Unit 4: President and Bureaucracy Flashcards
parlimentary system
the legislative selects the executive (parliment chooses prime minister)
framers wanted electoral college because
- wants to keep separation of powers(parliamentary would mean that congress picked pres)
- doesn’t want mob rule (some ppl are uneducated)
how does the electoral college reflects separation of powers
the electoral college can’t make laws - mini congress that gets together every 4 years then it dissolves
who is in charge of choosing that state’s electors
state legislature
how many electors in electoral college
538 - state reps + senators
how does the electoral college vote
- electors vote in December in their state capital
- gives the news to the pres of the senate (vp)
- vp counts the electoral votes in front of a joint session of congress
what happens if there’s a tie
they pick the top 3 candidates and the house picks the pres and senate picks vp (each state gets one vote)
what does the popular vote do
it shows preference and determines which electors go to the college vote
Constitutionalism:
The U.S. Constitution establishes a system of checks and balances among branches of government and allocates power between federal and state governments. This system is based on the rule of law and the balance majority rule and minority rights.
Liberty and Order:
Governmental laws and policies balancing order and liberty are based on the U.S. Constitution and have been interpreted differently over time.
Civic Participation in a Representative Democracy:
Popular sovereignty, individualism, and republicanism are important considerations of U.S. laws and policy making and assume citizens will engage and participate.
Competing Policy-Making Interests:
Multiple actors and institutions interact to produce and implement possible policies.
The federal bureaucracy is a powerful institution implementing federal policies with sometimes questionable accountability
Methods of Political Analysis:
Using various types of analyses, political scientists measure how U.S. political behavior, attitudes, ideologies, and institutions are shaped by a number of factors over time.
divided gov
pres is one party, congress is another
gridlock
cant get anything done cuz too differing ideas, result of divided gov
take care clause
executive has the duty to enforce the laws as their written
veto
pres says no to law
pocket veto
bill fails to become law because the president does not sign it within the ten-day period and cannot return the bill to Congress because Congress is no longer in session.
treaty
A formal, public agreement between the United States and one or more nations that must be approved by two thirds of the Senate.
executive agreement
n agreement between the United States and a foreign government that is less formal than a treaty and is not subject to the constitutional requirement for ratification by two-thirds of the U.S. Senate
pres prefers agreements over treaties bc it only takes ½ not ⅔
line item veto
vetoing part of a bill not all of it (illegal)
impeachment
the charges for an elected official HOR
Executive Privilege-
exec branch gets to have confidential communication between executive branch
us v nixon
President does not have executive privilege in immunity from subpoenas or other civil court actions.
signing statements
conditions to which a pres will sign smthng into law
impoundment
prevents fed funds from being spent
war powers resolution
limit pres power to sending troops abroad
bureaucracy
non elected gov officcials managing the gov
Pendleton Civil Service Act
Took us to a civil service system
Managed by OPM (Office of Personnel Management)
Hatch Act
Made certain activities by certain fed employees illegal
Ex: can’t actively campaign
FOIA
Freedom of information act
Bureaucracy should be transparent with the public
d
Whistleblower protections
Allows bureaucrats to report the bad stuff without being punished/fired
rule making
specific ways gov carries out laws
- quasi-legislative functions
Executive orders, take care clause
Through rule making, the bureaucracy often expands their power and size just as a result
Discretionary authority
- Write the rules and also in charge of enforcing the rules
- Implements legislation and also enforces it (through things like fines)
- Some rules include incentives too
Department of Homeland Security
prepare for, prevent, and respond to domestic emergencies
Department of Transportation
for planning and coordinating federal transportation projects.
Department of Veterans Affairs
manage va benefits and services
Department of Education
establishes policy for, administers and coordinates most federal assistance to education.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters.
Federal Elections Commission (FEC)
independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
independent agency, manage and secure markets economy
means testing
determination of whether an individual or family is eligible for government assistance
Fiscal/Monetary Policy
Federal Reserve
Plurality vs. majority vs. supermajority
Keynesian economics
Laissez-faire economics
omb
office of management and budget (works on the budget)
cbo
congressional budget office, federal agency within congress that works on the budget
opm
independent agency) office of personal management —-manages the employee
deficit
when expenses exceed revenues, i
social secuirty
social insurance for retired, disabled, and survivors
malapportionment
One electoral voter represents different numbers of people in different states. This is unfair because now some people’s votes are more powerful than others.
medicaid
low incomce health insurance
medicare
care for elderly, old ppl health inssurance
payroll tax
a percentage withheld from an employee’s pay by an employer who pays it to the government on the employee’s behalf
agenda setting
ability to influence the importance placed on the topics of the public agenda
22nd ammend
sets two term limit for presidents
23rd ammend
lets dc participate in pres elections
pres cabient
heads of the diff depts
- pres appoints, senate confirms(by 50%)
- pres can fire WITHOUT reason
- cabinent is loyal to their depts and pres
pres staff
- pres apoints, no senate confrimation
- pres cna fire WITHOUT reason
- loyal to pres
chief of staff
leader of the pres staff
electoral college
- The popular vote determines which electors goes to the electoral college
If popular vote is dem, state legislature works with dem party so that the democratic electors go to the electoral college vote - Only 29 state electors are required to follow the state popular vote
- Maine and nebraska - divide electors by district and the winner of each district is how they vote (senate sides wth the states overall popular vote)
Bad because if they go by districts they can gerrymander ur way into the presidency! - Electors are chosen by a political party and because they’re going to vote in bias as a certain party
Plurality
: Voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic area wins the election, regardless if they win the majority
majority
wins more than half the votes cast in an election
super majroity
more than j half used for majority of votes
