Midterm 1 Key Terms Flashcards

Question

Writ of mandamus

Answer 1

A court order directing an official to perform an official duty.

Answer 2

Legislation that gives more meaning to the constitution based on sometimes vague constitutional authority. Ex: necessary and proper clause

Answer 3

An accusation made my lower house of legislature. The FIRST step in removal from office.

Answer 4

1. Orginalist- document has fixed meaning. Strict. | 2. Adaptive- document is flexible and responsive to changing needs of the times.

Answer 5

Directive issued by president or governor that has the force of law

Answer 6

Power to keep executive communications confidential, especially when related to national security.

Answer 7

Presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that congress authorized and appropriated.

Answer 8

A constitutional agreement in which power is distributed between a central government and states. The national and states exercise direct authority over individuals.

Answer 9

A constitutional arrangement that concentrates power in a central government.

Answer 10

Constitutional arrangement in which sovereign nations or states, by compact, create a central government but carefully limit its power and do not give it direct authority over individuals.

Answer 11

Powers given explicitly to national government and listed on the constitution

Answer 12

Powers inferred from the express powers that allow congress to carry out its functions

Answer 13

1. Article 1, section 8, clause 3 2. The clause in the constitution setting forth the implied powers of congress. It states that congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all the powers the constitution vests in the national government.

Answer 14

The powers of the national government in foreign affairs that the Supreme Court has declared do not depend on constitutional grants but rather grow out of the national governments obligation to protect the nation from domestic and foreign threats.

Answer 15

1. Article IV of constitution that gives national laws absolute power even when they compete with states laws.

Answer 16

1. Article 1, section 8, clause 1 2. Gives congress power to regulate all business activities that cross over state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.

Answer 17

Requirement national government imposes as a condition for receiving federal funds.

Answer 18

1. Tenth amendment | 2. Powers not specifically given to national government given to states

Answer 19

1. Article IV, section 1 2. Requires states to recognize civil judgements rendered by courts of other states and accept their public records and acts as valid.

Answer 20

Legal process by which an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by officials of one state to another in which crime is said to have been committed.

Answer 21

Agreement between two or more states, congress must approve most all of them

Answer 22

Effort to slow growth of national government by returning many functions back to the states.

Answer 23

Belief in superiority of ones nation or ethnic group.

Answer 24

Study of characteristics of populations

Answer 25

1. Reinforcing- divisions in society that reinforce one another, making groups more homogeneous, polorizing, conflict more intense. 2. Cross-cutting- divisions that cut across demographic categories to produce groups that are more heterogeneous. Pull people in directions. (Economic and religious can put you in two different groups)

Answer 26

19th century, us destined to rule continent

Answer 27

South and southwest, growing more than other states, attracts retirees.

Answer 28

Region in south with strongly committed Protestants who see public role for religion.

Answer 29

States in Midwest once known for industrial output, seen factories close and have high unemployment

Answer 30

Conservative Christians, becoming more active in politics past two decades. Influential in 2000 and 2004 elections.

Answer 31

Total output of all economic activity in nation, including goods and services

Answer 32

Socioeconomic status, division in population based on occupation, income, and education.

Answer 33

Dispensing of government jobs to persons belonging to the winning party

Answer 34

Beginning of presidents term with usually positive relations with press and congress, lasts about six months

Answer 35

Meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and decide platform

Answer 36

Meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and, in some cases, to select party candidates for public office.

Answer 37

An election in which voters choose party nominees.

Answer 38

1. Open- anyone may vote regardless of party | 2. Closed- only people registered to party may vote

Answer 39

Voting by a member of one party for a candidate of another party (republicans and independents help choose democratic nominee)

Answer 40

A national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and Vice President, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules.

Answer 41

Every four years the political parties draft a document stating the policy positions of the party. General party wide stances. Written vague on purpose to avoid controversy.

Answer 42

Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state and local parties for voter registration and get out the vote efforts.

Answer 43

Spending by political party committees that is independent of the candidate. The spending occurs in relatively few competitive contests and is often substantial.

Answer 44

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed. Raising such funds was harder than raising unlimited soft money, hence the term hard money.

Answer 45

Theory of government that open, multiple, and competing groups can check each other's power.

Answer 46

Collection of people who share a common interest or attitude and seek to influence government for specific ends. Within framework of government. (Ex: lds church, NRA)

Answer 47

Seek to change attitudes and institutions, not just policies.

Answer 48

1. Open shop- company that does not require membership to union as employment. 2. Closed shop- company that does require membership as condition of employment 3. Free rider- person who does not join a group representing him but still receives the benefit of the groups influence.

Answer 49

Official document, published every weekday, that lists the new and proposed regulations of executive departments and regulatory agencies.

Answer 50

"Friend of the court" brief, filed by individual or organization urging Supreme Court to hear a case (or not to), or to present arguments in addition to those presented by immediate parties to a case.

Answer 51

Independent expenditure only PACs, may accept donations of any size and can endorse candidates. Their contributions and spending must be reported to the FEC.

Answer 52

Tactic used by PACs to collect contribution from like minded individuals (each limited to 2,000) and present them to a candidate or political party as a bundle, this increasing the PACs influence.

Answer 53

Employed by and acts for an organized interest group

Answer 54

Employment cycle in which individuals who work or government agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or business with same policy concern.

Answer 55

Relationships among interest groups, congressional committees and sub-committed, and government agencies that share similar policy concern.

Answer 56

Political arm of an interest group that is legally entitled to raise funds on a voluntary basis from members, stockholders, or employees to contribute funds to candidates or political parties.

Answer 57

A PAC formed by an office holder that collects contributions from individuals and other PACs and then makes contributions to other candidates and political parties.

Answer 58

Bipartisan campaign reform act, largely banned party soft money, restored long standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions use of general treasury funds for electoral purposes, and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy.

Answer 59

The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals, groups, and parties can spend unlimited amounts in campaigns for or against candidates as long as they operate independently from candidates.

Answer 60

Unlimited and undisclosed spending by an individual or group on communications that do not use words vote for or vote against, although much of this activity is actually about electing or defeating candidates.

Answer 61

Political group organized under section 527 of the IRS code that may accept and spend unlimited amounts of money on election activities so long as they are not spent of broadcast ads run in the last 30 days of a primary or 60 days before a general election in which a clearly identified candidate is referred to and a relevant electorate is targeted.

Midterm 1 Key Terms Flashcards

(85 cards)