US elections

[Stu in USA]

How can the Democrats control the Senate when there are 2 Independents? Assuming that they win Virginia then both parties will have 49 senators. I understand that these Independents are Democrat leaning, but to "control" surely they need a majority. I'm new here in USA, but maybe a native could explain?

[Bazile]

ok , explanation of the USA political system , please

What is the House of Representatives and the Senate ?

What are their powers ?

Who gets elected to them ?

[Clanad]

The parties conduct what is known as caucus', or meetings exclusive to each party to determine courses of action. The majority party gets to appoint chairmanship's to various committees... these are very powerful positions since they determine the bills that get to come up for debate and vote. Since there are only two independents, they must decide with whom (which party) they will caucus since their minute numbers wouldn't give them and hence their State's adequate representation. Each independent can choose whith whom they will caucus. Since they were both previously Democrats, it's likely they will go that way... in my opinion... Look for absolutely nothing, zip, zilch, nada getting done in either House in the next two years. I'm sure President Bush is sharpening his pen marked Veto, to which the Democrats will scream... and so it goes... ho-hum...

[Clanad]

House of Representatives is largest numerically, since they are apportioned according to the population of their respective States. About 435 right now, as I recall, whereas there are 2 Senators for each and every State. Representatives get to bring forth bills pertaining to financing... Taxes, Senatos can't do that, according to the Constitution. Senators are able to advise and consent on Presidential appointments. Any Bills considered by one House or the other are brought to a resolution by a committee from each to reconcile differences before the bill goes to the President for signature or veto... thumbnail sketch at best for a complicated system I don't think the Founding Father's forsaw...

[Stu in USA]

Thanks Clanad for those excellent answers. However why so negative about immediate future? Didn't both Reagan and Clinton work with a Congress controlled by the opposition? Also from what you say the House seems much more powerful than the Senate, has that always been the case?

[kempie]

Further to the comprehensive answer given by Clanad, you may find this Wiki article informative...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_the_U nited_States

[jno]

I've been rather surprised at how little, comparatively, the last Congress achieved, considering that both houses and the presidency were in Republican hands. I presume this is because Iraq has severely distracted everyone's attention, but Clanad may be able to put me right on that. I don't think having a congressional mixed marriage is necessarily a recipe for gridlock, though; America has coped with such things before, as you point out, Stu.

Anyway, one of the independents was Joe Lieberman, who was previously a Democrat (and a vice-presidential candidate) but was, in UK terms, deselected by his party this time round, apparently for being too pro-Iraq war. So he ran as an independent, running against and beating the official Democrat candidate, but has said he will vote with the Democrats anyway. In essence, it's the same principle as a coalition government, though those are more common in countries with some sort of proportional-representation voting rather than the first-past-the-post system used in the USA and UK.

[jno]

oh, just to answer Bazile: if you're in the UK, then think of House and Representatives and Senate as being the Commons and Lords respectively - an upper and lower house where the Americans, most remarkably, actually get to choose their Lords. The president is elected separately - not just the leader of one of the parties as in the UK; so that's not unlike electing the queen.

These parallels aren't exact, but you get the general idea. Clanad's answer will give you more of the details.

[Bazile]

Right -E- O Chaps - I see