AP Government Killer Vocab

For my fellow El Capitan Students

Bully Pulpit

Bully Pulpit

the president's use of his or her prestige and visibility to push an agenda or enthuse the American public

Veto

a formal decision to reject a bill passed by congress

White House Office

personal staff of the president who oversee policy interests and do not need to be confirmed by the Senate

EOP (Executive Office of the President)

the cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities.

Platform

statement of purpose and policy objectives drafted and approved by a political party at its national convention

Electoral College

an institution that provides for the selection of the president by electors chosen by the state parties

Party Machine

a group of people who control a political party, often through loyalty and rewards

State of the Union

the president's annual statement to congress and the nation

Divided Government

governance divided between the parties, especially when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress

Conference Committee

a committee appointed by the leaders of each chamber to settle differences on a particular bill passed by each house in different form

Delegated Powers

powers specifically granted to national government in the constitution

Big Tent

a political party that seeks to attract people with a broad spectrum of viewpoints and place them under one banner

Red tape

complex bureaucratic rules and procedures that must be followed to get something done

Turnout

the proportion of the voting age public that votes, the number of registered voters who vote

Exit Poll

a poll taken at randomly selected polling places after citizens have placed their votes

Appellate Jurisdiction

the authority of a court to review a decision made by a lower court

Political Efficacy

an indication of a citizen's trust in government and own belief that he or she can understand and influence political affairs

Litmus Test

an examination of the political ideology of a nominated judge

Selective Incorporation

the process by which the Supreme Court has selectively applied the BIll of Rights to state law through the Fourteenth Amendment

Majority Opinion

a signed statement that presents the views of the majority of supreme court justices regarding a case

Griswold v. Connecticut

supreme court decision in which the Court ruled that the Constitution implicitly guarantees a citizen's right to privacy

Amicus Curiae Brief

a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by immediate parties to a case

14th Amendment

an amendment that declared all citizens were entitled to equal protection under the law and their due process rights could not be violated by states or the national government

Borked

to attack a candidate or appointee systematically, especially through the media

Rule of Law

a set of procedures in which all people are treated equally and consistently under the law

Spin

providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain issue of public figure

Separation of Powers

a constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches

Federalist 10

An essay promoting the ratification of the Constitution that focused on controlling the effects of factions through federalism and representative government

Pluralism

many different interest groups competing against each other to gain influence or concessions from the government

Bicameralism

a two house legislature

Reserved Powers

all powers not specifically delegated to the national government by constitution that are left to the states

Mandate

a directive from the national government ordering the states to do something; this can be funded or unfunded

Marble Cake

a system in which states and the national government cooperate with each other by sharing powers and responsibilities

Devolution

transferring responsibility for policies from the federal government to state and local governments

Popular Sovereignty

a belief that ultimate power resides in the people

Referendum

a process by which a policy issue, amendment, or constitution is sent to the voters for approval

Checks & Balances

a constitutional grant of powers that enables each of the three branches of government to check some acts of the others and therefore ensure that no branch can dominate

Grassroots

from the bottom up, ideas work up from common citizens to the people in power

Federalism

a arrangement in which power is distributed between a central government and constitutionally protected sub-units

Power to persuade

a president's ability to convince Congress, other political actors, and the public to cooperate with the administration's agenda

Block grants

federal money given to states with few strings attached and only general guidelines for its use

Judicial review

a principle that gives the courts the power to rule on the constitutionality of a law or action of local, state, or national government

Elastic clause

a clause setting forth the implied powers of Congress stating that it can make all laws necessary and proper in the national government

Supremacy Clause

A constitutional doctrine that states whenever conflict occurs between the actions of the national government and the states, the national government prevails

Legitimacy

the governments generally accepted right to rule

Connecticut Compromise

an agreement at the Constitutional Convention to form a bicameral legislature with lower house representation based on population and upper house representation based on equality

Direct primary

an election where voters choose party nominees

Executive order

directive issued by the president that has the force of law

Cleavages

factors that separate groups

Motor Voter Law

an act designed to reverse declining voter registration by allowing voters to register at motor vehicle departments

