Getting ahead in the nation’s capital doesn’t require Frank Underwood’s murderous lust for power or Ned Stark’s arguably naive idealism — we hope.
But like the scheming congressman in “House of Cards” or the Iron Throne’s occupant in “Game of Thrones,” real-life members of America’s very real Congress wield unequal levels of power and influence. Party allegiance, seniority and expertise all help determine a lawmaker’s clout — or lack thereof.
Think of it like a big, real-life trading card game. Some players have special powers, others don’t, but the stakes for all are high.
Democrats form the majority of the Southern California congressional delegation, but they’re the minority on Capitol Hill. No matter how much expertise or wisdom any individual member might have, Democratic clout on the Hill is at a low.
That’s not to say the 29 House members and two senators that represent our region are powerless.
One of the top GOP players in the House is Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield. He represents a slice of Los Angeles County and is second in command to Speaker Paul Ryan.
McCarthy schedules what gets heard on the floor of the House of Representatives and has a front-row seat in planning the GOP’s legislative strategy.
“In short, he is in on nearly everything,” said Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College.
Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, chairs an appropriations subcommittee that oversees spending by the Department of the Interior and Environmental Protection Agency. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Much of the Golden State’s Democratic power is concentrated in Northern California. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi represents San Francisco, and both of California’s U.S. senators — Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris — have roots up north.
Southern California congressional Democrats took a hit in December, when Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles, left Washington to serve the remainder of Harris’ term as California attorney general.
While Becerra’s new job puts him front and center in California’s fight against President Donald Trump, his departure leaves a void in the delegation and among House Democrats as a whole. The House Democratic Caucus chairman, Becerra was viewed as a possible successor to Pelosi.
Following the departures in recent years of veteran Democratic congressmen Howard Berman and Henry Waxman, “I don’t think there’s any question the California (House) delegation has less influence than it had in years past,” said Jim Newton, a veteran journalist who lectures in public policy at UCLA.
Majority rules
There generally are two types of lawmakers on Capitol Hill — show horses and workhorses, said Jennifer Lawless, director of the Women & Politics Institute and a professor of government at American University in Washington.
While show horses crave the media spotlight, workhorses toil behind the scenes, Lawless said.
“Both of those types of legislators can use what they’re comfortable doing to their advantage,” she said. “You build relationships by being a workhorse. There’s upside to not necessarily being a rabble rouser and doing the job.”
It’s not impossible for a Democrat to get a bill passed, and bipartisanship isn’t completely dead. But the GOP has the White House, a 238-193 edge in the House and a 52-48 advantage in the Senate.
“Obviously, the most important requirement to yield any sort of power is being in the majority, especially as party polarization has increased in the past couple of decades,” Lawless said.
Because they can filibuster on many issues — a parliamentary procedure that allows endless discussion of a topic unless 60 of the 100 senators vote to close debate — Senate Democrats are better off than their House counterparts.
In general, if you’re a House Democrat, “you’re pretty much incidental and not needed,” Lawless said.
The majority party chooses leaders for Senate and House committees that serve as legislative gatekeepers; your bill is essentially dead unless it gets out of committee.
In the House, seats on the Appropriations, Ways and Means, and Rules committees are typically the most coveted, with the first two committees having power over spending and tax writing, respectively, and the third setting the rules for how legislation will be debated and altered.
Committee assignments are recommended by steering committees of party leaders and senior party lawmakers and confirmed by each party’s caucus.
“Committee assignments often determine the character of a member’s career,” read a 2008 Congressional Research Service analysis.
If you can’t chair a committee or subcommittee, being a committee’s ranking minority party member isn’t a bad consolation prize. Rep. Adam Schiff’s ranking member status on foreign affairs gives the Burbank Democrat a highly visible platform from which to challenge Trump on foreign policy.
“In a highly polarized Congress, his role is all the more important because Republicans seem reluctant to hold Trump accountable for his actions,” Pitney said. “In this role, Schiff has assumed a much higher profile in recent weeks.”
If Democrats ever retake the majority, ranking members are in line to chair their committees.
Respect elders
Besides party affiliation, seniority plays a part in gaining congressional clout. Veteran lawmakers generally keep their committee seats and have the first pick of committee assignments.
Expertise on a specific issue also is a plus. It may have helped three-term Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-La Quinta, a physician, gain a seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which deals with health insurance.
“At a time when the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid are under assault, (Ruiz’s) medical background will bring an important voice to the national debate,” the committee’s ranking member, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said in a news release.
Newton cited Leon Panetta, a 16-year member of the House who represented Northern California before joining the Clinton administration, who Newton said gained influence as a congressman through his mastery of the federal budget. Panetta, a Democrat, later served as President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff and CIA director and defense secretary under President Barack Obama.
“The (budget) reconciliation process turns out to be an extremely important vehicle for getting legislation through,” Newton said. “Panetta understood that better than anyone.”
THE DELEGATION
Members of the Southern California delegation to the House of Representatives.
Republicans (8): Paul Cook of Yucca Valley, Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, Steve Knight of Palmdale, Ed Royce of Fullerton, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa, Mimi Walters of Irvine, Darrell Issa of Vista and Duncan Hunter of Alpine.
Democrats (21): Julia Brownley of Westlake Village, Judy Chu of Pasadena, Adam Schiff of Burbank, Tony Cardenas of Panorama City, Brad Sherman of Sherman Oaks, Pete Aguilar of Redlands, Grace Napolitano of Norwalk, Ted Lieu of Torrance, Norma Torres of Pomona, Raul Ruiz of La Quinta, Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Linda Sanchez of Whittier, Lucille Roybal-Allard of Downey, Mark Takano of Riverside, Nanette Barragan of San Pedro, Maxine Waters of Los Angeles, Lou Correa of Santa Ana, Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach, Juan Vargas of San Diego, Scott Peters of San Diego and Susan Davis of San Diego.
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