Flashcard Deck 1/21-1/31
A theory suggesting voters make decisions based on their self-interest, weighing the costs and benefits of their choices.
Rational Choice Voting
Platform
A political party’s formal set of principles, goals, and positions on key issues, presented during an election campaign.
Powers reserved solely for the federal government, such as regulating interstate commerce and conducting foreign affairs.
Exclusive Powers
Rights inherent to all people, as proposed by Enlightenment thinkers like Locke, including life, liberty, and property. These rights are fundamental and cannot be taken away without consent.
Natural Rights
New Jersey Plan
Proposed by William Paterson, it emphasized state sovereignty, with a unicameral legislature where each state had one vote, regardless of population.
Federal funds given to states for broad purposes, allowing them flexibility in spending within general guidelines.
Block Grants
War Chest
The funds accumulated by a candidate or political party to use during campaigns, reflecting their financial readiness.
Rational Choice Voting
A theory suggesting voters make decisions based on their self-interest, weighing the costs and benefits of their choices.
A concept where national, state, and local governments interact cooperatively to solve common problems, blurring the lines of authority among the levels of government.
Cooperative Federalism
The process of formally approving the Constitution, requiring conventions in each state. It needed nine states to go into effect and included compromises to secure approval.
Ratification
Horse Race Journalism
A style of reporting that focuses on polling data and public perceptions of candidates rather than their policies, treating elections as a contest to determine who is “winning” or “losing.”
A British philosopher who, in his Second Treatise of Civil Government, proposed that natural law grants all people the right to life, liberty, and property. He emphasized that governments must respect the consent of the governed, and citizens have a duty to rebel against governments violating these rights.
John Locke
Adversarial Press
Media outlets that are critical of government or political figures, acting as watchdogs and questioning authority.
Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
A Supreme Court decision that allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on political campaigns, ruling that such spending is a form of free speech.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
A Swiss-born philosopher who, in The Social Contract, argued for the social contract as an agreement among free and equal people to form a government for the general good. He envisioned popular sovereignty, where the people are the ultimate ruling authority.
The practice of targeting media content to specific segments of the public based on their political or ideological preferences, as seen with cable news channels like Fox News and MSNBC.
Narrowcasting
Opponents of the Constitution who feared a strong national government, believing it would infringe on states’ rights and individual freedoms. They advocated for a Bill of Rights and smaller, state-centered governance.
Anti-Federalists
A theory where voters make decisions based on the anticipated future actions or policies of candidates.
Prospective Voting
A measure of public support for a political figure or institution, often expressed as a percentage.
Approval Rating
The act of interest groups attempting to influence policymakers by providing information, organizing grassroots campaigns, or directly interacting with legislators.
Lobbying
Popular Sovereignty
The principle that the ultimate authority resides with the people, as reflected in the Declaration of Independence and other Enlightenment philosophies.
A situation in which individuals benefit from resources or services provided by a group without contributing to the costs, which can undermine the efforts of collective action.
Free Rider Problem
The funds accumulated by a candidate or political party to use during campaigns, reflecting their financial readiness.
War Chest
Efforts by ordinary citizens to create change or influence policymakers by mobilizing public opinion, often through protests or campaigns.
Grassroots Movements
A political party’s formal set of principles, goals, and positions on key issues, presented during an election campaign.
Platform
A government where sovereign states unite to address national concerns while citizens elect officials to represent their interests.
Representative Republic
A government that is controlled by laws, checks and balances, and separation of powers. It protects individual liberties and intervenes only as necessary to resolve conflicts.
Limited Government
Political Culture
The set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments that shape political behavior and the functioning of political systems.
Representative Republic
A government where sovereign states unite to address national concerns while citizens elect officials to represent their interests.
The impact of major historical events on the political attitudes and behaviors of individuals from specific age cohorts.
Generational Effects
Grassroots Movements
Efforts by ordinary citizens to create change or influence policymakers by mobilizing public opinion, often through protests or campaigns.
Coalition Building
The process of forming alliances among different groups or parties to achieve a common political goal.
A style of reporting that focuses on polling data and public perceptions of candidates rather than their policies, treating elections as a contest to determine who is “winning” or “losing.”
