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42 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
representation |
the efforts of elected officials to look out for the interests of those who elect them |
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national lawmaking |
the creation of policy to address the problems and needs of the entire nation |
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partisanship |
loyalty to a party that helps shape how members see the world, define problems, and identify appropriate solutions |
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polarization |
the ideological distance between the parties and the ideological homogeneity within them |
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hyperpartisanship |
a commitment to party so strong it can transcend other commitments |
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constituency |
the voters in a state or district |
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policy representation |
a congressional work to advance the issues and ideological preferences of constituents |
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allocative representation |
congressional work to secure projects, services, and funds for the represented district |
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pork barrel |
public works projects and grants for specific districts paid for by general revenues |
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casework |
legislative work on behalf of individual constituents to solve their problems with government agencies and programs |
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franking |
the privilege of free mail service provided to members of Congress |
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symbolic representation |
efforts of members of Congress to stand for American ideals or to identify with common constituency values |
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bicameral legislature |
legislature with two chambers |
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congressional oversight |
a committee's investigation of the executive and of government agencies to ensure they are acting as Congress intends |
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reapportionment |
a reallocation of congressional seats among the states every ten years, following the census |
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redistricting |
process of dividing states into legislative districts |
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gerrymandering |
redistricting to benefit a particular group |
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partisan gerrymandering |
redistricting controlled by the majority party in a state's legislature, to increase the number of districts that party can expect to carry |
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racial gerrymandering |
redistricting to enhance or reduce the chances that a racial or an ethnic group will elect members to the legislature |
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strategic politicians |
office-seekers who base the decision to run on a rational calculation that they will be successful |
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incumbency advantage |
the electoral edge afforded to those already in office |
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coattail effect |
the added votes received by congressional candidates of winning a presidential party |
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midterm loss |
the tendency for the presidential party to lose congressional seats in off-year elections |
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descriptive representation |
the idea that an elected body should mirror demographically the population it represents |
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majority party |
the party with the most seats in a house of Congress |
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party polarization |
greater ideological (liberal vs. conservative) differences between the parties and increased ideological consensus within the parties |
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speaker of the House |
the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives |
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seniority system |
the accumulation of power and authority in conjunction with the length of time spent in office |
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standing committees |
permanent committees responsible for legislation in particular policy areas |
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House Rules Committee
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the committee that determines how and when debate on a bill will take place |
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select committee |
committee appointed to deal with an issue or a problem not suited to a standing committee |
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joint committees |
combined House-Senate committees formed to coordinate activities and expedite legislation in a certain area |
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conference committees |
temporary committees formed to reconcile differences in House and Senate versions of a bill |
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norms |
informal rules that govern behavior in Congress |
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legislative agenda |
the slate proposals and issues that representatives think it worthwhile to consider and act on |
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policy entrepreneurship |
practice of legislators becoming experts and taking leadership roles in specific policy areas |
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filibuster |
a practice of unlimited debate in the Senate in order to prevent or delay a vote on a bill
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cloture |
a vote to end a Senate filibuster; requires a three-fifths majority, or 60 votes |
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omnibus legislation |
a large bill that contains so many important elements that members can't afford to defeat it and the president can't afford to veto it, even if the bill contains elements they dislike |
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roll call votes |
publicly recorded votes on bills and amendments on the floor of the House or the Senate |
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veto override |
reversal of a presidential veto by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress |
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pocket veto |
presidential authority to kill a bill submitted within ten days of the end of a legislative session by not signing it |