Political Science 101 Final

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Pluralism

Back 1

pluralism is the view that politics and decision making are located mostly in the framework of government, but that many non-governmental groups use their resources to exert influence

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Political Culture

Back 2

the set of attitudes, beliefs and sentiments which give order and meaning to a political process and which provide the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system.

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Federalists

Back 3

A federalist is someone who supports a strong centralized government.

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Great Compromise

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Compromise made between state and federal government to establish an upper and lower house in Congress or the House of Reps and the Senate

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Separation of Powers

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Idea behind the organization of the three different bodies of power making up the federal government. Executive, Legislative, and Judicial

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Tyranny of the Majority

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Envisions a scenario in which decisions made by a majority place its interests so far above those of an individual or minority group as to constitute active oppression.

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Commerce Clause

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Congress shall have power to regulate trade with foreign nations.

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Necessary and Proper Clause

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To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States

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Reserved Powers

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Powers of the Congress that are granted by the Constitution that are not written down in the Constitution.

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Civil Liberties

Back 10

Many protections that are granted to citizens, most of the civil liberties are written down in the Bill of Rights.

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Due Process Clause

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Fourteenth Amendment. Deals with the idea that the government can take your property or rights in a specific process of the law.

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Strict Scrutiny Test

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The process that the judicial branch uses to determine if an action by another government body was constitutional.

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Agents of Socialization

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Agents that can change a persons political ideology like parents or media.

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Sample

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A sample size that determines the view towards a candidate/legislation.

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Party realignment

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A party realignment is what happens when the balance of power between a country's political parties changes greatly. Their electoral coalitions (the groups of people who vote for them) change dramatically. Huge historical events often cause this.

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Reasons for Low voter turnout

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Feeling that one can't create change.
Ignorance.
Time.
Dislike of all candidates

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Lack of Third Parties in the US

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Third parties have problems fundraising and getting attention and are not seen as mainstream which many people only vote for mainstream candidates.

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Realignments of 1964

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The push for civil rights in the South by Johnson (D) led Democrats to turn to being Republicans. This was an issue based realignment

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Median Voter Theorem

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a majority rule voting system will select the outcome most preferred by the median voter

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Party Coalition

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The special interest groups and people that support a candidate or largely a party.

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Judicial Review

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Legislative and Executive actions are subject to judicial review among the Supreme Court to determine Constitutionality.

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Three Principles of Bureacracy

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This is a system of organization and control that is based on three principles: hierarchical authority, job specialization, and formalized rules.These features are the reason bureaucracy, as a form of organization, is the most efficient means of getting people to work together on tasks of large magnitude.

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Stewardship Theory of the Presidency

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president practices a governing style based on belief they have the duty to do whatever is necessary in national interest, unless prohibited by the Constitution.

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Filibuster

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type of parliamentary procedure where debate is extended, allowing one or more members to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal. It is sometimes referred to as talking out a bill, and characterized as a form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body.

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Gerrymandering

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practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries to create partisan advantaged districts

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Committee Seniority

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The more senior members of Congress serve on committees that have lots of power pertaining to there committee. Advantageous for a state to keep reelecting there Senators/Reps so they have more power and can possible get pork barrel spending for there state

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Pork-Barrel Spending

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Excessive spending that is put in a bill to constituents so that the politician is bribed into voting for the bill so it passes. The Bridge to NoWhere in Alaska

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Functions of the Media

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Inform, Investigate, and review actions by the government.

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Major Functions of Congress

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Congress has five main functions: lawmaking, representing the people, performing oversight, helping constituents, and educating the public.

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Interest Group

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A group that has a certain special interest and seeks to protect there interest by donating lots of money to campaigns to sway the politicians vote. NRA, AARP, unions.

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Lobbying

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is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.