unit 4 vocab Flashcards
Presidential election
Elections held in years when the president is on the ballot
National party convention
A national meeting of delegates from state parties who
assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president,
ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules
Invisible Primary
The informal process where party leaders, donors, and campaign
staff pressure potential candidates in or out of running for election
Presidential ticket
The joint listing of the presidential and vice presidential candidates
on the same ballot as required by the Twelfth Amendment
Impeachment
The procedure by which Congress can remove government officers
from the Executive and Judicial branches
Electoral college
Electoral system used in electing the president and vice president, in
which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for particular party’s
candidates.
Faithless Elector
Electors who do not vote for the candidate their state committed
them to vote for
Executive orders
Formal orders issued by the president to direct action by the Federal
bureaucracy
Presidential Succession Act
A congressional law that establishes who succeeds the
presidency in the absence of both President and Vice President.
Executive privilege
The power to keep executive communications confidential,
especially if they relate to national security
Treaty
A formal, public agreement between the United States and one or more nations
that must be approved by two thirds of the Senate
Veto
A formal decision to reject the bill passed by Congress
Take care clause
The constitutional requirement (in Article II, Section 3) that
presidents take care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the
purpose of those laws
State of the Union Address
The president’s annual statement to Congress and the
nation
Impoundment
A decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by
Congress, now prohibited under Federal law
Line item veto
Presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending
bill without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
Bureaucracy
A form of organization that operates through impersonal, uniform rules
and procedures
Cabinet
Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive
departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president.
Chief of staff
The head of the White House staff
Executive Office of the President
The cluster of presidential staff agencies that help
the president carry out his responsibilities. Currently the office includes the Office of
Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, and several other units.
Department
Usually the largest organization in government with the largest mission;
also the highest rank in Federal hierarchy
Independent regulatory commission
A government agency or commission with
regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress.
Patronage system
A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists
and friends
Merit system
A system of public employment in which selection and promotion
depend on demonstrated performance rather than political patronage
Implementation
The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules
or spending
Administrative discretion
Authority given by Congress to the Federal bureaucracy to
use reasonable judgment in implementing the laws.
Rule-making process
The formal process for making regulations
Regulations
The formal instructions that government issues for implementing laws
Oversight
Legislative or executive review of a particular government program or
organization. Can be in response to a crisis of some kind or part of routine review
Iron Triangle
Relationships among interest groups, congressional committees, and the
government agencies that share a common policy concern.
