Final Study Guide Flashcards

Congressional Committee System

consists of a set of standing committees, each with its own jurisdiction, membership and authority to act, regulates laws

standing committee

A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area

War Powers Act/resolution

The president must notify Congress within 48 hours after deploying troops. He is limited in the deployment of troops overseas to a sixty-day period (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress grants authorization to stay or declares war.

Congressional Leadership

Leaders in Congress, usually the minority and majority speakers.

Speaker of the House and president pro-tem are leaders of the house/senate

Congressional Leadership

Divided Government

one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress (causes gridlock)

Law making process

process involving 8 steps: 1. Introduction (bill is introduced in Senate or House of Representatives). 2. Committee (a. bill is sent to committee, b. presented, c. discussed, d. passed, changed, replaced, ignored, killed); 3. Floor (a. bill is presented to full House, b. discussed, c. changed, replaced, ignored, c. voted on); 4-6 Repeat steps in other house; 7. Conference (joint meeting between Senate and House of Representatives to work out differences) 8. President (signs, vetos, pocket vetos law).

Fiscal policy

Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending.

monetary policy

Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.

Proportional representation

representation based on population

fixed representation

same representation regardless of population/influence

Delegate Representation

Representatives follow the expressed wishes of the voters

trustee representation

A type of representation in which the people choose a representative whose judgment and experience they trust and acts on what they feel is right

politico representation

a mix between delegate and trustee representation.

elastic clause

the part of the Constitution that permits Congress to make any laws "necessary and proper" to carrying out its powers

Majority party

the political party in each house of Congress with the most members

Minority party

not the majority party

gerrymandering

drawing of legislative boundaries for some sort of political advantage

bicameralism

The principle of a two-house legislature.

President's Cabinet

advises the President (consists of department heads)

Executive independent regulatory agencies

government agencies relatively independent of the government, checks and balances

Bureaucracy

A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials

Bureaucratic Rule-making

guidelines issued by government agencies, which provide specific details about how a policy will be implemented

Keynesian economics

Theory based on the principles of John Maynard Keynes, stating that government spending should increase during business slumps and be curbed during booms.

Reaganomics

Reagan's economic policy; tax cuts, arms build up, budget cuts, trickle-down economics

Formal Presidential Powers

Commander-in-chief of armed forces; pardon power (except for impeachment); treaty power; appointment power; veto power

Informal Presidential Powers

-issue executive orders, issue signing statements, create & use bureaucracy, and make legislative proposals.

congressional checks on president

Over rides Veto, Confirms nominations, Impeachment (2/3 vote and lose all powers etc.), War Powers, Budgeting and Agency Request.

White House Staff

The president's close personal assistants and advisors, appointed by the President

Increasing presidential power

presidential power has been increasing over the past 100 years

Supreme court

the highest federal court in the United States

executive checks on supreme court

Nominates judges to the Supreme Court,Nominate judges to the federal court system, has the power to pardon individuals convicted of crime, can veto bills

Judicial Review

Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws

Marbury v. Madison

Established Judicial Review

How long do supreme court justices serve?

For life

Congressional checks on supreme court

Congress can impeach and reject the appointments of judges; Congress can rewrite or pass a new law the Court has found to be unconstitutional; and Congress can try to undo Court rulings with an amendment to the Constitution.

Baker v. Carr

allows gerrymandering cases to be heard

McCulloch v. Maryland

Established supremacy +neccessary and proper clause

Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission

the Supreme Court case that declared that corporations are people and removed campaign contribution limits under freedom of symbolic speech

New York Times v. United States

If the government wishes to censor information before it is printed or published, it must be proven in court that the information will endanger national security (no prior restraint)

United states v. Lopez

Commerce clause can be limited (guns in school zones act)

Voting amendments

15, 19, 24, 26

Prospective voting

voting based on future performance

Electoral process

Voter Demographics

-women vote more often and more liberal

-old people vote more and more conservative

-catholics and baptists vote more, jews less

-minorities vote less

Primaries

Election in which voters choose the candidates from each party who will run in the general election

PACs (Political Action Committees)

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns

SuperPACs

a type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.

McCain-Feingold Act

Banned soft money, increased amount of individual contributions and limited issue ads.