ap gov 100 terms to know

direct v representative democracy

citizens meet and vote on govt decisions v elected officials make decisions on govt policy

majoritarian (democratic) theory

1 equality in voting
2 effective participation
3 leaders influence by will of people
4 control agenda
5 inclusion

pluralist theory

political resources scattered / many institutions \= no minority controls, explosion of int groups
- competition good
- public is served

hyperpluralism theory

explosion of competing groups weakens govt, too much power cripples gov's ability to make policy
- policy gridlock and contradiction
- public is NOT served

elite/class/Marxist theory

- elite: small group of elites control gov
- class/Marxist: upper class (wealthy) controls gov

Federalists v Anti Federalists

supporters v opponents of the Constitution during time contemplating its adoption

factions

(int) groups arise from unequal distribution of property or wealth that can cause instability in gov

checks and balances

each branch of fed govt to obtain consent of others for its action (limit power)

judicial review

power to hold actions of other branches (local, state,nat) and laws unconstitutional

confederation v federal system

union of several groups for weak central govt v dividing powers within central govt

enumerated v implied powers

explicitly listed in Constitution v power beyond enumerated to carry out its powers

elastic cause

final part in Art I Sec 8, authorizing Congress to pass all "necessary and proper" laws to carry out enumerated powers

supremacy clause

in Art VI stating Constitution, national laws are supreme over state laws

full faith + credit clause

in Art IV requiring each state to recognize the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of other states

writ of habeas corpus

court order requiring authorities to explain to a judge the lawful reasons for holding the prisoner in custody

cooperative v dual federalism (cake)

- cooperative (marble cake): powers and policy assignments shared between states and Feds
- dual (layer cake): both state and fed gov remain supreme in their own spheres (10th amendment)

reserved powers (10th amendment)

powers not delegated to the US (fed) by Constitution are reserved to the states or the people

fiscal federalism

pattern of spending, taxing, providing grants in federal system

categorical / block grants / GRS - Robin Hood

- categorical: for specific purposes, little discretion, string attached (crossover & crosscutting), project & formula grants
- block (STATE PREFER): broad programs, more discretion, fewer strings
- General Revenue Sharing: all states get money but poor gets more, distribute based on wealth , local taxes, total discretion

funded v unfunded mandates

- terms set by fed gov that states must meet with provided federal money (funded) or no money to fulfill the requirement (unfunded)
- decline or accept yield

political efficacy

belief that one's political participation really matters - one vote makes a difference

political ideology

coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose, which gives meaning to political events, personalities, policies

political socialization

process by which individuals in a society acquire political attitudes, views, and knowledge, based on inputs from family, schools, media, and others

liberal v conservative

tolerant of change v more traditional values
ex) spend less on military v more to strengthen, pro choice v pro life, tax the rich v keep tax low

gender gap

regular pattern in which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates, in part bc they tend to be less conservative than men and more likely to support spending on social services and oppose higher levels of military spending

sampling error (margin of error)

level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll
- The more people interviewed, the more confident one can be about the results

exit polls

public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision (day of)

literacy test, poll tax, grandfather clause

- test for literary skills (write + read) given before they could register to vote
- required taxes on the right/ register to vote
- can vote if their grandfather / ancestors voted before 1867 even if they dont meet registration requirements
*MOSTLY IN THE SOUTH TO PREVENT AAs FROM VOTING*

suffrage

the right to vote

electorate

all of the people entitled to vote in a given election

retrospective v prospective voting

voting based on past/future performance vs voting bc one favors their ideas for addressing issues after election

linkage institutions

parties, elections, interest groups, and media transmit people's preferences to policymakers in govt
- channels thru which ppl's concerns become political issues on agenda

closed v open primary

- close: only registered voters can vote for that party
- open: vote for candidate of any party

front loading

recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention

ticket splitting

voting with one party for one office and with another partt for other offices

divided government

govt divided between the parties, as when one holds presidency and the other controls 1 or both houses

