The party system within Congress

As with all political institutions, the party system in Congress is based on a hierarchical structure. Congressional leaders include the majority leader and the minority leader in each chamber. Similarly, the Speaker of the House may also be considered. In the upper chamber the veep performs the same role as the Speaker of the House, but he is not conventionally thought of as a congressional leader because of the separation of powers between the executive and the legislature.

Congressional leaders invariably owe their position due to support gathered from within their own party. This may entail a range of qualities ranging from diplomacy to ideological purity. Similarly, those who maintain their position will have to navigate the greasy pole of politics. They are often vulnerable to a challenge from someone further to the left (in the case of a Democrat) or further to the right (in the case of a Republican). This inevitably makes adopting a bipartisan platform all the more difficult. For instance, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan must adopt a fairly belligerent stance with President Obama in part because he is vulnerable to a challenge from supporters of a more right-wing candidate. The obvious consequence of ‘over-your-shoulder’ politics is the difficulty presented when seeking to reach out beyond the aisle.

In recent years, seasoned observers of congressional politics have claimed that freshmen tend to be more ideological than older members. When they replace longer-serving congressional members, the overall tone of congressional politics becomes ever more partisan and ideological. Although identifying a turning point in congressional politics is somewhat subjective, the 1994 Republican freshmen were distinctly more ideological than previous generations. It must also be noted that incumbents who are perceived of by the party base as willing to compromise on their party’s beliefs are often vulnerable to defeat in a primary contest. A notable example to consider here is Richard Lugar; who came third during the GOP’s primary for Indiana after thirty-six years continuous service as a Senator. On a less dramatic level, congressional members who are labelled as RINOs or DINOs can find it hard to climb up the ladder. As most politicians seek power, this is self-evidently an important point to grasp. Within Congress, those who vote along party/ideological lines are simply more likely to gain promotion than those who do not.

The relationship between congressional leaders inevitably impacts upon the manner in which business is conducted on Capitol Hill. For instance, the Speaker of the House may come to be associated with a strident partisan tone that exacerbates conflict between the two parties. This was the charge levied against both Newt Gingrich (R) and Nancy Pelosi (D). The former was a conservative counter-revolutionary who railed against the moral pollution of liberal-secularism, whereas Pelosi was criticized for ignoring the seniority rule in order to promote the so-called ‘friends of Nancy’ to committee chairs. Majority and minority leaders are often culpable of adopting an ‘us and them’ attitude towards congressional business, when the whole system of governance necessitates bipartisan compromise to get things done.

The effectiveness of congressional leadership fluctuates over time and could be said to be dependent upon several factors. Of these, perhaps the most important is the state of party unity. Congressional leaders can do very little without the support of their party members. This may also be linked to the level of ideological coherence within Congress. Personality also plays a key role here. Some congressional leaders are more persuasive than others, and some are just better at using sanctions (such as promotion to a committee) than others. From the opposing side, the impact of pressure groups can be a considerable counter-force. A member of Congress may therefore place greater emphasis upon special interests as opposed to congressional leaders. One might also consider the influence of fund-raisers, their local constituents and so on. Personal beliefs will also play a role, and these may at times result in a member of Congress diverting from the agreed party line.