(Excellent observations! - promoted by am)
This is way abstract, but after reading "Three Men in a Room", talking with my legislator, and thinking about what I've seen in New York State politics since I was a wee lad (Hugh Carey is the first governor I remember), it seems like it works.
We normally describe political power as flowing up from the voters. As uninvolved as voters may be, and as corrupt as politicians may be, voters provide a key check on the power of politicians.
The New York State Legislature operates on a reverse principle. The check on the power of nearly all politicians comes from the leadership. If you want to get anything done, you have to listen to the leadership. If voters elect someone who won't (wrong party or otherwise disinclined), the voters can be punished by a denial of support for their legislator's projects.
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