Horse Race Journalism
Ratification
The process of formally approving the Constitution, requiring conventions in each state. It needed nine states to go into effect and included compromises to secure approval.
Thomas Hobbes
An English philosopher who argued in The Leviathan that in a “state of nature” without governance, human life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” To avoid this, he advocated for a social contract in which individuals surrender some freedoms to an absolute sovereign for societal order.
A 1995 Supreme Court case that limited Congress’s use of the commerce clause, ruling that carrying a gun in a school zone does not substantially affect interstate commerce.
United States v. Lopez
Dark Ads
Targeted political advertisements on social media that are not visible to the general public, often designed to influence specific voter groups.
Random Sample
A polling method where every individual in a population has an equal chance of being selected, ensuring unbiased results.
Virginia Plan
Proposed by Edmund Randolph, it called for a strong national government with three branches, a bicameral legislature, and national supremacy over states. It set the framework for the U.S. Constitution.
Block Grants
Federal funds given to states for broad purposes, allowing them flexibility in spending within general guidelines.
A French philosopher who, in The Spirit of the Laws, advocated for the separation of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches to ensure political liberty and limit government authority.
Baron de Montesquieu
McCulloch v. Maryland
A landmark Supreme Court case in 1819 that established the principles of implied powers under the necessary and proper clause and federal supremacy over state laws.
Anti-Federalists
Opponents of the Constitution who feared a strong national government, believing it would infringe on states’ rights and individual freedoms. They advocated for a Bill of Rights and smaller, state-centered governance.
Federalist No. 51
Written by James Madison, this essay argues for a system of checks and balances and separation of powers to ensure liberty and prevent abuses of power.
The media’s role in determining which stories are covered and prioritized, influencing public discourse and political agendas.
Gatekeeper
Free Rider Problem
A situation in which individuals benefit from resources or services provided by a group without contributing to the costs, which can undermine the efforts of collective action.
Watchdog
The media’s role in scrutinizing government actions and exposing corruption, scandals, or inefficiency, holding those in power accountable.
Critical Elections
Elections that reveal sharp, lasting changes in party loyalties, often due to social, economic, or political crises. These elections often lead to party realignment.
Allows changes to the Constitution through a two-stage process: proposal (by Congress or a convention of states) and ratification (by state legislatures or conventions). This ensures flexibility while maintaining a high threshold for change.
Amendment Process (Article V)
Electoral College
A compromise for presidential elections where states decide how their electors are chosen. Each state has electors equal to their total number of Congress members, and electors vote for the president, reflecting an elite model of democracy.
Gatekeeper
The media’s role in determining which stories are covered and prioritized, influencing public discourse and political agendas.
Proposed by William Paterson, it emphasized state sovereignty, with a unicameral legislature where each state had one vote, regardless of population.
New Jersey Plan
Categorical Grants
Federal funds provided for specific purposes, such as building highways or funding education programs, often with strict requirements.
An Anti-Federalist essay warning against the dangers of a large republic, emphasizing that citizens would be disconnected from their government and that the federal system would become too powerful, risking individual liberties.
Brutus No. 1
Concurrent Powers
Powers shared by both the national and state governments, such as the ability to tax, build roads, and establish courts.
The first U.S. constitution, creating a loose confederation of states with a weak national government that could not tax, maintain a military, or regulate commerce effectively.
Articles of Confederation
Federalism
A system of government where power is divided between a national government and state governments. It balances unity with regional autonomy.
A government that assumes responsibility for providing a minimum standard of living for its citizens, including healthcare and income support.
Welfare State
Supporters of the Constitution who believed in a strong national government to protect individual and state rights. They argued that the diversity of a large republic would prevent any single faction from dominating.
Federalists
Media outlets that are critical of government or political figures, acting as watchdogs and questioning authority.
Adversarial Press
Checks and Balances
A system where each branch of government can limit the powers of the other branches, ensuring accountability and preventing tyranny.
Declaration of Independence
A foundational document asserting the colonies’ separation from Britain, emphasizing natural rights, self-rule, and popular sovereignty. It outlined grievances against British rule and justified independence.
Limited Government
A government that is controlled by laws, checks and balances, and separation of powers. It protects individual liberties and intervenes only as necessary to resolve conflicts.
