AP Gov Monster Vocab

limited government

limited government

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.

natural rights

the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

popular sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

Republicanism

A philosophy of limited government with elected representatives serving at the will of the people. The government is based on consent of the governed.

social contract

A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.

participatory democracy

a theory of democracy that holds that citizens should actively and directly control all aspects of their lives

pluralist democracy

competition among all affected interests shapes public policy; political resources have been so widely distributed that no single group controls them

representatives of a large number of interest groups are in charge and compete

elite democracy

government is dominated by a few top leaders (wealthy, privately powerful - military leaders, labor union leaders, media executives) that don't hold elective office (people with a lot of money, prestige, expertise)

federalism

a system/principle where government authority is shared by national and local governments

the US government involves federalism through the overarching federal and more specific state levels of government

exclusive powers

powers specific to one order of government (as opposed to those shared)

usually refers to exclusive federal powers (enumerated and implied)

concurrent powers

powers shared by the national and state governments

eg. power to tax, build roads, create lower courts

mandates

terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants

eg. businesses may not discriminate against those with disabilities (Americans with Disabilities Act aka ADA); must implement a minimum wage > conditions that apply to everyone even if they don't use federal funds

revenue sharing

government gives money to states with no restrictions whatsoever

distribution of a part of tax income to other units of govt.

categorical grants

federal grants for strict, specific purposes; often require states to adopt federal guidelines/regulations to receive money

eg. $ set aside specifically for building an airport, highways, schools, etc.

block grants

federal grants devoted to a general purpose with fewer restrictions on use

eg. health field, community development, unemployment programs (more broad)

enumerated powers

powers given to the national government alone (specifically Congress, explicitly stated in Article I Section 8)

eg. coin money, patents and copyrights, declare war

implied powers

powers not expressly granted Congress in the Constitution but are reasonably assumed from the "necessary and proper" clause

eg. create a national bank, regulate immigration, etc.

constituency

a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body/support a particular party/politician (or the area itself)

filibuster

an attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill

eg. Ted Cruz reading Green Eggs and Ham; the longest filibuster as of today lasted 24 hours and 18 minutes given by Strom Thurmond in 1957

cloture

a rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate typically used to end filibusters and bring the bill to a vote

16 Senators present a motion -> 3/5 majority of Senators present needed to end debate (2/3 if motion related to changing Standing Rules of Senate)

unanimous consent

an agreement by every senator to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation

hold in the Senate

one or more Senators can prevent a motion from reaching a vote on the Senate floor by informing the majority leader or other leadership that they simply don't want it to

discharge petition

a device by which any member of the House, after a committee has had the bill for 30 days, may petition to have it brought to the floor

to release the bill from needing a committee vote and directly sending it to the whole HoR instead, need a simple majority of the House

(Senate has this too but its rarely used)

discretionary spending

spending that is not required to pay for contracts, interest on the national debt, or entitlement programs such as Social Security

money allocated for agencies and departments for mostly bureaucratic purposes (building roads, paying salaries of federal workers)

mandatory spending

Required govt spending by permanent laws

entitlement programs

a government program that guarantees certain benefits to a particular group or segment of the population

this claim to government funds or services cannot be changed without violating the rights of the person

eg. Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security

budget deficit

a shortfall of tax revenue from government spending

pork barrel legislation

legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

eg. a Senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to fund potato research in their state specifically

logrolling

a legislator supports a proposal favored by another in return for support of their own

exchanging favors/reciprocal voting/you scratch my back I scratch yours stuff

gerrymandering

drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party

eg. whatever Illinois did in the picture tf is that

redistricting

dividing and drawing new electoral (or school) district boundaries

occurs after the census every ten years to account for population changes

gerrymandering is taking advantage of this process for partisan favoritism

reapportionment

the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census

divided government

one party controls the white house and another party controls one or both houses of Congress

disagreement between executive and legislative branches make passing laws difficult

"lame duck" president

president with no real power because his or her period in office will soon end

trustee model

a model of representation in which a member of the House or Senate follows his or her own conscience when deciding issue positions

delegate model

Legislators should adhere to the will of their constituents

politico model

Members of Congress act as delegates or trustees depending on the issue

pocket veto

a bill fails to become law because the president did not sign it within 10 days before Congress adjourns

Pres. "keeps the bill in their pocket" effectively killing it; Congress can't override this 'veto' and has to reintroduce the bill again if it wants to try again

executive order

A rule issued by the president that has the force of law

executive agreement

an agreement between the president and the leader of another country

signing statement

a presidential document that reveals what the president thinks of a new law and how it ought to be enforced

stare decisis

"let the decision stand"; allowing prior court rulings to control the current case

adhering to precedent

judicial activism

view that judges should discern the general principles underlying laws or the Constitution and apply them to modern circumstances

amplify Constitution's vague language with moral/economic philosophy and apply it to cases

judicial restraint

view that judges should decide cases strictly on the basis of the language of the laws and the Constitution

limit judges power to only striking down laws that are obviously unconstitutional; avoid changing meaning of law

issue network

a network of people in Washington D.C. that is based on interest groups, congressional staffs, universities/think tanks, and the mass media, who regularly discuss and advocate public policies

not necessarily for mutual benefit between the groups, instead a common cause; may be more than three sides

iron triangle

a close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

mutual benefit/symbiosis, three sides

oversight

Congressional review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation (legislative ___________ over the executive) largely through its committee system

civil liberties

rights - chiefly, rights to be free of government interference - accorded to an individual by the Constitution (fundamentally, explicitly named)

eg. free speech, free press, etc.

