Ap Gov Unit 2

Mandates

official orders or requirements imposed by a higher authority, often referring to federal requirements that states must follow to receive funding or support

Ex: federal minimum wage

Spin

the attempt to control or influence communication in order to deliver one's preferred message

Impact of Social Media

made it easier to divide people and manipulate them

Midterm

happens mid-way through every 4-year presidential election cycle; gives voters a chance to decide which party controls Congress, and determines who represents your state

(1/3 of the Senate and every seat in the HOR are up for election; Senators serve 6-year terms while HOR serve two-year terms)

Approval Ratings

a rating based on a percentage of people (as voters) who think someone (as a politician) is doing a good job

Ex: Gallup Polls

Pork Barrel

the use of government funds for projects designed to please voters or legislators and win votes

Logrolling

the practice of two or more lawmakers trading votes on different issues to get their preferred bills or projects passed (quid pro quo arrangement)

Commerce Clause

gives Congress broad power to regulate interstate commerce and restricts states from impairing interstate commerce (Article I, Section 8)

Partisanship

a strong adherence, dedication, or loyalty to a political party; accompanied by a negative view of an opposing party

Bully Pulpit/State of the Union

The platform that a President of the United States has to advocate for their agenda and influence public opinion

Ex: Annual State of the Union

Super PACs

organizations that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections, as long as they do not coordinate directly with candidates or political parties

Citizens United vs. FEC

the government can't restrict independent political spending by corporations and unions in candidate election, violating the First Amendment

Participatory Democracy

democracy that emphasises the active, direct participation of citizens in the policies and decisions that affect their lives and communities

Ex: Surveys and polls

Pluralist Democracy

multiple groups, interests, and organizations compete for power and influence within the government

Elite Democracy

a small number of individuals or groups hold significant power and influence over the decision-making process

Base

a candidate or party's base or core support refers to the voters who support them for elected office based on core values

Congressional Leadership

the elected members of the House of Representatives and the Senate who guide their respective chambers and political parties.

Moderates

political views or policies that fall in between the extremes of the ideological spectrum, often characterized by a blend of liberal and conservative beliefs

Single-issue Voting

casting a vote based solely on a candidate's or a political party's stance on one particular public policy issue

K Street

area in downtown Washington, DC where many lobbyists, lawyers and advocacy groups have their offices

Iron Triangle

congress + agency + interest group = policy loop

relationship that develops between congressional committees, the federal bureaucracy and interest groups during the policy creation process. The relationship between these three actors occurs naturally over time down to close proximity in which all of them work together. They are all seeking to maximise their gain during the policy process, and iron triangles help them to do this.

Issue Networks

a loose, informal, and temporary alliance of various individuals and groups who come together to influence policy around a specific issue. nlike the stable, mutually beneficial relationships of an iron triangle, issue networks are fluid and involve a diverse range of participants.

Lobbying

the act of attempting to influence government decision-making, such as legislation, regulations, or other official actions, through communication with public officials

Linkage Insitutions

structures that connect individuals to the government and facilitate communication between citizens and policymakers

Ex: elections, political parties, the media

Baker v Carr

one person, one vote

Shaw v Reno

No racial gerrymendering without strong reason

Federalist 70

Hamilton advocated for strong president = energy + accountabilityF

Federalist 78

Hamilton argued for an independent judiciary.

Courts need judicial review for checks

Marbury v Madison

Established judicial review. 

Supreme court gains power to say “unconstitutional”

Power of the Purse

The ability of congress to control money —> biggest weapon

Discretionary Rulemaking

Congress writes broad laws —> agencies fill in details

allows for flexibility for the agencies

Bicameralism

Two house legislature structure(house + senate)

House of Rep

2 year terms, strict debate rules, represents districts, originates revenue billsSen

Senate

6 year terms, unlimited debate, represents states, approves treaties & nominees

Apportionment

dividing house seats based on population after the census

Incumbency Advantage

existing members of congress have higher re-election chances

Standing committee

permanent committee focused on one policy area

Select committee

temporary committee created for investigation or a specific issue

joint committee

members from both chambers conduct oversight or researchconf

conference committee

resolves differences between house and senate version of a bill

markup

committee edits a bill before voting it out

discharge petition

house method to force a bill out of committee with 218 signatures

committee of the whole

house meets with relaxed rules to speed up debate

appropriations

congress allocating money to programs

authorization bill

creates or continues a government program

mandatory spending

required spending like social security, medicare

discretionary spending

optional spending decided in annual budget. Ex: education, defense

continuing resolution

temporary funding to avoid shutdown when budget isn’t passed

omnibus bill

large bill that packages many funding bills together

earmarks

funds set aside for specific local projects

pocket veto

president takes no action on a bill at the end of a session, killing it

signing statements

president comments on how laws should be enforced

war powers resolution

requires president to notify congress within 48 hours of troop deployment and get approval after 60 days

writ of certiorari

supreme court agreeing to hear a case

amicus curiae brief

friend of the court brief by outside groups tyring to influence decision

administrative descretion

agencies decide how to enforce laws

notice and comment rulemaking

agencies publish proposed rules for feedback

red tape

excessive bureaucracy or rules that slow processes

independent regulatory commission

agency designed to be shielded from politics

cabinet department

major agency head advising president(DHS, state, defense)