The process of forming alliances among different groups or parties to achieve a common political goal.
Coalition Building
Devolution
The transfer of power from the federal government back to state governments, notably promoted during the Reagan administration and continued in the 1990s.
A compromise where three out of every five enslaved people were counted for representation and taxation purposes. This addressed the population count for southern slave-holding states.
Three-Fifths Compromise
Amicus Curiae Briefs
“Friend of the court” briefs filed by individuals or organizations that are not parties in a case but have an interest in its outcome, offering information and arguments to influence the court’s decision.
Federalists
Supporters of the Constitution who believed in a strong national government to protect individual and state rights. They argued that the diversity of a large republic would prevent any single faction from dominating.
PACs (Political Action Committees)
Organizations that collect and distribute funds for political campaigns, often supporting candidates or policies that align with their interests.
Government spending implemented through an appropriations bill, covering areas like defense and education.
Discretionary Spending
Discretionary Spending
Government spending implemented through an appropriations bill, covering areas like defense and education.
Advice and Consent
A constitutional provision where the Senate must approve treaties and certain presidential appointments, ensuring legislative oversight of executive actions.
Elections that reveal sharp, lasting changes in party loyalties, often due to social, economic, or political crises. These elections often lead to party realignment.
Critical Elections
A constitutional provision where the Senate must approve treaties and certain presidential appointments, ensuring legislative oversight of executive actions.
Advice and Consent
The transfer of power from the federal government back to state governments, notably promoted during the Reagan administration and continued in the 1990s.
Devolution
Separation of Powers
A system that divides government responsibilities among three branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power.
Approval Rating
A measure of public support for a political figure or institution, often expressed as a percentage.
Voter Registration
The process by which individuals enroll to become eligible to vote in elections, often requiring proof of residency and identification.
Sampling Error
The margin of error in a poll resulting from the process of selecting a sample rather than surveying the entire population.
An English philosopher who argued in The Leviathan that in a “state of nature” without governance, human life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” To avoid this, he advocated for a social contract in which individuals surrender some freedoms to an absolute sovereign for societal order.
Thomas Hobbes
Federal funds provided for specific purposes, such as building highways or funding education programs, often with strict requirements.
Categorical Grants
Campaign Finance
The funds raised and spent to promote candidates, political parties, or policies during elections, regulated by laws to ensure transparency and prevent corruption.
Brutus No. 1
An Anti-Federalist essay warning against the dangers of a large republic, emphasizing that citizens would be disconnected from their government and that the federal system would become too powerful, risking individual liberties.
Globalization
The increasing interconnectedness of economies, cultures, and populations across the world, influencing political attitudes and creating a sense of global citizenship.
A Supreme Court decision that allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on political campaigns, ruling that such spending is a form of free speech.
Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
Benchmark Polls
Initial polls conducted to gather information about voters’ opinions before a campaign starts, helping candidates understand key issues and positions.
Baron de Montesquieu
A French philosopher who, in The Spirit of the Laws, advocated for the separation of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches to ensure political liberty and limit government authority.
Also known as the Connecticut Compromise, it created a two-house Congress to balance the needs of large and small states. The House of Representatives is based on population, while the Senate provides equal representation with two senators per state.
Great Compromise
Great Compromise
Also known as the Connecticut Compromise, it created a two-house Congress to balance the needs of large and small states. The House of Representatives is based on population, while the Senate provides equal representation with two senators per state.
Retrospective Voting
A voting theory where individuals base their decisions on the past performance of a candidate or political party.
A foundational document asserting the colonies’ separation from Britain, emphasizing natural rights, self-rule, and popular sovereignty. It outlined grievances against British rule and justified independence.
Declaration of Independence
A compromise for presidential elections where states decide how their electors are chosen. Each state has electors equal to their total number of Congress members, and electors vote for the president, reflecting an elite model of democracy.
Electoral College
Spending required by law for certain programs, such as entitlement programs, that must be funded regardless of the budget.
Mandatory Spending
A system that divides government responsibilities among three branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power.
Separation of Powers
Written by James Madison, this essay argues for a system of checks and balances and separation of powers to ensure liberty and prevent abuses of power.
Federalist No. 51
The principle that the ultimate authority resides with the people, as reflected in the Declaration of Independence and other Enlightenment philosophies.
