US Government Review - Vocabulary

Congress Overview

Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
There are 435 members in the House and 100 in the Senate.
Total members of Congress: 435 + 100 = 535.
The Senate is designed to be less influenced by public opinion due to its six-year terms.
Senators are elected to six-year terms.
House members serve two-year terms, keeping them in constant reelection mode.
Congress is generally distrusted by the public, with approval ratings often in the low twenties or even single digits.

Senators are elected statewide; the entire state votes for a Senate seat.
House members are elected by districts within a state.
State legislatures redraw these districts every ten years based on census data.
Gerrymandering: When state legislatures redraw districts to benefit a particular group or party. The Supreme Court can intervene if gerrymandering is excessive.

The President has two roles: Head of State (apolitical, unifying) and Head of Government (political, divisive).
The head of government role often clashes with the head of state role.
Presidents have limited legislative powers and must persuade others to achieve their goals.
The main source of power for the president is the power to persuade.

Going public: A strategy where the President appeals to the public to pressure other political actors.

Traditional Presidency Era: Pre-1930s.
Modern Presidency Era: Post-1930s.
Key distinction for critical thinking questions: Identify the year when a president served to determine which era they belong to.

The Supreme Court currently has nine justices.
The number of justices is not fixed by the Constitution and can be changed by an act of Congress.
Most legal action occurs at the state level due to the federalist system.
State vs. National court systems exist within our federalist system.

Responsible Party Model: A political science model describing what party systems should strive to be for the health of a country. The United States has a two-party system (Democrats and Republicans).
The U.S. has a two-party system with Democrats and Republicans as the major players.
First major political parties in America: Democratic-Republicans and Federalists.
Partisanship has always influenced the workings of Congress.

An identical bill must pass in both the House and the Senate before being sent to the President.
If the President vetoes a bill, Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

Congress is tasked with representation and policymaking.
Allocative representation: Public works projects or grants for specific districts paid for by general tax revenues.

Filibuster: A practice in the Senate involving unlimited debate to delay or prevent a vote on a bill.
Closure: Requires 60 votes to end debate and stop a filibuster.
Speaker of the House: Generally considered the most powerful person in Congress.