Political Jargon Summer 2018

Question 1

“The Hill”

Answer 1

The Hill is an American political newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C. since 1994. It is published by Capitol Hill Publishing, which is owned by News Communications, Inc.

Question 2

Bipartisan

Answer 2

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

Conservative

Answer 6

a person who is averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes, typically in relation to politics.

Question 7

Constituent

Answer 7

being a voting member of a community or organization and having the power to appoint or elect.

Question 8

Demographics

Answer 8

characteristics of a population, including age, sex, and race. Demographics are often used to determine changes in the make-up of a population.

Question 9

Earmark

Answer 9

pet projects added to appropriation bills by congressmen, called “wasteful spending” and “pork barrel legislation” by critics.

Question 10

Entitlements

Answer 10

those benefits guaranteed by law paid to individuals by the fed gov, such as social security

Question 11

Flip-flopper

Answer 11

a person who suddenly changes his or her opinion or policy

Question 12

Free-Rider Problem

Answer 12

A person who chooses to receive the benefits of a “public good” or a “positive externality” without contributing to paying the costs of producing those benefits.

Question 13

Gender Gap

Answer 13

a significant deviation between the way men and women vote.

Question 14

Gerrymandering

Answer 14

state legislatures, based on pol affiliation, create congressional districts, many of which are oddly shaped and factor the pol party in power in the state making the changes.

Question 15

GOP

Answer 15

another way of 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.

Question 17

Gridlock

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Independent Expenditure

Answer 18

Spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them.

Question 19

Inside the Beltway

Answer 19

used to characterize matters that are, or seem to be, important primarily to officials of the U.S. federal government

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

favor government efforts to ensure that everyone has a job, to spend more money on medical and educational programs, and to increase rates of taxation for well-to-do-persons

Question 23

Libertarian

Answer 23

People who wish to maximize the personal liberty on both economic and social issues.

Question 24

Litigation

Answer 24

when people go to court in order to get a positive ruling for their cause. If there is a law that hurts a certain group of people, they can go to court and say that it is unlawful, and that it impinges on their rights.

Question 25

Lobbyist

Answer 25

attempt to influence public policy through contacts with public officials.

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

a requirement or an order from the central government that all state and local government must comply with.

Question 28

Partisan

Answer 28

Political actions or decisions that benefit a particular party

Question 29

Party Platform

Answer 29

A political party’s statement of its goals and policies for the next four years

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.

Question 33

Political Efficacy

Answer 33

The belief that one’s political participation really matters-that one’s vote can actually make a difference.

Question 34

Political Socialization

Answer 34

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 unfavourable or that might threaten the status quo

Question 36

Pork Barrel Spending

Answer 36

the allocation of federal funds to local projects at the will of a congressperson

Question 37

POTUS

Answer 37

Acronym for 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

states that voted Republican in a presidential election

Question 40

Red Tape

Answer 40

complex bureaucratic rules and procedures that must be followed to get something done.

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

the Supreme Court of the United States.

Question 43

Sound Bite

Answer 43

A piece of a person speaking during a video or speech

Question 44

Spin Control

Answer 44

deflecting negative public attention

Question 45

Stump Speech

Answer 45

provides voters w main reasons for a candidate’s run for office, serves as heart/campaign

Question 46

Super PAC

Answer 46

A PAC that is allowed to give an unlimited amount of money to a candidate or political party. Money still comes from individual donors, labor unions, and nonprofits.

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 not required to pledge themselves in advance to a presidential candidate

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

Question 50

Whistle Blower

Answer 50

an employee who exposes unethical or illegal conduct within the federal government or one of its contractors.