Popular Sovereignty
Federalist No. 10
An essay by James Madison addressing concerns about factions, arguing that a large republic would better control their effects and protect minority interests while ensuring public good through a pluralist system.
A significant shift in party alliances, often driven by demographic or ideological changes among voters, resulting in a redefinition of party platforms.
Party Realignment
John Locke
A British philosopher who, in his Second Treatise of Civil Government, proposed that natural law grants all people the right to life, liberty, and property. He emphasized that governments must respect the consent of the governed, and citizens have a duty to rebel against governments violating these rights.
Welfare State
A government that assumes responsibility for providing a minimum standard of living for its citizens, including healthcare and income support.
Free Press
The right of media outlets to operate independently of government control, ensuring freedom of expression and the ability to hold power accountable.
The margin of error in a poll resulting from the process of selecting a sample rather than surveying the entire population.
Sampling Error
The increasing interconnectedness of economies, cultures, and populations across the world, influencing political attitudes and creating a sense of global citizenship.
Globalization
Prospective Voting
A theory where voters make decisions based on the anticipated future actions or policies of candidates.
The media’s role in tracking political successes, failures, and public approval ratings, often turning political coverage into a popularity contest instead of focusing on substantive issues.
Scorekeeper
Republicanism
A political ideology emphasizing the election of leaders by citizens to serve a limited term and represent the public interest. This ideology prioritizes natural rights and the consent of the governed.
A system of government where power is divided between a national government and state governments. It balances unity with regional autonomy.
Federalism
A presidential power to indirectly veto a bill by not signing it within ten days, while Congress is adjourned, effectively killing the legislation.
Pocket Veto
Scorekeeper
The media’s role in tracking political successes, failures, and public approval ratings, often turning political coverage into a popularity contest instead of focusing on substantive issues.
A polling method where every individual in a population has an equal chance of being selected, ensuring unbiased results.
Random Sample
Three-Fifths Compromise
A compromise where three out of every five enslaved people were counted for representation and taxation purposes. This addressed the population count for southern slave-holding states.
The media’s role in scrutinizing government actions and exposing corruption, scandals, or inefficiency, holding those in power accountable.
Watchdog
The process by which individuals enroll to become eligible to vote in elections, often requiring proof of residency and identification.
Voter Registration
Legislation allowing voters to register when applying for or renewing a driver’s license, aimed at increasing voter participation.
Motor Voter Laws
Generational Effects
The impact of major historical events on the political attitudes and behaviors of individuals from specific age cohorts.
The set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments that shape political behavior and the functioning of political systems.
Political Culture
The structure and strategy used by candidates to manage their political campaigns, including fundraising, advertising, and voter outreach.
Campaign Organization
Motor Voter Laws
Legislation allowing voters to register when applying for or renewing a driver’s license, aimed at increasing voter participation.
Entrance and Exit Polls
Surveys conducted with voters as they enter or leave polling places to predict the outcome of elections and analyze voting behavior.
Found in Article VI of the Constitution, it establishes that federal laws and the Constitution take precedence over state laws in cases of conflict.
Supremacy Clause
A 1786–1787 uprising of Massachusetts farmers protesting high taxes and economic injustices, demonstrating the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a stronger national government.
Shays’ Rebellion
Cooperative Federalism
A concept where national, state, and local governments interact cooperatively to solve common problems, blurring the lines of authority among the levels of government.
Impeachment
The process of charging a government official with misconduct. The House of Representatives brings charges, and the Senate conducts the trial, requiring a two-thirds vote for conviction.
Exclusive Powers
Powers reserved solely for the federal government, such as regulating interstate commerce and conducting foreign affairs.
Powers shared by both the national and state governments, such as the ability to tax, build roads, and establish courts.
Concurrent Powers
Political Socialization
The process by which individuals acquire political beliefs and values, influenced by family, education, peers, media, and social environments.
Natural Rights
Rights inherent to all people, as proposed by Enlightenment thinkers like Locke, including life, liberty, and property. These rights are fundamental and cannot be taken away without consent.
Life Cycle Effects
The changes in political beliefs and behaviors as individuals age, such as shifting priorities from education to retirement concerns.
