Brooke Political Jargon Flashcards
learn vocab
“The Hill”
A nickname for capitol hill.
Bipartisan
2 political parties working together to reach a common goal.
Blue State
refers to the states where the democratic candidate carried the electoral vote
Bully Pulpit
a prominent public position (such as a political office) that provides an opportunity for expounding one’s views; also : such an opportunity
Coattails Effect
The tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.
Conservative
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.
Constituent
having power to frame or alter a political constitution or fundamental law, as distinguished from lawmaking power:
Demographics
the statistical data of a population, especially those showing average age, income, education, etc.
Earmark
a provision in Congressional legislation that allocates a specified amount of money for a specific project, program, or organization
Entitlements
a government program providing benefits to members of a specified group; also : funds supporting or distributed by such a program
Flip-flopper
a person who makes a complete change of policy, opinion, etc
Free-Rider Problem
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.
Gender Gap
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.
Gerrymandering
the practice of one party packing as many voters of the other party into the fewest districts possible.
GOP
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.
Grassroots
an organization that focuses on the citizens or ‘common people’ to help with a specific agenda item or movement.
Gridlock
The inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government.
Independent Expenditure
Spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them.
Inside the Beltway
Relating to something that happened in Washing D.C. This is most often in reference to the U.S. national politics or political system.
K street
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.
Lameduck
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.
Liberal
Believes people should have a lot of freedom in deciding how to behave and think.
Libertarian
They believe in or support the idea that people should be free to think and behave in the way that they want.
Litigation
Process of fighting or defending a case in a civil court of law.
Lobbyist
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.
Logrolling
The practice of undemocratic agreements between politicians involving mutual favors, the trading of votes, etc
Mandate
An official or authoritative instruction or command.
Partisan
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.
Party Platform
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.
Polarization
Division into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of opinions or beliefs.
Political Action Committee (PAC)
An organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level.
Political Culture
widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that define the relationship between citizens and government, and citizens to one another.
Political Efficiency
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.
Political Socialization
A lifelong process by which people form their ideas about politics and acquire political values.
Political Suicide
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.
Pork Barrel Spending
A metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative’s district.
POTUS
President of the United States
Rank and File
The individuals who constitute the body of an organization, society, or nation as distinguished from the leaders
Red State
Refers to states where the Republican candidate carried the electoral vote.
Red Tape
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.
Safe Seat
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.
SCOTUS
Supreme court of the United States.
Sound Bite
A short clip of speech or music extracted from a longer piece of audio, often used to promote or exemplify the full length piece.
Spin Control
Placing a certain slant on a story to deflect negative public attention against a candidate or office holder.
Stump Speech
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
Super Pac
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.
Superdelegate
A delegate to the Democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office.
Swing State
A state that does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential elections.
Talking Points
A topic that invites discussion or argument.
Whistle blower
An employee that reports an employer’s misconduct.
