Final Blog Post Entry

This blog was one of the many things that helped contribute to my general knowledge of what Congress is currently like this semester.  While I followed political news before this semester started, following more in-depth works more frequently along with writing these blog posts allowed me to have a greater and more detailed understanding current issues facing the American Legislature.

Following Senator Schumer's (D-NY) political career throughout the semester enabled me to learn about how difficult it is to pass legislation due the wide variety of issues Congress faces today such as party polarization and how proposing bills is now more of a way to keep issues alive until the next election rather than means of taking action on whatever issue is at hand.  It's exceedingly difficult to be a Senator today that aims to make any sort of significant legislative change.  It was also wonderful to see how the class tackled topics such as John Boehner's sudden resignation and the threat of another government shutdown.  Their variety of analyses on these topics also contributed to my better understanding of the people's branch of government.

Overall, I think this was a great assignment that really helped develop different ways to look at Congress today.  My earlier posts mainly revolved around the 'two Congresses' we discussed during the beginning of the semester.  As the semester continued, my posts evolved into discussing other concepts such as lobbying and campaign financing.  While mainly following Senator Schumer's political career might not of been as dynamic as following only major events happening with Congress, I definitely thought it was interesting perspective looking at Congress through the lens of a particular Senator and his actions throughout the course of a few months.  It was also very rewarding commenting on my classmates's work and having my own work critiqued.  The critiques on my work were one of the driving forces that encouraged me to think about Congress in ways that I wouldn't of normally thought of by myself.  Again, this blog was a wonderful opportunity for us to learn about one of the least flashy, and yet one of the most important, aspects of our government.