AP Government & Politics: Vocabulary Flashcards
Iron Triangle
An informal association of federal agency, congressional committee, and interest group that is said to have heavy influence over policy making.
Actual Group
That part of the potential group consisting of members who actually join.
Potential Group
Composed of all people who might be group members because they share a common interest.
Affirmative Action
A policy designed to give special attention to or compensatory treatment for members of some previously disadvantaged group.
Campaign Contributions
Donations that are made directly to a candidate or a party and that must be reported to the FEC.
Entitlements
Policies for which Congress has obligated itself to pay X level of benefits to Y number of recipients. (Example: Social Security benefits).
Judicial Restraint
An approach to decision making in which judges play minimal policy-making roles and defer to legislatures whenever possible.
Federalism
A way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same land and people. It is a system of shared power between units of government.
Open Primaries
Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.
Linkage Institutions
The political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. (Examples: elections, political parties, interest groups and the media).
Reapportionment
The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years based of the results of the census.
Political Efficacy
The belief that one’s political participation really matters; that one’s vote can actually make a difference.
Whips
Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to the passage of a bill favored by the party.
Virginia Plan
The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress to be proportional to its population.
War Powers Resolution
A law passed in 1973 that requires presidents to consult with Congress whenever possible prior to using military force and to withdraw forces after 60 days unless Congress declares war or grants an extension.
Selective Exposure
The process through which people consciously choose to get the news from information sources that have viewpoints compatible with their own.
Ticket Splitting
Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. Typical of independent voters.
Unemployment Rate
As measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the proportion of the labor force actively seeking work but unable to find jobs.
Policy Gridlock
A condition that occurs when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy, so nothing gets done.
Mandate Theory of Elections
The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics. (Politicians like the theory better than political scientists do.)
Natural Rights
Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property. The concept of natural rights was central to English philosopher John Locke’s theories about government and was widely accepted among America’s Founders.
Log-Rolling
The practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics, when politicians agree to vote for one other’s respective legislation.
Electioneering
Direct group involvement in the electoral process, for example, by helping to fund campaigns, getting members to work for candidates, and forming political action committees.
Direct Mail
A method of raising money for a political cause or candidate, in which information and requests for money are sent to people whose names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past.
Categorical Grants
Federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or “categories,” of state and local spending. They come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions.
Appellate Jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of courts that hear cases brought to them on appeal from lower courts. These courts do not review the factual record, only the legal issues involved.
Bicameral Legislature
A legislature divided into two houses. The U.S. Congress and all state legislatures except Nebraska’s are bicameral.
527 Groups
Independent political groups that are not subject to contribution restrictions because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates. Section 527 of the tax code specifies that contributions to such groups must be reported to the IRS.
Motor Voter Act
A 1993 act that requires states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
Laissez-Faire
The principle that government should not meddle in the economy.
National Security Council
The committee that links the president’s foreign and military policy advisers. Its formal members are the president, vice president, secretary of state, and secretary of defense, and it is managed by the president’s national security assistant.
Majority Leader
The principal partisan ally of the Speaker of the House or the party’s manager in the Senate. The majority leader is responsible for scheduling bills, influencing committee assignments, and rounding up votes in behalf of the party’s legislative positions.
Party Machines
A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.
Battleground States
The key states that the presidential campaigns focus on because they are most likely to decide the outcome of the Electoral College vote.
Due Process Clause
Part of the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteeing that persons cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property by the United States or state governments without due process of law.
Impeachment
The political equivalent of an indictment in criminal law, prescribed by the Constitution. The House of Representatives may impeach the president by a majority vote for “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
Frontloading
The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.
Hyperpluralism
A theory of American democracy arguing that a wide variety of interest groups have become empowered with the ability to veto policy change, thereby leading to regular gridlock in Washington.
New Jersey Plan
The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state’s population.
Random Sampling
The key technique employed by survey researchers, which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample.
