Comparing Richard Fenno's Home Style And Washington Career

The prime motivation for congressmen is reelection. With re-election comes power and strategy. In Richard Fenno’s reading, Home Style and Washington Career, he examines the goals and strategies of congressmen. The two main aspects covered are a congressman’s establishment of a home style and their career in Washington. The home style of a congressman is how they handle their districts or states. Their career in Washington relates to how they serve their elective communities at a higher level. If congressmen want to keep getting reelected, they must find a balance between the two. Finding the perfect balance will keep the voters happy at home and, therefore, ensure reelection. Those who are unable to find a balance will have short lived political careers. In Home Style and Washington
The first step they must achieve is reelection. The reelection stage is when they establish a home style. By earning the trust of their district’s voters, it is easier to justify their decisions of policy making. This makes the goals of receiving power and good public policy possible. These next two steps involve a congressman’s career in Washington. They must achieve to pass laws that are beneficial to their home district. Good public policy is established to keep existing voters and to allow for a new base of supporters. Once they do this, congressmen must find a balance between their home style and Washington career. First, to distribute their power, a congressman can appoint a higher number of local staff. This makes up for their absence at their home district while working in Washington. The next way a congressman must balance their power is to use their influence in Washington to benefit their home district. The happier a congressman’s support system is, the more likely it is that they will get reelected. When a congressman finds the proper balance of the three main goals, it will ensure a thriving