Political Jargon

Question 1

¨The Hill¨

Answer 1

local language for Capitol Hill, an area of D.C. where you can find the United States Capitol, office buildings for the Senate and the House, and the Supreme Court building

Question 2

Bipartisan

Answer 2

Supported by two parties.

Question 3

Blue State

Answer 3

refers to the states where the democratic candidate carried the electoral vote

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

occurs when a strong candidate running for an office at the top of the ballot helps attract voters to other candidates on the party’s ticket, the lesser known office seeker “rides the coattail” of the more prestigious personality

Question 6

Conservative

Answer 6

believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems.

Question 7

Constituent

Answer 7

people within a district or state-government official represents them.

Question 8

demographics

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Earmark

Answer 9

Earmarks are a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees.

Question 10

Entitlements

Answer 10

policies for which congress has obligated itself to pay X levels of benefits to Y number of recipients. Social Security benefits are an example

Question 11

Flip-Flopper

Answer 11

a U-turn, or reversal of position, a sudden shift in opinion

Question 12

Free-Rider Problem

Answer 12

The problem faced by unions and other groups when people do not join because they can benefit from the groups’ activities without officially joining. The bigger the group, the more serious the problem.

Question 13

Gender Gap

Answer 13

Differences in political views between men and women

Question 14

Gerrymandering

Answer 14

The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.

Question 15

GOP

Answer 15

Known as the Grand Old Party, another way o identifying the Republican Party

Question 16

Grassroots

Answer 16

A type of social movement organization that relies on high levels of membership participation to promote social change. it lacks a hierarchical structure and works through existing political structures.

Question 17

Gridlock

Answer 17

a situation when there is difficulty passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people. … Gridlock can occur when two legislative houses, or the executive branch and the legislature are controlled by different political parties, or otherwise cannot agree.

Question 18

independent expenditure

Answer 18

The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals, groups, and parties can spend unlimited amounts in campaigns for or against candidates as long as they operate independently from the candidates. When an individual, group, or party does so, they are making an independent expenditure

Question 19

Inside the Beltway

Answer 19

Relating to something that happened in Washing D.C. This is most often in reference to the U.S. national politics or political system.

Question 20

K. Street

Answer 20

location of the offices of nearly seven thousand organizations that are represented in Washington

Question 21

Lameduck

Answer 21

A politician who is still in office after having lost a reelection bid

Question 22

Liberal

Answer 22

tolerant of protest demonstrations, favor legalizing marijuana and in other ways wish to “decriminalize” so-called victimless crimes, who emphasize protecting the rights of the accused over punishing criminals, and who see the solution to crime in eliminating its causes rather than in getting tough with offenders

Question 23

Libertarian

Answer 23

conservative on economic matters and liberal on social ones: small, weak government

Question 24

Litigation

Answer 24

The process of taking legal action

Question 25

Lobbyist

Answer 25

A person attempting to influence policy on behalf of a lobby.

Question 26

Logrolling

Answer 26

An arrangement in which two or more members of Congress agree in advance to support each other’s bills.

Question 27

Mandate

Answer 27

an official order or commission to do something.

Question 28

Partisan

Answer 28

a strong supporter of a party, cause, or person.

Question 29

Party Platform

Answer 29

political party’s statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. The platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate’s strength. It is the best formal statement of a party’s beliefs.

Question 30

Polarization

Answer 30

when two opposing sides feel intensely about an issue that is difficult to compromise on

Question 31

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Answer 31

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns.

Question 32

Political Culture

Answer 32

The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to governments and to one another. Social capital – Democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and respect for differences, which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations.

Question 33

Political Efficacy

Answer 33

A belief that you can take part in politics (internal) or that the government will respond to the citizenry (external).

Question 34

Political Socialization

Answer 34

political socialization

process by how people acquire their political orientation

Question 35

Political Suicide

Answer 35

Political suicide is 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

Pork barrel spending is the allocation of federal funds to local projects at the will of a congressperson, also sometimes called earmarking. Pork barrel spending occurs when members of Congress spend government money on specific projects intended to benefit their home districts.

Question 37

POTUS

Answer 37

The President of the United States.

Question 38

Rank and FIle

Answer 38

the broad range of party members, more active than the average voter registered with a party

Question 39

Red State

Answer 39

refers to states where the Republican candidate carried the electoral vote

Question 40

Red Tape

Answer 40

Red tape is 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. It is usually applied to governments, corporations, and other large organizations.

Question 41

Safe Seat

Answer 41

An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party’s candidate is almost taken for granted.

Question 42

SCOTUS

Answer 42

Supreme Court of the United States

Question 43

Sound Bite

Answer 43

a brief, memorable comment that can easily be fit into news broadcasts

Question 44

Spin Control

Answer 44

placing a certain slant on a story to deflect negative public attention against a candidate or office holder

Question 45

Stump Speech

Answer 45

Delivers the same essential message again and again throughout a campaign but they do vary that message somewhat from audience to audience

Question 46

Super PAC

Answer 46

political-action committee that is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, individuals and associations. Some nonprofit groups are allowed to contribute to super PACs without disclosing where their money came from; The most important difference between a super PAC and traditional candidate PAC is in who can contribute, and in how much they can give.

Question 47

Superdelegate

Answer 47

party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

Question 48

Swing State

Answer 48

a state that does not consistently vote either democratic or republican in presidential elections

Question 49

Talking Points

Answer 49

• a succinct statement designed to support persuasively one side taken on an issue
• something that someone tends to be repeated in a debate or speech

Question 50

Whistle Blower

Answer 50

someone who finds wrongdoing in a fed or private agency, collects info, and gives it to law enforcement so they can sue; congress protected so that they aren’t allowed to lose their jobs and get monetary compensation