Key Terms Flashcards
Bicameral legislature
two-house legislature
Block grant
money granted by the federal government to the states for a broad purpose ( e.g., transportation) rather than for a narrow purpose (e.g., school lunch program)
Categorical grant
money granted by the federal government to the states for a narrow purpose ( e.g., school lunch program) rather than for a broad purpose (e.g., transportation)
Centralists
those who favor greater national authority rather than state authority
Checks and balances
system in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches, e.g., presidential veto of a congressional law
Commerce clause
gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states, with foreign nations, and among Indian tribes. Granted through Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution
Concurrent powers
those held by both Congress and the states, e.g., establishing law enforcement agencies
Confederation
system in which sovereign states are only loosely tied to a central government, e.g., the US under the Articles of Confederation
Decentralists
those who favor greater state authority rather than national authority
Direct democracy
system in which the people rule themselves
Elastic clause
states that Congress can exercise those powers that are “necessary and proper” for carrying out the enumerated powers, e.g., establishment of the first Bank of the United States
Enumerated powers
those that are specifically granted to Congress in Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution, e.g., the power to tax; also known as expressed powers
Expressed powers
those that are specifically granted to Congress in Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution, e.g., the power to tax; also known as enumerated powers
Federalism
constitutional sharing of power between a central government and state governments (types: dual, cooperative, new)
Dual federalism
system in which the national government and state governments are coequal, with each being dominant within its respective sphere
Cooperative federalism
system in which both federal government and state governments cooperate in solving problems
New Federalism
system in which the national government restores greater authority back to the states
Federalist Papers
group of 85 essays written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay for the purpose of persuading the people of New York to adopt the Constitution
Formal amendment
a change in the actual wording of the Constitution. Proposed by Congress or national convention, and ratified by the states
Implied powers
those that are “necessary and proper” to carry out Congress’ enumerated powers, and are granted to Congress through the elastic clause
Indirect democracy
system in which the people are rule by their representatives; also known as representative democracy, or republic
Representative democracy
system in which the people are rule by their representatives; also known as indirect democracy, or republic
Republic
system in which the people are rule by their representatives; also known as indirect democracy, or representative democracy
Inherent powers
foreign policy powers (e.g., acquiring territory) held by the national government by virtue of its being a national government
Informal amendment
a change in the meaning, but not the wording, of the Constitution, e.g., through a court decisions such as Brown v. Board
Judicial review
power of the courts to rule on the constitutionality of laws and government actions; established by Marbury v. Madison, 1803
Mandates
requirements imposed by the national government upon the states; some are unfunded mandates, i.e., they are imposed by the national government, but lack funding
Unfunded mandates
requirements imposed by the national government upon the states, but lack funding
Marbury v. Madison, 1803
established the power of judicial review
McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819
established principle of national supremacy and validity of implied powers
Police powers
powers of the states to protect the public health, safety, morals, and welfare of the public
Popular sovereignty
principle in which ultimate political authority rests with the people
Reserved powers
powers held by the states through the 10th Amendment; any power not granted to the US government is “reserved” for the states
Separation of powers
principle in which the powers of government are separated among three branches: legislative, executive, judicial
Shays’ Rebellion
1786 revolt by Massachusetts farmers seeking relief from debt and foreclosure that was a factor in the calling of the Constitutional Convention
Supermajority
a majority greater than a simple majority of one over half, e.g., 3/5, 2/3
Unicameral legislature
one-house legislature
Attentive public
those who follow politics and public affairs carefully
Australian ballot
secret ballot printed at the expense of the state
Balancing the ticket
occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a vice presidential running mate who has different qualities in order to attract more votes for the ticket
Blanket primary
election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and that allows voters to choose candidates from all the parties
Caucus
local party meeting
Closed primary
party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents; voters may not cross party lines
Coattail effect
the influence of a popular presidential candidate on the election of congressional candidates of the same party
Demographics
characteristics of populations, e.g., race, sex, income
Direct election
election of an official directly by the people rather than by an intermediary group such as the Electoral College
Direct primary
election in which the people choose candidates for office
Fixed terms
terms of office that have a definite length of time, e.g., two years for a member of the House
Front loading
scheduling presidential primary elections early (e.g., February or March) in an election year
Gender gap
