gov test 2

precinct

the most basic level of political organization at the local level

Precinct Chair

the local party official, elected in county precincts during the party’s primary election, with each precinct chair being responsible for precinct conventions after polling places close on the night of the primary

County Executive Committee

this steering committee is comprised of the county chairperson and precinct chairs. The party leadership is responsible for conducting a county’s primary elections, planning county conventions, and running the business of the organization between elections and conventions.

County Chair

the county party official elected by the party voters in the whole county and serves as the head of the county executive committee while also conducting the daily business of the organization.

State Chair and Vice Chair

the top two state-level leaders in the party (one male and one female by party rules) and the leaders of the state executive committee. The chair is responsible for running the daily business of the state party. The chair and vice chair are selected by delegates to the state party convention.

State Executive Committee

the governing committee is made up of committeemen and committeewomen chosen by delegates to the state party convention who are responsible for governing a party’s activities throughout the state.

Precinct Convention

a meeting conducted, generally at a polling location after polls close, by precinct chairs to consider and select delegates and resolutions that will be carried forward to the county or senate district (for counties in more than one senate district)conventions. Anyone who participated in the party primary for that precinct may participate in the precinct convention.

political socialization

occurs in early years, agents of socialization (parents, teachers, religious leaders, others), and geographic environment influence affiliation and beliefs

party registration

texas does not have party registration, voters may vote in either primary

candidates must win either

-a majority of the primary vote

-a runoff between the two highest vote getters

parties in texas are organized at the

precinct, county, and state levels

blue dog democrats

conservative democrats, by 2012 all the conservative democrats from texas in congress had retired, switched parties, or lost reelection

when texas became a republican state

at the end of the reagan and george h w bush years. reagan’s election in 1980 marked a significant change in how texans began to vote in both presidential and state elections. in 1999 every statewide elected official was republican.

executive unilateralism

discovery of the power to do things alone, without being checked by congress

-limits of unilateralism have been established not by congress but by the supreme court

which article of the constitution established the presidency

article 2, it obligates and empowers the chief executive to “preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the united states. known as the “vesting clause”

second presidential term is called

lame duck

electoral college votes

each state has votes equal to the # of senators + # of representatives

-538 total and you need a majority (270 or more) to win the presidency

no majority or tie in the electoral college

the election goes to the house where a vote by state delegation is held (republicans have majorly of delegations these days)

25th amendment

vp becomes president if the president dies, resigns, or is removed

-involuntary removal(has never been invoked): the vp and majority of the cabinet can vote to remove an incapacitated or unwilling president who is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office”

order of succession

vp, speaker of the house (mike johnson), president pro tempore of the senate (chuck grassley)

expressed powers

specific powers granted by the constitution to the president in article 2, these fall into several categories: military, judicial, diplomatic, executive, legislative

presidents military power

the president is the commander in chief: commander of the national military and national guard. the president heads the nations intelligence network which includes: the CIA, National security council (NSC), National security agency, (NSA), FBI

the president can deploy troops to

maintain order or an essential service, enforce a federal judicial order, protect civil rights

diplomatic power

the president is the head of state and chief representative in dealing with other nations

-makes treaties

-recognizes countries (acknowledges their legitimacy) and can restore diplomatic ties

-forges executive agreements

• executive-congressional agreements are approved by a majority vote in both houses of congress

• sole executive agreements are not submitted to congress for approval

• 
  

judicial power

the president grants pardons, reprieves, and amnesty

may be on behalf of a particular person or large group of people

executive power

president must see that all laws are faithfully executed (article 2 section 3)

appoints and supervises all executive officers (article 2 section 2)

• senate approval is required for appointments of ambassadors, ministers, and federal judges

president can claim executive privilege

• this is the claim that confidential communications between a president and close advisors should not be revealed without the consent of the president

inherent powers

powers claimed by a president that are not expressed in the constitution explicitly, but inferred from it.

these powers are often asserted during wartime or national emergency

agenda setting

article 2, section 3 provides that the president “shall from time to time give to the congress information of the state of the union”

• since franklin roosevelt, the president became the primary initiator of proposals for legislative action in the congress

the cabinet

the cabinet is composed of the secretaries and chief administrators of major departments of the federal government

• has no constitutional status

• meets, but makes no decisions as a group

• appointments must be approved by the senate

• each of the 15 government departments is led by a secretary

presidents expand their power in two primary ways

popular appeals to the public

control of executive agencies or the creation of new administrative institutions and procedures