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114 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Speaker
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The presiding officer of the House of Representatives; normally, the Speaker is the leader of the majority party.
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Majority Leader
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Title used for the Speaker's chief lieutenant in the House and for the most important officer in the Senate. Chosen by the majority party membership, majority leaders are responsible for the day-to-day work necessary to build political coalitions and enact laws.
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Minority Leader
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Leader of the minority party who coordinates the minority's attempts to improve or defeat majority legislation.
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President pro tempore
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The president of the Senate, who presides in the absence of the vice president.
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Whips
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Members of Congress who serve as informational channels linking the leadership and the rank and file, communicating the leadership's views and intentions to the members and vice versa.
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Bicameral
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Containing two chambers, as does a legislature such as the U.S. Congress.
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Select committee
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Temporary committee created to deal with a specific issue or problem.
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Standing committee
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Committee with fixed membership and jurisdiction, continuing from Congress to Congress.
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Conference committee
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A group of representatives from both the House and the Senate who iron out the differences between the two chambers' versions of a bill or resolution.
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Seniority
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Practice by which the majority-party member with the longest continuous service on a committee becomes the chair.
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Multiple referrals
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Process occurring when party leaders give more than one committee responsibility for considering a bill.
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Markup
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Process in which a committee or subcommittee considers and revises a bill that has been introduced.
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Filibuster
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Delaying tactic by which one or more senators refuse to allow a bill or resolution to be considered, either by speaking indefinitely or by offering dilatory motions and amendments.
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Cloture
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Motion to end debate in the Senate; requires 60 votes to pass.
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Unanimous-consent agreement
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An agreement that sets forth the terms and conditions according to which Senate will consider a bill; these agreements are individually negotiated by the leadership for each bill.
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Rule
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The terms and conditions under which a bill or resolution will be considered on the floor of the House- in particular, how long debate will last, how long debate will last, how time will be allocated, and the number and type of amendments that will be in order.
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Earmarks
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In a budget, designation of funds for a specific use.
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Delegate
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Role a representative plays when following the wishes of those who have elected him or her regardless of what he or she believes good public policy ought to be.
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Trustee
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Role a representative plays when acting in accordance with his or her own best judgment to decide what is best for the country.
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Veto power
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Power giving presidents the capacity to prevent bills passed by Congress from becoming law. It may be overridden by a two-thirds vote in each congressional chamber. Most state governors also have veto power over their legislatures.
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Overriding a Veto
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Congressional passage of bill by a two-thirds vote despite the president's veto.
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Administration
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The president and his political appointees, who are responsible for directing the executive branch of government.
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Cabinet
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Top administration officials, most of whom are heads of departments in the executive branch.
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Secretary
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The title of the head of a department within the executive branch.
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Chief of staff
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Head of the White House staff, who has continuous, direct contact with the president.
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White House Office
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Political appointees who work directly for the president, many of whom occupy officers in the White House.
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Commander in chief
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The president in his constitutional role as head of the U.S. armed forces.
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Executive order
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A presidential directive that has the force of law, although it is not enacted by Congress.
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Going public
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?
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Bully pulpit
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The nature of presidential status as an ideal vehicle for persuading the public to support the president's policies.
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Inherent executive power
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Presidential authority inherent in the executive branch of government, although not specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
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Executive Privilege
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The right of the president to deny Congress information it requests on the grounds that the activities of the executive branch must be kept confidential.
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Pardon
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The constitution grants the president the "Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States."
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Line Item Veto
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Presidential authority to negate particular provisions of a law while letting the remainder stand; granted by Congress in 1996 but struck down by the Supreme Court in 1998.
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Pocket veto
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Presidential veto after congressional adjournment, executed merely by not signing a bill into law.
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Divided government
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The control of the presidency by one party and the control of one or both houses of congress by the other.
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Transition
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The period after a presidential candidate has won the November election, but before the candidate assumes office as president on January 20.
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Honeymoon
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The first several months of a presidency, when reporters are more forgiving than usual, Congress is more inclined to be cooperative, and the public is more receptive to new approaches.
