The central legislative dilemma for Congress is combining the faithful representation of constituents with making effective public policy

Question

Explore what both supporters and critics contend in their assessments of Congress as it attempts to be both a representative and an objective policymaking institution.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

An ideal response will:
1, Explain that supporters see Congress as a forum in which many interests compete for a spot on the policy agenda and over the form of a particular policy—just as the Founders intended.
2, Explain that critics charge that Congress is too representative—so representative that it is incapable of taking decisive action to deal with difficult problems.
3, Explain that supporters of Congress point out that, thanks to its being decentralized, there is no oligarchy in control to prevent the legislature from taking comprehensive action.
4, Explain that critics say that government spends too much because Congress is protecting the interests of too many people; as long as each interest tries to preserve the status quo, Congress cannot enact bold reforms.