use NFIB v. Sebelius, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, Gonzales v. Carhart. Planned Parenthood could also be used as it respected the stare decisis from Roe v. Wade but I'd personally avoid it.

Another recent one which would be good to use is Baze v. Rees which upheld the states right to use lethal injection.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 244

williamruse

Can anyone guess the congress question?? I'm thinking representation...

Reply 245

adamgraver

Original post by Bord3r

This isn't really restraint though, the court made a landmark decision to rule School Prayer laws unconstitutional. It was applying the constitution, yes, but it was still overturning legislation made by other branches of government. It does depend on your view of what "activism" actually is, but I would avoid using it in exams when you could use NFIB v. Sebelius, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, Gonzales v. Carhart. Planned Parenthood could also be used as it respected the stare decisis from Roe v. Wade.

Another recent one which would be good to use is Baze v. Rees which upheld the states right to use lethal injection.

Yeah I'd use most of them don't worry haha but for top AO2 marks I'd try interpret the cases that don't exactly fit into one and say why they're in one not the other

Reply 246

Bord3r

Original post by Scatach

Yes, and if a President is popular a committee and its chair are going to feel pressured into supporting their agenda. I guess you could also say how certain majority leaders such as LBJ for the Democrats in the Senate (1950s) may bully committee chairs into doing what the party wants.

Reply 247

adamgraver

Original post by williamruse

Can anyone guess the congress question?? I'm thinking representation...

We've been discussing committees as never been asked

Reply 248

ineedtorevise127

what would you write in an essay of has the supreme court become more restraint

Reply 249

Scatach

Original post by Bord3r

This isn't really restraint though, the court made a landmark decision to rule School Prayer laws unconstitutional. It was applying the constitution, yes, but it was still overturning legislation made by other branches of government. It does depend on your view of what "activism" actually is, but I would avoid using it in exams when you could use NFIB v. Sebelius, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, Gonzales v. Carhart. Planned Parenthood could also be used as it respected the stare decisis from Roe v. Wade.

Another recent one which would be good to use is Baze v. Rees which upheld the states right to use lethal injection.

Could you not argue that in the Planed Parenthood v. Casey ruling the court was moving away from stare decisis, with the restrictions that it authorised in abortion? I remember reading somewhere that it was criticised by feminist groups as an attempt to chip away at Roe v. Wade.

Reply 250

williamruse

Original post by adamgraver

We've been discussing committees as never been asked

Praise the lord!! Representation is such a grey area for me

Reply 251

Bord3r

Original post by williamruse

Can anyone guess the congress question?? I'm thinking representation...

Perhaps although that did come up in 2010. It's still more likely for that to come up than differences between Senate and House or Political Parties which have come up in the last two papers. My money's on committees however.

Reply 252

Nerd2

Original post by ineedtorevise127

Hey I am just going to focus on political parties and voting behaviour.

Voting behaviour is okay I suggest just long learning all the statistics.

But political parties is quite hard I don't understand the arguments for and against why parties are de-centralised.
And what do the following terms mean:
50 party system
Blue/Red divide
and New Deal

what about you? What topics will you be doing?

Original post by Hannahm1995

I'm doing those topics too! Yeah statistics are so boring and long to learn.

I thought that GOVP3A paper was hard, I was hoping New Deal and Iron Triangle wouldn't come up as I was finding it difficult to understand what they were. Looks like I'm going to have to retake GOV3A next year lol.

Reply 253

Bord3r

Original post by Scatach

Yes it did, which is why I would avoid using it, but it did still uphold a women's right to an abortion. The ruling was a bit confusing so I'm just going to avoid talking about it. :tongue:

Reply 254

williamruse

Original post by Bord3r

In the unit 3b they asked questions which were similar to previous years, not keeping my hopes up though

Reply 255

Bord3r

Original post by williamruse

In the unit 3b they asked questions which were similar to previous years, not keeping my hopes up though

True, obviously go over the whole topic and prepare for all questions. However the fact that committees make up such a large part of congress and have never come up seems suspicious.

Reply 256

williamruse

Original post by Bord3r

True, obviously go over the whole topic and prepare for all questions. However the fact that committees make up such a large part of congress and have never come up seems suspicious.