1.5 Politicians vs. Philosophers Flashcards
Who is the leader of the House of Representatives
The Speaker of the House
What was considered even more important than the president
the Speaker of the House
By law who is second in line to assume the presidency after the Vice-President
the Speaker of the house
who controls the flow of debate and committee assignments in the House, giving him a great deal of influence.
the Speaker of the house
Why is it difficult to be
the majority party?
they often fights among itself because it has power. They fight over what to do with that power.
the Democratic Party, rather than a cohesive group of representatives, really has three factions
Liberal Democrats- main
Blue Dog Democrats-rare/old
Progressive Democrats -younger
Ideologues
they care more about ideology and dedication to the cause. They are like philosophers.
Pragmatists/Politicians
They are more concerned with winning so they can do some good, even if it means compromise.
House Majority Leader and House Minority Leader
is the official head of the majority party.
2. He plots strategy, speaks for the party, and acts as the party cheerleader and bulldog.
3. Often very visible on television, news shows, and as chief spokesperson for his party.
4. Usually, this person is a top choice for Speaker of the House if his or her party remains in the majority
Why is the minority party more unified than the majority
they are usually more unified because They have one goal – to become the Majority
The House of Representatives … shall have the sole Power of what
Impeachment
Impeachment
the process of formally charging an officeholder with wrongdoing
Being impeached does not mean you are guilty, but it does mean that you will face a trial in the Senate. true or false
True
Impeachment is a way to only remove corrupt or abusive officeholders.
True
Article 1, section 3:
The Senate
What is the purpose of
the Senate?
The Senate was designed to
represent the interests of
the states, which may be
different from the interests
of the national government.
Each state gets how many senators
two senators
Senators serve how many year terms
a six-year term
Each senator gets how many votes
One vote, meaning they do not have to vote as a block.
the Senate was not
designed to check the
power of the people and the
power of the national
government. True or false
False
The Senate was intended to
have older and wiser
members to provide a check
on the democratic nature of
the House. True or False
True
Amendment 17
Direct Election of Senators
what did the 17th Amendment do
it allows the people of each state to elect their senators
There are the two senators from Texas
Cornyn and Cruz. Cornyn is the senior senator. Cruz is the junior senator.
This is also part of the 17th Amendment
If a senator dies or resigns, the governor of the state may appoint someone to fill the seat until an election can be held
Each senator gets a six-year term, but only 1/3 of the Senate is up for election every two years. True or false
True
Group A served two years, group B four years, and group C six years. This was only done once start the staggered cycle. True or false
True
To be a Senate:
You have to be at least 30 years old to be a Senator.
You need to have been a citizen of the United States for a least nine years.
You need to live in the state you want to represent
The Vice-President does not serves as President of the Senate.
False
The Vice-President does not sit in on Senate sessions and is not a voting member
True
The only time the Vice-President would get to vote in the Senate would be to break a tie.
True
The Senate instead chooses a temporary leader who will conduct day-to-day business and not the Vice President
True
The Vice-President normally attends Senate sessions.
False
President Pro Tempore(temporary) – is usually give to the most senior member of the Majority party.
True
By law the President Pro Tempore should not be third in line to succeed the President
False
The Senate Majority leader is primarily the coordinator and spokesman for his party.
3. He controls the legislative calendar and gets to speak first during debates
they’re not nearly as powerful as the Speaker of the House
True
If the president is impeached, the Vice President presides over the trial
True
impeachment trials are over who
the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Once the impeached person is removed from office, they cannot be prosecuted as an ordinary citizen under the law True or False
False
If a person in convicted in the Senate, they can be removed from office and forbidden from holding federal office again and that’s the only punishment True or False
True
