Exam 3- American Federal Government

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Political Parties

Organizations made up of groups of people with similar interests that try to directly influence public policy through their members who seek and hold public office.

Party Platform

The collection of a party's positions on issues it considers politically important.

Political Machines

An organization that secures votes for a party's candidates or supports the party in other ways, usually in exchange for political favors such as a job in government.

Personal Politics

A political style that focuses on building direct relationships with voters rather than on promoting specific issues.

Third Parties

Political parties formed as an alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties, also known as minor parties.

Two-Party System

A system in which two major parties win all or almost all elections.

Plurality Voting

The election rule by which the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of vote share.

First-Past-the-Post

A system in which the winner of an election is the candidate who wins the greatest number of votes cast; also known as plurality voting.

Proportional Representation

A party-based election rule in which the number of seats a party receives is a function of the share of votes it receives in an election.

Party Realignment

A shifting of party alliances within the electorate.

Critical Election

An election that represents a sudden, clear, and long-term shift in voter allegiances.

Party Identifiers

Individuals who represent themselves in public as being part of a party.

Party Organization

The formal structure of the political party and the active members responsible for coordinating party behavior and supporting party candidates.

Precinct

The lowest level of party organization, usually organized around neighborhoods.

Majority Party

The legislative party with over half the seats in a legislative body, and thus significant power to control the agenda.

Divided Government

A condition in which one or more houses of the legislature is controlled by the party in opposition to the executive.

Bipartisanship

A process of cooperation through compromise.

Party Polarization

The shift of party positions from moderate toward ideological extremes.

Sorting

The process in which voters change party allegiances in response to shifts in party position.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of legislative districts in an attempt to favor a particular candidate.

Redistricting

The redrawing of electoral maps.

Reapportionment

The reallocation of House seats between the states to account for population changes.

Safe Seats

A district drawn so members of a party can be assured of winning by a comfortable margin.

Interest Groups

Groups of people that organize to influence government policy.

Lobbyist

A person who represents an organization before government in an attempt to influence policy.

Membership Organization

An interest group that usually consists of dues-paying members who organize around a particular cause or issue.

Contract Lobbyist

a lobbyist who works for a contract lobbying firm that represents clients before government.

Legislative Liaison

a person employed by a governmental entity such as a local government, executive department, or university to represent the organization before the legislature.

Inside Lobbying

the act of contacting and taking the organization's message directly to lawmakers in an attempt to influence policy.

Outside Lobbying

the act of lobbying indirectly by taking the organization's message to the public, often through the use of the media, hoping that the public will put pressure on lawmakers.

Environmental Interest Groups

public interest groups focused on protecting the environment.

Particularized Benefits

a benefit that generally accrues to a narrow segment of society.

Public Interest Groups

an interest group that seeks a public good, which is something that accrues to all.

Collective Actions

efforts undertaken by a group to achieve a shared goal, often facing free-rider problems.

Material Incentives

substantive monetary or physical benefits given to group members to help overcome collective action problems.

Solidary Incentives

benefits based on the idea that people like to associate with others who are similar to them.

Purpose Incentives (Purposive Incentives)

benefits that appeal to people's support of the issue or cause.

Disturbance Theory

the theory that an external event can lead to interest group mobilization.

Fragmentation

the result when a large interest group develops diverging needs.

Pluralist

a person who believes many groups healthily compete for access to decision-makers.

Elite Critique

the proposition that wealthy and elite interests are advantaged over those without resources.

Neopluralist

a person who suggests that all groups' access and influence depend on the political environment.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns.

Voting Cues

sources—including fellow lawmakers, constituents, and interest groups—that lawmakers often use to help them decide how to vote.

Revolving Door Laws

laws that require a cooling-off period before government officials can register to lobby after leaving office.

Great Compromise

the 1787 agreement combining proportional and equal representation for states in Congress.

Apportionment

the process by which seats in the House of Representatives are distributed among the fifty states.

Constituency

the body of voters represented by a particular politician.

Enumerated Power

powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution.

Implied Power

powers not specifically detailed in the Constitution but inferred as necessary.

Inherent Power

powers assumed to exist as a direct result of the country's existence.

Campaign Contributions

money given to candidates or political parties to help fund their campaigns.

Campaign Financial Regulations

rules governing money raised or spent on campaigns.

Surge-and-Decline Theory

a theory proposing that the surge of stimulation during presidential elections subsides during midterms.

Delegate Model of Representation

a model in which representatives feel compelled to act on the specific stated wishes of their constituents.

Trustee Model of Representation

a model in which representatives act in the way they believe is best for their constituents.

Political Model of Representation (Politico Model)

a model in which members of Congress act as either trustee or delegate based on political calculations.

Pork-Barrel Politics

federal spending intended to benefit a particular district or set of constituents.

Speaker of the House

the presiding officer of the House of Representatives and leader of the majority party; second in the presidential line of succession.

Select Committees

small legislative committees created to fulfill a specific purpose and then disbanded.

Minority Leader

the party member who directs the activities of the minority party on the floor.

Majority Leader

the leader of the majority party in either the House or Senate.

President Pro Tempore

the senator who acts in the absence of the vice president; usually the most senior senator of the majority party.

Joint Committee

a legislative committee consisting of members from both chambers that investigates certain topics but lacks bill referral authority.

Conference Committee

a special joint committee that reconciles different bills passed by the House and Senate.

Filibuster

a parliamentary maneuver used in the Senate to extend debate as long as possible to obstruct legislation.

Cloture

a parliamentary process to end debate in the Senate, invoked with a three-fifths vote.

Commander-in-Chief

the president's constitutional role as head of the armed forces.

Presidential War Powers

powers of the president to deploy military forces.

Executive Privilege

the president's right to withhold information from Congress, the judiciary, or the public.

Executive Orders

a rule or order issued by the president without Congress's cooperation, having the force of law.

Executive Agreements

international agreements made by the president without Senate approval.

King Caucus

an informal 19th-century meeting of legislators who selected presidential nominees for their parties.

Cabinet Nominations

presidential appointments of department heads and other senior officials.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

an office within the Executive Office of the President that produces and oversees the federal budget.

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

the administrative organization that reports directly to the president and includes key offices and staff.

Veto

the president's constitutional power to reject a bill passed by Congress.

Line-Item Veto

a power allowing the president to veto specific parts of a bill; overturned by the Supreme Court in 1998.

Signing Statement

a statement a president issues to influence how a signed bill should be enforced.

Rally Around the Flag Effect

a spike in presidential popularity during international crises.