Monster Vocabulary AP Government (ABNER)

An officeholder who is running for reelection

Incumbent

Face-to-face meetings of party members at the local or state level to determine their party's

candidate for office

Caucus

Ordinary citizens raising awareness for a cause and pushing the government to adopt a particular

policy

Grassroots lobbying

An organization that advocates for policies through lobbying, electioneering, grassroots

mobilization and protesting

Interest Group

Expenditures that the federal government is obligated to make, like entitlements and interest on the national debt

Mandatory spending

Congressional committee hearings held to determine how well an agency is doing its job

Oversight

When voters no longer identify with one of the two major parties and become independent voters

Dealignment

Impacting the economy through taxing and spending in the budget

Fiscal policy

An election to select the person who will hold office.

General election

A vote by party members to determine their party's candidate for office, which is restricted to

those who are registered to the party

Closed primary

A vote by 60 senators to end a filibuster

Motion for cloture

The power of the Supreme Court to overturn a law or executive action as unconstitutional

Judicial Review

A system of government where power is shared between the national government and the states

in which the states have some protected powers

Federalism

The process by which an individual develops his or her political beliefs

Political socialization

Powers that are given to an institution of government directly in the Constitution, such as

Congress's power to tax

Expressed powers

The time during which a president who has lost an election or has ended a second term is still in

office before the new president serves.

Lame duck period

The right to vote

Suffrage

The free mail and electronic signature system used by members of Congress.

Franking privilege

Efforts by an interest group or individual to contact a member of Congress and advocate for a particular policy

Lobbying

When political parties move farther away from each other ideologically and also move away from the center

Party polarization

A process by which the national government gives more power and authority to the states

devolution

A philosophy that the Supreme Court should make bold new policy

Judicial activism

The tendency of the media to focus on which candidate is ahead in the polls rather than focusing on the issues

Horse race journalism

When congressional staff helps a constituent solve a problem

Casework

A relationship between interest groups, agencies, and congressional committees in a certain policy

area

Issue network (iron triangle)

A group of individuals who organize to run candidates for office

Political party

Drawing congressional district boundaries to benefit a group, usually a political party

Gerrymandering

The president's personal assistants and advisors

White House staff

A procedure used in the Senate to talk a bill to death

filibuster

A presidential directive

Executive order

An election in which voters select members of Congress but not the president

Mid-term Election

An election where new coalitions of voters have formed, beginning a new party era

Critical Election

A provision in a bill that benefits a specific congressional constituency

Pork Barrel Spending

Promises made by the government to an identifiable group of people who are guaranteed benefits

Entitlements

Making judicial decisions by considering what the founding fathers meant in the Constitution

Original intent

When members of Congress trade votes for favors in order to get the bills they support passed

Logrolling

Influencing the economy through federal interest rates, reserve rates, and the amount of money in

circulation

Monetary policy

The process by which the Bill of Rights has been applied to the states on a case-by-case basis

through the Fourteenth Amendment

Selective incorporation

The use of spending by the national government through the grant process to influence state

policies

Fiscal federalism

A document issued by the Supreme Court if it has agreed to hear a case

Writ of certiorari

A lawsuit

Litigation

Expenditures that the federal government cannot realistically reduce because they are required by law

Uncontrollable spending

An individual's belief that his or her political participation can make a difference

Political efficacy

The tendency of men to support candidates from the Republican party at greater rates than women

Gender gap

The electoral system used to select members of the House of Representatives

Single-member districts

When a president does not sign a bill within 10 days when Congress is not in session

Pocket veto

Changing congressional district boundaries based on a new census

Redistricting

Money spent on ads that are not sponsored by a candidate or party

Independent expenditures

Problems that have the attention of the government and the public

Policy Agenda

A system where the federal government and the states work together in funding and

administering programs

Cooperative federalism

An argument filed with a court by an individual or group who is not a party to a lawsuit. Generally, it is referencing a person or group who has a strong interest in the matter.

Amicus curiae

When a court follows precedent by letting a previous decision stand

Stare decisis

The statistical characteristics of a population

Demographics

The shared political values of a society

Political culture

When the president is from one political party and one or both houses of Congress are controlled

by the opposing political party

Divided government

An election to determine a party's candidate for office in which that party's members and

unaffiliated voters may vote

Open Primary

An organization, which need not disclose its members, that can spend a vast and unlimited

amount of money on a political campaign

Super PAC

An organization that is registered with the Federal Election Committee and donates money to a

candidate or campaign

PAC

Federal money given to the states with few restrictions about how it should be spent

Block grants

Money given by the federal government to the states to be used for a narrowly defined purpose

Categorical Grants

A theory of government in which many groups compete for policy

pluralism

A federal requirement that forces the states to spend their own money

Unfunded mandate

Powers that are naturally derived from the duties of a specific government position, such as

Thomas Jefferson's power as president to purchase the Louisiana Territory

Inherent powers

Powers that are necessary to carry out an expressed power in the Constitution, like the power of Congress to establish a bank

Implied powers

The process through which voters leave one of the major party coalition and join the other major

party's coalition

Realignment