POLS 206 Prof Jon Bond- Final Exam (Exam 3) Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering public opinion, congressional procedures, presidential powers, and the judiciary based on POLS 206 lecture notes.

Popular sovereignty

Government is responsive and accountable to the people

Responsiveness

Agreement between the wishes of the governed and government actions

Scientific polling

Method using samples to measure opinions of a larger population

George Gallup

Called polling the "pulse of democracy" for guiding policy makers

Public opinion

The sum of individual attitudes about an issue or question

Direction

Whether opinion on an issue is positive or negative (e.g., agree/disagree)

Stability

Likelihood of changes in the direction of opinion

Intensity

How strongly people hold attitudes or beliefs

Salience

How important an issue is to the public

Dobbs v. Jackson

Court case that caused small but noticeable changes in public opinion on abortion

Random sample

A sample where every person has an equal chance of being selected

Convenience sample

Non-random sample that is often biased and represents only those who self-select

Margin of error

Indicates the range within which poll results likely reflect true opinion; depends on sample size

Probability in polling

The concept that there is a $95\%$ chance the sample statistic is within the margin of error of the true population statistic

Political culture

Consensus on basic values, legitimacy of institutions, and acceptance of process

Ideology

A consistent set of values about the role of government in society

Political socialization

Process by which younger generations learn political values from previous generations

Agents of political socialization

The most influential include Family, followed by schools, peers, personal events, and experiences

Measurement error

Error in polling due to sample selection, question wording, or interpretation

Majority rule

Not how Congress is governed; instead, it is best described as minorities consent

Discharge petition

A House maneuver to force a bill out of committee with $218$ signatures; it is rarely successful

Standing committees

Committees that take action or inaction that determines the fate of a bill; about $85\%$ of bills die here

House Rules Committee

Regulates the flow of legislation and sets conditions for debate, amendment, and voting

Special rules

House rules that set debate conditions and require a simple majority

Filibuster

Senate tactic allowing a minority to block bills with extended debate

Cloture

A procedure requiring $60$ Senate votes to end a filibuster

Senate hold

An informal threat to delay a bill or nomination, often serving as a precursor to a filibuster

Unanimous consent agreement

A Senate agreement similar to House special rules, but one that any senator can block

Budget reconciliation

Process where certain budget bills cannot be filibustered and pass with a simple majority

Nuclear option

Senate parliamentary maneuver to change cloture for nominations to a simple majority

Conference committee

Joint committee created to resolve House-Senate differences and produce a final bill

Presidential veto override

Requires a $\frac{2}{3}$ vote in both chambers; this occurs for about $7\text{-}10\%$ of vetoes

Policy responsiveness

When representatives vote as constituents want, especially on salient issues

Service responsiveness

Help provided to constituents through casework and interactions with the federal bureaucracy

Allocation responsiveness

Securing government projects and expenditures for a specific district

Pork-barrel benefits

Distributive spending often seen as wasteful, though not always

Impeachment

Procedure to remove the President, VP, or civil officers from office

Treason

Specifically defined as levying war against the U.S. or aiding its enemies

Bribery

The abuse of power for private gain

High crimes and misdemeanors

Acts that subvert the government; the definition is debated

House managers

Members who act as prosecutors during a Senate impeachment trial

Restrictive view of presidential power

The view that the President is limited strictly to powers explicitly granted

Stewardship doctrine

The view that the President acts for the public good unless specifically prohibited

Prerogative view

The view that the President may take extraordinary actions, even unconstitutional ones, to preserve the Constitution

Chief executive

Presidential role ensuring laws are faithfully executed and heading the bureaucracy

Commander-in-chief

Presidential role leading the military; includes the power to deploy troops without a declaration of war

War Powers Act

Mandates the President consult Congress and withdraw troops after $60\text{ days}$ unless authorized

Executive agreements

Legal contracts between nations that do not require Senate approval; they comprise $90\%$ of agreements

Candidate-centered campaigning

Presidential campaigns that focus more on the individual than on the political party

Success rate in Congress

The percentage of roll-call votes where the president's position wins

Presidential directives

Orders that carry legal weight without congressional endorsement

Executive orders

Legally binding instructions to agencies; every president has issued them

Signing statements

Written comments when signing laws that may announce the president's constitutional interpretations

National security directives

Security-related orders where the president controls access to information for Congress

Cabinet

The heads of agencies who serve as an advisory council to the president

Executive Office of the President

The President's closest advisors and agencies, including the OMB, NSC, and CEA

Myth of judicial objectivity

The belief that judges make impartial decisions based only on law and not on politics

Thurgood Marshall

The first African American Supreme Court justice, appointed in $1967$

Sonia Sotomayor

The first Latina Supreme Court justice, appointed in $2009$

Sandra Day O'Connor

The first female Supreme Court justice, appointed in $1981$

Legal model of judicial decision making

Judging based on legal rules, evidence, constitutions, and precedent

Slot-machine theory

The theory that judges mechanically "find" the answer by applying law to facts

Attitudinal model of judicial decision making

The theory that personal attitudes and ideology influence votes, especially in non-unanimous rulings

Judicial restraint

Judges follow precedent and avoid striking down actions unless they are clearly unconstitutional

Judicial activism

Judges overturn actions or precedents to advance their own policy preferences

Judicial review

The power of courts to declare laws or actions unconstitutional and thus invalid

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

The Supreme Court case in which the court claimed the power of judicial review