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Impeachment
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recommendation by a majority of the House of Representatives that a president, another official in the executive branch, or a judge of the federal courts be removed from office; removal depends on a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
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Presidential popularity
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Evaluation of a presidency by voters, usually as measured by a survey question asking the adult population how well they think the president is doing his job.
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Agency
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The basic organizational unit of federal government. Also known as office or bureau.
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Government Corporation
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Independent organization created by Congress to fulfill functions related to business.
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Independent Regulatory Agencies
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Agencies with quasi-judicial responsibilities that are meant to be carried out in a manner free or presidential interference.
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Civil Service
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A system in which government employees are chosen according to their educational qualifications, performance on examinations, and work experience.
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Hatch Act
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A 1939 law prohibiting federal employees from engaging in political campaigning and solicitation.
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Patronage
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Jobs, contracts, or favors given by politicians to their friends and allies.
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Pendleton Act
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legislation passed in 1883 creating the civil service commission.
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Spoils system
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A system of government employment in which workers are hired on the basis of party loyalty.
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Concurring Opinion
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A written opinion prepared by judges who vote with the majority but who wish either to disagree with some aspect of the majority opinion or to elaborate on the decision.
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Dissenting Opinion
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A written opinion presenting the reasoning of judges who vote against the majority.
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Plain-meaning-of-the-text theory
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A theory of constitutional interpretation that determines the constitutionality of a law in light of what the words of the Constitution obviously seem to say.
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Original-intent theory
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A theory of constitutional interpretation that determines the constitutionality of a law by ascertaining the intentions of those who wrote and ratified the constitution.
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Living-constitution theory
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A theory of constitutional interpretation that places the meaning of the Constitution in the context of the total history of the U.S.
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Marbury v. Madison
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Supreme Court decision in which the court first exercised the power of judicial review. (1803)
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McCulloch v. Maryland
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Decision in which the Supreme Court first used judicial review to declare a state law unconstitutional. (1819)
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Brief
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written legal arguments presented to a court by lawyers on behalf of clients
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Cert (Writ of certiorari)
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a document issued by the supreme court indicating that the court will review a decision made by a lower court.
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Opinion
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In legal parlance, a court's written explanation of its decision.
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Judicial activism
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doctrine that says the principle of "stare decisis" should sometimes be sacrificed in order to adapt the Constitution to changing conditions.
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Judicial restraint
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doctrine that says courts should, if at all possible, rule narrowly and avoid overturning a prior court decision.
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Precedent
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previous court decision or ruling applicable to a particular case
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Stare decisis
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In court rulings, reliance on consistency with precedents.
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Solicitor general
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government official responsible for presenting before the courts the position of the presidential administration.
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Statutory interpretation
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The judicial act of interpreting and applying the laws of congress and the states, rather than the constitution, to particular cases.
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Critical elections
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election that marks the emergence of a new, lasting alignment of partisan support within the electorate.
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Direct primary
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A method of choosing party candidates that allows voters instead of party leaders to choose nominees for office; it weakened party control of nominations and the influence that parties could exercise over officeholders. This method of nominating candidates is virtually unknown outside the U.S.
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Divided government
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government in which one party holds the presidency but does not control both houses of congress.
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Electoral system
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The way in which a country's constitution or laws translate popular votes into control of public offices.
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Machine
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A highly organized party under the control of a boss and based on patronage and control of government activities. Machines were common in many cities in the late 19th centuries.
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National nominating convention
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Quadrennial gathering of party officials and delegates that selects presidential and vice presidential nominees and adopts party platforms. Extension of the direct primary to the presidential level after 1968 has greatly reduced the importance of the conventions.
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Ticket splitting
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voter selection of candidates from different parties at the same election - for example, a republican presidential candidate but a democratic candidate for the house of representatives.
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Progressives
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loose aggregation of politicians, political activists, and intellectuals of the late 19th and early 20th century who promoted political reforms in an effort to clean up elections and government.
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Proportional representation
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electoral system in which parties receive a share of seats in parliament that is proportional to the popular vote they receive.
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Realignment
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shift occurring when the pattern of group support for political parties changes in a significant and lasting way.
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Single-member, Simple plurality (SMSP) system
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electoral system in which the country is divided into geographic districts, and the candidates who win the most votes within their districts are elected.
