Chap 4-7

Question 1

The Powers of Congress

Answer 1

Lawmaking, budgeting, & exercising oversight of fed bureaucracy & other public officials

Legislative Authority: Most important power of congress is ability 2 pass laws in areas of nat policy

Question 2

legislative checks on executive

Answer 2

• impeach the president (issued by majority vote in the House, 2/3 vote in senate to remove and convict)
• Ratifies treaties with a 2/3 vote in senate
• Override presidential veto with ⅔ vote in each chamber
• Approval of judges, cabinet members, + heads of executive branch offices (majority vote in senate)
• Prez must have majority support of congress 2 pass laws, create + fund programs

Question 3

leg check on judicial

Answer 3

-determine # of supreme court justices

Question 4

Pork barrel spending

Answer 4

leg that directs specific funds to projects w/in district states

Question 5

Logrolling

Answer 5

trading of votes on leg by members of Congress to get their emarks passed by leg

Question 6

Earmark

Answer 6

allocation of money to specific projects in states or congressional districts

• Popular w/ Senators and representatives who can take credit for bringing the money home
• criticized for putting needs of a few beneficiaries ahead of the nation as a whole

Question 7

Oversight

Answer 7

congress oversees executive branch ensures that they are acting legally and in accordance w/ nat goals

• authority to ensure that laws are implemented in the way congress intended
• investigate the prez , other members executive branch, bureaucracy, elected/appointed officials for wrongdoing

Question 8

apportionment

Answer 8

determining the # of reps for each state using census dat

Question 9

Redistricting:

Answer 9

re-drawing the congressional districts

-done by State legislatures

Question 10

Gerrymandering

Answer 10

the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters ;drawing congressional districts so that someone has an advantage

partisan, racial/ethinic

Question 11

Majority-minority districts

Answer 11

-district in which voters of a minority ethnicity make up the electoral majority w/in that electoral district
-created by racial/ethnic gerrymandering
(ncrease likelihood of electing members os racial +ethnic minorities as representatives by concentrating voters of minority ethnicity)

Question 12

Malapportionment

Answer 12

the uneven distribution of the pop among leg districts; UNCONSTITUTIONAL violates that equal protection clause of 14th amendment

Question 13

Incumbency advantage

Answer 13

advantages held by those already in office

• name recognition: media coverage; franking privileges (mail constituents w/out paying postage)
• credit claiming: claim credit for work they have already done in their position; earmarks
• funding: Political Action Committees (PACs) more likely to fund, already established donor network
• representing “safe” districts: gerrymandered districts that were created for them (advantage 2 repub or dem)
• helped constituents with casework
• weak/fewer opponents

advantages are greater in house of rep than senate

Question 14

Speaker or the house:

Answer 14

leader of house of rep, chosen in an election by its members; only House Leadership position described in the Constitution; beginning of each new congress (every 2 years) elected; 2nd inline for succession after vice prez

Question 15

House Majority leader

Answer 15

person 2nd in command of the house of reps
-ensure party unity and discipline; collects info about how individual mems r planning 2 vote, corralling support on key votes + setting party starts in congress

Question 16

leadership in senate

Answer 16

VP

Senate majority leader

Question 17

joint committee

Answer 17

members of both house and senate; focus public attention on an issue, gather info for congress, or help party leaders speed things along in leg process

Question 18

standing committee

Answer 18

consider leg and exercise oversight of bureaucratic agencies, usually recommending funding lvls 2 them; divided into subcommittees

Question 19

conference committee

Answer 19

temporary joint committee resolving differences between house and senate versions of a bill; required by constitution before prez can sign bill into law

Question 20

select/special committee:

Answer 20

temporary called upon to investigate issue/response to crisis or scandal

Question 21

leg process

Answer 21

formal intro–> Referral to committees –> Floor consideration–>Resolution of differences between house and senate bills (conference committee)—> prez action

goes through house of reps and senate!

Question 22

bills in committee

Answer 22

• most bills die here; may reject bill by vote or table the bill w/ no further action
• info gathered, changes can be made b4 sent 2 floor

Question 23

Discharge petition:

Answer 23

a motion filed by a mem of congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Reps for a vote
-rarely successful but used to put pressure on committee

Question 24

what shapes a bill

Answer 24

• congressional staff
• prez: threat of veto
• interest groups

Question 25

House Rules Committee:

Answer 25

sets rules for debate and vote on house floor (how long the debate will last and whether amendments will be allowed as...)