initiative v referendum

- initiative: allows all citizens to introduce a bill into legislative and required members to vote on it - general public votes on issue of pub concern
- referendum: decision for general assembly to put bill on the ballot

incumbent

person already holding elective office

caucus

people who have a same/ common characteristic or interest

McGovern-Fraser Commission

commission formed at 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better rep

superdelegates

national party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention

soft v hard money

- soft: $ donated to party, for party building activities, getting out the vote, issue advocacy ads, UNLIMITED but cannot be to candidate
- hard: $ directly to campaigns, for compaigning activities, indv limits + PAC limits

issue advocacy ads

ads that focus on issues and do/can NOT explicitly encourage citisens to vote for a candidate

political action committees (PACs) v SuperPACs

- PAC: committee formed by special- interest group to raise oney for their political candidates
- SUPER: independent expenditure-only political action committees (may engage in unlimited political spending, indep of campaigns, raise funds without legal limits) the case of Citizens United 2010

public funds (matching funds)

public will match federal funds and funds from other donations

party platform

a political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years.
- drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate's strength
- best formal statement of a party's beliefs

national convention / national committee

- meeting of party delegates every 4 yrs to choose presidential ticket & write party's platform
- one of institutions that keeps party operating btwn conventions incl reps from states and territories

plurality / winner takes all electoral system

an electoral system in which all electoral votes are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies (state, electoral distr)

proportional representation

election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote

critical election

sharp changes in existing patterns of party loyalty due to changing social and economic conditions

party realignment v dealignment

- re: displacement of majority party by minority party; usually during critical election period
- de: gradual disengagement of people from parties, seen in part by shrinking party identification

party identification

citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party over another
party images help shape identity

interest groups

organizations with a common interest
- Private organization that tries to persuade public officials to respond to the shared attitude of its members.

lobbying

engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact

fairness doctrine

an FCC requirement that broadcasters who air programs on controversial issues provide time for opposing views

watchdog / investigative journalism

investigate and expose abuses of power by leaders
- scams, scandals, schemes

sound bite

short video clips of approx 10 seconds. typically they are all that is shown from a politician's speech on nightly TV news

constituent

a member of a constituency; represented by people in congress

reapportionment v redistricting

process of reallocating seats in House of Reps every 10 years from Census vs redrawing new electoral district boundary lines based on pop changes

gerrymandering

redistricting (redrawing legislative boundaries) to benefit a party (majority)

party unity vote

a roll-call vote in the House or Senate in which at least 50% of the members of one party take a particular position and are opposed by at least 50% of the members of the other party

pork-barrel legislation & logrolling

- pork: federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in congressional district (tangible benefits to constituents)
- logrolling: an agreement by two or more lawmakers to support each other's bills, votes etc

party whips

party leaders who work with majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to passage of a bill favored by party

fillibuster v cloture

(3/5 or 60 senators)
- stalling technique in the Senate by using right to unlimited debate from passing an opposed bill
- cloture: ends filibuster; limiting debate that can be rought to play by special procedure

seniority system

rule for picking committee chairs, in effect until 1970s
- Member who had served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled the chamber became chair, regardless of party loyalty, mental state, or competence

standing/select/joint/conference committees

- standing (permanent): deal with certain issues continuing from one Congress to the next
- select: special committees created in both houses, usually for one term only, to investigate/ study specific issue and report their findings
- joint: made up of equal numbers of members from both houses to overview complex bills
- conference: temp committees to resolve diffs in House & Senate, makes version of the compromise then vote on it

legislative oversight

Congress's monitoring of the executive branch bureaucracy and its admin of policy, performed mainly through committee hearings

entitlements

claim for gov funds that cannot be abridged without violating rights of the claimant
- benefits guaranteed by law paid to individuals by the federal gov ex) Social Security

discretionary v uncontrollable expenditures

- discrete: spending on specific items that can be cut without violating law/ contracts, negotiated each year
ex) env protect, military equip, education aid
- mandatory: spending built itnto public programs & required by contracts/ laws, directed by existing law
ex) SS, debt service, int rate on debt

