Political Jargon

Question 1

“The Hill”

Answer 1

A legislative branch of the U.S. Government

Question 2

Bispartisan

Answer 2

of or involving the agreement or cooperation of two political parties that usually oppose each other’s policies

Question 3

Blue State

Answer 3

a US state that predominantly votes for or supports the Democratic Party.

Question 4

Bully Pulpit

Answer 4

a public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue.

Question 5

Coattails Effect

Answer 5

the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.

Question 6

Conservatives

Answer 6

believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense.

Question 7

Constituents

Answer 7

the people politicians have been elected to represent.

Question 8

Demographics

Answer 8

statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it.

Question 9

Earmark

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

Entitlements

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

Flip-Flopper

Answer 11

a person, especially a politician, who suddenly changes his or her opinion or policy

Question 12

Free-Rider Problem

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

Gender Gap

Answer 13

the differences between women and men, especially as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes.

Question 14

Gerrymandering

Answer 14

drawing the boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one party an unfair advantage over its rivals.

Question 15

GOP

Answer 15

“Grand Old Party” , The Elephant, The Republican Party

Question 16

Grassroots

Answer 16

one which uses the people in a given district, region, or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. “participatory democracy”

Question 17

Gridlock

Answer 17

a situation when there is difficulty passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people.

Question 18

Independent Expenditure

Answer 18

Expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified federal candidate

Question 19

Inside the Beltway

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

K Street

Answer 20

The group of lobbyists who attempt to influence the policies of the US government

Question 21

Lameduck

Answer 21

an elected official whose successor has already been elected

Question 22

Liberal

Answer 22

more tolerance for change; the opposite of a conservative.

Question 23

Libertarian

Answer 23

a collection of political philosophies and movements that uphold liberty as a core principle.

Question 24

Litigation

Answer 24

the rules and practices involved in resolving disputes in the court system.

Question 25

Lobbyist

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

Logrolling

Answer 26

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.

Question 27

Mandate

Answer 27

the authority granted by a constituency to act as its representative.

Question 28

Partisan

Answer 28

a committed member of a political party or political coalitions.

Question 29

Party Platform

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

Polarization

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Answer 31

an organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaign for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation.

Question 32

Political Culture

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

Political Efficacy

Answer 33

the citizens’ faith and trust in government and their belief that they can understand and influence political affairs.

Question 34

Political Socialization

Answer 34

a lifelong process by which people form their ideas about politics and acquire political values.

Question 35

Political Suicide

Answer 35

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.

Question 36

Pork Barrel Spending

Answer 36

a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative’s district.

Question 37

POTUS

Answer 37

“President Of The United States”

Question 38

Rank and File

Answer 38

the individuals who constitute the body of an organization, society, or nation as distinguished from the leaders

Question 39

Red State

Answer 39

a state of the U.S. that usually votes Republican.

Question 40

Red Tape

Answer 40

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.

Question 41

Safe Seat

Answer 41

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.

Question 42

SCOTUS

Answer 42

“Supreme Court Of The United States”

Question 43

Sound Bite

Answer 43

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

Question 44

Spin Control

Answer 44

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.

Question 45

Stump Speech

Answer 45

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.

Question 46

Super PAC

Answer 46

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.

Question 47

Superdelegate

Answer 47

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.

Question 48

Swing State

Answer 48

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

Question 49

Talking Points

Answer 49

a succinct statement designed to support persuasively one side taken on an issue.

Question 50

Whistle Blower

Answer 50

an employee that reports an employer’s misconduct.