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Executive Office of the President
The president's personal assistants and advisors.
Filibuster
A procedure used in the Senate to talk a bill to death.
Executive Order
A presidential directive.
Midterm Election
An election in which voters select members of Congress but not the president.
Critical Election
An election where new coalitions of voters have formed, beginning a new party era.
Pork Barrel
A provision in a bill that benefits a specific congressional constituency.
Entitlements
Promises made by the government to an identifiable group of people who are guaranteed benefits.
Originalism
Making judicial decisions by considering what the founding fathers meant in the Constitution.
Logrolling
When members of Congress trade votes for favors in order to get the bills they support passed.
Monetary Policy
Influencing the economy through federal interest rates, reserve rates, and the amount of money in circulation.
Selective Incorporation
The process by which the Bill of Rights has been applied to the states on a case-by-case basis through the Fourteenth Amendment.
Fiscal Federalism
The use of spending by the national government through the grant process to influence state policies.
Writ of Certiorari
A document issued by the Supreme Court if it has agreed to hear a case.
Litigation
A lawsuit.
Mandatory Spending
Expenditures that the federal government cannot realistically reduce because they are required by law.
Political Efficacy
An individual's belief that his or her political participation can make a difference.
Gender Gap
The tendency of men to support candidates from the Republican party at greater rates than women.
Single-Member Districts
The electoral system used to select members of the House of Representatives.
Pocket Veto
When a president does not sign a bill within 10 days when Congress is not in session.
Redistricting
Changing congressional district boundaries based on a new census.
Independent Expenditures
Money spent on ads that are not sponsored by a candidate or party.
Policy Agenda
Problems that have the attention of the government and the public.
Cooperative Federalism
A system where the federal government and the states work together in funding and administering programs.
Amicus Curiae Brief
An argument filed with a court by an individual or group who is not a party to a lawsuit.
Stare Decisis
When a court follows precedent by letting a previous decision stand.
Demographic
The statistical characteristics of a population.
Political Culture
The shared political values of a society.
Divided Government
When the president is from one political party and one or both houses of Congress are controlled by the opposing political party.
Open Primary
An election to determine a party's candidate for office in which that party's members and unaffiliated voters may vote.
Super PAC
An organization, which need not disclose its members, that can spend a vast and unlimited amount of money on a political campaign.
PAC
An organization that is registered with the Federal Election Committee and donates money to a candidate or campaign.
Block Grants
Federal money given to the states with few restrictions about how it should be spent.
Categorical Grants
Money given by the federal government to the states to be used for a narrowly defined purpose.
Pluralism
A theory of government in which many groups compete for policy.
Unfunded Mandate
A federal requirement that forces the states to spend their own money.
Inherent Powers
Powers that are naturally derived from the duties of a specific government position, such as Thomas Jefferson's power as president to purchase the Louisiana Territory.
Implied Powers
Powers that are necessary to carry out an expressed power in the Constitution, like the power of Congress to establish a bank.
Realignment
The process through which voters leave one of the major party coalitions and join the other major party's coalition.
Incumbent
An officeholder who is running for reelection.
Caucus
Face-to-face meetings of party members at the local or state level to determine their party's candidate for office.
Grassroots Lobbying
Ordinary citizens raising awareness for a cause and pushing the government to adopt a particular policy.
Interest Group
An organization that advocates for policies through lobbying, electioneering, grassroots mobilization, and protesting.
Mandatory Spending
Expenditures that the federal government is obligated to make, like entitlements and interest on the national debt.
Oversight
Congressional committee hearings held to determine how well an agency is doing its job.
Dealignment
When voters no longer identify with one of the two major parties and become independent voters.
Fiscal Policy
Impacting the economy through taxing and spending in the budget.
General Election
An election to select the person who will hold office.
Closed Primary
A vote by party members to determine their party's candidate for office, which is restricted to those who are registered to the party.
Cloture
A vote by 60 senators to end a filibuster.
Judicial Review
The power of the Supreme Court to overturn a law or executive action as unconstitutional.
Federalism
A system of government where power is shared between the national government and the states in which the states have some protected powers.
Political Socialization
The process by which an individual develops his or her political beliefs.
Expressed Powers
Powers that are given to an institution of government directly in the Constitution, such as Congress's power to tax.
Lame Duck Period
The time during which a president who has lost an election or has ended a second term is still in office before the new president serves.
Suffrage
The right to vote.
Franking Privilege
The free mail and electronic signature system used by members of Congress.
Lobbying
Efforts by an interest group or individual to contact a member of Congress and advocate for a particular policy.
Party Polarization
When political parties move farther away from each other ideologically and also move away from the center.
Devolution
A process by which the national government gives more power and authority to the states.
Judicial Activism
A philosophy that the Supreme Court should make bold new policy.
Horse Race Journalism
The tendency of the media to focus on which candidate is ahead in the polls rather than focusing on the issues.
Casework
When congressional staff help a constituent solve a problem.
Issue Network (Iron Triangle)
A relationship between interest groups, agencies, and congressional committees in a certain policy area.
Political Party
A group of individuals who organize to run candidates for office.
Gerrymandering
Drawing congressional district boundaries to benefit a group, usually a political party.
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