Unit 4 Vocab Flashcards
Presidential elections
Elections in years when the president is on the ballot
Invisible Primary
The informal process where candidates are pressured into/out of running for election by campaign stakeholders
National party convention
A meeting held every four years to nominate president & vice-president candidates, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules
Presidential ticket
The joint listing of presidential and vice presidential candidates on the same ballot (required by the 12th Amendment)
Electoral college
A system where voters elect electors pledged to vote for a specific president and vice president
Faithless Elector
Electors who do not vote for the candidate their state committed them to vote for
Impeachment
The process by which Congress removes government officers from the executive and judicial branches
Presidential Succession Act
A law that establishes who suceeds the presidency after the President and the Vice President
Executive orders
Presidential orders that guide the federal government and its bureaucracies
Executive privilege
The power to keep executive communications confidential (especially in cases of national security)
Treaty
A formal & public agreement between the US and other nations(s) that must be approved by 2/3 of the Senate
Veto
A formal decision to reject a bill passed by Congress
Take Care clause
The constitutional requirement (Article II, Section 3) that presidents ensure laws are “faithfully executed”
State of the Union Address
The President’s annual statement to Congress & the nation
Impoundment
A decision by the president to not spend money appropriated by Congress (now prohibited)
Line item veto
(Unconstitutional) Presidential power to strike or remove items from a spending bill without a veto of the entire bill
Bureaucracy
an organization that works through clear, unbiased rules and procedures
Cabinet
The president’s advisory council made of executive department heads, the Vice President, and other select officials
Chief of Staff
The head of the White House staff
Executive Office of the President
The presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out their responsibilities
Department
The largest organization in government with the largest mission; also the highest in the Federal hierarchy
Independent regulatory commission
A government agency/commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress
Patronage system
A public employment system based on hiring party loyalists & friends
Merit System
A system of public employment where selection is based on performance
Implementation
The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules/spending
Administrative discretion
Authority granted by Congress to federal bureaucracies, allowing them to use their judgment when carrying out and enforcing laws.
Rule-making process
The formal process of making regulations
Regulations
A formal rule issued by the government to put laws into action and guide their implementation
Oversight
Legislative/executive review of a government program/organization
Iron Triangle
The mutualist relationship between interest groups, congressional committees, and government agencies with similar interests.
