Exercise 2.1: Description and Explanation

Consider Table 2.1.

1. Classify the twenty senators in Table 2.1 in terms of their party affiliation and their support for aid to Vietnam:

DEMOCRATS 1. Akaka-Y 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

REPUBLICANS 1. Bennett-Y 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

2. Is there a pattern in this classification? Does party affiliation help explain whether a Senator voted in support of or opposition for aid to Vietnam? Provide an explanation for the pattern you discovered:



3. Now try classifying the senators in terms of seniority and vote on increasing the minimum wage. (Hint: divide the senators into two groups: (1) those who have served two terms or fewer classified as having low seniority, and (2) those with three or more terms classified as having high seniority):

LOW SENIORITY 1. Akaka-Y 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

HIGH SENIORITY 1. Bingaman-N 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

4. Does the length of time a member has served in the U.S. Senate have anything to do with support for increasing the minimum wage? What explanation seems to be supported by the classification of the Senators above?



5. Are there other explanations of senatorial behavior that might be developed by the information about the members of the Senate provided in Table 2.1?