AP Gov Review

social contract

some freedoms sacrificed (respecting government) in exchange for government protection

Participatory democracy

broad participation in politics/society by people at various statuses

Pluralist democracy

group-based activism by citizens with common interests who seek the same goals

Elite democracy

power to the educated/wealthy, discourages participation by the majority of people

Republicanism

supports individualism and natural rights, popular sovereignty (people give the government power), encourages civic participation

federalism

the way in which federal and state/regional governments Interact and share power

Weaknesses of AOC

unicameral legislature, no power to tax, couldn’t regulate interstate commerce, no army, 9/13 required to pass laws, no amendments without unanimous support

electoral college

each state is entitled to a number of electors equal to its total number of seats in Congress, electors vote for pres and VP

3/5th compromise

60% of state’s slave population was calculated into its allocation of house seats

amendment proposal

2/3 vote in both houses of Congress

amendment ratification

approval by 3/4ths state legislatures

congress checks over president

passes laws which president is charged wit henforcing, authorizes funding for agencies and programs, veto override with 2/3 veto of both houses, senate approval of presidential appointments, senate approval of treaties, removal of president by impeachment, oversight of executive agencies

congress checks over court

may change number of jurisdiction of federal courts, sets lower federal court jurisdiction, may change number of justices on scotus, approval of judicial appointments, removal of judges through impeachment, initiating constitutional amendments

president checks over congress

legislative veto, discretion with regard to enforcing legislation, executive orders, executive agreements, appealing to the people

president checks over court

appointment of federal judges, discretion with regard to enforcing court decisions, pardon power

supreme court checks over congress

may declare laws unconstitutional

supreme court checks over president

power to declare exec brach actions unconstitutional

virginia plan

bicameral legislature based on population size

new jersey plan

unicameral legislature based on equal rep

great compromise

a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives (population) and Senate (equal representation)

brutus 1

National government had too much power, an army could prevent liberty, and representatives may not truly be representative of the people

fed 10

large republic and representative gov created by the constitution is the best defense against the problems created by factions

fed 51

agued that separation of powers would make the government efficient, dividing responsibilities and tasks

dual federalism

powers clearly delineated between those powers exercised by the fed gov and the states

cooperative federalism

extensive overlap and interplay between state and fed powers

categorical grants

grants of money to state and local governments that must be used in compliance with highly specific instructutions

block grants

transfers of money to state and local gov given for broad purposes with few strings attached

mandates

federal rule that imposes an obligation on state or local gov

unfunded mandate

federal rule that imposes an obligation on state or local gov without providing funds to help pay for associated costs

article 1 section 8

17 enumerated powers of congress

necessary and proper clause

congress holds powers that which are not specified in the constitution that may be reasonably related to the use of those powers that are listed

commerce clause

grants congress the power to regulate commerce but not within states

full faith and credit clause

states must accept the public acts, records, and judicial outcomes of the other states

privileges and immunities clause

prohibits states from discriminating unreasonably against citizens of other states

article 6 supremacy clause

constitution and all laws and fed treaties made by the fed gov take precedence over state laws

powers of congress

power to tax and spend, borrow money on the credit of the US, regulate commerce, establish uniform rules for naturalization, coin money, post offices and post roads, create lower fed courts, crimes of piracy, declare war, supporting military, govern territory of seat

reapportionment

redistribution of the 435 hor seats among the 50 states

redistricting

the drawing of new district boundaries within states

gerrymandering

redistricting in a way to create an advantage of a party

senate powers

ratifies treaties with 2/3rds vote, conducts trials of impeached officials, chooses the vp if electoral college fails to pick a winner, ratifies presidential appointments

hor powers

initiates all revenue bills, authority to charge officials with impeachment by maj vote, chooses president if ec fails to pick winner

standing committee

permanent groups that focus on all bills related to a particular policy area, develop expertise around specific issues

subcommittee

smaller specialized divisions of larger committees that are created to divide the work and more efficiently work out details on bills

joint committee

limited number of committees with members from both chambers that have limited authority and frequently handle administrative housekeeping tasks

conference committee

temporary groups composed of members of both the hor and senate to reconcile different versions of the same bill

select committee

temporary groups formed for specific purposes

hor rules comm

responsible for putting bills on the calendar, setting limits for the amount of time for debate, and specifying whether amendments can be added

hor ways and means comm

responsible for reviewing all bills that would raise or lower revenue

hor judiciary comm

responsible for beginning the process for impeachment of federal officials

senate judiciary comm

responsible for the initial steps in the confirmation of all federal judges

speaker of the house

controls the calendar, sets the agenda, assigns bills to committees

hor majority floor leader

manages legislative process and coordinates party strategy

hor majority whip

building coalitions, counting potential votes, influences members to vote with party leadership

hor committee chairs

powerful leaders of the standing committees who have the power to kill a bill by not reporting it to the full house

hor minority party leadership

minority party floor leader and a minority whip that coordinates the legislative strategy of the party out of power

