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AP Gov Killer Vocab Flashcards

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1
Q

Bully Pulpit:

A

the president’s use of his or her prestige and visibility to push an agenda or enthuse the American public

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2
Q

Veto:

A

a formal decision to reject a bill passed by congress

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3
Q

White House Office

A

Led by the Chief of Staff, this staff of the president who oversees policy interests and do NOT need to be confirmed by the Senate. Seen as superior to the EOP.

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4
Q

EOP (Executive Office of the President)

A

the cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities.

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5
Q

Platform

A

statement of purpose and policy objectives drafted and approved by a political party at its national convention

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6
Q

Electoral College

A

a group of representatives from each U.S. state who formally elect the President and Vice President. Each state has a certain number based on its population, and the candidate who receives at least 270 out of 538 wins the election. The system is intended to balance the influence of populous states with less populous ones in presidential elections.

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7
Q

Party Machine

A

a group of people who control a political party, often through loyalty and rewards

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8
Q

State of the Union

A

the president’s annual statement to congress and the nation

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9
Q

Divided Government

A

governance divided between the parties, especially when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress

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10
Q

Conference Committee

A

a committee appointed by the leaders of each chamber (House/Senate) to settle differences on a particular bill passed by each house in different form

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11
Q

Delegated Powers

A

powers specifically granted to national government in the constitution

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12
Q

Big Tent

A

a political party that seeks to attract people with a broad spectrum of viewpoints and place them under one banner

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13
Q

Red tape

A

complex bureaucratic rules and procedures that must be followed to get something done

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14
Q

Turnout

A

the proportion of the voting age public that votes, the number of registered voters who vote

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15
Q

Exit Poll

A

a poll taken at randomly selected polling places after citizens have placed their votes

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16
Q

Appellate Jurisdiction

A

the authority of a court to review a decision made by a lower court

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17
Q

Political Efficacy

A

an indication of a citizen’s trust in government and own belief that he or she can understand and influence political affairs

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18
Q

Litmus Test

A

an examination of the political ideology of a nominated judge

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19
Q

Selective Incorporation

A

the process by which the Supreme Court has selectively applied the BIll of Rights to state law through the Fourteenth Amendment

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20
Q

Majority Opinion

A

a signed statement that presents the views of the majority of supreme court justices regarding a case.

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21
Q

Political Culture

A

Set of basic values and beliefs about a country or gov’t that is shared by MOST citizens and that influences political opinions and behaviors

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22
Q

Amicus Curiae Brief

A

a “friend of the court” brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by immediate parties to a case

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23
Q

14th Amendment

A

an amendment that declared all citizens were entitled to equal protection under the law and their due process rights could not be violated by states or the national government

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24
Q

Political Socialization

A

the process by which people get their sense of political identity, beliefs, and values. Family is often seen as the biggest influence.

