gov unit 2 vocab

Question 1

Senate

Answer 1

Article 1. Senators have 6 year terms, 2 per State. Part of the Great Compromise, equal representation for states.

Question 2

House of Representatives

Answer 2

Article 1. Representatives have 2 year terms, proportional to state population, 435 in total. Part of the Great Compromise, proportional representation.

Question 3

Speaker of the House

Answer 3

is from the caucus majority and is Constitutionally mandated

Question 4

President of the Senate

Answer 4

Vice President goes over debate in the Senate and gets a vote

Question 5

Party Leadership

Answer 5

Members (Dems or Reps) who are chosen to reflect party interest

Question 6

filibuster

Answer 6

busting. When 2+ legislative members prolong a debate to delay/prevent decision

Question 7

cloture

Answer 7

procedure in Senate to put “timer” on consideration of a bill etc

Question 8

holds

Answer 8

Obama thing with SCOTUS nomination. Where the Senate (a Senator) blocks consideration of a bill/nomination

Question 9

rules committee

Answer 9

from the House; the schedule of the people. In charge of what bills go on the floor

Question 10

committee of the whole

Answer 10

Meeting with all Representatives, has special rules to maintain order

Question 11

discharge petition

Answer 11

“discharging” the Rules Committee and bringing bill to floor without their report/consideration

Question 12

treaty ratification

Answer 12

president negotiates; Senate modifies/approves by a 2/3 majority; president can approve modifications or go back

Question 13

confirmation role of the Senate

Answer 13

they give advice and consent; presidential nominations, treaties

Question 14

conference committee

Answer 14

“ad hoc panel” (House and Senate) to reconcile differences in legislation

Question 15

discretionary spending

Answer 15

passed by Congress and must be approved annually; defense, education, infrastructure etc spending

Question 16

mandatory sending

Answer 16

budget; required by law. social security, medicare etc

Question 17

pork barrel legislation

Answer 17

funding for local project that shimmied into a big bill, lame. Alaska “Bridge to Nowhere” that got $300 M

Question 18

logrolling

Answer 18

combining several separate legislation to get votes; Big family Yule Log

Question 19

gridlock

Answer 19

No action taken in Congress when there is no agreement; locked into nothing

Question 20

gerrymandering

Answer 20

skewing district lines for the benefit of one political party; earmuff district in Chicago

Question 21

reapportionment

Answer 21

process by which Congressional districts are redrawn/redistributed

Question 22

redistricting

Answer 22

redrawing district lines; census based

Question 23

divided government

Answer 23

One party has the president, the other party has the House; goes to a gridlock

Question 24

partisanship or polarization

Answer 24

voting based on Rep or Dem ONLY; party line voting

Question 25

lame duck

Answer 25

name for the end of the president's term from Nov-Jan when not much gets done

Question 26

trustee

Answer 26

where an elected official believes they should use their own judgement and uses that to decide what is best to vote for

Question 27

delegate

Answer 27

where an elected official believes they should follow constituent's wishes exclusively and acts for the voter only

Question 28

politico

Answer 28

mesh of trustee and delegate mindset; blends the needs of the constituent's and the nation

Question 29

veto

Answer 29

president has 10 days to sign or say "no" to a bill

Question 30

pocket veto

Answer 30

can't be overridden, bill received in final 10 days without signature; passive aggressive lame veto

Question 31

informal powers

Answer 31

powers not stated in the Constitution that presidents have adopted as necessary for executing the law

Question 32

formal powers

Answer 32

enumerated powers from the Constitution, like the president being "Commander in Chief" of the army

Question 33

executive orders

Answer 33

an immediate order, acts as a royal decree. Queenie FDR knows all about this one. Can't be about money because that is Congress' job

Question 34

cabinet

Answer 34

VP and 15 executive department advisors

Question 35

22nd Amendment

Answer 35

limits presidents to 2-terms; ratified in 1951. Shout-out Queenie FDR

Question 36

state of the union

Answer 36

an enumerated power. press conference where the president explains the state of affairs, empty proposals

Question 37

bully pulpit

Answer 37

tool to set agenda using media to "bully" opponents; Sleepy Joe, Ron DeSanctimonious

Question 38

Article 3

Answer 38

sets up judicial branch

Question 39

state decisis

Answer 39

upholding precedent; making new rulings based in past ruling

Question 40

precedent

Answer 40

past ruling

Question 41

judicial review

Answer 41

Supreme Court is allowed to interpret the Constitution and declare laws unconstitutional

Question 42

presidential appointments

Answer 42

President nominates Justices; Senate approves them

Question 43

life tenure

Answer 43

Justices hold the job for life

Question 44

judicial activism

Answer 44

the exercise of the power of judicial review to set aside government acts; Justice's allow personal views on public policy to make rulings

Question 45

judicial restraint

Answer 45

caution in enforcing vague Constitution; judges should hesitate to strike down laws

Question 46

issue networks

Answer 46

alliance with interest groups, media, and experts to serve a certain public interest

Question 47

bureaucracy

Answer 47

huge, vast organization of executive employees that take care of federal government's "enforcement"

Question 48

iron triangles

Answer 48

relations between Congress, agencies, and interest groups for "mutual benefit"

Question 49

political patronage

Answer 49

granting favors for political support no bueno

Question 50

civil service

Answer 50

permanent, professional branches of government administration; nonpartisan and merit based

Question 51

merit system

Answer 51

hiring and promoting government employees based on their ability to perform the job only

Question 52

discretionary and rule making authority

Answer 52

power of agencies to implement laws; given by Congress

Question 53

agencies

Answer 53

cabinet appointments, independent executive. FBI, CIA, TSA, EPA, Department of Homeland Security

Question 54

oversight

Answer 54

legislature (Congress holds hearings) determines if current law is appropriate/is having the intended effects

Question 55

power of the purse

Answer 55

Access to funding. Congress has all the money. Fed 78

Question 56

red tape

Answer 56

bad parts of bureaucracy; too much paperwork, repetitive agencies, corporate is frustrating