Gov

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Inherent Powers

Back 1

powers that Congress and the president need in order to get the job done right.

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Grassroots lobbying

Back 2

An approach that separates itself from direct lobbying through the act of asking the general public to contact legislators and government officials concerning the issue at hand

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Caucus

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A meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidates

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Direct democracy

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A government in which all or most citizens participate

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Block grants

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Money from the national government y states can spend with broad guidelines determined by Washington

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Mandatory spending

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spending on certain programs that are required by existing law

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Oversight

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An unintentional failure to notice or do something

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Dealignment

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A trend or process whereby a large portion of the electorate abandons its previous partisan affiliation without developing a new one to replace it

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Fiscal policy

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Managing the economy by the use of tax and spending laws

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General election

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An election held to choose which candidate will hold office

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Closed primary

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A primary election in which voting is limited to already registered party members

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Motion for cloture

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Senate May limit consideration of a pending matter to 30 additional hours but only by vote of three-fifths of full Senate normally 60 votes

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Super PAC

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A type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations unions and individuals but can't coordinate with parties

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Federalism

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Government Authority shared by national and state governments

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Political socialization

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Process by which background traits influence one's political view

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Expressed powers

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Powers that are found directly in the Constitution

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Lame duck

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A person still in office after he or she has lost a bid for reelection

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Midterm election

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Refers to a type of election where the people can elect the representatives in the middle of the term of the executive or of another set of numbers

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Franking privileges

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The ability of members to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature for postage

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Lobbying

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The act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in a government

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Party polarization

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A vote in which a majority of democratic legislators oppose a majority of Republican legislators

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Amicus curiae

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A brief submitted by a "friend of the court"

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Judicial activism

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When judges substitute their own political opinions for the applicable law Irwin judges Act Like A legislature

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Horse race journalism

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Resembles coverage of horse races because of the focus on polling data public perception

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Casework

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Social work directly concerned with individuals especially that involving a study of a person's family history and personal circumstances

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Issue Network ( iron triangle )

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A close relationship between an agency a congressional committee and an interest group

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Political party

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A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office

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Gerrymandering

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Drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party

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White House staff

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personal assistant to the president typically a chief of staff

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Filibuster

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An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely thus preventing the Senate from taking action to the bill

Front 31

Executive order

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Legally binding orders given by the president acting as the head of the executive branch

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Critical elections

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A term from political science and political history describing a dramatic change in the political system

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Pork barrel legislation

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Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

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Entitlements

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A claim for government funds that cannot be changed without violating the rights of the claimant

Front 35

Original intent

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A theory in law concerning constitutional and statutory interpretation

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Logrolling

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The legislators supports a proposal favored by another in return for support of his or hers

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Monetary policy

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Managing the economy by altering the supply of money and interest rates

Front 38

Selective incorporation

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Court cases that apply Bill of Rights to States

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Suffrage

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The right to vote in political elections

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Fiscal federalism

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Deals with the division of government functions and financial relations among levels of government

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Writ of certiorari

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An order by a higher Court directing a lower court to send up a case for review

Front 42

Litigation

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The process of taking legal action

Front 43

Uncontrollable spending

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Spending that Congress and the president have no power to change directly

Front 44

Political efficacy

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A belief that you can take part in politics or that the government will respond to the citizenry

Front 45

Gender gap

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Difference in political views between men and women

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Single member districts

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An electoral District that returns one office holder to a body with multiple members such as a legislature

Front 47

Pocket veto

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A video fails to become a law because the president did not sign it within 10 days before Congress adjourns

Front 48

Redistricting

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The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population

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Independent expenditures

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Spending my political action committees corporations or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them

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Policy agenda

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Issue that people believe required governmental action

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Cooperative federalism

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concept of federalism in which national, state, and local governments interact cooperatively and collectively to solve common problems, rather than making policies separately but more or less equally by the government

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Stare decisis

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"let the decision stand" or allowing prior rulings to control the current case

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Devolution

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The effort to transfer responsibility for many public programs and services from the federal government to the states

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Demographics

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Statistical data related to the population in the particular groups within it

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Political culture

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A coherent way of thinking about how politics and government ought to be carried out

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Divided government

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One party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress

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Open primary

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A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

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PAC

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A committee set up by a corporation labor union or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

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Judicial review

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The power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional

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Categorical grants

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Federal grants for specific purposes such as building an airport

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Interest group

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An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy

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Pluralism

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The belief that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy

Front 63

Unfunded mandate

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statute or regulation that requires a state or local government to perform certain actions, with no money provided for fulfilling the requirements

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Implied powers

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Powers not explicitly stated in the Constitution

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Incumbent

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The person already holding an elective office

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Realignment

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Change in behavior of voting groups

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Republic

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A government in which elected representatives make the decisions

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Bipartisan

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The agreement between two political parties that usually don't agree with each other