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Two-party system
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system in which only two significant parties compete for office. Such systems are in the minority among world democracies.
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Median Voter Theorem
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The median voter theorem states that under certain assumptions, the outcome of the decision is the outcome most preferred by the median voter.[1] The assumptions include a majoritarian election system in which political views are along a one-dimensional spectrum.
The median voter theorem predicts that with majoritarian elections, the views of the elected officials reflect the view of the median voter, as those on one side of the median voter comprise a majority. |
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Interest group
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An interest group (also called an advocacy group, lobbying group, pressure group, or special interest) is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, that is determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to be elected. The textbook used in class defines this as "An organization of people with shared ideas and attitudes who attempt to influence public policy."
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Single-issue group
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An interest group narrowly focused to influence policy on a single issue.
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Free-rider problem
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Problem that arises when people can enjoy the benefits of group activity without bearing any of the costs.
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Public goods
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goods enjoyed simultaneously by a group, as opposed to a private good that must be divided up to be shared.
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Selective benefits
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specific private goods that an organization provides only to its contributing members.
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Social movements
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broad-based demand for government action on some problem or issue, such as civil rights for blacks, equal rights for women, or environmental protection.
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Political entrepreneurs
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people willing to assume the costs of forming and maintaining an organization even when others may free-ride on them.
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Lobbying
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Interest-group activities intended to influence directly the decision that public officials make.
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Lobbyist
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one who engages in lobbying, especially as his or her primary job.
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Grassroots lobbying
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attempts by groups and associations to influence elected officials indirectly through their constitutions.
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Political action committee (PAC)
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specialized organizations for raising and spending campaign funds; often affiliated with an interest group or association.
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Direct mail
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computer generated letters, faxes, and other communications by interest groups to people who might be sympathetic to an appeal for money or support.
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Direct action
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everything from peaceful sit-ins and demonstrations to riots and even rebellion.
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Pluralism
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a school of thought holding that politics is the clash of groups that represent all important interests in society and that check and balance each other.
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Ideology
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a system of beliefs in which one or more organizing principles connect the individual's views on a wide range of particular issues.
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Mass Public
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ordinary people for whom politics is a peripheral concern.
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Political Elites
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activists and officeholders who have well-structured ideologies that bind together their positions on different policy issues.
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Issue Publics
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a group of people particularly affected by, or concerned with, a specific issue.
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Measurement error
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the error that arises from attempting to measure something as subjective as opinion.
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Sampling error
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the chance variation that arises in public opinion surveys as a result of using a representative, but small, ample to estimate the characteristics of a larger population.
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Selection bias
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the distortion caused when a sampling method systematically includes or excludes people with certain attitudes from the sample.
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Socialization
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the end result of all the processes by which social groups give individuals their beliefs and values.
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Focus groups
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small groups of people brought together to talk about issues or candidates at length and in depth.
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Political efficacy
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Political efficacy is a theoretical concept used to explain political behavior in Political Science. It indicates citizens' faith and trust in government and his/her own belief that he/she can understand and influence political affairs. It is commonly measured by surveys and used as an indicator for the broader health of civil society. Feelings of efficacy are highly correlated with participation in social and political life; however, studies have not shown any relationship between public confidence in government or political leaders and voting. Efficacy usually increases with age and education level.
There are two types of political efficacy: internal efficacy (the belief that one can understand politics and therefore participate in politics) and external efficacy (the belief that one is effective when participating in politics, for example that the government will respond to one's demands). |
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Circuit Court of Appeals
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court to which decisions by federal district courts are appealed.
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Federal district courts
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the lowest tier of the federal court system and similar to the trial courts that exist in each state.
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Purposive benefits
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The emotional and psychological benefits members receive knowing they have contributed to a cause they feel is worthwhile
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Solidarity benefits
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The social benefits members receive after meeting new people and friends they worked with to promote the cause
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Chief Justice
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head of supreme court
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Associate Justices
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one of the eight justices of the Supreme court who are not the chief justice
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Borking
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politicizing the nomination process through an organized public campaign that portrays the nominee as a dangerous extremist.
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Heuristics
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Surveys
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Implicit Measures
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Insider tactics
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Outsider tactics
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Material benefits
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