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135 Cards in this Set
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- Back
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Ad hoc committee
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a Congressional committee appointed for a limited time to design and report a specific piece of legislation
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Casework
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the activity undertaken by members of Congress and their staffs to solve constituents' problems with government agencies
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Closed rule
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an order from the House Rules Committee limiting floor debate on a particular bill and disallowing or limiting amendment
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Cloture
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a parliamentary procedure used to close debate. Cloture is used in the Senate to cut off filibusters. Under the current Senate rules, 3/5 of Senators, or 60, must vote for cloture to halt a filibuster
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Conditional party government
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the degree of authority delegated to and exercised by Congressional leaders; varies with and is conditioned by the extent of election-driven idealogical concensus among members
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Conference committee
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a temporary joint committee of the House and Senate appointed to reconcile the diffferences between the 2 chambers on a particular piece of legislation
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Discharge petition
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a petition that removes a measure from a committee to which it has been referred in order to make it available for floor consideration. in the House a discharge petition must be signed by a majority of House members (218)
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Entitlement
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a benefit that every eligible person has a legal right to receive and that cannot be taken away with out a change in legislation or due process in court
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Filibuster
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a tactic used in the Senate to halt action on a bill. It involves making long speeches until the majority retreats. Senators, once holding the floor, have unlimited time to speak unless a cloture vote is passed by 3/5 of the members (60)
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Gerrymandering
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drawing legislative districts in such a way as to give one political party a disproportionately large share of seats for the share of votes its candidates win
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Joint committee
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permanent congressional committtes made up of members of both the House and the Senate. they do not have any legislative authority; they monitor specific activities and compile reports
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Majority leader
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the formal leader of the party controlling a majority of the seats in the House or the Senate. In the Senatethe majority leader is the head of the majority party. In the House the majority leader ranks 2nd in the party heirarchy behind the Speaker
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Minority leader
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the formal leader of the party controlling the minority of the seats in the House or the Senate
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Multiple referral
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the act of sending a proposed piece of legislation to more than one committee in the same chamber
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Necessary and proper clause
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the last clause of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution; grants Congress the authority to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" and to execute those laws
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Open rule
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a provision governing debate of a pending bill and permitting any germane amendment to be offered on the floor of the House
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Pocket veto
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a method by which the president vetoes a bill passed by both houses of Congress by failing to act on it within 10 days of Congress's adjournment
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Political action committee (PAC)
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a federally registered fund-raising group that pools money from individuals to give to political candidates and parties
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Pork barrel legislation
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legislation that provides members of Congress with federal projects and programs for their individual districts
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President pro tempore
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in the absence of the vice president, the formal presiding officer of the Senate; the honor is usually conferred on the senior member of the majority party, but the post is sometimes rotated among senators of the majority party
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Presidential coattails
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common metaphor for the capacity of a successful presidential candidate to generate votes for other candidates further down the ticket and pull fellow partisans into office
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Proportional representation
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an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded to candidates or parties in proportion to the percentage of votes received
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Quorum
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the minimum number of congressional members who must be present for the transaction of business. Under the Constitution, a quorum in each house is a majority of its members: 218 in the House and 51 in the Senate when there are no vacancies
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Restricted rule
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a provision that governs consideration of a bill and that specifies and limits the kinds of amendments that may be made on the floor of the House of Representatives
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rider
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an amendment to a bill that is not germane to the legislation
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Roll-call vote
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vote taken by a call of the roll to determine whether a quorum is present, to establish a quorum. or to vote on a question; usually the House uses its electronic voting system for a roll call, but when the system is malfunctioning the Speaker directs the clerk to read the names; the Senate does not have an electronic voting system, its roll is always called by the clerk
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Rule
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a provision that governs consideration of a bill by the House by specifying how the bill is to be debated and amended
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Select committee
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a temporary legislative committee created for a specific purpose and dissolved after its tasks are completed
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Seniority rule
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the congressioanl practice of appointing the members of the majority party with the most years of committee service as committe or subcommittee chairs
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Speaker of the house
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the presiding officer of the House; elected at the beginning of each congressional session on a party-line vote; as head of the majority party the Speaker has substantial control over the legislative agenda of the House
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Special committee
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a temporary legislative committee, usually lacking legislative authority
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Standing committee
