Ch. 2 Study Guide Terms Flashcards
Article I
creates a Congress consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives.
Enumerated powers
the powers granted to the Federal government, and specifically Congress, which are mostly listed in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.
Implied Powers
political powers granted to the United States government that aren’t explicitly stated in the Constitution.
House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together, they comprise the national bicameral legislature of the United States. United States House of Representatives.
Speaker of the House
The speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the House and is simultaneously its presiding officer, de facto leader of the body’s majority party, and the institution’s administrative head. Speakers also perform various other administrative and procedural functions.
US Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
Senate Majority Leader
the person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats
Constituency
a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body.
Bicameralism
a system of government in which the legislature comprises two houses.
Legislative Committees
groups of Members appointed to investigate, debate, and report on legislation.
Party Whips
ensures unity and party discipline
Essentially threatens members of their own party to get hwat they want
Filibuster
talkinggg and talkinggg
Hold
An informal practice by which a senator informs Senate leadership that he or she does not wish a particular measure or nomination to reach the floor for consideration.
Mandatory Spending
REQUIRED BY LAW to pay for entitlement programs
Social security, medicare (old people) , and medicaid (at or below the poverty line)
Third rail - you cant come for it without getting unelected
Because old people love voting !!
Discretionary Spending
Approved annually for defense, education, infrastructure, erc.
Can fluctuate based on economic and tax conditions
Pork Barrell Spending
politicians spending taxpayer money on their constituents primarily to generate political support
Legislative Logrolling
combine multiple bills into one to get more votes
You COMBINE so that more people will be like yeahhhh
Reapportionment
The change in the # of reps that each state has based on population
Gerrymandering
the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters (ex - Group A)
Eldridge Gerry made it and the federalists were like ayyy that looks like a salamander. And thus gerrymandering was born
Baker v. Carr
districts didn’t have even populations - supreme court made them fix it
held that federal courts could hear cases alleging that a state’s drawing of electoral boundaries, i.e. redistricting, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.
In Tennessee, more people moved to Shelby county. Though the state was supposed to redistrict after the census, they didn’t. Charles Baker argued that this was a violation of the 14th amendment because his vote was counting less then the people’s votes in a rural county.
The Supreme Court has the authority to review state redistricting plans, and the equal protection clause requires legislative district boundaries to be drawn to have roughly the same number of constituents under the principle of “one man, one vote”
Shaw v. Reno
A case in which the Court held that the redistricting of North Carolina was evidence of an attempt to separate voters based on race
Using the Shaw v. Reno decision, the justices decided that using racial reasons for redistricting is unconstitutional. Since Georgia’s General Assembly used “race for its own sake and not other districting principles,” their actions were rendered unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court overturned the race-conscious drawing of a strangely shaped legislative district.
Trustee Model
Emphasizes the experience and wisdom of the representative
Willing to ignore “passions” of constituents and do “what’s right”
JFK wrote a book on this
Fienstien video - “I’m wise, you should just listen to me”
Delegate Model
Emphasizes the beliefs and desires of constituents
Will compromise personal beliefs to match those tey represent
the idea that the main duty of a membrr of Congress is to carry out constituent’s wishes.
Politico Model
Primarily focused on voting with their political party
Combines both of the other models
representation where membrrs of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties in making decisions
Article II
describes the executive branch / lists its enumerated powers. (things like state of the union, etc)
Veto
YOINK a bill because youre the president, babey!
Pocket Veto
an informal veto caused by when the [resident chooses not to sign a bill within ten days, during a tie when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session.
Treaties
a formally concluded and ratified agreement between countries.