difference in voting patterns for men and women, particularly in the greater tendency of the latter to vote for Democratic presidential candidates
General election
election in which the officeholders are chosen; contrast with a primary election, in which only the candidates are chosen
Hard money
campaign contributions donated directly to candidates
Ideology
set of beliefs about political values and the role of government
Incumbent
an officeholder who is seeking reelection
Independent
one is not registered with a political party; independent leaners tend to vote for candidates of one particular party, whereas pure independents have no consistent pattern of party voting
Independent leaners
tend to vote for candidates of one particular party
Pure leaners
have no consistent pattern of party voting
Issue advocacy ads
ads that focus on issues and do not explicitly encourage citizens to vote for a certain candidate
Open primary
election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and in which voters may choose candidates from any one party
Party identification
a sense of affiliation that a person has with a particular political party
Party platform
a list of positions and programs that the party adopts at the national convention; each position is called a plank
Plank
each position in a party platform
Political culture
the widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that citizens share about their government
Plurality
more votes than anyone else, but less than half, e.g., Clinton won a plurality (43%) of popular votes in 1992, but not a majority; plurality elections such as those for Congress are won by the person with the most votes, regardless if he/she has a majority
Plurality elections
elections won by the person with the most votes, regardless if he/she has a majority
Political efficacy
capacity to understand and influence political events
Political socialization
process in which one acquires his/her political beliefs
Realigning (“critical”) election
an election in which there is a long term change in party alignment, e.g., 1932
Realigning election
an election in which there is a long term change in party alignment, e.g., 1932
Critical election
an election in which there is a long term change in party alignment, e.g., 1932
Safe seat
an office that is extremely likely to be won by a particular candidate or political party
Single member district system
system in which the people elect one representative per district; with a winner-take-all rule, this system strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties
Winner-take-all rule
system in which the people elect one representative per district; with a single member district system, this strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties
Soft money
campaign contributions that are not donated directly to candidates, but are instead donated to parties
Solid South
historically, the South voted solidly Democratic; however, the South is now strongly Republican: Bush carried every Southern state in 2000
Split ticket voting
casting votes for candidates of one’s own party and for candidates of opposing parties, e.g., voting for a Republican presidential candidate and a Democratic congressional candidate
Straight ticket voting
casting votes only for candidates of one’s party
Suffrage
the right to vote
Superdelegate
a delegate to the Democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office
Super Tuesday
a Tuesday in early March in which many presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held
Swing state
a state that does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential elections
Amicus curiae brief
“friend of the court” brief filed by an interest group to influence a Supreme Court decision
Dealignment argument
contention that parties are less meaningful to voters, who have abandoned the parties in greater numbers to become independents
Divided government
government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the Congress
Elite theory
theory that upper class elites exercise great influence over public policy
Factions
term used by Madison to denote what we now call interest groups
Fairness Doctrine
FCC rule (no longer in effect) that required broadcasters to air a variety of viewpoints on their programs
FCC Rule
Fairness Doctrine (no longer in effect) that required broadcasters to air a variety of viewpoints on their programs
Feeding frenzy
just as sharks engage in a feeding frenzy when they sense blood in the water, the media “attack” when they sense wrongdoing or scandal in government, and devote great amounts of coverage to such stories
Free rider problem
the problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups
Horse race coverage
the tendency of the media to report on an election campaign as if it were a horse race, i.e., who is ahead, who is behind, who is gaining ground
Iron triangle
an informal association of federal agency, congressional committee, and interest group that is said to have heavy influence over policy making
Litigation
the act or process of carrying out a lawsuit
Lobbying
attempting to influence policy makers
Nonpartisan elections
elections in which candidates are not identified by party membership on the ballot
Office column ballot
ballot in which candidates are arranged by office rather than party; encourages split ticket voting
Party column ballot
ballot in which candidates are arranged by party rather than office; encourages straight ticket voting
Photo opportunity
a staged campaign event that attracts favorable visual media coverage, e.g., a candidate reading to a group of school children
Pluralism
theory that policy making is the result of interest group competition
Political Action Committee (PAC)
an interest group that raises funds and donates to election campaigns
Patronage
appointing loyal party members to government positions
Revolving door
the cycle in which a person alternately works for the public sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual’s sense of loyalty
Selective exposure
the practice of selectively choosing media sources which are in harmony with one’s own beliefs
