USA GOV & POL KEY DEFINITIONS Flashcards
constitutional sovereignty
ultimate power lies within the constitution (not with the legislature like the UK)
bill of rights
the first 10 amendments to the constitution passed in 1791
checks and balances
the process of when different branches of government are limited and checked by others so that they don’t become too powerful
federalism
power is shared between central (federal) government and the 50 other states
seperation of powers
when the power is divided between the 3 branches of government
congress
the federal legislature of the USA - it has 2 chambers
- House of Representatives
- senate
House of Representatives
the lower house of congress
- 435 members
- members represent congressional districts within a state
senate
the upper house of congress
- 100 members
- each state has 2 senators
oversight
to oversee and investigate the activities of the government
committee system
a system with different types of committee used by congress to divide up its workload (standing committees, select committees..)
formal powers
the powers given to the president which are explicitly granted in article II of the US constitution
informal powers
powers given to the president which are not states in the constitution
imperial presidency
the type of presidency that goes beyond the powers of the president intended by the founding fathers, overriding the checks and balances congress should provide
imperilled presidency
when the presidency effectiveness was limited by an overly assertive congress and excessively large federal bureaucracy
USA supreme court
the highest court in the USA.
- it is the final court of appeal for the USA and is responsible for interpreting the constitution
judicial activism
allows judges to make rulings as they see fit, within the limits of the courts power
judicial restraint
the belief that justices should not seek to ‘legislate; from the bench, this should be left to the executive and legislative
judicial review
the power of the Supreme Court to decide whether a law or action is unconstitutional
strict constructionism
the legal philosophy that the constitution should be interpreted strictly according to what it actually says
loose constructionism
the legal philosophy that the constitution should be interpreted loosely by applying the general intentions into modern context
electoral college
the indirect electoral system used to elect the US president every 4 years
primaries
a secret ballot to select each party’s candidate
- now used in most states including biggest and most urbanised
caucuses
an informal series of party meetings which ultimately select delegates for the national nominating convention
- voting is open, not secret
national nominating conventions
huge rallies that the major political parties but on in the run up the the election
-it marks the end of the primary season and the beginning of the general election campaign
split ticket voting
the ability to vote for candidates from different parties for different elected posts in the same election
abstention
when a participant does not vote
incumbency
the advantage awarded to those seeking re-election if they have already been in office before
factionalism
people forming a cohesive group within a political party
- to do with aims and values of the arts current leadership
party decline
parties were unable to respond effectively to changing circumstances , as a result their significance was in decline
party renewal
suggests parties are still significant in elections/fundraising (opposite to party decline)
third parties
the other parties which stand for election except from the main tow
(the USA doesn’t have a significant third party like the UK ((UKIP/SNP))
elitist theory
the argument that rather than competing equally, some pressure groups are more powerful than others
- the groups which are well funded and close ties with government
political pluralism
the theory that the distribution of political power is widely and evenly dispersed in society rather than concentrated in elite or the ruling class
iron triangles
the relationship that develops between congressional committees, federal bureaucracy and interest groups, they work together and work against the public interest and favour the powerful corporate interests
super PACS
- political action committee
- designated as independent expenditure committees and my raise and spend unlimited and unrestricted amounts of money for candidates standing in office
PACs (political action committee)
set up specifically for raising and spending money to advocate the elections of candidates
- they cannot spend as much as they want, they have limits
civil liberties
freedoms enjoyed by all Americans (right to free speech)
civil rights movement
the historic campaign of equal rights for black Americans
landmark rulings
legal rulings that are highly significant because they establish a new legal principle or important change in the interpretation of the existing law
