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