Political Jargon Flashcards
Define 50 words
“The Hill”
A legislative branch of the U.S. Government
Bispartisan
of or involving the agreement or cooperation of two political parties that usually oppose each other’s policies
Blue State
a US state that predominantly votes for or supports the Democratic Party.
Bully Pulpit
a public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue.
Coattails Effect
the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.
Conservatives
believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense.
Constituents
the people politicians have been elected to represent.
Demographics
statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it.
Earmark
a provision inserted into a discretionary spending appropriations bill that directs funds to a specific recipient while circumventing the merit-based or competitive funds allocation process.
Entitlements
The kind of government program that provides individuals with personal financial benefits to which an indefinite number of potential beneficiaries have a legal right whenever they meet eligibility conditions that are specified by the standing law that authorizes the program.
Flip-Flopper
a person, especially a politician, who suddenly changes his or her opinion or policy
Free-Rider Problem
occurs when those who benefit from resources, public goods, or services do not pay for them, which results in an under provision of those goods or services.
Gender Gap
the differences between women and men, especially as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes.
Gerrymandering
drawing the boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one party an unfair advantage over its rivals.
GOP
“Grand Old Party” , The Elephant, The Republican Party
Grassroots
one which uses the people in a given district, region, or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. “participatory democracy”
Gridlock
a situation when there is difficulty passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people.
Independent Expenditure
Expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified federal candidate
Inside the Beltway
an American idiom used to characterize matters that are, or seem to be, important primarily to officials of the U.S. federal government, to its contractors and lobbyists, and to the corporate media who cover them—as opposed to the interests and priorities of the general U.S. population.
K Street
The group of lobbyists who attempt to influence the policies of the US government
Lameduck
an elected official whose successor has already been elected
Liberal
more tolerance for change; the opposite of a conservative.
Libertarian
a collection of political philosophies and movements that uphold liberty as a core principle.
Litigation
the rules and practices involved in resolving disputes in the court system.
Lobbyist
the act of attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of officials in their daily life, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.
Logrolling
he trading of favors, or quid pro quo, such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of actions of interest to each legislative member.
Mandate
the authority granted by a constituency to act as its representative.
Partisan
a committed member of a political party or political coalitions.
Party Platform
a formal set of principal goals which are supported by a political party or individual candidate, in order to appeal to the general public, for the ultimate purpose of garnering the general public’s support and votes about complicated topics or issues.
Polarization
the cases in which an individual’s stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a particular political party
Political Action Committee (PAC)
an organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaign for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation.
Political Culture
widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that define the relationship between citizens and government, and citizens to one another. Beliefs about economic life are part of the political culture because politics affects economics.
Political Efficacy
the citizens’ faith and trust in government and their belief that they can understand and influence political affairs.
Political Socialization
a lifelong process by which people form their ideas about politics and acquire political values.
Political Suicide
a concept by which a politician or political party loses widespread support and confidence from the voting public by proposing actions that are seen as unfavorable or that might threaten the status quo.
Pork Barrel Spending
a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative’s district.
POTUS
“President Of The United States”
Rank and File
the individuals who constitute the body of an organization, society, or nation as distinguished from the leaders
Red State
a state of the U.S. that usually votes Republican.
Red Tape
an idiom that refers to excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making.
Safe Seat
an electoral district (constituency) in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party, or the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both.
SCOTUS
“Supreme Court Of The United States”
Sound Bite
a very short part of a speech or statement, especially one made by a politician, that is broadcast on a radio or television news program
Spin Control
a form of propaganda, achieved through providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to persuade public opinion in favor or against some organization or public figure.
Stump Speech
a standard speech used by a politician running for office. Typically a candidate who schedules many appearances prepares a short standardized stump speech that is repeated verbatim to each audience, before opening to questions.
Super PAC
A type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.
Superdelegate
an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates include elected officials, party activists and officials.
Swing State
a state of the U.S. in which the Democratic and Republican candidates both have a good chance of winning and that is considered key to the outcome of a presidential election
Talking Points
a succinct statement designed to support persuasively one side taken on an issue.
Whistle Blower
an employee that reports an employer’s misconduct.
