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178 Terms
1
How can Congress be so unpopular when individual representatives are so popular?
We apply different standards of judgment, those applying to the individual being less demanding than those we apply to the institution.
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How does the structure of Congress influence how we evaluate Congress?
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What considerations influenced the general Constitutional structure of Congress?
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How does the redistricting process work?
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Congress
national legislative body consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate
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Legislature
legislative body of a nation or state
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Legislator
a person who makes laws, a member of the legislative body
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Tyranny
abuse of power, or reduced responsiveness to voters
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Efficiency
measured through productivity, amount of resources it takes to produce an outcome, or the ratio of output per unit of input; the ability to develop the expertise and relationships necessary to govern
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Term Length
movement started in the 1980s; house- two years, elected every other year; senate- six years, staggered election every other year
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Chamber size
435 in the House; 100 senators
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Reaportionment
redistributing seats in the House according to population
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Redistricting
dividing or organizing an area into new districts
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When do the "best" candidates run?
when they know they'll win
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Who serves in Congress?
professional candidates- those who have political experience
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What creates the incumbency advantage?
people knowing the incumbent's name, their recognition, franking privileges
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How do members of the House represent constituents?
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How does the Constitutional structure of Congress influence how Representatives represent?
they are constantly looking to be reelected
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strategic entry
action taken to discourage challengers against entering
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amateur candidate
never held office before
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professional candidate
a candidate that has held office before
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wave election
when one party makes major gains in an election
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incumbent
official currently holding office, most professional professional that ever was
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challenger
candidate running against incumbent
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open seat
when the incumbent steps down and does not hold for reelection
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incumbency advantage
advantage of candidate already holding the seat; franking privileges, recognition, etc
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delegate
What do the people want me to do?
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trustee
They voted for me and trust me to perform in their best interest even if it isn't what they would do.
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issue/substantive representation
delegate- focused on the district with high policy content; trustee- not focused on the district with high policy content
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service representation
case work designed to help the public, not pass legislation
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allocational representation
projects where members of congress steer funding towards their district, often called pork
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descriptive representation
when reps actually reflect what the people are like. Ex: the congressional black caucus (represents blacks)
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geographic constituency
those that live in your district
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reelection constituency
people who voted for you before and would reelect you
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primary constituency
people who are passionate and will always vote for you
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personal/intimate constituencies
people who will always vote for you
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reelection incentive
reasons to stay in office whether that be enforcing policies, helping friends, etc
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advertising
attempt by members to keep their names and faces favorably in the minds of constituents through efforts that typically deal very little with real issues
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credit claiming
attempt to appear personally responsible for the favorable actions of the government agency or for federal spending that benefits the district. attempts to do personal favors (casework) for constituents
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position taking
a public issue stance on any subject, whether it is currently before Congress or not, and whether the member plans to take action or not, that appeals to constituents. often general or vague to remain inoffensive
House passes the bill- Senate passes the bill with no changes-send to the president
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Senate passes a bill- house passes the bill with no changes- send to the president
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House passes a bill- senate passes the bill with changes- conference committee- house and senate concur- send to the president
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Senate passes a bill- house passes the bill with changes- conference committee- house and senate concur- send to the president
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What philosophy motivates legislative procedures in the House?
majority rules
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What philosophy motivates legislative procedures in the Senate?
individuals rule (opposite in Utah, majority rules and has a rules committee)
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In the states that allow direct democracy, what steps are usually required to qualify for the ballot?
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bill
a proposed law presented to a legislative body for consideration
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law
Rules made by parliament and enforceable by the courts
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congressional committee
Evolved as a way for Congress to handle large and complex work-load; divides up law-making into major subject areas; major responsibility for debating & marking up bills + oversight of execution of laws (the bureaucracy)
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Speaker of the House
Presiding officer of the House of Representatives. elected at the beginning of each congressional session on a party-line vote. as head of the major party, the Speakerhas substantial control over the legislative agenda of the House.
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conference committee
temporary joint committee created to reconcile any differences between the two houses' versions of a bill
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Rules Committee
A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the house.
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open rule
Anyone can talk for as long as they want about it. Anyone can add an amendment.
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closed rule
Limited time. No amending of the bill from the floor.