Selective perception
the practice of perceiving media messages the way one wants to
Sound bite
a short, pithy comment that is likely to attract media attention, e.g., Ronald Reagan saying, “A recession is when your neighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose your job, and recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his job”
Spin control
placing a certain slant on a story to deflect negative public attention against a candidate or office holder
Unit rule
an abandoned rule of the Democratic Party national convention in which the candidate with the most delegates from a state won all of that state’s convention votes
Appropriation
money that Congress has allocated to be spent
Appropriations Committee
congressional committee that deals with federal spending
Appellate jurisdiction
authority of a court to hear an appeal from a lower court
Bureaucracy
departments, agencies, bureaus, and commissions in the executive branch of government
Casework
personal work done by a member of Congress for his constituents
Civil law
concerns noncriminal disputes between private parties
Class action lawsuit
lawsuit brought on behalf of a class of people against a defendant, e.g., lawsuits brought by those who have suffered from smoking against tobacco companies
Closed rule
Rules Committee rule that bans amendments to a bill
Cloture
Senate motion to end a filibuster that requires a 3/5 vote
Concurring opinion
written by a Supreme Court Justice who voted with the majority, but for different reasons
Conference committee
works out a compromise between differing House-Senate versions of a bill
Constituents
the people who are represented by elected officials
Discharge petition
a motion to force a bill to the House floor that has been bottled up in committee
Dissenting opinion
written by a Supreme Court Justice (or Justices) who express a minority viewpoint in a case
Executive agreement
an agreement between the President and another head of state that, unlike a treaty, does not require Senate consent
Executive order
presidential rule or regulation that has the force of law
Executive privilege
the privilege of a President and his staff to withhold their “privileged” conversations from Congress or the courts
Filibuster
nonstop Senate debate that prevents a bill from coming to a vote
Finance Committee
Senate committee that handles tax bills
Franking privilege
allows members of Congress to send mail postage free
Gerrymandering
redrawing district lines to favor one party at the expense of the other
Hold
Senate maneuver that allows a Senator to stop or delay consideration of a bill or presidential appointment
Impeachment
House action that formally charges an official with wrongdoing. Conviction requires 2/3 vote from the Senate
Impoundment
refusal of a President to spend money that has been appropriated by Congress
Injunction
court order that forbids a party from performing a certain action
Judicial activism
philosophy that the courts should take an active role in solving problems
Judicial restraint
philosophy that the courts should defer to elected lawmakers in setting policy, and should instead focus on interpreting law rather than making law
Judicial review
power of the courts to review the constitutionality of laws or government actions
Legislative oversight
ongoing process of congressional monitoring of the executive branch to ensure that the latter complies with the law
Legislative veto
process in which Congress overturned rules and regulations proposed by executive branch agencies; struck down in 1983
Line item veto
power of most governors (and President Clinton for only a few years) to delete or reduce funding in a bill on a line by line basis
Logrolling
when two members of Congress agree to vote for each other’s bill
Majority opinion
written to express the majority viewpoint in a Supreme Court case
Mark up
committee action to amend a proposed bill
Merit system
system of hiring federal workers based upon competitive exams
Open rule
House Rules Committee rule that allows amendments to a bill
Original jurisdiction
authority of a court to first hear a case
Patronage
power to appoint loyal party members to federal positions; also known as spoils system
Pocket veto
presidential killing of a bill by inaction after Congress adjourns
Political appointees
those who have received presidential appointments to office; contrast with Civil Service employees, who receive federal jobs by competitive exams
Pork barrel
wasteful congressional spending, e.g. funding for a Lawrence Welk museum in North Dakota
Quorum
minimum number of members needed for the House or Senate to meet
Reapportionment
reallocation of House seats to the states on the basis of changes in state populations, as determined by the census
Redistricting
redrawing of congressional district boundaries by the party in power of the state legislature
Red tape
complex rules and procedures required by bureaucratic agencies
Remand
the Supreme Court’s sending of a case back to the original court in which it was heard
Rider
amendment to a bill that has little to do with that bill; also known as a nongermane amendment
Nongermane amendment
amendment to a bill that has little to do with that bill; also known as a rider
Rule of four
the Supreme Court will hear a case if four Justices agree to do so
Rules Committee
the “traffic cop” of the House that sets the legislative calendar and issues rules for debate on a bill
Senatorial courtesy
tradition in which the President consults with the senators within a state in which an appointment is to be made
Seniority system
tradition in which the Senator from the majority party with the most years of service on a committee becomes the chairman of that committee
Spoils system
power to appoint loyal party members to federal positions; also known as a patronage
Standing committees
the permanent congressional committees that handle legislation
Stare decisis
Latin for “let the decision stand,” Supreme Court policy of following precedent in deciding cases
Sunset laws
laws that automatically expire after a given time
