U.S. Civics & Politics Flashcards
“Passive”
Caused by a president not signing a bill in 10 day window while congress is adjourned
(Thus bill cannot pass)
First used by James Madison
POCKET VETO
Right of U.S. pres to withhold info from congress/courts
Tested (& proven limited) in 1974, U.S. v. Nixon
EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
Ability of congress members to send official mail “free” (no postage) with a signature
FRANKING PRIVILEGE
American Latino labour leader
1927-93
California
Organized agricultural boycotts
National Farm Workers Assn.
United Farm Workers
CESAR CHAVEZ
Pentagon employee
Friend of Monica Lewinsky
Recorded phone calls regarding president Clinton
LINDA TRIPP
Former “White House intern”
Infamous “blue dress” with presidential DNA
1999 interview with Barbara Walters (20/20)
Portrayed by Beanie Feldstein in “Impeachment: American Crime Story”
MONICA LEWINSKY
The version known today was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892 for the Youth’s Companion
“Under god” was added by congress in 1954 with Eisenhower’s support
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Congressman
NYC Mayor (1934-45)
Opposed Tammany Hall
“Little Flower”
Son of a bandleader
Named Patience & Fortitude
Queens airport named for him
1959 stage musical based on his life
FIORELLO LAGUARDIA
Political cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly
Popularized GOP elephant & Dem donkey
Popularized modern image of Santa Claus
Critic of Boss Tweed & Tammany Hall
Covered the Civil War
THOMAS NAST
NYC Mayor (2014-21)
Hillary Clinton’s 2000 senate campaign manager
2019 presidential run
BILL DE BLASIO
NYC administrator
Subject of Robert Caro’s “The Power Broker”
ROBERT MOSES
Official residence of NYC mayors (since LaGuardia)
GRACIE MANSION
Corrupt Democratic NYC “political machine”
Existed 1789-1967
TAMMANY HALL
Corrupt Dem rep. & sen. of 1850s-70s
Siphoned funds
Ran a “ring”
Associated with Tammany Hall
WILLIAM “BOSS” TWEED
NYC mayor (1926-32)
Nicknamed “Beau James” (for being dapper)
Sounds like a “Dy-no-mite” Good Times actor
JIMMY WALKER
1st & only woman on U.S. bank note (silver $1, 1886)
Nee “Dandridge” to a wealthy Virginia family
Married Daniel Custis (widowed)
Their children John & Patsy became stepkids of her new husband
MARTHA WASHINGTON
Home state: New Hampshire
Friend of Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nicknamed “Handsome Frank”
Died of cirrhosis (drinker)
Concord has his grave & a law school in his name
Elected VP: William Rufus DeVane King
FRANKLIN PIERCE
VP of Franklin Pierce
“Roommate” & “friend” of James Buchanan (possibly partner)
Died of TB within a month of election, never fulfilling the role
WILLIAM RUFUS DEVANE KING
German-Jewish-American (born “Heinz” in Furth)
U.S. Secretary of State (1973-77, Nixon)
U.S. National Security Advisor (1969-75, Nixon & Ford)
1973 Nobel Peace Prize for Vietnam cease-fire (shared with Le Duc Tho, who refused his half of the prize)
“There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.”
“Power is the great/ultimate aphrodisiac.”
HENRY ALFRED KISSINGER
Kind of “diplomacy” practiced by Kissinger that involves a third party traveling between communicating states
SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY
1st Jewish Supreme Court justice
Served 1916-39 (Wilson appointee)
Zionist
Namesake of a univeristy in Waltham, Mass.
LOUIS BRANDEIS
Supreme Court justice
Served 1939-62 (FDR appointee)
Jewish
Born in Vienna
A Harvard professorship is named for him
“Food” name
FELIX FRANKFURTER
15th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Served 1969-86 (Nixon appointee)
During Roe v. Wade, U.S. v. Nixon, & the Pentagon Papers
Retired in 1986 for bicentennial
Medal of Freedom recipient
“Tasty” name
Same first name as previous Chief’s last name
WARREN BURGER
Bob Woodward’s Watergate informant
Identity kept secret until 2005
MARK FELT
“DEEP THROAT”
During “Saturday Night Massacre” (1973), became acting U.S. Attorney General after his superiors resigned rather than fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox
Fired Cox, his first assignment as Acting Attorney General
Supreme Court nominee in 1987 by Reagan (rejected by senate)
(Douglas Ginsburg also rejected due to drugs; KENNEDY got the spot ultimately)
ROBERT BORK
Nixon’s 1st attorney general
Only AG ever convicted of a felony
JOHN MITCHELL
Nixon’s 3rd Attorney General
Refused to fire Archibald Cox, so Nixon fired him (1973, “Saturday Night Massacre”)
Followed by Robert Bork
ELLIOT RICHARDSON
Chief of staff under Nixon, convicted
H. R. HALDEMAN
Counsel & Assistant to the President under Nixon
Convicted
“Let [Gray] twist, slowly, slowly in the wind.”