senate maj party leader

schedules legislation and coordinates the majority party strategy along with the maj whip

senate minority party leader

min party floor leader and min whip that coordinate the legislative strategy of the party out of power

introducing bills

hor put bills into hooper

senate announce introduction on floor

pork barrel spending

generating legislation that produces income for their districts

logrolling

trading votes

committee chairs

set each committee’s agenda, deciding which bills the committee will attempt to pass through congress during the session

discharge petition

removing a bill from a committee and bringing it to the floor, needs maj votes

committee action

hearing, policy experts and interested parties give testimony about subject under consideration

inform those about proposed legislation and its impact

markup, comm discusses the legislation, makes changes, and produces final draft

house floor procedures

more formal, limit speech to 40 mins, no proposed amendments, 2/3rds approval for passage of legislation

committee of the whole

the entire house consists of the this committee to consider amendments under a more relaxedd and efficient set of rules

senate floor procedures

less formal, senate must agree to bring bill on the floor, filibuster (invoke cloture to stop - 60 votes)

discretionary spending

funding for various agencies and programs which the government is not obligated to fund at a certain level

1/3 of fed spending

interest on national debt

congress must pay and cannot change, less than 10% of the budget

mandatory spending

required by law, entitlement programs to give benefits guaranteed by law

OMB

begins the budget process by reviewing all of the monetary requests from each of the federal agencies and combining them into the president’s proposed budget

makes estimates on if the gov will have surplus or deficit and sends budget to congress

CBO

created by congress, analyzes the president’s proposed budget and provides economic data to congress

congressional review

standing budget committees in each chamber make changes and create budget reconciliations

budget resolutions are passed by each house

entitlement costs increase

discretionary spending must decrease

gridlock

when the maj party in congress is different from the party of the pres it is difficult to pass legislation

coalitions

groups and individuals within congress join together to advance a set of policy goals that they could not successfully promote alone

form more readily in the senate than in the house due to term lengths

article 2

defines executive branch of the fed gov

impeachment house

bring charges, will be impeached but not convicted

impeachment senate

conduct a trial, conviction needs 2/3s vote

pres powers

oversees the fulfillment of legislation passed by Congress, manages relevant agencies and programs, appoints candidates, recess appointments, requests written opinions, state of the union, recommend legislation, convenes and adjourns congress, veto

recess appointments

appoint people to fill administrative vacancies that occur when congress is not in session

line item veto

allow the president to cancel individual spending items in a budgeting or appropriations bill

war powers resolution of 1973

pres must inform congress within 48 hours of committing military forces to action, if congress does not authorize action in 60 days, forces must be withdrawn, another 30 days are allowed for troops to withdraw

executive order

used to carry out pres duties, used when congress refuses to enact the pres agenda or negotiate a solution

congress can refuse to fund these directives or to invalidate them through the passage of legislation, can be found unconstitutional in court

executive agreements

agreements similar to treaties, dont need senate approval

done to deal with bureaucratic issues and minor details

policy agenda

set of initiatives which they want congress to enact into law

if congress is uncooperative the pres may sometimes enact executive orders to fulfill preferred policies

cabinet

serves as advisory body to the pres

factors to increase approval rating

honeymoon period, foreign policy successes, rally around the flag effect, strong economic growth and low unemployment, positive media coverage

factors to decrease approval rating

scandals, expectations gap, foreign policy failures, weak economic growth and high unemployment

fed 70

a single president can respond to a crisis faster and work with more secrecy than an executive branch run by a group of individuals, energetic president, can hold accountability

bureaucracy

an administrative organization that has a large number of employees, a hierarchical structure, complex rules and procedures, staffed by specialists

advantages of a bureaucracy

centralized authority that makes management effective, specialized roles that allow for development of expertise, standardized procedures make outcomes efficient and predictable, promotes equal treatment of individuals

disadvantages of bureaucracy

overlapping areas of authority, formalized procedures can delay results

bureaucracy structure

created and funded by congress, most work under the authority of the president

independent agencies

created by congress and are similar to cabinet dep but are smaller and focused on more specific policy areas

heads are appointed by pres and confirmed by the senate

can remove heads at any time

social security administration

regulatory commissions

autonomous agencies that develop and enforce regulations related to public policy

5-10 member boards appointed by the pres and confirmed by the senate

may not be from the same party

pres does not have authority to remove heads during terms

EPA FEC

government corporations

gov agencies that work similarly to private businesses and offer a specific service

necessary to serve markets that aren’t profitable in the private sector

USPS FDIC

bureaucratic discretion

power granted to bureaucratic leadership to implement mandates within policy guidelines

bureaucratic rulemaking

gov agencies formulate and implement regulations to carry congressional mandates into effect

iron triangle

strength and long term stability of the relationships between its three participants: interest groups, bureaucratic agencies, and congressional committees

IG to congress

can promote policy goals by supporting members of the congressional committee overseeing its interest area with campaign contributions and other forms of political support