vocab 1 Flashcards
1776 - “Certain unalienable rights”
natural rights
natural rights
fundamental rights of all humans and NOT received from a govt.
social contract
people create a govt. to protect rights of people
“to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men”
social contract
“deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”
popular sovereighty
popular soverieghty
people are the source of govt. power and authority
process to amend the US constitution
⅔ of both houses of Congress propose the amendment and then 3/4s of the states ratify the amendment
5 core American values
individualism
equality of opportunity
free entreprise
rule of law
limited government
Connecticut or great compromise
offered at Constitutional Convention, created bicameral legislature with one house based on population and the other (US Senate) based on set representation (2 per state)
All revenue bills start in House
checks and balances
System in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches. Suggested by James Madison in Federalist Papers # 51
separation of powers
Each branch is assigned specific powers, so each branch has limited power.
Leg: makes laws
Exec: enforces laws
Jud: interprets laws
Fed 51 pushes for SOP
federalism
A system of government in which power is divided by a written constitution between a central/federal government and state/local governments
full faith and credit clause
Mutual respect and legality of laws, public records, and judicial decision made by states. Found in article IV of Constitution
Ex.) Your Driver’s license works in other states
commerce clause
Expands Congressional power. Only Congress can regulate anything affecting interstate commerce. Established through Gibbons v. Ogden decision.
Used to justify Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Federal govt. overstepped in applying Commerce Clause in US v. Lopez case.
privileges and immunities clause
Guarantees that rights of a citizen in one state will be respected by other states. Found in article IV and in the 14th amendment
supremacy clause
Federal law trumps state law. Found in article VI of the Constitution.
Expressed/Enumerated powers
Powers specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution
Ex: Congress coining money and declare war
implied powers
Powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution and are derived from the elastic or necessary & proper clause
Ex.) running the national bank or legislation dealing with environment or social issues
Reserved Powers
Powers not specifically granted to the national government or denied to the states & are held by the states through the 10th amendment
Ex.) education and running elections
Delegated Powers
Powers given only to the Federal govt.
Examples: declare war, raise an army, sign treaties, interstate commerce, run postal service, and coin money
Concurrent Powers
Powers both Federal and State govts. share
Examples: Taxing and borrowing money
Cooperative federalism or Marble-Cake
Developed during New Deal, characterized by the federal govt. becoming more intrusive in what were traditionally state powers
Examples: Federal revenue sharing, mandates, categorical and block grants
block grants
Federal money to states for the use within a broad purpose (no strings attached) - more freedom to states as to how to use the money
categorical grants
federal money to states for a specific defined purpose
2 types: formula and project grants
mandates
Rules telling states what they must do to comply with federal guidelines
devolution
A movement to transfer the responsibilities of governing from the federal government to state & local governments.
political culture
A set of widely shared political beliefs & values like liberty, political equality, & limited government
political socialization
The process by which political values/ideologies are formed & passed from one generation to the next. The family is the most important agent of this, but could be media, peers, education, or religion
public opinion
Attitudes about institutions, leaders, political issues, & events
Types of Polls
Opinion Polls
Benchmark polls
Tracking Polls
Entrance/exit polls
All good scientific polls include
Random sampling, stratified sample sampling error, good wording of questions, and type/format of question
Political ideology
A cohesive set of beliefs about politics, public policy & the role of government
Ex.Conservative, Liberal, or Libertarian
Political efficacy
The belief that one’s political participation makes a difference so if you have low efficacy you don’t feel your vote matters.
Generational effects vs. Lifecycle effects
Different voting patterns and political beliefs for people in different generations vs. people focus on different issues at different points in life (free college vs. free healthcare)
Split-ticket voting
Voting for candidates of different parties for different offices in the same election
political party
A group of citizens who organize to gain power/win elections, hold public offices, operate governments & determine public policy. Linkage institution
electoral college
Electors based on # of HOR members + 2 (senators)
Used to select President of USA
If no majority prevails, the HOR breaks the tie
Meant to be a buffer popular opinion
Example of Elite democracy
single member district
An electoral district from one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office & typically leads to legislatures dominated by two political parties
party era
An historical period dominated by one political party. There have
been four major party eras in American history—the era of good feeling, the Republican era following
the Civil War, the Democratic era following the election of Franklin Roosevelt, and the Republican
era following the election of Richard Nixon.
critical election
An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty
party dealignment
A shift away from the major political parties to a more neutral or independent ideology or party identification
Hint: you have to have dealignment before you can have realignment
party realignmnet
The majority party is displaced by the minority party, thus ushering in a new party era
ex: FDR led the New Deal and displaced the Republicans of the late 1800s and early 1900s
rational choice voting
Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizens individual interest
retrospective voting
Voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re-elected based on recent past
prospective voting
Voting based on predictions of how a party of candidate will preform in the future
party line voting
Supporting a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices across the ballot
divided government
A government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls House and/or Senate.
going public
The practice often used by presidents of taking their policy agendas directly to the public rather than to Congress
Ex.) Bully Pulpit
interest group
An organization of people (public or private) whose members share views on specific interests & attempt to influence public policy to their benefit. Unlike political parties, interest groups do no elect people to office. Linkage institution. Interest groups use PAC’s to fund themselves
political action committee (PAC)
A committee formed by business, labor, or other interest groups to raise money & make contributions to the campaigns of political candidates whom they support.
Most PAC money goes to incumbents.
free riders
People who benefit from an interest group without making any contributions. Labor unions & public interest groups often have a free-rider problem because people can benefit from the group’s activities without joining
elite democracy
The theory that a small number of very wealthy individuals (skeptical of citizens to make good choices), powerful corporate interest groups, & large financial institutions dominate key policy areas.
Examples: Electoral College, Iron Triangles, Super PACs, and congressional representation
pluralist democracy
The theory that many interest groups (group based activism) compete for power in a large number of policy areas – forces compromise
Examples: Political parties & interest groups
participatory democracy
Emphasises broad participation and an active role for individual citizens in politics and civil society
Brutus 1 very pro participatory
Examples: #MeToo, March for Our Lives
mass media
Means of communication such as newspapers, radio, TV, and the internet that can reach large, widely dispersed audiences. Linkage institution
linkage institutions
Institutions that connect citizens to government. The mass media, interest groups, elections, and political parties are the four main ones
Horse-race journalism
The tendency of media to cover campaigns by emphasizing how candidates stand in the polls instead of where they stand on the issues
gatekeeper
The media choosing which issues to report and for how long impacts what viewers deem important
Congressional reapportionment
The reallocation of the number of representatives each states has in the house of representatives based on new census
Congressional Redistricting
When state legislatures redraw congressional districts
Can lead to Gerrymandering (think Baker v. Carr & Shaw v. Reno)
gerrymandering
The legislative process by which the majority party in each state legislature redraws congressional districts (mis-shappened) to favor one political party over another
Trustee Model of Representation
Representative votes his/her conscience regardless of what the constituents want
Delegate Model of Representation
Representative votes how constituents want, even if he/she personally disagrees
Politico Model of Representation
Representative acts as a trustee and sometimes acts as a delegate
