Types of Influences on a Congressman During a Vote

1. What if all members of Congress voted the same way on a given situation? This certainly is not the case. But imagine if members of Congress were not specifically robots, but just all felt the same way on a certain situation? Pretty interesting to imagine but the reason this is not the case is because of influences. There are three influences types of influences that sway a Congressman to vote the way they do. The first influence is representational view. Author James Wilson says â€Å"Representational view is the reasonable assumption that members want to get reelected, and therefore vote to please their constituents† (Wilson, pg.340). Representational view sounds a lot like trying to impress someone to get on their good graces or trying to please someone. When a congressman votes like this, it really gets in the way of what is important. Do they really care what is going on? It does not sound like it, according to James Wilson. When a congressman vote like this, Wilson mentions the example of gun control and that sometimes they get conflicting views and that whichever way they vote, it may cost them dearly in the next election. What is even more frustrating is that â€Å"occasionally, members of Congress in this situation will try to be out of town when the matter comes up for a vote† (Wilson, pg. 341). What is the point of being in Congress if you are not going to be around for the major decisions? Just along for the free ride I am assuming. All in all,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Congressman Steve Cohen2092 Words   |  9 Pages As the current representative of the 9th district of Tennessee, Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen has emerged as a tactful candidate with goals in mind to help better the lives of his constituents through his representative style and his home-style. 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