MIDTERM Flashcards
What are two important powers Articles of Confederation lacked?
-No power to tax or regulate commerce
-No president to enforce laws
-No courts to interpret laws
-No power to raise army
-Overall: Does not provide a structure of government that can support society, which needs a government
What are two most important powers Constitution gives Congress?
-Impeach President
-Declare War
-Spend and Tax
-Regulate Commerce
-Override Presidential Vetoes
What were the Constitution’s biggest compromises?
-Giving same amount of power to small states and large states (takes power away from larger states and gives them to smaller states which is not proportionally accurate)(think California versus Rhode Island)
-3/4 compromise
What were two early tests of democracy in history? Did the nation pass them?
-Alien and Sedation Act (creates more laws for immigrants and restricts speech)
What is judicial review and why is it important?
Judicial review is when the judicial branch of the government reviews laws and regulations in an effort to make sure it does not violate the constitution. Judicial review is important because it prevents the abuse of powers in the other branches of the government.
Is America more a democracy or republic? Give examples.
America appears to be more of a republic than a democracy
-electoral college allows the states to be incredibly involved with the selection of the president and vice president, who are at a federal level ( allows for the mass amount of citizen involvement in the government, inherently making it a republic.)
-The same can be said for how the senate has the same number of members for both big and small states.
What does the term, “legislative/executive interdependence” mean?
This simply means that the legislative and executive branch have to cooperate with each other to exercise all their powers. The legislative branch requires the involvement of the president, which is stated in Article II of the Constitution. Without the executive branches involvement in congress, and vice-versa, the branches simply cannot work.
What’s the filibuster and what’s the “nuclear option”? (Was using the nuclear option a mistake?)
-The filibuster is a preventative tactic used by members of the Senate to block legislation from getting to the floor through unlimited debate.
-I believe the nuclear option is when the majority party abuses their power by ignoring senate rules and killing the super majority through the simple majority.
What’s the difference in the ways in which Republicans and Democrats choose Committee Chairs?
The Democratic party selects committee chairs based on the seniority rule. The Republican party does not exactly follow this due to their term limits, which the Democrats do not necessarily have. Instead, Republicans will most likely choose leaders based on loyalty of members and money that will eventually contribute to their campaigns for fundraising.
What’s the conditional vote theory and how does it apply to the House of Representatives today?
The conditional vote theory refers to a political party that is strengthened by its unison. It applies to the House of Representatives because the parties within, spefcilaly th Republican party, are not currently unified. This has shown that the party is inherently weak, especially with the recent standstill of voting speaker McCarthy into his potions, which was solely caused by the Republican Party. The republican and Democratic parties in the House of Representatives are also extremely polarized currently, which prevent unified decisions from making its way out of the house.
What does it mean to “fill the amendment tree”? (Why is it used and is it fair?)
Amendment tree refers to the chart that imposes a limitation on the number of amendments o a measure that may be offered and pending at the same time (majority leader can offer amendment and amendment until the tree is ‘filled’)
What is a hold and what are at least two reasons a Senator would put hold on a bill?
Holds permit senators to block floor action on measures or matters by asking their party leaders not to schedule them (intention to object a bill)
What House Committee has power over the House floor? And how does it exercise power?
Rules Committee
