Congressional Leadership - Essay Example

? Congressional Leadership Introduction According to the section 3 of the constitution of the United s of America, the United States Senate is collective of two Senators that are from every State for a period of six years and that each of this senator is to have one vote. For a person to be a senator, he must have attained the mature age which is thirty years, must have been a citizen in the United States for nine years and that when elected, shall not be a citizen of the State where that person shall be selected. This paper will talk about various leaders of the 112th Congress in the U.S., their parties, the state they represent, and their roles in the Congress. It will also show the ranks of various leaders in the senate and the United States House of Representatives. The United States Senate and House of representatives has several members each of which is elected according to the law and has his or her own duty to perform in service of the people. Discussion The head of the senate is the United States Vice President and shall have no vote unless there is an equal division (James 36). The senate chose the other officers including a head pro tempore, when the vice leader is absent, or when exercising the Office of the President of the United States. The sole power of the Senate is to try all the prosecutions. During this sitting, they should be on pledge or affirmation, and when there is a trial on the United States President, the presiding officer is the Chief Justice. Nobody is to be convicted with no agreement of at least two thirds of present members (Katie 15).The legislature of the United States is more prevailing than in the other countries. They have congress leadership whereby a congress is a group of chosen council that is empowered to formulate laws. However, the congress does not make the choice of the chief administrative council of the country; instead the choice is made by the citizens. On the other hand, the parliament has a group of chosen representatives that both pass the laws, and make the selection of the nation’s principal executive, referred to as the prime minister. The president of the Senate is the Vice President of the United States, who is Joseph Robinette Biden, born in November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Being a senator for 36 years from Delaware, Biden became famous as a leader through the nation’s most significant domestic and worldwide challenges (Joseph 40). His political party identification is the Democratic Party in the administration of the president of the United States and he is elected in the office as an official in the white house. His constitutional duties include being the president of the senate although he votes only when there is a tie. The president of the senate is the presidential successor whereby he heads the administrative office in the case where the president is not in office due to illness, death or due to resignation. This may be for a short while, or it may be permanent. During elections, the vice president, who is the president of the senate has the duty of accepting tallies of ballots that are cast for the president and the deputy president that are from every state whereby eventually there is an official count when the Senate and the House of Council are present (Joseph 45). President pro tempore of the senate is Senator Daniel Inouye who represents Hawaii has been in office since the death of Senator Robert Byrd. He is constitutionally accepted as an official in the legislature who leads the chamber when the vice president is absent. The senate elects him and by tradition, he is the senator in the party that has the best record of a constant service (Katie 25). He is of the Democratic Party. In order for one to become the president pro tempore, he must be involved in the political party. Working in the United States Council campaigns voluntarily, and networking with the party officers and candidates. The person should go to a school of law in order to expand the skills in public speaking (James 10). The person should relate well with party members especially the senator of his state. The person should contest for the senate and should be in the legislature for a long period. The Majority Leader of the senate in the 112th congress is Senator Harry Reid who represents the state of Nevada and is of the Democratic Party. His areas of interest include his advocacy for opportunities in education, equality in the opportunity to everyone, security of the community and health care which is professional and is affordable to all. Nationally he is recognized as the leader of transport and issues concerning energy. In order to become a Majority Leader of the Senate, one should be in the party involvement, learn the aspects of debate and politics by enrolling into a law school. A person should compete for senate, and also observing the process of selection of Majority Leader from the campaign to the voting.       The Minority Leader of the Senate as in the 112th congress is Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky who is in the Republican Party. He has been in the senate since 1985. The Minority Leader is the idol to the majority of the people who share their views. Use of the successful leadership and governmental skills is effective despite one being in the minority and through this; the majority could value him or her (Smith et al. 5). When this role is played effectively, then one qualifies to be the leader in the Senate Majority. For the right path into the office of the senate, a person should be involved in his party and have the basics of public speaking, study law for a proper legislature experience, and vie for the senate.       In the United States, the Whips are the elected officials in political party. The Majority Whip is Senator Richard Durbin of the Democratic Party representing Illinois State, who supported a fair business agreement that involved both parties, and the Minority Whip is Senator Jon Kyl who is of the Republican Party and representing the Arizona State (Poole 5). He assists in the maintenance of order, in the parliament. Another leader from the Illinois is Senator Kirk Mark who is of the Republican Party.       According to the 112th edition of the speakers of the United States Representatives, John Boehner who represents Ohio and is of the Republican Party is the current speaker. He is a member in the United States House of Representatives. The Majority Party elects him to guide the House. He leads the debate, creates the agenda for the legislature, maintains organization in the house, and manages the vow of office to members of the House (Oleszek 115). To qualify as the speaker, therefore, a person should be living in the state where he is representing, the citizenship of the U.S. must be seven years and the person should be above 25years.       The Majority Leader in the United States House of Representatives is Eric Cantor who is of the Republican Party and is representing the Virginias 7th congregation district. The Minority Leader becomes the Speaker when the party is the majority. The Minority Leader is Nancy Pelosi of the Democratic Party and representing California’s 8th Congregation district. Being the first woman to be in the office of the House of Representatives, she has gained much fame in the United States (Katie 20). For a person to become the majority or the minority leader, he or she must be 25 years old and above, have been a United States citizen for the past seven years, and should be in the state where he represents.       The Whips of the United States House of Representatives are also officials in the House. The Majority Whip is Kevin McCarthy, a Republican Party who represents California. The Minority Whip is Steny Hoyer of the Democratic Party representing the 5th District of Maryland. For one to qualify as the Whip, they must live in the state where they represent, be of 25years and above and must have been for seven years, the U.S. citizen. Duties of the Whips include controlling official process of decision making when in the parliament (Mark 26). They ensure that there is a preferred turnout of voters. The minority whip in particular is to make sure that there is attendance to elect in opposition to the legislature. Basically, they help the floor leaders in the House; remain informed about the party’s thoughts.       My congregation district is California, and the name of my congregation leader is Kevin McCarthy who is the majority whip in the House. Conclusion To sum it all up, congressional leadership in the United States has a good reputation to the public because the senator representing his or her state must be living in the state which he or she is representing therefore the public relates well with the leader. Senators must go through a law school so that they acquire public relation skills and legislature knowledge, this is fundamental in the sense that a leader is able to have various issues with a professional approach. In other words, any person interested in a congressional leadership position must have certain qualifications that will determine his or her credibility to serve the people of the United States. Works cited Christine, Lubinski. Key Senate Leaders for Global Health in the 112th Congress. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print. James, Q., Wilson. American Government Brief Version Tenth Edition. Los Angeles: University of California, 2010. Print. Joseph, R., Biden. Joe Biden Biography. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print. Katie, Myrick. Guide to the 112th Congress. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2006. Print. “Leadership of the 112th Congress.” 1st Session CongressLeaders.com, July 2010. Web. 19 Sep. 2011. Mark, O., Hatfield. Vice President of the United States. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Print. Morrow, D. Senate Majority Leader. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2005. Print. Oleszek, Walter, J. Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process, 7th edition. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2007. Print. Poole, Keith, T., and Howard, Rosenthal. Congress: A Political-Economic History of Roll Call Voting. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print. Smith, Steven, S., et al. The American Congress, 6th ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print. Read More