civil rights

the rights of people to be treated without unreasonable or unconstitutional differences (not explicitly name but still essentially fought for)

eg. privacy, protection against discrimination, etc.

selective incorporation

the process whereby the court has applied most, but not all, parts of the Bill of Rights to the states

eg. freedom of speech, religion, bear arms, all cannot be infringed upon by state or the federal government

eg. the Fifth Amendment's double jeopardy is one of the few that has not been selectively incorporated

symbolic speech

an act that conveys a political message

eg. burning the flag

defamatory speech

false statement of fact against someone that damages their reputation; not protected by the 1st Amendment -> can result in legal liability

eg. libel and slander; accusing someone's fertilizer for being cancer-causing when it in fact was not

due process clause

denies the government the right, without due process, to deprive people of life, liberty, and property (14th Amendment)

equal protection clause

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

standard of equal treatment that must be observed by the government (14th Amendment)

Miranda rule

a person under custody must be fully and clearly informed of their right to remain silent, have an attorney present during questioning (free of charge if they can't afford it); otherwise any confession of guilt should be presumed involuntary and cannot be used

this doesn't apply if you're in jail and you confess your crime to another inmate who happens to be an undercover cop ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

exclusionary rule

improperly gathered evidence may not be introduced in a criminal trial (usually in violation of the Fourth Amendments search and seizure provisions)

eg. evidence of your tax fraud in your drawer can't be used against you if the police stopped your car

individualism

political view that focuses on the self over the collective whole; emphasizes freedom of individual choice and self-reliance

libertarianism largely stems from this view

equality of opportunity

giving people an equal chance to succeed

eg. everyone gets this quizlet

free enterprise

an economic system in which private business operates in competition and largely free of state control

investment, production, distribution all depend on consumer supply and demand

aka free market, capitalism

rule of law

principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern

political socialization

process by which background traits influence one's political views

eg. family, peers, religion, etc.

political ideology

a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government out to pursue

eg. liberalism, conservatism, libertarianism, etc.

Keynesian theory

the belief the government must manage the economy by spending more money when in a recession and cutting spending when there is inflation

active government involvement to aggregate + influence demand

supply-side theory

the belief that lower taxes and fewer regulations will stimulate the economy

increase supply of goods

monetary policy

managing the economy by altering the supply of money and interest rates

federal authority to affect financial conditions (through a central bank) to promote maximum employment, stable rates, and other economic goals

eg. printing more or less money

fiscal policy

managing the economy by the use of tax and spending laws

using legislation and government expenditures to affect the economy

eg. passing laws to increase or decrease taxes

liberal ideology

A political orientation that favors a more assertive role in the redistribution of economic resources, but emphasizes individual freedom on a range of social issues. They believe that the government should not interfere in individuals' personal lives unless it is absolutely necessary to do so

conservative ideology

An ideology that advocates minimal regulation of the economy and decreased emphasis on income redistribution.

franchise/suffrage

the right to vote

rational-choice voting

a model or theory of voting that states that people vote if it is in their best interest to do so and vote for the candidate that caters most to their individual needs

individuals will vote if the benefit and satisfaction of voting outweigh the cost

retrospective voting

voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office

prospective voting

voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues (potential future decisions)

party-line voting

process in which voters select candidates by their party affiliation

demographics

statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it.

general election

an election held to choose which candidate will hold office

eg. voting for Congress seats, president, vice president, etc.

midterm elections

congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; also called off-year elections

linkage institutions

the political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda

critical election

An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty.

realignment

a period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties

proportional system

an electoral system designed to represent in a legislative body each political group or party in proportion to its actual voting strength in the electorate.

winner-take-all system

an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins

party coalition

groups of voters who support a political party over time

bipartisan

supported by two political parties

open primary

a primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

one party's members + independents can vote for candidates in another party

closed primary

a primary election in which voting is limited to already registered party members

only a party's members may vote in that party's primary

party caucus

a meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate

incumbency advantage

incumbents are more likely to get reelected into office (especially in the House but also in the Senate)

this could be because they're a more familiar face, the general public has no time or energy to care about new faces, they're an easy choice, the public's more familiar with their beliefs esp. if they've worked well enough, franking privilege (mail), traveling, sponsors, etc.

PAC

political action committee

a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

collects contributions and uses them to campaign for or against people, ballot initiatives, legislation, etc.

eg. National Chicken Council PAC (not joking its based in DC apparently)

super PAC

a political action committee that raise unlimited amounts of money but cannot directly contribute or coordinate with candidates running for office

traditional PACs can contribute up to $5k directly to an official

eg. Big Tree PAC (also exists I swear I'm not joking)

independent expenditure

spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions to help a party or candidate but done independently of them

eg. political ads (not sponsored by the campaigner/party themselves), mail, bumper stickers, etc.

horse race journalism

news coverage that focuses on who is ahead rather than on the issues

eg. "A Left Turn for Democrats in New Hampshire?"; "The winners and losers of the general election" > do we know what they're doing policy-wise? no but I know which one to bet my money on (jk I do not endorse gambling)