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22 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
gerrymander |
redrawing voting district boundaries to maximize the strength of the party that does the drawing |
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lesser of two evils |
a type of logic to get voters to the polls. Often, voters who are unhappy with either candidate will cast a ballot for one in order to prevent the other from getting into office. |
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proportional represenation |
provides a party with legislative seats roughly in accordance with the percentage of votes it wins. Voters cast ballots for party rather than candidate, therefore overlooking issues about the personality of each candidate. |
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reapportionment |
The constitution requires the reapportioning of US House of Representative seats according to the shift in population between various states every 10 years. Boundaries are redrawn to match the integrity of the population change. |
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redistricting |
changing the boundaries of a constituency ostensible to comply with population shifts but really to effect a preferred political outcome. |
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soft money |
funds to be used only for issue advertising and for garnering a candidate's rep as long as the ad does not urge the public to vote for or against anyone. McCain-Feingold Act of 2002 banned national parties and fed candidates from using soft money. |
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Winner-Take-All |
aka Single Member District Plurality system: magnifies the strength of major parties and discriminates against third parties. Where the candidate with the most votes (even if less than the majority) wins 100% representation. Other parties receive 0 representation. |
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caucus |
in both the house and senate, both parties have an organization or "conference" composed of their respective members. They elect the majority or minority leader and the party whips (sic?) |
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earmarks |
appropriation of funds that are tucked away in larger spending bills and have limited legislative sponsorship. They are tacked on various bills at the last minute. |
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fillibuster |
Debate designed to obstruct legislative action. |
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front organizations |
corporate special interests create and finance organizations with public service names in order to hide true intentions. National Wetlands Coalition? |
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Government Accountability Office
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(GAO) Federal watchdog created and directed by Congress to investigate everything from military waste to environmental abuse, operates at the request of legislators from either party and reports directly to Congress. |
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Grassroots Lobbying |
Pressure group efforts that are directed not only at officeholders but also the public. Ex: Sierra Club, works to keep environment clean. |
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junketing |
senators and reps who travel for fun at taxpayers' expense but under the guise of conducting committee investigations/fact finding trips. |
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lobbyists |
persons hired by interest groups to influence legislative and administrative policies. |
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logrolling |
a process where diverse corporate interests collude around common class interests, giving mutual support to each others' agendas. |
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pork barrel |
Spending which is supposed to benefit political supporters in return for their votes/campaign contributions. |
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direct elections |
elections where the citizens elect the president or gov't officials. This system counts every vote equally - one man, one vote. US Presidential election is NOT a direct election. Uses the Electoral College to put a candidate into highest office. |
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electoral college |
a body of representatives (electors) who officially elects the POTUS. # of electors allotted to each state is equal to the total number of its seats in the HOR and the Senate. |
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Executive Branch |
Largest of all the branches of gov't composed of a vast conglomeration of departments and agencies, its largest component being the Pentagon. Only the Executive Branch has the force of the law. The Legislative and Judicial Branches need the Executive to enforce a law or ruling. |
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executive order |
degree or regulation that has the impact of a law without authorization from Congress (or the Constitution) |
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signing statements |
memorandum that the President might issue after he signs a bill into law to object to the act or some provision of it for judges to consider in any future court challenge. Rather than vetoing a bill and then having Congress overturn the veto, a signing statement can nullify a law. |