Question 26

hold

Answer 26

delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects 2 a bill

Question 27

Unanimous consent agreement:

Answer 27

agreement in senate that sets the terms for the consideration of a bill

Question 28

Filibuster:

Answer 28

tactic through which an individual senator may use the rights of an unlimited debate in delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation

Question 29

Cloture:

Answer 29

end filibuster in senate w/ 60 votes

Question 30

prez action on bill

Answer 30

sign, veto, or inaction - doesn't sign w/in 10days while congress is in session automatically becomes a law - Veto: reject bill passed by congress, sending it back to the originating branch w/ objections; ⅔ in both chambers can override

Question 31

Entitlement program

Answer 31

a program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income; promised benefits 2 those who qualify ex. social security, medicare...

Question 32

Mandatory spending:

Answer 32

spending required by existing laws that is locked in budget (entitlement programs)

Question 33

Budget surplus & deficit

Answer 33

surplus: amount of money remaining when gov takes in more than it spends Budget deficit: the shortfall when a government takes in less than it spends

Question 34

National debt:

Answer 34

the total amount of money owed by the federal government (deficits added up over years)

Question 35

Delegate role:

Answer 35

the idea that the main duty of a member of congress is to carry out the constituents wishes

Question 36

Trustee role:

Answer 36

the idea that members of congress act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgment

Question 37

Politico role:

Answer 37

representation where members of congress balance their choices with the interest of their constituents and parties making decisions

Question 38

divided government

Answer 38

control of the presidency and one or both chambers of congress split between the 2 major parties

Question 39

Lame duck period:

Answer 39

period @ end of prez term when Congress may block presidential initiatives and nominees prez influence not as strong

Question 40

roles of prez:

Answer 40

- chief executive:carries out laws of the nation, overseas large and complex system of agencies and bureaucracies - commander in chief:of army and navy and militia of several states - leg leader - party leader - chief diplomat: guiding foreign policy and interacting w/heads of foreign nations - Chief of economy: Wrongfully takes credit for good or bad econ when they don't play much roll in it - Crisis manager - Head of state: ceremonial position

Question 41

Treaty:

Answer 41

agreement w/ forgein gov negotiated by prez and requiring ⅔ vote in senate 2 ratify (cheif diplomat)

Question 42

State of union address:

Answer 42

annual prez speech to congress updating branch on state of nat affairs (cheif leg)

Question 43

Pocket veto:

Answer 43

informal veto caused when prez chooses not 2 sign a bill w/in 10 days during time when congress has adjourned at the end of session (cheif leg)

Question 44

Presidential pardon:

Answer 44

prez authority 2 release individuals convicted of crime from legal consequences + set aside punishment for a crime; usually in the final days of office ( cuz controversial)

Question 45

Executive privilege:

Answer 45

right claimed by Prez to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential and away from Congress

Question 46

Executive agreement:

Answer 46

agreement between the Prez and another nation that does not have the same durability, but doesn’t have to be signed by Congress

Question 47

Signing statements:

Answer 47

written comments issued by Prez while signing a bill into law that usually consists of political statements or reasons for signing the bill, but that may also include the President’s interpretation of the law. -Can cause concerns about Prez overstepping authority into the lawmaking aspect of Congress

Question 48

Executive orders:

Answer 48

policy directives issued by Presidents that do not require Congressional approval.

Question 49

judicial review

Answer 49

Supreme court can overturn executive orders and other prez action that violate const (judicial check on prez)

Question 50

War powers resolution (1973):

Answer 50

restricting power of prez to maintain troops in combat for more than 60 days w/out congressional authorization ; limits power of prez as commander in chief

Question 51

Bully Pulpit:

Answer 51

Presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his or her policies

Question 52

Going public:

Answer 52

a tactic through which presidents reach out directly to the people, who will, in turn, pressure their elected officials

Question 53

Federal judiciary:

Answer 53

branch of fed gov that interprets laws of the nation

Question 54

Supreme court:

Answer 54

highest level of fed judiciary; established in Article 3 of constitution

Question 55

Original jurisdiction:

Answer 55

authority of a court to act as the first court to hear a case, which includes the finding of facts in the case (aka trial courts); evidence presented here

Question 56

Appellate jurisdiction:

Answer 56

authority of a court to hear and review decisions made by lower courts in that system; can overturn decisions

Question 57

Writ of certiorari:

Answer 57

document calling a case up from a lower court to a higher court

Question 58

Judicial review:

Answer 58

authority of SP to strike down a law or executive action if it conflicts w/ the constitution

Question 59

organization of fed courts

Answer 59

(upper 2 lower) SP Federal court of appeals: review and hear appeals from the federal district court Federal district courts: these courts usually have original jurisdiction in cases that start at the fed level