JOHN EHRLICHMAN
New York Governor 1983-94 (Dem.)
Defeated by Pataki in 1994
Known for his speeches
Father of another governor
Controversial namesake of Tappan Zee bridge’s replacement
MARIO CUOMO
New York Governor 2011-2021 (Dem.)
Clinton’s Housing & Urban Development Secretary (late 1990s)
Son of a governor
ANDREW CUOMO
Only Department not run by a “Secretary”
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
(ATTORNEY GENERAL)
Son of governor Mario & brother of governor Andrew
CNN correspondent
CHRIS CUOMO
“Infamous” D.C. hotel/office complex
Early morning of June 17, 1972, 5 men are arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Convention’s HQ there
WATERGATE
Security guard at the Watergate
Noticed tape on the door latch at DNC HQ
Played himself in All the President’s Men (1976)
FRANK WILLS
“White House Counsel”
Said there was “a cancer within, close to the presidency…”
JOHN DEAN
Nixon’s “Special investigations unit”
Included G. Gordon Liddy & E. Howard Hunt
Made to “stop leaks”
THE “PLUMBERS”
Publisher, later owner & CEO, of the Washington Post
Publisher during Watergate
Died in 2001
KATHARINE GRAHAM
Washington Post editor (1965-91)
Portrayed by Jason Robards in “All the President’s Men” (1976), for which he won a supporting actor Oscar
BEN BRADLEE
Ex-husband of Nora Ephron, about whom she penned the roman a clef “Heartburn”
One of 2 journalists who broke Watergate story for Washington Post
Portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in “All the President’s Men” (1976)
CARL BERNSTEIN
One of 2 journalists who broke Watergate for Washington Post
Wrote “State of Denial”, “Bush at War”, “Obama’s Wars”, “The Secret Man” (as Deep Throat’s contact)
Portrayed by Robert Redford in “All the President’s Men”
BOB WOODWARD
Secretary of State 1953-59 (Eisenhower)
Senator from New York (1949, for 4 months)
Brother of CIA director Allen
Namesake of Washington airport
JOHN FOSTER DULLES
CIA director, 1953-61
Resigned after Bay of Pigs (1961)
Later part of Warren Commission (1963)
Brother of Secretary of State John Foster
ALLEN DULLES
Governor of Louisiana 2008-2016
Republican
Son of Indian immigrants
BOBBY JINDAL
Governor of Texas 1991-1995
Democrat
1988 DNC speaker - GHW Bush was “Born with a silver foot in his mouth”
ANN RICHARDS
Portuguese water dog
Became a presidential pet in 2008
Died in 2021
BO OBAMA
Portuguese water dog
Became presidential pet in 2012
SUNNY OBAMA
1996 law that requires disclosure of sex offender information by law enforcement
MEGAN’S LAW
U.S. Vice President 1825-1832
Under J.Q. Adams & A. Jackson
1st VP to resign (due to Petticoat Affair)
Senator from South Carolina
Formed “triumvirate” with Webster & Clay
Plantation became Clemson
JOHN C. CALHOUN
U.S. Vice President 1857-1861
Under Buchanan
Senator from Kentucky
Lost presidency to Lincoln in 1860
Confederate general & Secretary of War
JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE
U.S. Vice President 1813-1814
Under Madison
Died in office
Previously Massachusetts governor
Drew a famously lopsided district
ELBRIDGE GERRY
(hard G)
1st black Attorney General of U.S.