cabinet v Exec Office v White House staff

- Cabinet: president picks(senate confirms) the heads of the 15 most important agencies, these agencies help execute the law
- exec office: cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities
ex) Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, US trade rep
- WH staff: made up of all ppl across the country w diff skills & experience, perform based on congressional legislation

veto v pocket veto

- power to reject a proposed or intended act (ie bill)
- pocket: not signing a bill over 10 days after Congress adjourned --\> veto, letting it die

line item veto

- executive (Senate)'s power to reject a part of a bill/act
- not President power

executive privilege

- the right of a president to withhold executive communications from other branches of government
- confidentiality

treaties v executive agreements

agreements with other countries that do not need Senate approval Vs. other NEED SENATE APPROVAL!

imperial presidency

term used to describe a president as an "emperor" who acts without consulting Congress or acts in secrecy to evade or deceive congress

iron triangles

- mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees
- dominate in some areas of policymaking

independent regulatory commission

a government agency responsible for some sector of the economy, making and enforcing rules to protect the public interest. It also judges disputes over these rules. ALPHABET SOUP

civil liberties v civil rights

constitutional and other legal protections against govt actions, usually set down by Bill of Rights (basic freedoms) VS protection from racial, religious, gender, or other discrimination set down by the 14th equal protection clause

establishment v free exercise clause

- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion
- prohibits govt from interfering with practice of religion

symbolic speech

nonverbal communication
ex) burning flag or wearing an armband
- SC has accorded some symbolic speech protection under the 1st

clear & present danger test

interpretation of the 1st that holds that the government cannot interfere with speech unless the speech presents a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER that it will lead to evil or illegal acts

libel v slander

literature, false & malicious use of printed words v use of spoken words

prior restraint

(censorship)
govt actions that prevent material from being published

right to privacy

right to private personal life free from govt intrusion
- implied by the 4th & 9th

due process clause (14th)

part of 14th amendment guaranteeing that persons cannot be deprived of life, liberty, and property by US or state govts without due process

equal protection clause (14th)

no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction "the equal protection of the laws"

incorporation doctrine

legal concept under which SC has naturalized Bill of rights by making most of its provisions applicable to the states through 14th amendment

exclusionary rule

illegally obtainbed evidence cannot be used in court

affirmative action

policy designed to give special attention to or compensatory treatment for members of some previously disadvantaged group

suspect classifications

classifications of people on the basis of their race or ethnicity

strict v medium scrutiny tests

- strict (race & ethnicity): inherently suspect DIFFICULT to meet
- compelling gov purpose & least restrictive way ?
- medium (gender): moderately difficult to meet
- substantial relationship to important gov goal?
- other (age, wealth, etc): easy to meet
- rational relationship to legit gov goal?

rational basis test

standard developed by the courts to test the constitutionality of a law; when applied, a law is constitutional as long as it meets a reasonable government interest.

litmus test

an examination of the political ideology of a nominated judge

senatorial courtesy

custom that allows senators to veto a presidential nomination for federal district judge from his home state

rule of four

AT LEAST 4 Justices of the Supreme Court must vote to consider a case before it can be heard

original jurisdiction v appellate jurisdiction

- original: authority of a court to first try a case
- appellate: authority of court to hear a subsequent appeal of a case

judicial restraint v judicial activism

- restraint: Belief in following precedent and not allowing the courts to make laws (stick to judicial interpretations of the past)
- The philosophy that the Supreme Court should avoid taking the initiative on social and political issues.
- activism: belief in judicial review, overturning precedents, and shaping government policies
- The philosophy that the Supreme Court should play an active role in shaping national policies by addressing social and political issues

amicus curiae briefs

(friend of the court brief) statement of position of party not involved in litigation but with an interest in the outcome of the case
- filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case.

stare decisis/ precedent

"let the decision stand"
- allowing prior rulings / precedent to control the current case

political questions

doctrine developed by the federal courts and used as a means to avoid deciding some cases, principally those involving conflicts between the president and Congress