GOVT-110 Final

standing committee

committee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one Congress to the next

Article I

establishes the legislative branch

necessary and proper clause

the final paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution which gives Congress the authority to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the enumerated powers specified in the Constitution; also called the "elastic clause"

supremacy clause

portion of Article VI of the Constitution mandating that national law is supreme over all other laws passed by the states or by any other subdivision of government

Shay's Rebellion

group of farmers marched to MA to stop the state court from foreclosing on veterans' farms; Congress' inability to muster an army and quell the rebellion showcased the Articles' weakness

New Jersey Plan

a framework for the Constitution proposed by a group of small states; unicameral legislature with one vote for each state, a Congress with the ability to raise revenue, and a Supreme Court appointed for life

concurrent powers

powers shared by the national and state governments

confederation

an organization that consists of a number of parties or groups united in an alliance or league

cooperative federalism

the intertwined relationship between national, state, and local governments that began with the New Deal; often referred to as marble-cake federalism

dual federalism

the belief that having separate and equally powerful levels of government is the best arrangement, often referred to as layer-cake federalism

new federalism

system in which the national government restores greater authority back to the states

Dred Scott case (1857)

Supreme Court decision that ruled the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional and denied citizenship rights to enslaved Black people; Dred Scott heightened tensions between the pro-slavery South and the abolitionist North in the run-up to the Civil War

federal system

A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments

full faith and credit clause

Constitution's requirement that each state accept the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Supreme Court ruling that upheld the power of the national government and denied the right of a state to tax the federal bank, using the Constitution's supremacy clause; the Court's broad interpretation of the necessary and proper clause paved the way for later rulings upholding expansive federal powers

10th Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people

unitary system

System of government in which all power is invested in a central government

exit polls

polls conducted as voters leave selected polling places on Election Day

push polls

polls taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate

straw polls

unscientific survey used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies; had three fatal errors

(1) oversampled upper-middle class and wealthy groups which were heavily Republican (telephone and car owners)

(2) mailed its questionnaires in September which did not account for the changes in public sentiment as the election drew closer

(3) only highly motivated individuals sent back the cards

tracking polls

continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart a candidate's daily rise or fall in support

margin of error

a measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll within statistical parameters

liberal ideology

one who favors greater government intervention, particularly in economic affairs and in the provision of social services

conservative ideology

one who favors limited government intervention, particularly in economic affairs

political socialization

the process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values

- gender

- race and ethnicity

- age

- religion

- family, peers, education

- mass media

- leaders of opinion makers

- political knowledge

public opinion

what the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time

random sample

a method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected

agenda setting

the process of forming the list of issues to be addressed by government

muckraking

a form of journalism, in vogue in the early twentieth century, devoted to exposing misconduct by government, business, and individual politicians

ex. utilized by reform-minded investigative journalists in the Progressive Era

impeachment

the power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution to charge the president, Vice President, or other civil officers with treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors; first step in the constitutional process of removing government officials form office

party caucus/conference

a formal gathering of all party members

Presidential Succession Act

law enacted by Congress that provides for the filling of any simultaneous vacancy of the presidency and vice presidency

cabinet departments

major administrative units with responsibility for a broad area of government operations; departmental status usually indicates a permanent national interest in a particular governmental function such as defense, commerce, or agriculture

federal bureaucracy

agencies and the employees of the executive branch of government

government corporations

businesses established by Congress to perform functions that private businesses could provide, such as the US Postal Service and Amtrak; often established when the financial incentives for private industry to provide services are minimal

democracy

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

government

the formal vehicle through which policies are made and affairs of state are conducted

politics

the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government

republic

A form of government in which citizens choose their leaders by voting

amending the Constitution

steps are (1) proposal and (2) ratification; a supermajority is required

Articles of Confederation

a weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War

Article II

establishes the executive branch

Article III

establishes the judicial branch

Article IV

interstate relations

Article V

amending the Constitution

Article VI

supremacy clause

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution

checks and balances

a constitutionally mandated structure that gives each of the three branches of government some degree of oversight and control over the actions of the others

Constitution

(1) establish justice

(2) ensure domestic tranquility

(3) provide for the common defense

(4) promote the general welfare

(5) secure the blessings of liberty upon all of its citizens

Constitutional Convention

a meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new Constitution

Declaration of Independence

drew heavily from the Enlightenment thinkers, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4th

enumerated powers

the powers of the national government specifically granted to Congress in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution

ex. authority over war and foreign affairs

implied powers

the powers of the national government derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clause

inherent powers

powers that belong to the president because they can be inferred from the Constitution

