gov

Bicameral Legislature

two house legislature

block grant

money granted by the federal government to the states for a broad purpose (transportation) rather than for a narrow purpose (school lunch program)

Categorical Grant

money granted by the federal government to the states for a narrow purpose (school lunch program) rather than for a broad purpose (transportation)

checks and balances

system in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches

commerce clause

gives congress the power to regulate commerce among the states, with foreign nations, and among Indian tribes. granted through Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution

concurrent powers

those held by both congress and the states (establishing law enforcement agencies)

confederation

system in which sovereign states are only loosely tied to a central government (US under articles of confederation)

direct democracy

system in which the people rule themselves

elastic clause

states that congress can exercise those powers that are "necessary and proper" for carrying out the enumerated powers (establishing the first band of the US)

enumerated powers

those that are specifically granted to congress in article 1, section 8 of the constitution (power to tax). AKA expressed powers

federalism

constitutional sharing of power between a central government and state governments

dual federalism

system in which the national government and state governments are coequal, with each being dominant within its respective sphere

cooperative federalism

system in which both federal government and state governments cooperate in solving problems

federalist papers

group of 85 essays written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay for the purpose of persuading the people of New York to adopt the constitution

implied powers

those that are "necessary and proper" to carry out congress' enumerated powers, and are granted to congress through the elastic clause

indirect democracy

system in which the people are ruled by their representatives. AKA representative democracy or republic

inherent powers

foreign policy powers (acquiring territories) held by the national government by virtue of its being a national government

judicial review

power of the courts to rule on the constitutionality of laws and government actions. established by Marbury v. Madison, 1803.

Mandates

requirements imposed by the national government upon the states

marbury v. madison

1803. established the power of judicial review

McCulloch v. Maryland

1819. established principle of national supremacy and validity of implied powers

popular sovereignty

principle in which ultimate political authority rests with the people

reserved powers

powers held by the states through the 10th amendment. any power not granted to the US government is "reserved" for the states

separation of powers

principle in which the powers of government are separated among three branches: legislative, executive, judicial

Shays' rebellion

1786 revolt by massachusetts farmers seeking relief from debt and foreclosure that was a factor in the calling of the constitutional convention

blanket primary

election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and that allows voters to choose candidates from all the parties

caucus

local party meeting

closed primary

party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents. voters may not cross party lines

demographics

characteristics of populations (race, sex, income)

direct election

election of an official directly by the people rather than by an intermediary group such as the electoral college

direct primary

election in which the people choose candidates for office

front loading

scheduling presidential primary elections early in the election year

gender gap

difference in voting patterns for men and women, particularly in the greater tendency of the latter to vote for Democratic presidential candidates

general election

election in which the officeholders are chosen. contrast with a primary election, in which only the candidates are chosen

hard money

campaign contributions donated directly to candidates

incumbent

an officeholder who is seeking reelection

open primary

election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and in which voters may choose candidates from any one party

party identification

a sense of affiliation that a person has with a particular political party

party platform

a list of positions and programs that the party adopts at the national convention. each position is called a plank

political culture

the widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that citizens share about their government

plurality

more votes than anyone else, but less than half

political efficacy

capacity to understand and influence political events

political socialization

process in which one acquires his/her political beliefs

realignment

an election in which there is a long term change in party alignment (1932)

single member district system

system in which the people elect one representative per district. with a winner take all rule, this system strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties

soft money

campaign contributions that are not donated directly to candidates, but are instead donated to parties

split ticket voting

casting votes for candidates of one's own party and for candidates of opposing parties (republican president and democratic congressman)

suffrage

the right to vote

superdelegate

a delegate to the democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office

swing state

a state that does not consistently vote either democratic or republican in presidential elections

amicus curiae brief

"friend of the court" brief filed by an interest group to influence a supreme court decision

dealignment

contention that parties are less meaningful to voters, who have abandoned the parties in greater numbers to become independents

divided government

government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the congress (congressional election of 2010)

elitism

theory that upper class elites exercise great influence over public policy

factions

term used by Madison to denote what we now call interest groups

fairness doctrine

FCC rule (no longer in effect) that required broadcasters to air a variety of viewpoints on their programs

free rider program

the problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups

horse race coverage

the tendency of the media to report on an election campaign as if it were a horse race (who's ahead etc.)

iron triangle

an informal association of federal agency, congressional committee, and interest group that is said to have heavy influence over policy making

litigation

the act or process of carrying out a lawsuit

lobbying

attempting to influence policy makers

office column ballot

ballot in which candidates are arranged by office rather than party. encourages split ticket voting

media event

a staged campaign event what attracts favorable visual media coverage

pluralism

theory that policy making is the result of interest group competition

political action committee (PAC)

an interest group that raises funds and donates to election campaigns

patronage

appointed loyal party members to government positions

selective exposure

the practice of selectively choosing media sources which are in harmony with one's own beliefs

sound bite

a short, pithy comment that is likely to attract media attention

spin control

placing a certain slant on a story to deflect negative public attention against a candidate or officeholder

appropriation

money that congress has allocated to be spent

appropriations committee

congressional committee that deals with federal spending

appellate jurisdiction

authority of a court to hear an appeal from a lower court

bureaucracy

departments, agencies, bureaus, and commissions in the executive branch of government

casework

personal work done by a member of congress for his constituents

civil law

concerns noncriminal disputes between private parties

class action lawsuit

lawsuit brought on behalf of a class of people against a defendant (smokers vs. tobacco company)

closed rule

Rules Committee rule that bans amendments to a bill

cloture

senate motion to end a filibuster that requires a 3/5 veto

concurring opinion

written by a supreme court justice who voted with the majority, but for different reasons

conference committee

works out a compromise between differing house-senate versions of a bill

discharge petition

a motion to force a bill to the house floor that has been bottled up in committee

dissenting opinion

written by a supreme court justice (or justices) who express a minority viewpoint in a case

executive agreement

an agreement between the president and another head of state that, unlike a treaty, does not require senate consent

executive order

presidential rule or regulation that has the force of law

executive privilege

the privilege of a president and his staff to withhold their "privileged" conversations from congress or the courts

filibuster

nonstop senate debate that prevents a bill from coming to a vote

finance committee

senate committee that handles tax bills

franking privilege

allows members of congress to send mail postage free

gerrymandering

redrawing district lines to favor one party at the expense of the other

filibuster

senate maneuver that allows a senator to stop or delay consideration of a bill or presidential appointment

impeachment

house action that formally charges an official with wrongdoing. conviction requires 2/3 vote from the senate

impoundment

refusal of a president to spend money that has been appropriated by congress

judicial activism

philosophy that the courts should take an active role in solving problems

judicial restraint

philosophy that the courts should defer to elected lawmakers in setting policy and should instead focus on interpreting law rather than making law

legislative oversight

ongoing process of congressional monitoring of the executive branch to ensure that the latter complies with the law

legislative veto

process in which congress overturned rules and regulations proposed by executive branch agencies. struck down in 1983

line item veto

power of most governors (and president clinton for only a few years) to delete or reduce funding in a bill on a line by line basis

logrolling

when two members of congress agree to vote for each other's bill

majority opinion

written to express the majority viewpoint in a supreme court case

mark up

committee action to amend a proposed bill