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35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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How can a bill become law after reaching president's desk?
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1) Psigns bill
2) bill sits on the president's desk for 10 days while congress is in session,3) 2 houses over-ride veto 2/3 |
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Which traits increase likelihood of voting?
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Education, marriage, public employment and age. Race and income are spuriously correlated.
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Reconciliation Bill
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comes right before the fiscal year begins on October 1st, after the budget process and are the last minute changes.
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Types of voting by congressmen:
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Strategic, Sincere, Cooperative
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Candidates have similar stands on issues. Is there no real electoral competition?
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no, (salience and ownership). But way to win is to stay close to the middle of the political spectrum (persuasion/sling mud)
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What person or body schedules bills for debate and voting in the house/senate? Which chamber can they limit debate?
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House: rules committee (can limit debate. Senate: the majority leader with consultation of minority leader.
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Treaty v Congressional - Executive International Agreement
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Treaty: needs to be ratified by 2/3 vote in Senate (may overide laws). C-E.I.A.: cannot violate state laws, needs majority.
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Why is the Conference committee so powerful?
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It seek sto merge senate and house versions of a bill into a single piece of legislation. Following bill cant be amended.
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Entitlement Program
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A program which the government must supply and appropriate a certain amount of money. This money does not have to be re-confirmed every year. ie: social security
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Fire Alarm
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Fire alarm oversight is much like a waiting game. You simply wait for complaints to be made. It's less centralized because you don't go out searching for problems.
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Why is voting hard to explain as a rational act?
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because it is very unlikely that one vote will make a difference. The cost of voting is higher than the cost of not voting.
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What political pressure would congress face if it regulated money supply.How has congress avoided this problem?
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If something goes wrong with the money flow there would be more responsibility for congress. People would directly associate bad economy and inflation with congress and would harm chances of reelection. So they created an independent entity to regulate the money control, the Federal Reserve.
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What is the sequence of actions that congress takes to enact an annual budget?
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1) acting for the president, the OMB (office of Management and budget) prepares comprehensive executive budget. 2) CBO (congressional budget office) prepares report on President's proposal. Of they wish, other committees can make reports. 3) the reports and proposals are submitted to the House and Senate Budget Committees. 4) The First Concurrent Budget Resolution passes congress. 5) More tax, authorization and appropriations are prepared by congress. 6) the Second Concurrent Budget Resolution. 7) Reconciliation act (revises the laws just passed so they conform to the new budget resolution. 9) Fiscal year begins.
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Authorization v Appropriation Bills
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authorization bills allow for a program to be started and funded while appropriation bills allot money for each program and how much funding it will receive.
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Who can the president fire?
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Personnel including the heads of both the executive departments and of the independent executive agencies ie: Attorney General. (exceptions: Federal Reserve Board, and the SEC).
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Filibuster
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Occurs in the Senate, consists of long speeches to draw out the process and keep the bill from being voted on. Takes a cloture (requiring 3/5 vote) to end.
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Divided Government
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The legislative and executive branches are controlled by different political parties.
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History of Parties
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1790s: Republicans (Jefferson), Federalists (Hamilton).
1820's: Republicans. 1828: Democratic Republicans (jefferson), National Republicans (Clay) 1832: Democrats, National Republicans. 1836: Democrats, Whigs. 1855-1860: Democrats, Republicans. |
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What executive body has been on the decline?
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Cabinet
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How many electoral votes does CA have?
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55
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Steps for a bill to become a law:
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1) Introduced by member or passed by other house. 2) Assigned to committee then subcommittee. 3) Hearings. 4) Mark up (writing). 5) Positive report. 6) Scheduled for debate. 7) Positive vote. 8) If S and H bill differ the bill is sent to the House-Senate conference committee.
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Supplemental and Deficiencies act, Continuing Resolutions:
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Supplementary Deficiencies: When congress underestimates needs and must appropriate more money later in the year. Continuing Resolutions: When congress does not meet deadline and has to make a temporary budget to keep the government running.
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Special Powers of House and Senate:
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House: Initiate revenue bills, impeach public officers. Senate: Confirm appointments, try impeachments, ratify treaties.
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Impeachment process:
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House accuses, Senate tries.
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Committee on Committees
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Republicans call theirs the steering committee. It's the committee that makes committee assignments.
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Why do congressmen in committees have so much power?
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Specialization of labor - congress has a lot to cover (this way is more efficient). The committees are smaller than the house and Senate. In committees it is easier for a representative to make a difference.
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What did Lincoln do in the Lincoln-Douglas debate?
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Lincoln put Douglas in a position that made him move significantly close to the median in 1858. In 1860 Southern Democrats felt that he was so removed that they got another candidate to run for them. This split up the democratic vote and left all the republican votes to Lincoln alone and he got a plurality.
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Single member district:
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In each congressional district only one member is elected (to be in house of reps)
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Proportional Representations:
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Method of voting by which political parties are given legislative representation in proportion to their popular vote.
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Plurality
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No majority needed ("first past the post). Condorcet winner is the one who should have won in a run off.
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Although conservative Republicans dislike B+A, it was a conservative who introduced A. Why would he have done this?
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He did this by introducing a Killer Amendment. Most prefer B+A over B. When B+A over 0 be obviously chooses nothing and knows the democrats would also prefer nothing. So result if sincere would be nothing.
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Although Moderates like amendment A, they voted against it. Why?
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Because they used a strategic vote. Looking in the long run they realize that if they vote A that they will end up with nothing and they would rather have at least B instead of nothing so they vote against A.
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President's jobs
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Chief of state, head of government, chief of executive, commander-in-chief, party leader, national political leader.
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"empty jail" scenario
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An empty jail is consistent with the sheriff's doing a good job and a bad job. Empty jail represents an observational equivalence. Same problems occur when looking at congressional sanctions (congressional punishment).
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Low turnout in US elections:
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Apathy, hard to register, mobile voters, mobile districts, frequent elections.
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