Great Compromise

bicameral legislature, House of Representatives elected based on population, every state gets one Senator, the House has the power to originate all bills for raising and spending money, national power is divided by these houses and supreme

equal time rule

the rule that requires broadcast stations to sell air time equally to all candidates in a political campaign if they choose to sell it to any

framing

the process by which a news organization defines a political issue and consequently affects opinion about the issue

media effects

the influence of news sources on public opinion

press briefing

a relatively restricted session between a press secretary or aide and the press

collective good

something of value that cannot be withheld from a nonmember of a group, for example, a tax write-off or a better environment

free rider problem

potential members who fail to join a group because they can get the benefit, or collective good, sought by the group without contributing the effort

interest group

a collection of people or organizations that tries to influence public policy

lobbying

the activities of a group or organization that seeks to persuade political leaders to support the group's position

pluralist theory

the theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups

PAC

officially recognized fund-raising organization that represents interest groups and is allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates' campaigns

social capital

cooperative relationships that facilitate the resolution of collective problems

bicameral legislature

a two-house legislature

cloture

mechanisms requiring the vote of sixty senators to cut off debate

conference committee

special joint committee created to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate

joint committee

standing committee that includes members from both houses of Congress set up to conduct investigations or special studies

select (special) committee

temporary committee appointed for a specific purpose

divided government

the political condition in which different political parties control the presidency and at least one house of Congress

unified government

the political condition in which the same political party controls the presidency and Congress

Edmund Burke

A conservative leader who was deeply troubled by the aroused spirit of reform. In 1790, he published Reforms on The Revolution in France, one of the greatest intellectual defenses of European conservatism. He defended inherited priveledges in general and those of the English monarchy and aristocracy. Glorified unrepresentitive Parliament and predicted reform would lead to much chaos/tyranny.

filibuster

a formal way of halting Senate action on a bill by means of long speeches or unlimited debate

gerrymandering

the drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district

Shaw v. Reno (1993): race can be considered in drawing district lines but it cannot be the overriding reason

incumbency advantage

The electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by virtue of being an incumbent, over and above his or her other personal and political characteristics

majority leader

head of the party controlling the most seats in the House

minority leader

majority leader's counterpart with the second highest number of seats

president pro-tempore

Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president

reconciliation

A congressional process through which program authorizations are revised to achieve required savings. It usually also includes tax or other revenue adjustments.

redistricting

the process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases insects allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a state

Baker v. Carr (1962): issues presented by redistricting are within its jurisdiction to review

Speaker of the House

the only officer of the House specifically mentioned in the Constitution; the chamber's most powerful position; traditionally a member of the majority party

veto

Chief executive's power to reject a bill passed by a legislature

War Powers Resolution (1973)

limits the president in the deployment of troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period

whip

try to whip fellow democrats or republicans into line on partisan issues

bully pulpit

the president's use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public

executive order

rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law; all executive orders must be published in the Federal Register

executive privilege

An implied presidential power that allows the president to refuse to disclose information regarding confidential conversations or national security to Congress or the judiciary

OMB

Office of Management and Budget; prepares the federal budget and monitors spending

pardon

an executive grant providing restoration of all rights and privileges of citizenship to a specific individual charged with or convicted of a crime

25th Amendment

establishes procedures for filling vacancies in the office of president and Vice President as well as providing procedures to deal with the disability of a president

22nd Amendment

prevents president from serving more than two terms, or more than ten years if they came to office via the death, resignation, or removal of their predecessor

US v. Nixon (1974)

Supreme Court ruling on power of the president; holds that no absolute constitutional executive privilege allows a president to refuse to comply with a court order to produce information needed in a criminal trial

Vice President

the position of chief executive officer created by Article II of the Constitution of the United States to preside over the US Senate and to fill any vacancy in the office of president due to death, resignation, removal, or (since 1967) disability

Watergate

a scandal in the early 1970s involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee offices in the Watergate office complex; the involvement of members of the Nixon administration and subsequent coverup attempts led to President Nixon's resignation from office and jail sentences for some members of his administration

civil service system

the merit system by which many federal bureaucrats are selected

Hatch Act

prohibits civil servants from taking activist roles in partisan campaigns; this act prohibited federal employees from making political contributions, working for a particular party, or campaigning for a particular candidate

implementation

The process of putting a law into practice through bureaucratic rules or spending

independent executive agencies

governmental units that closely resemble a Cabinet department but have narrower areas of responsibility and perform services rather than regulatory functions