Government and Politics of the USA - Key Terminology Flashcards
Key terminology specified by the exam board
Bipartisanship
The ability of two or more parties to work together to achieve an outcome. This is enforced by the supermajorities required in the Constitution
Checks and balances
The power of one branch to directly prevent the action of another. All branches of government can do this, which provides this balance
Codification
A single written document containing all of the constitutional rules and principles
Constitution
A collection of rules, principles and conventions that outlines the political system, location of sovereignty and relationship between the government and those being governed
Entrenchment
A constitution that is protected from change through a legal process. The US has a two-stage process which requires supermajority approval from Congress and the state legislatures
Enumerated powers
Powers that are specifically and explicitly written down in the US constitution
Federalism
A system of government in which power and sovereignty are shared between the federal government and individual states
Limited government
A government that is subject to restrictions on the power it can exercise over a country or its citizens. For the US, it uses checks and balances
Principle
A fundamental belief or ideal. Constitutional principles may not be named in the Constitution, but they underpin the entire document and can be seen throughout the text
Separation of powers
The complete separation of the three branches of government. This includes separation of their powers, building and personnel
Congressional caucuses
Groups consisting of members of Congress who share common interests or policy goals
Divided government
When at least one of the either the presidency, the House of Representatives or the Senate is held by a different party from the others
Filibuster
A prolonged speech given on the floor of the Senate aimed at preventing further action being taken on legislation
Gridlock
A situation in which both the president and Congress have difficulty in exercising their powers, meaning little can be achieved
Incumbency
The holding of an office or the period during which one is held. This usually refers to the president, senator or representative
Midterm elections
General elections that are held near the midpoint of a president’s four-year term of office. Federal offices that are up for election during the midterms include all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives, and 33 or 34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate
Oversight
The ability of a branch of government to supervise and check the action of another branch of government
Partisanship
A political circumstance in which a high degree of party loyalty can be seen in congressional votes, with members of Congress almost always voting with their own party
Unanimous consent
Procedures in the Senate may be set aside provided no one objects. If a single senator objects, however, the request is rejected
Domestic politics
Issues and policies that concern affairs within the borders of a nation (e.g., healthcare, immigration and education)
Electoral mandate
The authority gained at an election by a political leader to act on behalf of the constituents, in force until the next election
Executive branch
The entire branch of government operating under the direction of the president, comprising those who work in the White House, the Executive Office of the President, the cabinet and the federal bureaucracy
Executive orders
Directives issued to the federal bureaucracy regarding how the president would like a piece of legislation or policy to be interpreted and enforced
Imperial presidency
A presidency that is overly powerful due to a lack of effective checks and balances
Imperilled presidency
A president who finds it difficult to enfore their constitutional powers in the face of overly effective checks and balances
Informal powers
Powers that are not granted explicitly by the Constitution but which are either taken anyway or enable the president to gain power
Powers of persuasion
The power of the president to bargain and persuade those around them in order to achieve their policy goals
Unified government
When both chambers of Congress and the presidency are controlled by the same party
Affirmative action
A policy that allows minority groups to be intentionally advantaged in order to begin to correct historic disadvantages
Conservative justice
The Constitution should be interpreted as it was originally written and intended by the Founding Fathers. Justices who are conservative to be more skeptical of government intervention and regulation, and they often favor states’ rights over federal power
Constitutional rights
The rights that are explicitly identified within the Constitution and its amendments
Imperial judiciary
A judiciary that is overly powerful due to a lack of effective checks and balances placed on its power
Judicial activism
The practice in the judiciary of protecting or expanding individual rights through decisions that depart from established precedent or are independent of or in opposition to supposed constitutional or legislative intent. It is a judicial philosophy holding that the courts can and should go beyond the applicable law to consider broader societal implications of its decisions and should be more willing to decide constitutional issues and to invalidate legislative or executive actions
Judicial restraint
A procedural or substantive approach to the exercise of judicial review. As a procedural doctrine, the principle of restraint urges judges to refrain from deciding legal issues, and especially constitutional ones, unless the decision is necessary to the resolution of a concrete dispute between adverse parties. As a substantive one, it urges judges considering constitutional questions to grant substantial deference to the views of the elected branches and invalidate their actions only when constitutional limits have clearly been violated
Judicial review
The power of the Supreme Court to judge actions of the presidential branch or acts and actions of Congress against the Constitution. The Supreme Court can declare these acts or actions ‘unconstitutional’ and therefore make them null and void.
Liberal justice
The Constitution is a living document that should be interpreted in light of changing social and political circumstances. Liberal justices tend to be more supportive of government intervention and regulation, and they often favor federal power over states’ rights
Living constitution
Constitutional law that can and should evolve in response to changing circumstances and values. The constitutional texts should change over time, as social attitudes change, even without the adoption of a formal constitutional amendment
Originalism
The meaning of the constitutional text are fixed and that it should bind constitutional actors. The constitutional text ought to be given the original public meaning that it would have had at the time that it became law
Public policy
Policy and law created by the branches of government that have an effects on the US population
Racial equality
The idea that all races should be regarded amd treated equally and be given the same legal, moral and political opportunities
Stare decisis
A judicial principle meaning ‘let the decision stand’. It means that justices should refer to, and where possible adhere to, previous Court ruling when making their decisions
Strict/loose constructionist
- Strict constructionists believe that the Constitution should be interpreted based on its original meaning and the text of the Constitution
- Loose constructionists believe that the Constitution is a living document that should be interpreted in light of changing social and political circumstances
Swing justice
A justice who is in the ideological middle of the nine justices on the US Supreme Court
Campaign finance
The funds raised by a candidate or their party to support their campaign for office
Factions
Groups within a political party that share an ideological agreement which might be different from other groups within the same party
Invisible primary
The time between a candidate formally announcing their intention to run for president and the first official primary or caucus
PACs
Political Action Committees
Groups that can raise money to support a candidate in an election, donating a maximum of $5,000 to their campaign directly
Party system
The number of parties that have a realistic chance of forming a government
Policy group
An interest group that tries to influence a wide policy area
Professional group
An interst group that represents the interests of its members. Often these are profressional associations
Single interest group
An issue group that tries to influence change over a very narrow policy area
Soft/hard money
- Soft money - Money donated to a party rather than a candidate, and used for ‘party-building activities’, rather than endorsement of a candidate directly. It is subject to a few limits
- Hard money - Donations directly to an electoral campaign and subject to strict limits
Super PACs
Groups that can raise and send unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose a candidate but which is not allowed to donate directly to a campaign or coordinate with a campaign
Religious right
A faction usually associated with the Republican Party that advances conservative views on social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage