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US Government > Unit 3 > Flashcards

Unit 3 Flashcards

1
Q

How do people participate in politics?

A

Going to campaigns to get others to vote, protesting, contacting your elective representative

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2
Q

What makes political participation more effective?

A
  • The more people that are participating with you the more likely you are to be successful
  • The other way is how much you understand the situation. The more you know the more likely you are to be more effective
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3
Q

When did both parties swtiched to having national conventions?

A

1850

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4
Q

Is the voting system more democratic or republican?

A

Democratic; people choose who they can see on the ballot

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5
Q

What are the 2 main differences between the nominating contests and the general elections?

A
  • The audience changes, so you need to change your message to appeal to those voters
  • You move to the electoral college, which is why you only campaign in swing states
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6
Q

Why do we need negative campaigning?

A

We need negative campaigning because you need awareness of a person’s ideas. They need the criticisms to be relevant and true.

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7
Q

What are 2 factors that can help you come up with pretty predictable outcomes ?

A
  • State of the economy
  • Approval rating of the incoming president
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8
Q

What is the donation limit for individuals?

A

$2900

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9
Q

What is the donation limit for PAC?

A

$5000

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10
Q

When do donations have to be reported?

A

When the number becomes greater than $200

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11
Q

What are some things that are not limited among campaigns?

A
  • There is no limit on campaign spending
  • There’s also no limit on spending on behalf of campaigns without coordinating with them
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12
Q

What are the 2 negatives of campaign finance?

A
  • Campaigns spend more time fundraising than doing their jobs
  • It provides an advantage for incumbents over challengers. Incumbents know more people which is why they tend to get more donations
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13
Q

What is a shortcut that people use in determining how to vote?

A
  • Party identification because it provides you with relevant information
  • Nature of the times - how things are going in the country, if things are going well then you’re more likely to vote more the party that’s in power
  • Third shortcut in single-issue voting. If people agree with the candidate on specific issues then they will be very likely to vote for them
  • The fourth shortcut is an endorsement. If smart people endorse someone specific then more people are likely to vote for them
  • Characteristics of an individual’s look also matter in voting. People tended to vote for the taller candidate
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14
Q

The Speaker of the House has three important powers

A
  • The speaker controls the schedule for the House of Representatives. They can choose to push out a bill by never scheduling it for a vote.
  • They have a lot of influence on who ends up on which committee. - They have power over committee assignments.
  • The Speaker gets to assign bills to committees
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15
Q

What’s the constitutionally elected leader in the Senate?

A

The Vice President

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16
Q

What does Causcasus do?

A

They decide outcomes for bills

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17
Q

What are the important parts of a committee?

A
  • Committees allow for a division of labor (so more can get done) and allow for members to develop expertise in particular subjects since they deal with the same types of issues over and over again on a committee.
  • The second thing you would care about is the amount of influence over Congress
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18
Q

What does the appropriation committee do?

A

they drafts the actual budget on how much money they will spend on an item

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19
Q

What does the ways and means committee do?

A

they deals with where the money comes from

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20
Q

What does the budget committee do?

A

they set the overall parameters for budgets. For example, how much money goes towards each place/organization

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21
Q

What does the rules committee do?

A

they set rules for the bills on the floor of the Senate

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22
Q

What does the judiciary committee do?

A

they deal with nominations to the court

23
Q

What does the intelligence committee do?

A

oversees intelligence and finds what the country cares about and brings coverage to them

24
Q

Which committee is the least likely that people want to join?

A

The ethics committee because they charge people of congress

25
Q

What do staff members do? And why are they important?

A

They research information on a certain bill, take phone calls, they serve as filters for information, and summarize information to certain people in Congress (which gives the staff power because can filter out certain biases which can affect the voting rate)

26
Q

Steps for a bill to become a law

A
  • The first step is the bill has to be sponsored by a representative
  • Then it goes to a committee (they invite people to come to testify the bill, they hold hearings). A majority of the committee has to vote for the bill
  • Then it comes to the House Floor (they debate about it, and make changes to it), and a majority vote in the House has to be there for the bill to be passed
  • They need 60 votes in favor of the bill (if you have a filibuster)
    If there are differences between the House version and the Senate version then it goes to a conference committee
  • After all of these steps are over then the bill goes to the president (the president decides whether to sign or veto the bill). If the president does end up vetoing the bill then there should be a ⅔ majority of the House and the Senate to override the veto.
27
Q

What’s the impact of a bill?

A
  1. The vast majority of bills die somewhere along the way (approx 95%)
  2. The bills that do make it through generally involve a lot of compromises
28
Q

How do delegates vote?

A

The delegates vote in the way his/her constituents want.

29
Q

How do trustees votes?

A

A trustee votes in the way he/her thinks is the best regardless of what the majority of the district wants.

30
Q

Who represents the views of the majority?

A

Delegates

31
Q

Constituents advocate

A
  • they help people who have problems with the federal government. This way makes them gain support, which makes the people vote for the person more who helped them
32
Q

Why is a representation for show a problem?

A
  • because people do good things for constituents, but it doesn’t make a difference. For example - voting for a bill that you know won’t pass, but continue to vote for it anyways just to look good
33
Q

What are the qualifications to becoming a president?

A
  • you have to be a natural-born citizen
  • Have to be a resident of the country for at least 14 years
  • Have to be 35 years old
34
Q

What are the six roles of the president?

A
  • The first role of the president is to be the head of state (similar to a figurehead)
  • The second role of the president is to be the head of the government, overseeing the executive branch
  • The third role is being the chief legislature. People are going to debate the issues that the president says are important.
  • The fourth role is being chief diplomat. Whenever the US engages diplomatically they do so with the president’s voice
  • The fifth role is being commander in chief. They oversee the military
  • The last role includes being head of his/her political party
35
Q

What are the formal powers of the president?

A
  • First formal power is the veto. If the bill is dead ⅔ the houses of Congress can override the veto.
  • Second formal power is the power to negotiate treaties. You need a ⅔ vote in the Senate to ratify a treaty.
  • Executive privilege is a lot like attorney-client privilege. People want the president to be well-informed before making a decision.
  • The president has the power to propose the budget.
  • The last power that the president has is the power of pardon. If the president pardons a case it means that the case is wiped away completely as if it never happened.
36
Q

What are formal powers?

A

Formal powers are the powers that you will find in writing.

37
Q

What are informal powers?

A

Informal powers are powers that come with just the job.

38
Q

What are the informal powers that the president has?

A
  • The power of visibility, they have an easier time getting their message out to everyone else.
  • The title and trappings of the office. It causes people to listen to what the president has to say.
  • Access is the third and final informal power. The president has access to people. The president has the opportunity to persuade people to make his formal powers more persuasive.
39
Q

Bureaucracy

A

It’s an organization that is designed to perform a particular set of tasks

40
Q

What are the 4 characteristics of bureaucracy?

A
  • They are based in hierarchy. Everyone knows where the bureaucracy is fit within the organization. You know who you work for, you know who works for you.
  • They have clear lines of accountability and responsibility. - - Each particular part of the bureaucracy has their own tasks.
  • Bureaucracy tends to develop specialization and expertise. If people do specific things then they tend to become experts in that given area.
  • They make use of rational procedures
41
Q

What are the 4 Negative Tendencies of bureaucracy?

A

They tend to be expansionary. They need more manpower, more resources, etc.
They tend to become rigid. Their rules became thicker and stricter over time because of different scenarios.
They tend to become sluggish. Over time they have more layers of managers, assistant managers, etc to go to the top position. Change takes a long time.
They tend to become isolated. Because agencies get into conflict with one another. That’s why they tend to isolate from one another.

42
Q

What are are 3 types of jurisdiction?

A

Original jurisdiction - has the authority to hear a case for the first time
Appellate jurisdiction - has the authority to hear a case that’s already been decided. For example, if you appeal a case you go to an appellate court. Their main job is to see if the procedures were followed well in the first trial. They also make sure to see if your rights were protected. Appellate courts can do 3 things. Not introducing evidence, throwing out conviction, and dismissing your ideas.
Final jurisdiction - The court has the authority to hear a case for the last time. Once a court reaches a final jurisdiction there are no more appeals

43
Q

Precedence

A

Decisions based on what happened in the past. We want to be consistent. Precedence follows decisions made in the past.

44
Q

Opinion

A

When a judge issues a ruling in a case they explain why they took the action they did. A written explanation of the judge’s decision.

45
Q

3 interpretations of the Constitution

A
  • Originalist interpretation - when you interpret the Constitution based on what the people who wrote the Constitution were trying to do. The advantage of this interpretation is allowing people who wrote the Constitution to shape what it means.
  • Evolving interpretation - as society changes our interpretation of the Constitution changes along with it. For example, women were allowed to vote over time.
  • Plain meaning - most people come to the same conclusion. The disadvantage of this interpretation is how the constitution is very vague. We also have different interpretations of the same thing.
46
Q

What are the 3 different limitations on free speech?

A

Speech that can deliberately/ predictably mean harm to people can be restricted
You can be sued for liable or slander
Obscenity can be obstructed - ask for a definition offensive to the community and has no redeeming social value

47
Q

Who do civil liberties protect you from?

A

Government

48
Q

What are some civil liberties?

A
  • Trial by a jury of your peers
  • To face and compel witnesses. - Witnesses have to show up at court. The government can issue subpoenas to come and testify in court.
  • You are protected from cruel and unusual punishment. The death penalty is not considered a part of the cruel and unusual punishment.
  • Double jeopardy, you cannot be tried twice for the same crime.
    Our legal system is designed to be biased toward the defendant because “innocent until proven guilty”.
49
Q

What are the 2 ways that a trial could be ended in a wrong outcome?

A
  • Innocent but convicted guilty
  • Guilty but set free
50
Q

What are the 2 ways you can be searched?

A
  • Get a warrant
  • Probable cause (they can see, and smell illegal activities going on your property)
51
Q

What are categories of people who can’t be forced to testify against you:

A

Your spouse
Your attorney
Anyone you go to for medical treatment
Anyone you go to for religious/ psychological counseling

52
Q

Why is there a jury of random citizens?

A

Because everyone works for the government for example the judge works for the government that’s why they need someone who doesn’t work for the government

53
Q

Who do civil rights protect you from?

A

These are rights that you have that protect you from everyone (not just the government)

54
Q

Civil disobedience

A

non-violently, publicly, you accept punishment for breaking the law

US Government (3 decks)

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