Honeymoon

the period at the beginning of a new president's term during which the president enjoys generally positive relations with the press and Congress, usually lasting about six months

Realigning election

When the party who had not been in power wins by building a new coalition of voters that continues to win over successive elections

Hard money

political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed

Soft money

unlimited and undisclosed amounts of money that political parties previously could raise for party-building purposes

SuperPacs

a political organization that may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates

Coattail effect

the boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president

527s

an issue advocacy group that is organized to raise unlimited amounts of money for the purpose of influencing the political process

501(c)4s

a "social welfare" organization that may engage in political activities by collecting unlimited and undisclosed amounts of money

Horse race

any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and by how much rather than on substantive differences between the candidates

Free rider

an individual who does not join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence

Lobbying

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

Revolving door

a cycle in which individuals who work in government eventually end up working for interest groups with the same policy concerns

Iron Triangle

a rigid policy making alliance between members of Congress, bureaucratic organizations, and interest groups that is mutually beneficial to all involved

Litigation

when people go to court in order to get a positive ruling for their cause

Issue Network

a relationship among interest groups and individuals that unite in order to promote a single issue in government policy

Superdelegates

an unbound participant at a party's national convention who is free to support any candidate for the presidential nomination

Incumbent

the current holder of elected office

Gerrymandering

the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent

Earmarks

special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents

Cloture

a procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate

Standing Committee

a permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a broad policy area

Logrolling

a legislator supports a proposal or policy favored by another in return for support for his or her own

Closed rule

a procedure in the House of Representatives that sets a time limit for debate and prohibits a bill from being amended on the floor

Franking privilege

The ability of members of Congress to mail letters to their constituents free of charge

Electoral Mandate

the perception that an election victory signals broad support for the winner's proposed policies

Pyramid Structure

a clear chain of command, that provides for an orderly flow of information, but risks isolating or misinforming the president

Circular Structure

when assistants routinely report directly to the president, giving him or her a great deal of information, but runs the risk of confusion and conflict between agencies

Lame duck period

A time when focus shifts away from a politician who is still in office after having lost a reelection bid or is nearing a term limit

Entitlements

benefits guaranteed by law to individuals who meet certain basic requirements

Oversight

Congress' monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings

Judicial restraint

a philosophy that states judges should strike down the actions of the elected branches only if they violate the Constitution

Writ of Certiorari

an order by a court notifying a lower court that it will hear a case on appeal

Stare decisis

an appellate court principle that means to let the lower court's decision stand

Prior restraint

censorship of news material before it is made public

Due process clause

a part of the 5th and 14th Amendments that has over the years guaranteed to individuals a variety or rights and legal protections from state and national government

Exclusionary rule

the requirement that evidence unconstitutionally or illegally obtained be excluded from a criminal trial

De facto segregation

Segregation that occurs as the result of factors like housing patterns rather than law

Strict scrutiny

a test applied by a court to see if a law denies equal protection because it does not serve a compelling state interest and is not narrowly tailored to achieve a specific goal

Majoritarian politics

a setup in which political leaders feel constrained to follow the preferences of the majority

Monetary policy

a government policy that attempts to regulate the economy by controlling the money supply

Fiscal policy

a government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending

Expressed powers

Constitutional powers that are specifically given to the different branches of the federal government

Implied powers

powers that are not specifically granted to different branches of the federal government but can be interpreted from what is written in the Constitution

Inherent powers

powers of the different branches that do not depend on the Constitution but rather grow out of the very existence of the national government

Polarization

when two opposing sides feel intensely about an issue that is difficult to compromise on, due to increased ideological consistency

Frontloading

the tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to become the focus of candidates and capitalize on media attention

Merit system

a method of public employment in which selection and promotion depend on demonstrated performance rather than on political patronage

Precedent

a decision made by a higher court that is binding on all other federal courts

Judicial activism

the philosophy that the Supreme Court should play an active role in shaping national policies by addressing social and political issues

Senatorial courtesy

the custom of the president submitting names of possible appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are from