“Friend of the court” briefs filed by individuals or organizations that are not parties in a case but have an interest in its outcome, offering information and arguments to influence the court’s decision.
Amicus Curiae Briefs
A political ideology emphasizing the election of leaders by citizens to serve a limited term and represent the public interest. This ideology prioritizes natural rights and the consent of the governed.
Republicanism
Amendment Process (Article V)
Allows changes to the Constitution through a two-stage process: proposal (by Congress or a convention of states) and ratification (by state legislatures or conventions). This ensures flexibility while maintaining a high threshold for change.
Proposed by Edmund Randolph, it called for a strong national government with three branches, a bicameral legislature, and national supremacy over states. It set the framework for the U.S. Constitution.
Virginia Plan
Initial polls conducted to gather information about voters’ opinions before a campaign starts, helping candidates understand key issues and positions.
Benchmark Polls
Campaign Organization
The structure and strategy used by candidates to manage their political campaigns, including fundraising, advertising, and voter outreach.
A system where each branch of government can limit the powers of the other branches, ensuring accountability and preventing tyranny.
Checks and Balances
United States v. Lopez
A 1995 Supreme Court case that limited Congress’s use of the commerce clause, ruling that carrying a gun in a school zone does not substantially affect interstate commerce.
A voting theory where individuals base their decisions on the past performance of a candidate or political party.
Retrospective Voting
A landmark Supreme Court case in 1819 that established the principles of implied powers under the necessary and proper clause and federal supremacy over state laws.
McCulloch v. Maryland
Pocket Veto
A presidential power to indirectly veto a bill by not signing it within ten days, while Congress is adjourned, effectively killing the legislation.
Shays’ Rebellion
A 1786–1787 uprising of Massachusetts farmers protesting high taxes and economic injustices, demonstrating the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a stronger national government.
Party Realignment
A significant shift in party alliances, often driven by demographic or ideological changes among voters, resulting in a redefinition of party platforms.
Organizations that collect and distribute funds for political campaigns, often supporting candidates or policies that align with their interests.
PACs (Political Action Committees)
Targeted political advertisements on social media that are not visible to the general public, often designed to influence specific voter groups.
Dark Ads
Lobbying
The act of interest groups attempting to influence policymakers by providing information, organizing grassroots campaigns, or directly interacting with legislators.
The right of media outlets to operate independently of government control, ensuring freedom of expression and the ability to hold power accountable.
Free Press
The funds raised and spent to promote candidates, political parties, or policies during elections, regulated by laws to ensure transparency and prevent corruption.
Campaign Finance
Entitlement Programs
Government programs providing benefits to individuals who meet specific eligibility criteria, such as Social Security and Medicare.
Surveys conducted with voters as they enter or leave polling places to predict the outcome of elections and analyze voting behavior.
Entrance and Exit Polls
An essay by James Madison addressing concerns about factions, arguing that a large republic would better control their effects and protect minority interests while ensuring public good through a pluralist system.
Federalist No. 10
Supremacy Clause
Found in Article VI of the Constitution, it establishes that federal laws and the Constitution take precedence over state laws in cases of conflict.
A Swiss-born philosopher who, in The Social Contract, argued for the social contract as an agreement among free and equal people to form a government for the general good. He envisioned popular sovereignty, where the people are the ultimate ruling authority.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The changes in political beliefs and behaviors as individuals age, such as shifting priorities from education to retirement concerns.
Life Cycle Effects
Government programs providing benefits to individuals who meet specific eligibility criteria, such as Social Security and Medicare.
Entitlement Programs
Articles of Confederation
The first U.S. constitution, creating a loose confederation of states with a weak national government that could not tax, maintain a military, or regulate commerce effectively.
The process of charging a government official with misconduct. The House of Representatives brings charges, and the Senate conducts the trial, requiring a two-thirds vote for conviction.
Impeachment
The process by which individuals acquire political beliefs and values, influenced by family, education, peers, media, and social environments.
Political Socialization
Mandatory Spending
Spending required by law for certain programs, such as entitlement programs, that must be funded regardless of the budget.
Narrowcasting
The practice of targeting media content to specific segments of the public based on their political or ideological preferences, as seen with cable news channels like Fox News and MSNBC.
