Political Jargon Summer 2018 Flashcards
“The Hill”
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.
Bipartisan
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.
Conservative
a person who is averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes, typically in relation to politics.
Constituent
being a voting member of a community or organization and having the power to appoint or elect.
Demographics
characteristics of a population, including age, sex, and race. Demographics are often used to determine changes in the make-up of a population.
Earmark
pet projects added to appropriation bills by congressmen, called “wasteful spending” and “pork barrel legislation” by critics.
Entitlements
those benefits guaranteed by law paid to individuals by the fed gov, such as social security
Flip-flopper
a person who suddenly changes his or her opinion or policy
Free-Rider Problem
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.
Gender Gap
a significant deviation between the way men and women vote.
Gerrymandering
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.
GOP
another way of identifying the Republican Party
Grassroots
A type of social movement organization that relies on high levels of membership participation to promote social change.
Gridlock
when there is difficulty passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people
Independent Expenditure
Spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them.
Inside the Beltway
used to characterize matters that are, or seem to be, important primarily to officials of the U.S. federal government
K Street
location of the offices of nearly seven thousand organizations that are represented in Washington
Lameduck
A politician who is still in office after having lost a reelection bid
Liberal
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
Libertarian
People who wish to maximize the personal liberty on both economic and social issues.
Litigation
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.
Lobbyist
attempt to influence public policy through contacts with public officials.
Logrolling
An arrangement in which two or more members of Congress agree in advance to support each other’s bills.
Mandate
a requirement or an order from the central government that all state and local government must comply with.
Partisan
Political actions or decisions that benefit a particular party
Party Platform
A political party’s statement of its goals and policies for the next four years
Polarization
when two opposing sides feel intensely about an issue that is difficult to compromise on
Political Action Committee (PAC)
a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns.
Political Culture
The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to governments and to one another.
Political Efficacy
The belief that one’s political participation really matters-that one’s vote can actually make a difference.
Political Socialization
process by how people acquire their political orientation
Political Suicide
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
Pork Barrel Spending
the allocation of federal funds to local projects at the will of a congressperson
POTUS
Acronym for President of the United States.
Rank and File
the broad range of party members, more active than the average voter registered with a party
Red State
states that voted Republican in a presidential election
Red Tape
complex bureaucratic rules and procedures that must be followed to get something done.
Safe Seat
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.
SCOTUS
the Supreme Court of the United States.
Sound Bite
A piece of a person speaking during a video or speech
Spin Control
deflecting negative public attention
Stump Speech
provides voters w main reasons for a candidate’s run for office, serves as heart/campaign
Super PAC
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.
Superdelegate
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
Swing State
a state that does not consistently vote either democratic or republican in presidential elections
Talking Points
a succinct statement designed to support persuasively one side taken on an issue
Whistle Blower
an employee who exposes unethical or illegal conduct within the federal government or one of its contractors.
