America’s Elected Officials, Pt. III

Constituent Views: Strict Directives or Suggested Guidelines?

Lecture by Larry Sabato
16 min

• Flash Player
• Quicktime – 48 MB
  
• Windows Media Video – 40 MB
• Audio mp3 – 10 MB

Summary:
Members of congress face pressure from many different sources – including their constituents, political party, the president, interest groups, and their own ideological views – on how to vote on the issues placed before them. In deciding how to vote, members must determine if they will act as a delegate – basing their decisions on what their supporters want now – or as a trustee – making what they feel to be the best decisions for the future of their constituents, party, and country.

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

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Larry Sabato is the founder and direction of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, a professor of politics, and a nationally renowned elections scholar.

 

Click here to email Professor Sabato.

 

America’s Elected Officials, Pt. II

Congress: Why We Love to Hate Them

Lecture by Larry Sabato
16 min

• Flash Player
• Quicktime – 48 MB
  
• Windows Media Video – 40 MB
• Audio mp3 – 11 MB

Summary:
Finding common ground among 535 individuals of different ethnic, geographic, economic, generational, and ideological backgrounds is inevitably a difficult task. While the media tends to define Congress by its worst members, this first branch of government functions – as Constitutionally designed – to play an important role in our political process.

Click here to answer essay questions about the podcast.

—

Larry Sabato is the founder and direction of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, a professor of politics, and a nationally renowned elections scholar.

 

Click here to email Professor Sabato.