Ways and Means Committee
House committee that handles tax bills
Whistleblower
an employee who exposes unethical or illegal conduct within the federal government or one of its contractors
Writ of certiorari
issued by the Supreme Court to a lower court to send up the records of a case so that it can be reviewed by the high court
Writ of habeas corpus
court order that the authorities show cause for why they are holding a prisoner in custody; deters unlawful imprisonment
Writ of mandamus
court order directing a party to perform a certain action
Bipartisanship
support from both parties for policy, e.g., a bipartisan foreign policy
Budget deficit
results when federal expenditures exceed federal revenues for a one year period
Deficit spending
the federal government’s practice of spending more money than it takes in as revenues
Deregulation
elimination of federal regulations on private companies
Entitlements
federal benefit payments to which recipients have a legal right, e.g., Social Security; also known as uncontrollables
Uncontrollables
federal benefit payments to which recipients have a legal right, e.g., Social Security; also known as entitlements
Fiscal policy
taxing and spending policies
Means testing
requiring that those who receive federal benefits show a need for them
Monetary policy
Federal Reserve Board’s regulation of the supply of money in circulation
National debt
total debt owed by the federal government due to past borrowing; also known as the public debt
Public debt
total debt owed by the federal government due to past borrowing; also known as the national debt
Subsidy
federal financial aid to individuals, e.g., welfare, food stamps, agricultural subsidies
Civil liberties
personal freedoms, e.g., speech, assembly, religion
Civil rights
protections against discrimination
Clear and present danger doctrine
judicial interpretation of Amendment 1 that government may not ban speech unless such speech poses an imminent threat to society
De facto segregation
segregation “by fact,” i.e., segregation that results from such factors as housing patterns rather than law
De jure segregation
segregation by law, i.e., segregation that is required by government
Double jeopardy
being prosecuted twice for the same offense; banned by Amendment 5
Due process clause
prohibits the national government (5th Amendment) and states (14th Amendment) from denying life, liberty, or property without due process of law
Equal protection clause
14th Amendment clause that prohibits states from denying equal protection under the law, and has been used to combat discrimination
Eminent domain
the right of government to take private property for the public good; fair compensation must be paid to the owner of such property
Establishment clause
provision of Amendment 1 that prohibits Congress from establishing an official state religion; this is the basis for separation of church and state
Exclusionary rule
Supreme Court guideline that excludes the use of illegally obtained evidence in a criminal trial
Free exercise clause
provision of Amendment 1 stating that Congress may not prohibit the free exercise of religion
Grandfather clause
Southern laws that excluded blacks from exercising suffrage by restricting the right to vote only to those whose grandfathers had voted before 1865
Grand jury
determines whether or not to bring criminal charges against a suspect
Incorporation
applying the Bill of Rights to the states. A “total incorporation” view is that the states must obey all provisions of the Bill of Rights because of the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. (types: total and selective)
Total incorporation
a view that the states must obey all provisions of the Bill of Rights because of the due process clause of the 14th Amendment
Selective incorporation
a view that the Bill of Rights is to be applied to the states in a more gradual manner on a case by case basis, also via the due process clause of the 14th Amendment
Indictment
grand jury order that a suspect must stand trial for a criminal offense
Jim Crow laws
Southern laws that required racial segregation in places of public accommodation
Libel
written untruths that damage a reputation
Literacy test
Southern method of excluding blacks from exercising suffrage by requiring that voters prove their ability to read and write
Miranda warnings
warnings that must be read to suspects prior to questioning. Suspects must be advised that they have the rights of silence and counsel
Plea bargain
arrangement in which a suspect pleads guilty to a lesser offense in order to avoid a trial; the manner in which most cases are disposed of
Police powers
powers that allow states to pass laws protecting the health, welfare, safety, and morals of their residents
Poll tax
Southern method of excluding blacks from exercising suffrage by requiring payment of a tax prior to voting
Prior restraint
when a court stops expression before it is made, e.g., prohibiting a demonstration by a radical group because the assembly is likely to become violent; presumed to be unconstitutional
Racial gerrymandering
drawing of legislative boundaries to give electoral advantages to a particular racial group; “majority-minority” districts include large numbers of racial minorities in order to ensure minority representation in legislatures
Sedition
advocacy of the overthrow of the government
Separate but equal
Supreme Court doctrine established in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson; allowed state-required racial segregation in places of public accommodation as long as the facilities were equal
Shield laws
state laws that protect journalists from having to reveal their sources
Slander
spoken untruths that damage a reputation
Strict scrutiny
Supreme Court guideline for determining if government can make racial distinctions; according to this guideline, such distinctions are highly suspect and are allowed only if they are narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest
White primary
primary election in which Southern states allowed only whites to vote