(2009-15, Obama)
Formerly deputy AG (1997-2001)
ERIC HOLDER
1st black woman Attorney General
(2015-2016, Obama)
Alliterative
LORETTA LYNCH
Congressional rep for Iowa (1987-95)
Played yeoman purser Gopher on “The Love Boat’
FRED GRANDY
Reagen Secretary of Education
“Drug czar”
WILLIAM BENNETT
Day, usually in March (sometimes Feb), when the most states have presidential primaries at once
SUPER TUESDAY
U.S.A.’s highest civilian honour
Established under Truman
Became “presidential” under JFK/LBJ
(PRESIDENTIAL) MEDAL OF FREEDOM
First Lady of the U.S. (1921-23)
First First Lady to be divorced
FLORENCE HARDING
Warren Harding’s dog, an Airedale Terrier
LADDIE BOY
First Vice President under Lincoln (1961-65)
Senator from Maine
HANNIBAL HAMLIN
Massachusetts “educator”, reformer of public education and abolitionist
Replaced J.Q. Adams in the House after his 1948 death
HORACE MANN
2009 stimulus bill known as ARRA
AMERICAN RECOVERY & REINVESTMENT ACT (OF 2009)
Executive policy of 2012
Gives 2-year deferral for deportations of “dreamers”
DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS (DACA)
Children brought into America at a young age as immigrants
Subject of the 2012 DACA policy
“DREAMERS”
Number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
435
Born in Baltimore (father & brother were mayor)
Nee D’Alesandro
Representative from CA (D.) 1987-present
District includes most of San Francisco
Speaker of the House (2007-11, 2019-23)
In 2018, gave 8-hour speech for DACA
NANCY PELOSI
1st black congresswoman
Served New York (1969-83)
1st black candidate to run for a major party’s presidential nomination (Democrats, 1972)
Portrayed by Uzo Aduba in “Mrs. America”
SHIRLEY CHISHOLM
Representative from Ohio (R.)
Speaker of the House (2011-2015)
Later a marijuana legalization advocate
JOHN BOEHNER
Host of “The View” (2017-21)
Wrote “Dirty Sexy Politics” (2010) & “Bad Republican” (2022)
Daughter of Arizona senator John
MEGHAN MCCAIN
Representative from Wyoming (R.)
Daughter of VP Dick
LIZ CHENEY
The “Aloha State”
“Paradise of the Pacific”
HAWAI’I
“Native America”
The “Sooner State”
OKLAHOMA
“First In Flight”
The “Tarheel State”
NORTH CAROLINA
“Land of 10,000 Lakes”
The “Gopher State”
The “North Star State”
MINNESOTA
Representative from Wisconsin (R.), 1999-2019
Former Ways & Means chair
2012 Romney running mate
Speaker of the House 2015-2019
PAUL RYAN
Governor of Arizona 2003-2009
3rd Secretary of Homeland Security (Obama, 2009-2013)
JANET NAPOLITANO
Chairman of the Federal Reserve, 2006-2014
“Courage to Act” (2015)
Received Economics Nobel in 2022
Played by Paul Giamatti in “Too Big to Fail”
BEN BERNANKE
Congressman from Illinois
Chief of Staff under Ford (1974-75, replaced by Cheney)
Secretary of Defense under Ford (1975-77) & G. W. Bush (2001-06, resigned)
“There are known knowns…”
Played by Steve Carell in “Vice” (2018)
DONALD “RUMMY” RUMSFELD
Representative from Wyoming
Chief of Staff under Ford (1975-77, replaced Rumsfeld)
Secretary of Defense under G.H.W. Bush (1989-93)
Haliburton CEO
Memoir “In My Time” (2011)
RICHARD “DICK” CHENEY
Vice President to G.W. Bush (2001-09)
Shot Harry Whittington in the face (2006)
Married Lynn
Had a heart replacement
Played by Christian Bale in “Vice” (2018) & Richard Dreyfuss in “W.” (2008)
RICHARD “DICK” CHENEY
Senate committee that reviews international treaties
Chairs have included Joe Biden & John Kerry
Thomas Paine was made secretary in 1777
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Mayor of Minneapolis in the 1940s
Senator from Minnesota
Vice President to LBJ (1965-69)
1968 Democratic nominee, with running mate Ed Muskie (lost to Nixon)
Died 1978, leaving Muriel widowed
Namesake of the Minneapolis Metrodome
HUBERT HORATIO HUMPHREY
Governor of Massachusetts (1983-91)
1988 Democratic nominee, with running mate Lloyd Bentsen
Lost to Bush in part due to tank photo & the Willie Horton case
Married Kitty
Political science professor at Northeastern U. (Boston)
