Explain the position of the Senate majority leader. What kinds of power or influence does he or she hold? How does his or her power or influence compare to that of the Speaker of the House?
What will be an ideal response?
An ideal response will:
1, State that leadership in the Senate is less visible than that in the House: Senators with formal leadership titles, such as the president pro tempore, exercise little influence. The Senate majority leader is as close as one comes to a leader in this body, but the powers of the office pale before those of the Speaker of the House.
2, List several of the Senate majority leader's areas of influence: He or she has some influence in committee assignments, office space designation, and control of access to the floor of the Senate; and is important in the scheduling of the business of the Senate.
3, Note that the degree of the majority leader's actual influence is based less on formal powers than on skills of personal persuasion, the respect of colleagues, visibility in the media as majority party spokesperson, and role at the center of many of the various communication networks. Also, campaign contributors often take the advice of the majority leader on how to allocate money for incumbents seeking reelection.
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A politico is a representative who
A.) votes with constituents on important matters but follows his/her conscience on more mundane matters B.) uses his/her own best judgement when making decisions C.) voters exactly as his/her constituents want on every issue D.) is concerned with the political environment rather than his/her constituents
If you were a poll worker in one of the Rocky Mountain states for the presidential election of 2008, you would likely have seen __________
a. an increase in voter turnout b. a decrease in voter turnout c. about the same number of voters as in the last election d. more older voters than usual