Legislators oppose the scourge of drugs, favor better education, want better conditions for children and senior citizens, affordable college education, peace and prosperity, and so on. In Kernell and Jacobson s terms, this behavior yields individually responsive but collectively irresponsible behavior on the part of legislators. The individualistic pursuit of reelection undermines the capacity of the institution as a whole to realize collectively rational, responsible goals. The classic illustration is the member who decries overspending but votes religiously for pork barrel projects for her or his own district, or who votes to cut taxes and to increase spending but decries the resulting budgetary problems. Democratic MCs in the 1970s and 1980s see Republican landslides at the presidential level, seek to protect themselves.
Norm is that leaders won t bother members on votes that implicate members electoral prospects.