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a permanent legislative committee specializing in a particular legislative area; have stable memberships and stable jurisdictions
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Ticket-splitting (split ticket)
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the act of voting for candidates from different political parties for different offices
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Unanimous consent agreement
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a unanimou resolution in the Senate restricting debate and limiting amendments to bills on the floor
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Whip
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a member of a legislative party who acts as the communicator between the party leadership and the rank and file; polls members on their voting intentions, prepares bill summaries, and assists the leadership in various other tasks
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central clearance
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a presidential directive requiring that all executive agency proposals, reports, and recommendations to Congress - mostly in the form of annual reports and testimony at authorization and appropriations hearings - be certified by the Office of Management and Budget as consistent with the president's policy
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commander in chief
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the title that is given to the president by the Constitution and that denotes the president's authority as the head of the national military
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divided government
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a term used to describe government when one political party controls the exec branch and the other party controls one or both of the houses of the legislature
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enrolled bill
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a bill that has been passed by both the Senate and the House and has been sent to the president for approval
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executive agreement
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an agreement between the president and one or more other countries; similar to a treaty but doesn't require the approval of the Senate
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Executive Office of the President (EOP)
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a collectionof angencies that help the president oversee department and agency activities, formulate budgets and monitor spending, craft legislation, and lobby Congress; the major components of the EOP, est in 1939 by Pres FDR, include the WHO, OMB, National Security Council, and Council of Economic Advisers, among other agencies
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executive order
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a presidential directive to an executive agency establishing new policies or indicating how an existing policy is to be carried out
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executive privilege
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the president's right to withhold info from Congress and the courts; presidents assert that exec privilege, nowhere mentioned in the Constitution, is necessary to maintain seperation of powers among the branches of government
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gag rule
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an exec order prohibiting federal employees from communicating directly with Congress
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going public
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presidents "go public" when they engage in intensive public relations to promote thier policies to the voters and thereby induce cooperation from other elected officeholders in Washington
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gridlock
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a legislative "traffic jam" often precipitated by divided government; occurs when presidents confront opposition-controlled Congress with policy preferences and political stakes that are in direct competition with their own and those of their party; neither side is willing to compromise, the government accomplishes little, and federal operations may even come to a halt
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imperial presidency
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presidency in which the president and the exec staff try to extend exec power and influence through unilateral actions
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line-item veto
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a procedure, available in 1997 for the first time, permitting a president to cancel amounts of new discretionary appropriations (budget authority), as well as new items of direct spending (entitlements) and certain limited tax benefits, unless Congress disapproves by law within a specified period of time; it was declared unconstitutional in 1998
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National Security Council (NSC)
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the highest advisory body to the president on military and diplomatic issues; est in 1947, this agency in the EOP helps the pres coordinate the actions of government agencies, including the State and Defense Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, into a single cohesive policy for dealing with other nations
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Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
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previously known as the Bureau of the Budget, OMB is the most important agency in the EOP; the budget bureau, est 1921 to act as a central clearinghouse for all budget requests, was renamed and given increased responsibilites in 1970; OMB advises the pres on fiscal and economic policies, creates the annual federal budget, and monitors agency performance, among other duties
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signing statements
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a statement issued by the pres that is intended to modify implementation or ignore altogether provisions of a new law
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State of the Union address
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a presidential message to Congress under the constitutional directive that he shall " from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and and expedient
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"take care" clause
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provision in Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution instructing the president to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"
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unitary executive
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when a pres claims prerogative to attch signing statements to bills and asserts his right to modify implementation or ignore altogether provisions of a new law that encroaches on his constitutional prerogatives as "the chief executive" or as commander in chief
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War Powers Act
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law that requires the president to inform Congress within 48 hours of committing troops abroad in a military action
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White House Office
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agency in the EOP that serves as the president's personal staff system; although the entire EOP does the president's business, the WH staff consists of the president's personal advisers, who oversee the political and policy interests of the administration
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activism
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when judges deliberately shape judicial doctrine to conform with their personal view of the Constitution and social policy
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amicus curiae
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latin "friend of the court"; brief filed in a lawsuit by an individual or group that is not party to the lawsuit but that has an interest in the outcome
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attorney general
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the head of the Justice Department; as the nation's chief legal officer, the attorney general of the US represents the fed gov's interests in the law courts throughout the nation; also the chief law enforcement officer
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concurring opinion
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a written opinion by a Supreme Court justice who agrees with the decisions of the Court but disagrees with the rationale for reaching that decision