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25
Rule of Law
a set of procedures in which all people are treated equally and consistently under the law
26
Spin
providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain issue of public figure
27
Separation of Powers
a constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches
28
Federalist Papers
a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in the late 1780s, advocating for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. They explain the principles of the Constitution, the importance of a strong federal government, and address concerns of opponents.
29
Pluralism
many different interest groups competing against each other to gain influence or concessions from the government
30
Bicameralism
a two house legislature
31
Reserved Powers
all powers not specifically delegated to the national government by constitution that are left to the states
32
Mandate
a directive from the national government ordering the states to do something; this can be funded or unfunded
33
Marble Cake
a system in which states and the national government cooperate with each other by sharing powers and responsibilities
34
Devolution
transferring responsibility for policies from the federal government to state and local governments
35
Popular Sovereignty
a belief that ultimate power resides in the people
36
Referendum
a process by which a policy issue, amendment, or constitution is sent to the voters for approval
37
Checks & Balances
a constitutional grant of powers that enables each of the three branches of government to check some acts of the others and therefore ensure that no branch can dominate
38
Grassroots
from the bottom up, ideas work up from common citizens to the people in power
39
Federalism
division of power between national and state/local governments
40
Power to persuade
a president’s ability to convince Congress, other political actors, and the public to cooperate with the administration’s agenda
41
Block grants
federal money given to states with few strings attached and only general guidelines for its use
42
Judicial review
a principle that gives the courts the power to rule on the constitutionality of a law or action of local, state, or national government
43
Elastic clause
a clause setting forth the implied powers of Congress stating that Congress has the legislative power “to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers”
44
Supremacy Clause
A constitutional doctrine that states whenever conflict occurs between the actions of the national government and the states, the national government prevails
45
Legitimacy
the governments generally accepted right to rule
46
Connecticut Compromise
an agreement at the Constitutional Convention to form a bicameral legislature with lower house representation based on population and upper house representation based on equality
47
Direct primary
an election where voters choose party nominees
48
Executive order
directive issued by the president that has the force of law
49
Cleavages
factors that separate groups
50
Motor Voter Law
an act designed to reverse declining voter registration by allowing voters to register at motor vehicle departments
51
Honeymoon
the period at the beginning of a new president's term during which the president enjoys generally positive relations with the press and Congress, usually lasting about six months
52
Realigning election
When the party who had not been in power wins by building a new coalition of voters that continues to win over successive elections
53
Hard money
political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed
54
Soft money
unlimited and undisclosed amounts of money that political parties previously could raise for party-building purposes
55
SuperPacs
a political organization that may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates
56
Coattail effect
the boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president
57
501(c)4s
a “social welfare” organization that may engage in political activities by collecting unlimited and undisclosed amounts of money
58
Horse race
any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and by how much rather than on substantive differences between the candidates
59
Free rider
an individual who does not join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence
60
Lobbying
engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact
61
Revolving door
a cycle in which individuals who work in government eventually end up working for interest groups with the same policy concerns
62
Iron Triangle
a rigid policy making alliance between members of Congress, bureaucratic organizations, and interest groups that is mutually beneficial to all involved
63
Litigation
when people go to court in order to get a positive ruling for their cause
64
Issue Network
a relationship among interest groups and individuals that unite in order to promote a single issue in government policy
65
Delegates
Pledged Delegates: Awarded based on the primary or caucus results. They must vote for the candidate they are pledged to during the first ballot at the convention. Unpledged Delegates: Often referred to as superdelegates, they can vote for any candidate they choose. Only the Democrat Party has superdelegates.
66
Incumbent
the current holder of elected office
67
Gerrymandering
the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent
68
Earmarks
special spending projects that are set aside on behalf of individual members of Congress for their constituents
69
Cloture
a procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate
70
Standing Committee
a permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a broad policy area
71
Logrolling
a legislator supports a proposal or policy favored by another in return for support for his or her own
72
Closed rule
a procedure in the House of Representatives that sets a time limit for debate and prohibits a bill from being amended on the floor
73
Franking privilege
The ability of members of Congress to mail letters to their constituents free of charge
74
Electoral Mandate
the perception that an election victory signals broad support for the winner’s proposed policies
75
Pyramid Structure
a clear chain of command, that provides for an orderly flow of information, but risks isolating or misinforming the president
76
Circular Structure
when assistants routinely report directly to the president, giving him a great deal of information, but runs the risk of confusion and conflict between agencies
77
Lame duck period
A time when focus shifts away from a politician who is still in office after having lost a reelection bid or is nearing a term limit
78
Entitlements
benefits guaranteed by law to individuals who meet certain basic requirements
78
Oversight
Congress' monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings
79
Judicial restraint
a philosophy that states judges should strike down the actions of the elected branches only if they violate the Constitution
80
Writ of Certiorari
an order by a court notifying a lower court that it will hear a case on appeal
81
Stare decisis
an appellate court principle that means to let the lower court’s decision stand
82
Prior restraint
censorship of news material before it is made public
83
Due process clause
a part of the 5th and 14th Amendments that has over the years guaranteed to individuals a variety or rights and legal protections from state and national government
84
Exclusionary rule
the requirement that evidence unconstitutionally or illegally obtained be excluded from a criminal trial
85
De facto segregation
Segregation that occurs as the result of factors like housing patterns rather than law
86
Strict scrutiny
a test applied by a court to see if a law denies equal protection because it does not serve a compelling state interest and is not narrowly tailored to achieve a specific goal
87
Majoritarian politics
a setup in which political leaders feel constrained to follow the preferences of the majority
88
Monetary policy
a government policy that attempts to regulate the economy by controlling the money supply and interest rates
89
Fiscal policy
a government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending
90
Expressed powers
Constitutional powers that are specifically given to the different branches of the federal government
91
Implied powers
powers that are not specifically granted to different branches of the federal government but can be interpreted from what is written in the Constitution
92
Inherent powers
powers of the different branches that do not depend on the Constitution but rather grow out of the very existence of the national government
93
Polarization
when two opposing sides feel intensely about an issue that is difficult to compromise on, due to increased ideological consistency
94
Frontloading
the tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to become the focus of candidates and capitalize on media attention
95
Merit system
emerged in the U.S. during the late 19th century as a response to the patronage system, when hiring was given to political connections. The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 was a significant milestone, establishing a framework for merit-based hiring in federal jobs.
96
Precedent
refers to a legal principle or rule established in previous court decisions that is used as a standard for deciding subsequent cases with similar facts or issues.
97
Judicial activism
the philosophy that the Supreme Court should play an active role in shaping national policies by addressing social and political issues
98
Senatorial Courtesy
the custom of the president submitting names of possible appointees for approval to senators from the states in which the appointees are from
99

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