3. The u.S. Parliament

Most legislatures consist of two chambers, i.e. they are bicameral. In the event of disagreements between the chambers the problem is reviewed by a compromise commission established by the chambers themselves on the basis of parity. For changes to be introduced into the Constitution, a qualified majority (not less than a two-thirds majority) is required in each chamber. The presiding officer of the House is the Speaker. His prestige is rather high, he is second to the Vice-President in the line of presidential succession.

By Constitution the presiding officer of the Senate is the Vice President. The Senate chooses a President pro tempore to preside when the Vice-President is absent. The Speaker and the President pro tempore are always members of the political party, which has the majority in each House. The majority party leaders together with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Vice-President constitute the “Big Four”.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is chosen by the majority party caucus and his election follows automatically in the House. The Speaker is a partisan officer and is replaced as soon as his party loses its majority. Usually (s)he is a party boss. Party boss as used in the US is a political leader who controls the policies and decisions of political parties: controls votes, influences the choice of party candidates, the distribution of political jobs (patronage) etc.

Among other duties the Speaker fixes the time-limit. Each Member is supposed to speak within the time-limits, but it’s not always so. By filibuster one means a parliamentary device by which the speaker holds the floor by continuous speaking, thus making it impossible for the legislature to continue with regular business. For example, US senators have the right to unlimited speaking unless the closure rule is invoked. Gag rule is a parliamentary term, which means a rule (in a legislative body) restricting the time available for debate.

A sergeant at arms is an officer but not a member of Congress. He is a police officer who attends continuously all sessions to maintain order and decorum.

4. The campaign team

The candidate is the face of the campaign. The public associates the candidate with everything that he or she says or does. For this reason, candidates must constantly watch their actions. Looking bad or doing wrong may cost a candidate the election. However, in today’s political environment no candidate for public office can be successful without good people that they can trust on their campaign team.

A campaign manager has the most important and complicated job in a candidate’s campaign. The campaign manager must understand the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate, the candidate’s opponent, and the other members of the campaign staff. He or she must be familiar with all of the aspects that make up the election. The campaign manager coordinates all the information they receive, including the advice from the other players in the campaign and decides what to do.

The media advisor makes informed recommendations about effectively using television, radio, and print media markets to the candidate’s advantage. The media advisor plans where to advertise, who to target commercials toward, and when to advertise. The media advisor also uses knowledge of the voting public to help the campaign manager choose what types of commercials to make.

The political advisor keeps track of the political history of each district. This consultant also watches for nationwide trends that may affect the election. The political advisor gives the candidate and the campaign manager advice on what areas to visit and what issues to discuss. The political advisor also maintains a positive relationship with the candidate’s political party (The machinery provided by a political party is a great asset in any electoral campaign; in fact experienced political analysts and strategists would say without it, no candidate would stand a chance.) and the measures of the party’s strength in each district.

The pollster keeps track of public opinion surveys and orders polls. It is also the pollster’s job to make certain that the campaign’s message stays in line with the concerns of the community.

The pollster administers several types of polls. Favorability polls keep track of how potential voters feel about a candidate (also known as the approval rating of the candidate). Favorability polls can save the campaign time and money by allowing the candidate to avoid areas that are certain victories or defeats. The pollster also uses issue polls that seek the concerns of the public.

The treasurer monitors the finances of a campaign - the money that comes in and makes sure that the funds are acquired and spent legally. He or she needs to keep track of the spending of each team member and to make sure that the campaign gets the most for its money.