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constitutional courts
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category of fed courts vested with the general judicial authority outlined in Article III of the Constitution; the most important are the Supreme Court, the courts of appeals, and the 94 district courts; their authority derives from that of the Supreme Court , and they are supposed to conform to its decisions
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court of appeals
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the 2nd tier of courts in the federal judicial system (between the Supreme Court and the district courts); one court of appeals serves each of 11 regions, or circiuts, plus one for DC
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Court-packing plan
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an attempt by FDR, in 1937, to remodel the federal judiciary; its purpose ostensibly was to alleviate the overcrowding of federal court dockets by allowing the president to appoint an additional Supreme Court justice for every sitting justice over the age of 70; the legislation passed the HR but failed in the Senate by a single vote; if it had passed, FDR could have added 6 new justices to the high bench, thereby installing a new Court majority sympathetic to his New Deal programs
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dissenting opinion
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the written opinion of one or more Supreme Court justices who disagree with the ruling of the Court's majority; the opinion outlines the rationale for their disagreement
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district courts
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the trial courts of original jurisdiction in the fed judicial system; the 94 district courts are the 3rd-tier of the fed judicial system, below the Supreme Court and the courts of appeals
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judicial doctrine
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the practice of prescribing in a decision a set of rules that are to guide future decisions on similar cases; used by the Supreme Court to guide the lower courts in making decisions
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judicial review
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the authority of a court to declare legislative and exec acts unconstitutional and therefore invalid
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procedural doctrine
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principle of law that governs how the lower courts do their work
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restraint
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the judicial action of deferring to the policies emanating from the elected branches in the absence of a clear violation of the Constitution or est doctrine
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rule of four
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a ruleemployed by the Supreme Court's stating that when 4 justices support hearing a case the certiorari petition is granted
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senatorial courtesy
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an informal practice in which senators are given veto power over fed judicial appointments in their home states
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solicitor general
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the official responsible for representing the US gov before the Supreme Court; a ranking member of the US Department of Justice
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standing
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the right to bring legal action
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stare decisis
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latin "let the decision stand"; in court rulings, a reliance on precedents, or previous rulings, in formulating decisions in new cases
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substantive doctrine
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principle that guides judges on which party in a case should prevail - akin to policymaking
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writ of certiorari
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an order that is given by a superior court to an appellate court and that directs the lower court to send up a case the superior court has chosen to review; this is the central means by which the Supreme Court determines what cases it will hear
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writ of mandamus
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latin "we command"; a court-issued writ commanding a public official to carry out a specific act or duty
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aggregate partisanship
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the distribution, or percentage, of the electorate that identifies with each of the political parties
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aggregate public opinion
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in a democracy, the sum of all individual opinions
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ambivalence
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a state of mind produced when particular issues evoke attitudes and beliefs that pull in opposite directions
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attitude
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an organized and consistent manner of thinking and feeling about people, groups, social issues, or, more generally, any event in one's environment
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cognitive shortcut
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a mental device allowing citizens to make complex decisions based on a small amount of information
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conservative
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in the U.S., a proponent of a political ideology that favors small or limited government, an unfettered free market, self-reliance, and traditional social norms
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core values
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moral beliefs held by citizens that underlie their attitudes toward political and other issues. as integral parts of an individual's identity, these beliefs are stable and resistant to change
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framing
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providing a context that affects the criteria citizens use to evaluate candidates, campaigns, and political issues
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ideology
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a comprehensive, integrated set of views about government and politics
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issue publics
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groups of citizens who are more attentive to particular areas of public policiy than average citizens because such groups have some special stake in the issues
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liberal
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in the U.S., a proponent of a political ideology that favors extensive government action to redress social and economic inequalities and tolerates social behaviors that conservatives view as deviant. present-day liberals advocate policies benefitting the poor, minority groups, labor unions, women, and the environment and oppose givernment imposition of traditional social norms
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measurement error
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uncertainties in public opinion, as revealed by responses to polls, that arise from the imperfect connection between the wording of survey questions and the terms in which people understand and think about political objects
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opinion leader
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a citizen who is highly attentive to and involved in politics or some related area and to whom other citizens turn for political information and cues
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political socialization
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the process by which citizens acquire their political beliefs and values
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prime
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the news media's influence on how citizens make politicial judgements, through emphasis on particular stories
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public opinion
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"Those opinions held by private persons which government find it prudent to heed."
