Reform Proposals & the Ideal Legislature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reform Proposals & the Ideal Legislature - Essay Example Attempts at radical reforms, however, have so far been futile. For example, the slow pace of policymaking and legislation has so far remained. According to Robert Harrison (2004), Congress is a constant and neutral marketplace in which contending parties negotiated terms and contracts that shape America as a state. (9) Its plurality and the norms within it becomes an open entry for gridlock and partisan legislation. Specifically, the political parties in Congress retained a pronounced tendency to stick together even when confronted by the new issues of progressive reform. In contrast to the executive department who could make immediate decision or policy stand, the Congress must undergo a process of conflict, consensus and indecisiveness that slows down any effort of reform. The legislative leadership is very important in getting the job done in Congress essentially because it controls the legislative agenda especially in cases where the leaders’ party has the comfortable lead in numbers. For instance, the leadership can appoint leaders to various legislative committees and hence control their historic roles of refining legislation. For example, according to Gary Cox and Matthew McCubbins (2007): Complex logrolls that require a sequence of legislative enactments on the floor are†¦ dependent of the goodwill of the majority leadership. At a minimum, the leadership must agree to schedule all the pieces of the legislative bargain. Otherwise, whoever goes first (votes first, reports out a bill first, etc.) has no guarantee that the other side will be given the opportunity to uphold its end of the bargain. (228) Needless to say, an active Congressional leadership is pivotal in substantive legislation. Leaders of the Congress will have few problems if they belong to the party that has the majority. Party discipline can ensure the smooth proceedings and passage of laws because the party organization will dominate the legislative activity. However, the