Brooke Political Jargon

Question 1

“The Hill”

Answer 1

A nickname for capitol hill.

Question 2

Bipartisan

Answer 2

2 political parties working together to reach a common goal.

Question 3

Blue State

Answer 3

refers to the states where the democratic candidate carried the electoral vote

Question 4

Bully Pulpit

Answer 4

a prominent public position (such as a political office) that provides an opportunity for expounding one’s views; also : such an opportunity

Question 5

Coattails Effect

Answer 5

The tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.

Question 6

Conservative

Answer 6

Generally believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Also believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals.

Question 7

Constituent

Answer 7

having power to frame or alter a political constitution or fundamental law, as distinguished from lawmaking power:

Question 8

Demographics

Answer 8

the statistical data of a population, especially those showing average age, income, education, etc.

Question 9

Earmark

Answer 9

a provision in Congressional legislation that allocates a specified amount of money for a specific project, program, or organization

Question 10

Entitlements

Answer 10

a government program providing benefits to members of a specified group; also : funds supporting or distributed by such a program

Question 11

Flip-flopper

Answer 11

a person who makes a complete change of policy, opinion, etc

Question 12

Free-Rider Problem

Answer 12

A person who chooses to receive the benefits of a “public good” or a “positive externality” without contributing to paying the costs of producing those benefits.

Question 13

Gender Gap

Answer 13

a term that refers to the regular patterns by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates. Women tend to be significantly less conservative than men and are more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.

Question 14

Gerrymandering

Answer 14

the practice of one party packing as many voters of the other party into the fewest districts possible.

Question 15

GOP

Answer 15

The Republican Party, commonly referred to as GOP (abbreviation for Grand Old Party), is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States.

Question 16

Grassroots

Answer 16

an organization that focuses on the citizens or ‘common people’ to help with a specific agenda item or movement.

Question 17

Gridlock

Answer 17

The inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government.

Question 18

Independent Expenditure

Answer 18

Spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them.

Question 19

Inside the Beltway

Answer 19

Relating to something that happened in Washing D.C. This is most often in reference to the U.S. national politics or political system.

Question 20

K street

Answer 20

K Street is a major thoroughfare in the United States capital of Washington, D.C. known as a center for numerous think tanks, lobbyists, and advocacy groups.

Question 21

Lameduck

Answer 21

In politics, a lame duck is an elected official whose successor has already been elected. The official is often seen as having less influence with other politicians due to their limited time left in office.

Question 22

Liberal

Answer 22

Believes people should have a lot of freedom in deciding how to behave and think.

Question 23

Libertarian

Answer 23

They believe in or support the idea that people should be free to think and behave in the way that they want.

Question 24

Litigation

Answer 24

Process of fighting or defending a case in a civil court of law.

Question 25

Lobbyist

Answer 25

Someone who tries actively to persuade a government or council that a particular law should be changed or that a particular thing should be done.

Question 26

Logrolling

Answer 26

The practice of undemocratic agreements between politicians involving mutual favors, the trading of votes, etc

Question 27

Mandate

Answer 27

An official or authoritative instruction or command.

Question 28

Partisan

Answer 28

A committed member of a political party or political coalitions. In multi-party systems, the term is used for politicians who strongly support their party’s policies and are reluctant to compromise with their political opponents.

Question 29

Party Platform

Answer 29

A list of the actions which either a political party, organization, or individual candidate supports in order to appeal to the general public in the hope that the general public will vote the political parties’ candidates into political office.

Question 30

Polarization

Answer 30

Division into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of opinions or beliefs.

Question 31

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Answer 31

An organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level.

Question 32

Political Culture

Answer 32

widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that define the relationship between citizens and government, and citizens to one another.

Question 33

Political Efficiency

Answer 33

A citizen’s belief that he or she can understand and influence political affairs. This sense is divided into two parts- internal and external efficacy.

Question 34

Political Socialization

Answer 34

A lifelong process by which people form their ideas about politics and acquire political values.

Question 35

Political Suicide

Answer 35

a concept by which a politician or political party loses widespread support and confidence from the voting public by proposing actions that are seen as unfavorable or that might threaten the status quo.

Question 36

Pork Barrel Spending

Answer 36

A metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative’s district.

Question 37

POTUS

Answer 37

President of the United States

Question 38

Rank and File

Answer 38

The individuals who constitute the body of an organization, society, or nation as distinguished from the leaders

Question 39

Red State

Answer 39

Refers to states where the Republican candidate carried the electoral vote.

Question 40

Red Tape

Answer 40

An idiom that refers to excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making.

Question 41

Safe Seat

Answer 41

An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party’s candidate is almost taken for granted.

Question 42

SCOTUS

Answer 42

Supreme court of the United States.

Question 43

Sound Bite

Answer 43

A short clip of speech or music extracted from a longer piece of audio, often used to promote or exemplify the full length piece.

Question 44

Spin Control

Answer 44

Placing a certain slant on a story to deflect negative public attention against a candidate or office holder.

Question 45

Stump Speech

Answer 45

a standard speech used by a politician running for office. Typically a candidate who schedules many appearances prepares a short standardized stump speech that is repeated verbatim to each audience, before opening to questions

Question 46

Super Pac

Answer 46

A type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.

Question 47

Superdelegate

Answer 47

A delegate to the Democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office.

Question 48

Swing State

Answer 48

A state that does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential elections.

Question 49

Talking Points

Answer 49

A topic that invites discussion or argument.

Question 50

Whistle blower

Answer 50

An employee that reports an employer’s misconduct.