Superfund
A fund created by Congress in 1980 to clean up hazardous waste sites. Money for the fund comes from taxing chemical products.
Filibuster
A strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation try to talk it to death, based on the tradition of unlimited debate. 60 members present and voting can halt a filibuster.
Consumer Price Index
The key measure of inflation; the change in the cost of buying a fixed basket of goods and services.
Federal Election Commission
A six-member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974. The Federal Election Commission administers and enforces campaign finance laws.
Libel
The publication of false or malicious statements that may damage someone’s reputation.
Relative Deprivation
A perception by an individual that he or she is not doing well economically in comparison to others.
Unitary Government
A central government that holds supreme power in a nation. Most national governments today are unitary governments.
Writ of Habeas Corpus
A court order requiring authorities to explain to a judge what lawful reason they have for holding a prisoner in custody.
Amicus Curiae Brief
A “friend of the court” brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case.
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002)
The 2002 Supreme Court decision that upheld a state providing families with vouchers that could be used to pay for tuition at religious schools.
Enumerated Powers
Powers of the federal government that are listed explicitly in the Constitution. (For example, Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution specifically gives Congress the power to coin money, regulate its value and impose taxes).
Coalition
A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends.
Party Dealignment
The gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.
Narrowcasting
Media programming on cable TV (e.g., on MTV, ESPN, or C-SPAN) or the Internet that is focused on a particular interest and aimed at a particular audience, in contrast to broadcasting.
Watchdog Journalism
Journalism that attempts to hold government officials and institutions accountable for their actions.
Horse Race Journalism
News coverage that focuses on who is ahead in an election rather than on the individual issues of the candidates’ policy views.
501(c) Groups
Groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can receive unlimited contributions. Section 501c of the tax code specifies that such groups cannot spend more than half their funds on political activities.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
A law passed in 1990 that requires employers and public facilities to make “reasonable accommodations” for people with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against these individuals in employment.
Anti-Federalists
Opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption.
Appropriations Bill
An act of Congress that actually funds programs within limits established by authorization bills. Appropriations usually cover one year.
Articles of Confederation
The first Constitution of the United States, adopted by Congress in 1777 and ratified in 1781. The Articles established the Continental Congress as the national legislature, but left most authority with the state legislatures.
Authorization Bill
An act of Congress that establishes, continues, or changes a discretionary government program or an entitlement. It specifies program goals and maximum expenditures for discretionary programs.
Beats
Specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House. Most top reporters work a particular beat, thereby becoming specialists in what goes on at that location.
Bill
A proposed law, drafted in legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate can formally submit a bill for consideration.
Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments in the U.S Constitution, which define such basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, and the press, and they guarantee defendants’ rights.
Block Grant
Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services.
Budget
A policy document allocating burdens (taxes) and benefits (expenditures).
Budget Resolution
A resolution binding Congress to a total expenditure level, supposedly the bottom line of all federal spending for all programs.
Bureaucracy
A hierarchical authority structure that uses task specialization, operates on the merit principle, and behaves with impersonality.
Caucus
A system for selecting convention delegates used in about a dozen states in which voters must attend an open meeting to express their presidential preference.
Congressional Caucus
A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic. Many are composed of members from both parties and from both houses.
Census
An “actual enumeration” of the population, which the Constitution requires that the government conduct every 10 years. The Census is a valuable tool for understanding demographic changes.
Chains
Groups of newspapers published by media conglomerates and today accounting for over four-fifths of the nation’s daily newspaper circulation.
Checks and Balances
Features of the Constitution that require each branch of the federal government to obtain the consent of the others for its actions; they limit the power of each branch.
Civic Duty
The belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should vote.
Civil Disobedience
A form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be unjust and to suffer the consequences.
Civil Liberties
The constitutional and other legal protections against government actions. American civil liberties are formally laid out in the Bill of Rights.
Civil Rights
Policies designed to protect people against arbitrary or discriminatory treatment by government officials or individuals.