Question 60

Precedent:

Answer 60

judicial decision that guides future courts in handling similar cases

Question 61

State decisis:

Answer 61

practice of letting a previous legal decision stand; avoid creating new precedent

Question 62

Judicial restraint:

Answer 62

philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should be cautious in overturning laws. (undemocratic consequences of going against majority + declaring laws unconst is more authoritative if used sparingly + justices are not policy specialists)

Question 63

Judicial activism:

Answer 63

philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should wield the power of judicial review, sometimes creating bold new policies; protects rights of minorities

Question 64

Fed bureaucracy:

Answer 64

departments & agencies w/in the executive branch that carry our laws of nation; key implementer of policy; main function is implementation; acts as a court to settle disputes between parties

Question 65

organization of bureaucracy

Answer 65

- cabinet departments: high level; overseeing the bureaucracy; appointed by president - independent regulatory commissions: responsible for making and enforcing rules to protect the public interest in some sector of the econ and for judging disputes over these rules - government corporations: (ex. postal service; amtrak) - the independent executive agencies: (corps social security administration, NASA..)

Question 66

implementation:

Answer 66

putting into action laws that congress passed (main job of b)

Question 67

bureaucratic discretion

Answer 67

since policies r vague bureaucrats have some power to decide how a law is implemented -create new agency or assign new responsibility to old agency, develop guidelines, coordination of resourcesresources

Question 68

Y bureaucracies fail:

Answer 68

- Bad design - lack of clarity - Administrator’s dispositions: if a head doesn't believe it they won't enforce it - lack of resource/ coordination of resources - fragmentation: responsibility for a policy is spread over so many ppl that accountability is hard

Question 69

Regulation:

Answer 69

use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector. critics believe it drives up prices and hurts america's competitive posittion

Question 70

Deregulation:

Answer 70

the lifting of government restrictions on business, industry and professional activities. critics believe it fails 2 protect public (ex. against severe environmental damage)

Question 71

How can prez control Bureaucracy:

Answer 71

- appoint the right ppl ro head the agency - executive order - fire and hire - budget proposal and approval - reorganize an agency

Question 72

How can congress control Bureaucracy:

Answer 72

-Influence appt agency heads (cuz they confirm) -Alter an agency’s budget -Hold hearings -rewrite leg or make it more detailed (oversight)

Question 73

iorn triangle

Answer 73

coordinated and mutually beneficial activities od the bureaucracy, congress, and interest to achieve shared policy goals

Question 74

issue network

Answer 74

webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates

Question 75

Marbury v. Madison

Answer 75

* judicial review* Marbury appointed as judge @ end of prez term; commissions never sent out cuz secretary assumed his successor would but madison was ordered not 2; Marbury ask SP to issue writ of mandamus (order deliv of commission) Q: dies Marbury have right to his commission & can he sue fed gov? (yes) does sP have authority to order deliv of commissions? (no) -Sp doesn't have power to order commissions cuz part of Fed Judicary Act of 1789 was unconst

Question 76

Baker v. Carr

Answer 76

*redistricting* malapportionment in Tennessee (less rep for urban places w/ more pop); voter believed these districts unconst under 14th A: equal protection clause; tennesse argued fed courts lacked authority to decide case cuz it was "political Q" Q: do fed courts have power to decide causes about the apportionment of pop into state leg districts fav of Baker: -fed courts have authority to enforce requirement of EQUAL PROTECTION LAW against state leg; const guarantee of equal protection

Question 77

Shaw v Reno

Answer 77

*racial gerrymandering* in efforts to elect African American person 2 house of reps, N Carolina gerrymandered majority-minority districts; white voter argued redistricting was motivated by racial discrimination Q: Did claim that N Carolina's redistricting plan discriminated on basis of raise valid constitutional issue under 14th A: equal protection clause? fav of shaw: - 14TH A: EQUAL P CLAUSE - "classification of citizens predominantly on basis of race are undesirable in free society and conflict w/ American political value of equality "

Question 78

fed 70

Answer 78

argues for need of energetic singular executive to energetic executive: UNITY, duration (prez in position 4 long time), adequate provision + support, competent powers singular> plural: - more than 1 decreases ability 2 make strong decisive action - 1 easier for public to keep watch over+ hold executive responsible - disagreement between more than 1 executive--> division amongst public (easier to keep unity under 1)

Question 79

fed 78

Answer 79

responds to anti fed concerns arguing judiciary branch would be unlikely to infringe upon rights & libs - life long appointment and protected salary will eliminate party influence (insulated) - weakest branch, realises on other branches; serves instead as check on other 2