MICHAEL DUKAKIS
Senator from Texas (1971-1993)
1988 Democratic VP nominee, with Michael Dukakis
“Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.” - to Dan Quayle in debate
Secretary of the Treasury (1993-1994)
LLOYD BENTSEN
Senator from Arizona (1987-2018, succeeded Goldwater)
Born in Panama Canal Zone
US Naval Academy graduate
Shot down in Vietnam (1967) & held as P.O.W. in “Hanoi Hilton”
2008 Republican nominee, running mate Sarah Palin
Appeared in “Wedding Crashers”
JOHN MCCAIN (III)
Campaign finance bill of 2002
Named for Arizona Republican John & Wisconsin Democrat Russ
MCCAIN-FEINGOLD ACT
Lt. Governor of Massachusetts in the 1980s
2004 Democratic nominee, running mate John Edwards (lost to Bush)
Vietnam vet with a Purple Heart
Rode swift boats
Part of “Vets Against the War”
JOHN KERRY
Secretary of State (2013-17, Obama)
Senator from Massachusetts (1985-2013)
Yale alum
2nd spouse of Teresa Heinz
Previous Foreign Relations Committee chair
JOHN KERRY
Chairman of the Federal Reserve (1979-1987)
“Rule” in the Dodd-Frank act regulates banks’ risky investments
Replaced by Greenspan
PAUL VOLCKER
(“VOLCKER RULE”)
Chairman of the Federal Reserve (1987-2006)
Friend of Ayn Rand
Clarinetist
Knighted in 2002
“But how do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values […] ?”
ALAN GREENSPAN
4-letter acronym
Room for classified information within a building
Sounds like a boat
SCIF
SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION FACILITY
1st Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (Washington, 1789-1795)
Governor of New York (1795-1801)
Co-author of Federalist papers with Madison & Hamilton
Signed Treaty of Paris with Franklin & Adams
Negotiated 1794 treaty with Great Britain
Namesake of New York college of criminal justice
JOHN JAY
“Palmetto State”
SOUTH CAROLINA
2-word term promised by Teddy Roosevelt in 1904
Similar to FDR and Truman promises
SQUARE DEAL
2-word 1949 promise by Harry Truman
Similar to Teddy & FDR’s promises
FAIR DEAL
Senator from Alaska for over 40 years (1968-2009) (Republican)
Replaced by Mark Begich
Died in 2010 plane crash
Namesake of Anchorage airport
TED STEVENS
Senator from Vermont (Democrat) (1975-2023)
PATRICK LEAHY
Senator from Connecticut (1989-2013) (Democrat until 2006; Independent)
Al Gore running mate in 2000 (lost to Cheney)
Jewish
JOE LIEBERMAN
Senator from North Carolina (Democrat)
Running mate of John Kerry in 2004 (lost to Cheney)
2000 named People’s “Sexiest Politician”
In 2008 revealed affair with campaign worker - “I sin every day.”
JOHN EDWARDS
“Wolverine State” (though rare there)
“Great Lake State”
MICHIGAN
“Heart of Dixie”
“Yellowhammer State”
ALABAMA
“Last Frontier”
“Land of the Midnight Sun”
“Seward’s Icebox/Folly”
ALASKA
Part of “Great Triumvirate” with Calhoun & Webster
Speaker of the House (1811-1825)
Secretary of State (1825-29, JQA) - called a “corrupt bargain”
Senator from Kentucky
Buried in Lexington
HENRY CLAY
“Great Compromiser/Pacificator”
Known as a war hawk
Whig party presidential nominee in 1844
Senator who supported 1820 (Missouri) and 1850 Compromises
“I’d rather be right than be president.”
1826 duel with John Randolph
HENRY CLAY
New Deal program (1933-42)
Single unemployed men 18-25 building parks, planting trees
CCC
CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS
New Deal agency (1935-43)
Headed by Harry Hopkins
Built public works
“Federal Project Number One” emoyed writers, artists, & theater workers
WPA
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
New Deal agency 1933-present
Headquartered in Knoxville
USA’s largest public utility provider
Built dams, including Norris for flood control & energy
TVA
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
House Representative from Georgia (Democrat) (1914-1965)
Chair of Armed Services Committee
Pushed for Navy expansion
Namesake of Antarctica’s highest massif, & an aircraft carrier
CARL VINSON
