TAMU POLS 206 KENT TEST 2 (CH 9, 11, 12)

Nomination

The official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party. Generally requires momentum, money and media attention

Campaign strategy

the game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign

National Party Convention

Supreme power within each of the parties. They meet to nomiate President and VP, as well as decide on policy direction.

McGovern-Fraser Commission

Formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in respones to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.

Superdelegates

National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the DNC.

Invisible Primary

Period where candidates compete to win support from party elite, and create a positive first imporession of their leadership skills.

Caucus

A system for selecting conventino delegates used in about a dozen states in which votesr must attend an open meeting to express presidental preference.

Presidental Primaries

Votesr go to the polls to express preference for a party's nominee for president. Vast majority of delegates to the national convention are chosen this way.

Frontloading

The tendency of states to hold early primaries in the calendar to capture media attention.

Party Platform

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

Direct Mail

A method of raising money for a political cause or candidate in which information and requests for money are sent to people whose names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past.

Campaign contributions

Donations that are made directly to a candidate or a party and that must be reported to the FEC. Individuals are allowed to donate 2800 per election to a candidate and up to 35,500 to a political party.

Independent expenditures

Expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate's campaign.

Federal Election Campaign Act

A law passed in 1974 for reform caompaign finances. Created teh FEC and provided limits and disclosure of of campaign contributions.

PAC

Groups that raise money from people then distribute it in the from of contributions to candidates that the group supports. PACs must register with teh FEC and report their donations and contributions to it. Individual contributions to a PAC are set at 5k per year, and a PAC may give up to 5k to a candidate for each election.

Federal Election Commission

A six member bipartisan agency created by the Federal election Campaign act of 1974. They administer and enforce campaign finance laws.

Soft Money

Political contributions earmarked for party-buidling expenses at the grass-roots level or for generic party advertising. For a time, contributions were unlimited, until they were banned by the McCain-Feingold Act.

527 Groups

Independent groups that are not subject to contribution restrictions because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates. Section 527 of the tax code specifies that contributions to such groups must be reported to the IRS.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Comission

Individuals, corporations and unions could donate unlimited amounts of money to groups that make independent political expeditures

501 (c) groups

Groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can recive unlimited contributions. 501 (c) in the tax code specifies that such groups cannot spend more than half their funds on political activities.

Super Pacs

Independent expenditure only Pac's are known as Super PAC's because they can accept donations of any size and can promote and endores specific candidates. Their contributions and expenditiures must be periodically reported to the FEC.

Selective Perception

The phenomenon that people's beliefs often guide what they pay the most attention to and how they interpret events.

Suffrage

The legal right to vote, extended to African Americans by the 15th amendment to women by the 19th amendment, and to 18-20 yr olds by the 26th amendment.

Political Efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference

Civic Duty

The belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should vote

Voter registration

A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register prior to voting. Some states requirecitizens to register as much as 30 days in advance, while others permit election day registration.

Motor Voter Act

1993 act that requires states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for a driver's license.

Mandate theory of elections

The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platform and politics. Politicans like the theory better than political scienists do.

Policy Voting

Electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters policy prefernces and where the candidates stand on policy issues.

Electoral College

A unique American insitution created by the consitution providing for the election of presidnet by electors chosen by the state parties. Less populated states are overrepressented and teh winner take all rule concentrates campaigns on close states.

22nd Amendment

Limits President to 2 terms.

25th Amendment

Permits VP to become acting President if POTUS is disabled, and it outlines how the recuperated president can regain his job.

Impeachment

Political equivalent of an indictment in criminal law, prescribed by the Consitution. House can impeach by majority vote for Treason, Bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors

Watergate

Nixon breakin DNC, resigned before impeachment.

Executive Orders

Regulations originating with the executive branch. Executive orders are one way the president can control the bureaucracy.

Cabinet

A group of presidental advisers not mentioned in the consitution, although every president has one. 14 secretaries, AG, and others designated by the president

National Security Council

The comitte that links the president's foreign and millitary policy advisers. Includes Pres, VP, Sec o State, Sec o Defense, managed by National securtiy assistant.

Council of Economic Advisers

A three member body appointed by the president to advise the president on economic policy.

Office of Management and Budget

An office that prepares the president's budget and also advises presidents on proposals from departments and agencies and helps review the proposed regulations.

veto

The constituional power of the president to send a bill back to congress with reasons for rejecting it. A 2/3 vote in each house can override a veto.

pocket veto

A type of veto occuring when congress adjouns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president and the president simply lets the bill die by neither signing nor vetoing it.

War Powers Resolution

Law passed in 1973, that requires president to consult with congress whenever possible prior to using millitay force and to withdraw forces after 60 days unless congress declares war or grants an extension. Hwoever presidnts have viewed the resolution as unconsititutional.

Legislative Veto

A vote in congress to override a presidental decision. Although the War Powers resolution asserts this authority there is reason to belive tha if chllenged, the supreme court would find the legislative veto violation of the doctrine of seperation of powers

crisis

A sudden, unpredictable, and potentially dangerous event requiring the presidnet to play the role of crisis manager.

incumbents

Those individuals who already hold office. In congressional elections, incuments usually win.

casework

Activities of members Congress that help consitutents as individuals, particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get.

Pork Barrel

Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, buisness, colleges and other institutions in a congressional district.

Baker V Carr

The 1962 Supreme Court ruling that allowed federal courts to review the boundaries of legislative districts.

Speaker of the House

Speaker has both formal and informal powers and is 2nd in line to sceede the president behind the VP.

Majority Leader

Principle partisan ally of the speaker of the house or the majority party's manager in the Senate. The majority leader in each house is responsible for scheduling bills, influencing commitee assignments and rouding up votes on behalf of the party's legislatve positions.

Whips

Party leaders who work with marjoity or minority leader to count votes beforehad and learn waverers whos votes are curical to the passage of a bill favored by the party

minority leader

The principal leader of the minority House of Representatives or in the Senate

Standing committees

Committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas.

Conference Committees

Congressional committiees fromed when Senate and the House pass a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill

Committee Chairs

Most important influencers of their comittee's agendas, play dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house

Seniority system

A simple rule of picking committee chairs, in effect until the 1970s. The member who had served the longest and whos party controlled the chamber became chair, regardlesss of party loyalty, mental state, or competence.

Caucus (congressional)

A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or charcteristic. Many are composed of members from both parties and from both houses.

bill

A propsed law, drafted in legal language, Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the house or senate can formally submit a bill for consideration

legislative oversight

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

filibuster

A strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of leislation use their right to unlimited debate from ever voting on a bill. 60 members hand vote and halt a filibuster on legislation.