Vocabulary Flashcards
527 committee
named after code 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, a political organization that promotes certain issues, and, as long as it is not formally affiliated with a political party and does not specifically endorse a candidate, its political advertisements are not taxed
acting president
the person who assumes the powers and duties of the president if he becomes incapacitated–the vice president
activist government
a government that creates work, employs people, and provides tax-funded benefits, which U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt argued for during the early years of the Great Depression
ad hoc committee
like a select committee, a congressional committee that is organized to deal with a particular, temporary matter
administrative discretion
the freedom of government agencies to set policies according to guidelines provided by congressional legislation
the interpretation of laws, policies, and court decisions that bureaucrats in leadership positions have
administrative law
rules and regulations formulated by government agencies
admiralty courts
established by the Sugar Act, British courts in which smugglers were tried without the benefit of a jury of their peers
advice and consent
an expression in the Constitution that allows the Senate to restrict the president’s powers of appointment
affirmative action
programs that seek to compensated for past discrimination by giving special attention in hiring, and in college or university admissions, to people from the groups discriminated against
affirmed
the action of the Supreme court or another superior court that accepts a previous court’s decision
Agostini v. Felton
a Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the First Amendment to the Constitution requires only government neutrality toward religion, which allowed public school teachers to teach remedial, nonreligious classes at religious schools at taxpayers’ expense
American Bill of Rights
the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution
amicus curiae brief
a “friend of the court” brief, often submitted in a case by an interest group to persuade the court that it should decide a case a certain way
anti-incumbency
a sentiment against elected officials currently in power
appropriations committee
the committee in each chamber of Congress that is concerned with the spending of federal money
approval ratings
regular polls that show the extent to which the public approves of the performance of the president or other politicians
April 15th
the date on which annual tax returns are due to the government
Articles of Confederation
the national constitution before independence had been formally declared, adopted in 1777, and ratified by all states by 1781
Athens
place of the first known direct democracy
attack ad
an ad designed to create negative feelings about a candidates’s opponent
attentive policy elites
people who pay close attention to political matters
Australian secret ballots
the model of the method be which people vote privately, first introduced in Australia in the late 1800s
authorization committees
various committees in Congress that authorized spending on different projects (such as for upgraded dams in the Midwest) in the decades following World War II.
baby boomers
Americans who were born between 1946 and 1964
Balanced Budget Act
a 1997 law, signed by President Bill Clinton, that led not only to a balanced budget, but also to a budget surplus for the first time since the end of the 1960s
ballot
the method by which a person casts a vote in an election
Barron v. Baltimore
the 1883 Supreme Court case in which the Court determined that the Bill of Rights applied to the federal government and did not bind the state governments
bicameral
refers to a Congress with two houses; in the United States, the House of Representatives and the Senate
bill
a proposed piece of legislation introduced by a member of the House of Senate in response to an issue that needs to be addressed
bimodal distribution
respondents ar divided almost evenly
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)
a law passed in 2002 that attempted to control the influence of money on political campaigns for federal office; better known as the McCain-Feingold Act
bipartisanship
cooperation among politicians in the major parties
black codes
practices that entrenched segregationist practices in state laws; also called Jim Crow laws
block grants
federal grants that have fewer strings attached to them than do categorial grants
blogs
Internet logs through which anyone can act as a journalist
Blue Dog Democrats
Democrats who advocate for fiscal restraint
bond
a fixed-interest financial asset issued by a government to help manage its deficit
Boston Tea Party
a 1773 act of political and economic protest against the government to impose taxes upon American colonies, in which a mob of colonists cast British tea into Boston Harbor
Bowers v. Hardwick
a 1986 Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that a person did not have a private right to engage in homosexual acts, which were illegal in Texas
broad construction
an approach taken by (liberal) judges to tend to interpret the Constitution in light of its underpinning principles and in light of evolving moral and cultural standards
broadcast media
radio, television, and the Internet
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
a 1954 case, and an enduring symbol of the Supreme Court’s power to override state laws, that began the process of desegregation in the southern and some midwestern states
Bryan, William Jennings
the best-known presidential candidate of the People’s Party who actually was the Democratic Party nominee in the U.S. presidential elections of 1896 and 1900
Budget and Accounting Act
a 1921 law requiring the president to prepare a national budget and seek congressional approval of it
Budget and Impoundment Control Act
a 1974 law that governs the role of congress in the federal budget process
budget authority
the amounts of money that certain government agencies will be authorized to spend
Budget Enforcement Act (BEA)
a 1990 law that defined two types of federal spending
budget outlays
how much money government agencies are actually expected to spend
budget
a plan of the expected revenues and expenditures
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
the federal agency that produces the nation’s paper currency
Bureau of Indian Affairs
established in 1824, this agency is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and provides various services to Native Americans
Bureau of Indian Education
a federal agency that provides educational services to Native American students
Bureau of the Budget
established in 1921 by President Harding, a federal agency that placed formal restrictions on the spending of government funds
bureaucratic imperialism
the politicization of bureaucrats when their responsibilities overlap and they compete for turf and protect the interests of their own agencies, and thus their own careers
Burlington Industries v. Ellerth
a 1998 Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that employers are responsible for setting up safeguards against sexual harassment in the workplace
busing
a solution to segregation, employed until the 1980’s requiring the transportation of white students to schools attended mainly by black students and vice versa
cabinet
the secretaries who preside over the various federal government agencies or who offer advice on vital issues
campaign finance
according to U.S. law, to receive federal funds for elections a political party must receive at least 5 percent of the popular vote and must appear on at least ten state ballots
candidate characteristics
personal qualities of politicians, such as whether they are knowledgeable, serious, and trustworthy
cap
an upper limit on spending
Capitol Hill
the place in Washington, D.C., where the U.S. Congress meets
categorical grants
federal grants to the states that fund specific projects
caucus
an alternative to a primary used by some states in which local people select delegates to county meetings; the delegates support a certain candidate and then select delegates to represent them at a higher level, with the nominee with the most delegates winning
censure
in politics, a formal congressional reprimand
census
and official and periodic governmental count and demographic analysis of the population, taken every ten years in the United States
chad
in a punch card, a circle of the card that hangs onto it because the hole was not punched completely through the card
chain of command
a clear system of knowing who is in charge of whom (one of the five characteristics that German sociologist Max Weber suggested that bureaucracies share)
chief justice
the judge of the Supreme Court who manages the Court itself and presides over the federal court system, as well as the Judicial Conference
chief of staff
a member of the president’s key personnel, who, depending on the president, may or may not be empowered to closely manage White House operations
civil liberties
freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution
Civil Rights Act of 1964
a law that forbade discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, or national origin; it put into place the right of equality in employment; and it made discrimination illegal in restaurants and hotels because their business affected interstate commerce
Civil Rights Act of 1968
a law that outlawed discrimination in most kinds of housing
civil rights
the privileges and powers granted to people as equals under the law
civil service
government employment for which people qualify based on merit rather than on political patronage
clear and present danger test
a standard for judging when freedom of speech can be suppressed
