Unit 3C Flashcards
What are some checks on the legislature by the executive?
- Veto
- President can suggest bills
- Pres. can call a special session of congress
- Commander in chief
What are some checks on the executive by the legislature?
- Confirm appointments
- Declare war
- Impeach president
- Power of purse
- Overturn veto
- Ratify treaty
what are some checks on the judiciary by the legislature?
- Senate approves appointments
- Impeach judges
- Add to lower courts
- Change number of judges
- Create more justices
What are some checks on the judiciary by the executive?
- Pardons
- Choose judges
What are some checks on the legislature by the judiciary?
- Supreme court can rule act unconstitutional
- SC can issue/deny warrants
- SC can rule against executive/congress
- Congress cannot overrule SC decisions
What are some checks on the executive by the judiciary?
- SC can vote against executive bills
- SC interprets congress’ laws
What is judicial activism?
Overturning elected officials
Why is judicial activism controversial?
- Unelected/unnaccountable
- Ideologically skewed
- Long lasting/hard to undo
What are some weaknesses of the USSC?
- Only a reactive body
- No powers of implementation
- Adherence to constitution
- Can be overruled/impeached
What are some strengths of the USSC?
- Marbury vs madison
- Interpretative amendment
- No longer reactive
What are some roberts court judicial activism examples
-Elections:
+CU vs FEC
+Shelby county vs holder
-Guns:
+DC vs heller
+macdonald vs chicago
-States:
Obergefell
Sebellius
-National security
+Hamdi vs rumsfeld
What are the purpose of national conventions?
- Nominee
- Vice president
- Policy
What are the new purposes of a national convention
- Poll bounce
- Party unity
- Attention
Why are midterms uncompetitive?
-Name/recognition
-Money/resources
-Gerrymandering
(1994/2010/2006 incumbency not effective)
Why are midterms important?
- Presidential power
- Policy (gridlock)
- Representative “referendum on president”
What are the biggest divisions between parties?
- Immigration (dreamers)
- Healthcare(Passed in 2010, introduced in 2014)
- Budget(debt ceiling)
What are some traditional GOP and Trump overlapping policies?
- Economy/tax cuts
- Law + order
- National security
- Social conservatism (abortion, military)
What are some divisions within the democratic party?
- CPC vs sanders, identity politics
- Economic radicalisation
- Foreign policy
Why are some pressure groups more successful than others?
- Resources/membership
- Connections
- Circumstances
What affects the presidents ability to influence the USSC?
- Very little power
- Nominations (some influence)
- Politicisation
What are some factors in nomination choice?
- Ideology/philosophy
- Certainty
- Representation
- Senate
Why are nominations controversial?
- High stakes
- Increasingly ideological
- Politicised process
Why is the appointments process criticised?
- Too ideological
- Too politicised
- Outside influence
What should a cabinet represent?
- Social/racial makeup
- range of political views
- Experience
Who did Obama keep from the GOP?
- Treasury sec.
- Defense sec.
What are the powers of the cabinet?
- Running a department
- Influencing the President
- Representative
What are the powers of the EXOP?
- Run the executive office
- More important than the cabinet
- Unseen
What are some examples of the constitution being too inflexible?
- Guns
- Free speech
- 10th amendment (rights given to people and states)
- Gridlock
What are some examples of constitution being too adaptable?
- “crisis” presidential power
- Creeping growth of judicial power
- Politicisation of congress
- Decrease in federal power
What is evidence the constitution’s flexibility is just right?
- It has worked for years
- Periods of change “crisis”
- Some controversial policies haven’t been allowed
What was the founding fathers vision of the constitution?
- congress most powerful branch
- “United” states > Federalism
- Limited executive
- Enshrined rights
- Effective separation of powers
What is a key Veto example?
9/11 victims bill
What are some key treaty examples?
- UN arms trade treaty (Obama)
- NAFTA (Clinton)
What are some key President war powers examples?
- Bush soldiers in Iraq
- Reagan libya in air
- Trump Syria anti gas attacks
What are some key pardon examples?
- Chelsea Manning
- Nixon
- Libby (GWB + Trump)
- Arpaio (Trump)
Where are some places power lies in congress?
- Party leadership
- Committees
- Caucuses
- House rules ctee > money from every PG
Why do Presidents pardon?
- Political gain
- Self interest
- Justice
- Limit power of courts
Why are pardons significant?
- Unlimited power
- Political interests
- Justice served
Why are pardons insignificant?
- Rarely used
- Meant to check court power, often doesn’t
How do PG’s connect with the USSC?
- Bringing case + amicus briefs
- Protests
- Appointment pressure
How do PG’s influence the Senate?
- Lobbying
- Via states
- Committees (Iron triangles)
Why do PG’s target the Senate?
- Easier to influence
- Legislative power
- Exclusive powers (Appointments, foreign policy)
What influences congresspeoples votes?
- Constituents
- Party and policy
- Lobbyists
What is some evidence of party decline?
- Primaries (in selection)
- Limits on funding
- Pressure groups
What is some party renewal evidence?
- Control over nominations
- Party structure/leadership
- Fundraising involvement
- Control of political agenda
Who are some key Republican supporters?
- White southerners
- Rural voters
- Religious voters
- White males
- High income professionals
Who are some key Democratic supporters?
- Low income working class
- LGBT community
- Latinos
- Unmarried women
- African Americans
What are some barriers to Minor parties?
- Electoral system
- Ballot access rules
- Limited funding
- Lack of media coverage
What are some anti Affirmative action arguments?
- Reverse discrimination
- Lower standards/motivation
- Prevents truly colour blind society
- Undermines minority achievements
What are some pro affirmative action arguments?
- Promotes diversity
- Levels the playing field
- Breaks down stereotypes
- Compensation
What are some alternatives to affirmative action?
- Abolition
- Class/income based
- Cultural reforms
- Reparations
What is the significance of latinos in elections?
- over 10% of electorate
- 43% increase from 200 to 2010
What are some factors in PG success?
- Size
- Membership size
- Close ties
- Support area to political parties
Who funded Brown vs Board?
NAACP
Who are a large PG?
AARP 35 million members