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scientific polling
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tool developed in the 20th century for systematically investigating the opinions of ordinary people, based on random samples
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access
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the ability of privileged outsiders, such as interest group representatives, to obtain a hearing from elected officials or bureaucrats
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candidate
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a person who is running for elected office
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coordinated spending
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spending by the Democratic and Republican Party committees on behalf of individual congressional candidates
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focus group
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a method of gauging public opinion by observing a small number of people brought together discuss specific issues
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independent spending
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campaign spending - by a person or organization for or against a political candidate - that is not controlled by or coordinated with any candidate's campaign
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issue voting
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voting for candidates based on their position on specific issues, as opposed to their party or personal characterisitics
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message
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in a political campaign, the central thematic statement of why voters ought to prefer one candidate over others
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mobilization
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also known as "getting out the vote." occurs when activists working for parties, candidates, or interest groups ask members of the electorate to vote
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negative campaigning
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the act of attacking an opposing candidate's platform, past political performance, or personal characterisitics
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open seat
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a seat in a state or district being contested by candidates, none of whom currently holds the office. congressional seats become "open" when the incumbent dies or does not run for reelection
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party identification
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an individual's enduring affective or instrumental attachment to one of the political parties; the most accurate single predictor of voting behavior
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party label
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a label carrying the party's "brand name," incorporating the policy positions and past performance voters attribute to it
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performance voting
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basing votes for a candidate or party on how successfully the candidate or party performed while in office
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single-issue voters
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people who base their votes on candidates' or parties' positions on one particular issue of public policy, regardless of the candidates' or parties' positions on other issues
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soft money
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money used by political parties for voter registration, public education, and voter mobilization. until 2002, when Congress passed legislation outlawing soft money, the government had imposed no limits on contributions or expenditures for such purposes
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Australian ballot
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a ballot prepared and distributed by government officials that places the names of all candidates on a single list and is filled out by voters in private. first adopted in the U.S. in 1888, the Australian ballot replaced oral voting and party-supplied ballots
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caucus
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a closed meeting of a political or legislative group to choose candidates for office or to decide issues of policy
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divided government
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a term used to describe government when one political party controls the executive branch and the other political party controls one or both houses of the legislature
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fusion tickets
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slates of candidates that "fused" the nominees of minor and major parties. eventally banned by state legislatures, allowed minor parties to boost their votes by nominating candidates also nominated by major parties
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national party conventions
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a gathering of delegates to select a party's presidential and VP ticket and to adopt its national platform
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New Deal coalition
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an electoral alliance that was the basis of Democratic dominance from the 1930's to the early 1970's. the alliance consisted of Catholics, Jews, racial minorities, urban residents, organized labor, and white southerners
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party machine
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state or local party organizations based on patronage. they work to elect cadidates to public offices that control government jobs and contracts, which, in turn, are used by party leaders (often denigrated as "bosses") to reward the subleaders and activists who mobilize voters for the party on election day
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patronage
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the practice of awarding jobs, grants, licenses, or other special favors in exchange for political support
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political party
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a coalition of people who seek to control the machinery of government by winning elections. not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, political parties make mass democracy possible by, among other functions, coordinating the group activities necessary to translate public preferences into public policy
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primary election
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an election held before the general election in which voters decide which of a party's candidates will be the party's nominee for the general election
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Progressive Era
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a period of American history extending roughly from 1880 to 1920 associated with the reform of government and electoral institutions in an attempt to reduce corruption and weaken parties
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proportional representation
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an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded to candidates or parties in proportion to the percentage of votes recieved
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split ticket
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the act of voting for candidates from different political parties for different offices
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superdelegate
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a delegate to the DNC who is eligible to attend because he or she is an elected party official. the Democrats reserve a specific set of delegate slots for party officials
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two-party system
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a political system in which only two major parties compete for all of the elective offices. thrid-party candidates usually have few, if any, chances of winning elective office
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grassroots lobbying
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lobbying conducted by rank-and-file members of an interest group
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insider tactics
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interest group activity that includes normal lobbying on Capitol Hill, working closely with members of Congress, and contributing money to incumbents' campaigns
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interest groups
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organized groups of people seeking to influence public policy
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lobbying
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activities through which individuals, interest groups, and other institutions seek to influence public policy by persuading government officials to support their groups' position
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lobbyists
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professionals who work to influence public policy in favor of their clients' interests
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moral incentives
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the personal satisfactions of active self-expression through contribution or other involvement to social causes
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outsider tactics
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interest group activities designed to influence elected officials by threatening to impose political costs on them if they do not respond. tactics include marches, demonstrations, campaign contributions to opponents, and electoral mobilization
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policy gridlock
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political paralysis in the face of national problems
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public interest lobby
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a group that promotes some conception of public interest rather than the narrowly defined economic or other special interests of its members
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selective incentives
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private goods or benefits that induce rational actors to participate in a collective effort to provide a collective good
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social movements
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amorphous aggregates of people sharing general values and a desire for social change
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