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modified closed rule
sets debate for a certain amount of time and only the designated amendments can be debated on. no additional amendments
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unanimous consent agreement
request setting terms for the consideration of a specified bill or other measure. These agreements are usually proposed by the majority leader or floor manager of the measure, and reflect negotiations among senators interested in the measure.
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filibuster
a tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down; once given the floor, senators have unlimited time to speak, and it requires a vote of three-fifths of the Senate to end a filibuster
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cloture
A parliamentary process to end a debate in the Senate, as a measure against the filibuster; invoked when three-fifths of senators vote for the motion
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initiative
An approach to direct democracy in which a proposal is placed on an election ballot when the requisite number of registered voters have signed petitions.
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direct initiative
citizens draft a law and gather signatures- proposed law appears before voters on the ballot- proposal becomes law
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indirect initiative
citizens draft a law and gather signatures- proposed law appears before legislature- proposal becomes law
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referendum
approach to direct democracy in which a state legislature proposes a change to the state's laws or constitution that all the voters subsequently vote on
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legislative referendum
legislature proposes a law or amendment- proposal appears on the ballot for voter ratification- proposed law or amendment takes effect
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popular referendum
legislature passes an unpopular law- citizens gather signatures to block law- proposal to repeal this specific law appears on the ballot
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recall
voters can remove an elected official from office
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What do we expect of American presidents?
Three 'P's:
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Prosperity- Ronald Reagan
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Protection-George Bush's first term. 9/11 and war with Iraq. Boosts in support. Rallies toward him. Rally around the flag
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Policy leadership- specifics. Obama. Trump. An agenda.
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How do our expectations of presidents compare with their formal authority?
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How has the presidency evolved over time?
Started as the HR manager. We relied on Congress to lead. Until Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. It stayed the leader way it was and is still viewed that way today.
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How do presidents compensate for their limited formal authority?
how much federal money can be allocated to each bureau and department
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OMB
Office of Management and Budget
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veto
the president's constitutional power to turn down acts of Congress.
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veto override
A presidential veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress
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treaty
a formal agreement between countries
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appointment power
The authority vested in the president to fill a government office or position.
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chief clerk
how the president was mostly referred to for the first hundred years
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Andrew Jackson
Created the party by democratizing the party and extending the vote. Sense of popular mandate. First president to use the veto right just because he didn't like the policy. Trail of Tears. After him, things went back to the way they were. People relied on Congress until Abraham Lincoln. Then back again until Theodore Roosevelt.
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Theodore Roosevelt
Bull Moose. Presidency should be different. Stewardship theory of the president. It is the duty of the president to act upon the theory that he is the steward of the people. Things were the same after that. Even till now.
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bully pulpit
the president's use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public. propsed by Teddy Roosevelt.
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stewardship theory
A theory that argues for a strong, assertive presidential role, with presidential authority limited only at points specifically prohibited by law.
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Woodrow Wilson
Policy leader. Went around.
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Stewardship theory expanded. Depression and New Deal. Radio. Fireside chat- informed people.
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negotiation
presidential power is the power to persuade. you must engage Congress. (sometimes blackmail) giving commands is a sign of weakness. you must persuade. Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was a general. He commanded. the cabinet must be persuaded.
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going public
a president's strategy of appealing to the public on an issue, expecting that public pressure will be brought to bear on other political actors. dangerous because you have to take a stand and stick with it. when the president tries to pressure congress by riling up the public
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executive order
if they don't succeed, they look weak. cannot ignore existing law.
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signing statement
not something envisioned in the Constitution. the Dream Act. Protect children brought here illegally, and give them a path to citizenship. the president has only a full veto. I shall interpret this part of the bill this way. Obama 2014. Attached to a bill at signing.
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Why do we have a federal beuracracy?
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How is the federal bureaucracy structured?
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What are the federal bureaucracy's legislative and executive powers?
Executive: implementation- how they carry out a law, enforcement
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Why and how do we increase bureaucratic independence?
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Why and how do Congress and the president control the bureacracy?
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bureaucracy
a system in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives. a complex structure of offices, tasks, and rules in which employees have specific responsibilities and work within a heirarchy of authority