AP US Government - Difficult Concepts (CED)

Rational choice voting

Voter reviews info on all candidates and evaluates their platforms then picks the one who will best fit their individual self interest

Retrospective voting

Voting based on candidates previous actions and performance

Prospective voting

Voting on candidates based on expected future performance

Straight ticket voting

Voting for every candidate in the same political party as you

Critical election

Dramatic shift in voter loyalty and political alignment due to a crisis that alters a party’s base

Realignment

Shift in party coalitions

amicus curiae brief

legal document filed by a person or group who is not a party to a lawsuit, but has a strong interest in the case, to offer information, expertise, or insight to help the court make its decision.

Iron triangle

Relationship between bureaucracy, interest groups, and the congress

Issue Network

Looser iron triangle to influence policy

Single issue group

Group focused on one policy area or issue

Incumbency advantage

Benefits held by current office holders

Open primary

You can choose a party’s primary or vote on their candidates even if you aren’t a part of their party

Closed primary

Only members of a certain political party are allowed to vote on the political parties candidates or primary

Caucus

Political party meeting to discuss and select primaries and candidates or to discuss policy

Soft Money

Unregulated or loosely regulated cash given to a party for political party building and its restricted by the bipartisan campaign reform act BCRA

PAC

Political Action Committee - pool of money raised by an organization to fund political campaigns and influence elections.

Faction

Group pursuing certain interests and passions in politics or policy that may harm others and their right or public good

Ratification

Formal approval of the constitution

Article V

The constitution amendment process: 2/3 of Congress must propose the change, and 3/4 of the states must approve it.

Reserved powers

Powers reserved to the states by the tenth amendment

Concurrent powers

Powers shared between the federal government and the state governments

Block grants

Federal funds to the states with only general or broad rules on how to use

Categorical grants

Federal funds given with strict rules and regulations on what it must be spent on and its highly specific and defined purpose

Mandates

Federal requirements placed on the states

Due Process Clause

Fair and just procedure and protects legal rights (5th and 14th amendments)

Equal protections clause

Requires equal treatment under the law (14th)

Commerce Clause

Let’s congress regulate interstate trade as per the constitution (Article 1, Section 8)

Enumerated powers

Powers explicitly stated and given in the constitution (Article 1, section 8)

Implied powers

Powers inferred from constitutional responsibilities as per Article 1, section 8

Necessary and Proper clause

Elastic clause - let’s congress pass laws to carry out its responsibilities and powers (Article 1, section 8)

Oversight

Congress monitoring the executive branch

Committee markup

When the committee edits and revises a bill

Rules committee

Committee in House of Reps that sets debate rules and schedules for debating and voting on bills

Committee of the Whole

Where entire House of Reps operates as a giant committee to speed up debate

Discharge petition

Forces a bill out of committee

Unanimous consent

Senate agrees to proceed without a formal vote to speed up process

Hold

A senator blocks or delays a bill from floor action

Filibuster

Extended debate and long talk to delay or stop and prevent a vote in the senate

Cloture

Vote to end a debate in the senate

Conference committee

Committee meeting to reconcile the house and senates bill differences

Discretionary spending

Annual spending the congress chooses

Entitlement Programs

Benefits owed to eligible people by law.

Pork barrel legislation

use of government funds for local projects that are designed to help a politician win re-election.

Logrolling

agreement between two or more lawmakers to vote for each other's preferred bills or amendments

Partisan voting

Voting based solely on party affiliation

Polarization

Movement towards ideological extremes so more division and increases ideological distance

Gridlock

Difficulty passing laws or none passing due to disagreements

Lame duck president

President near end of his term with weak influence and low approval

Trustee model

A rep votes based on their personal judgement

Delegate model

Rep votes based on constituents (residents of area they represent) wishes

Politico model

Rep shows mixed of trustee and delegate model

Executive agreement

Foreign agreement not requiring senate treaty approval

Signing statement

The presidents understanding and interpretation of the law they’re signing on

Bully pulpit

The presidents ability and power to persuade the people and their public influence platform

Stare decisis

Courts follow precedent cases

Judicial activism

Courts more willing to overturn precedent and old cases to consider broader societal implications and so they’re influencing policy

Judicial restraint

Judges limit their own power and rely more on precedent and old cases so courts only strike laws violating constitution simply and strictly

Jurisdiction stripping

Limiting or removing a courts power to hear certain types or kinds of cases (usually means of congress checks on judiciary)

Patronage

Jobs given to people for their political loyalty

Discretionary authority

Agencies granted discretion in deciding how to implement laws and interpret them

Rule making authority

Agency’s authority and power to create rules and regulation for the implantation of laws

Selective incorporation

Applying parts of bill of rights to states

Procedural due process

Requiring fair methods before a government limits the protected rights

Substantive due process

Protects certain fundamental rights from government interference even if procedures are followed

Establishment clause

First amendment clause that bars or bans from establishing a religion and laws that establish one or endorse

Free exercise clause

First amendment clause that allows for the free exercise of religion and banning actions and laws by the government which get in the way of that (when it’s undue)

Time place and manner regulations

Content neutral limits on how and when and where speech occurs

Prior restraint

Government restraint and censorship before publication

Libel

Written defamation

Slander

Spoken defamation

Exclusionary rule

Evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in criminal prosecution

Unenumerated rights

Rights not explicitly stated in the constitution

Opinion Poll

Measures public view on issues

Benchmark polls

Establishes a candidates initial support through a survey to assess name recognition and public image and voter attitudes

Tracking Poll

Polls that measure changes in public opinion over time

Exit poll

Survey of voters after they’re done voting

Veracity

Truthfulness and accuracy of data collected from polls

Keynesian economics

Supports government involvement to fix economic issues

Supply side economics

Macro idea that economic growth is best created by lower taxes and lower regulation to boost supply and production

Submerged state

Government benefits that are hidden or indirect but good for civilians (often through tax breaks)