| A | B |
|---|
| pluralism | Theory that democracy can be achieved through competition among mulitiple organized groups and that individuals can participate in politics through group memberships and elections. |
| democratic republic | authority is delegated to elected representatives to make and enforce laws on behalf of citizens |
| direct democracy | Rule by the people with either individuals participating in making legislation or policy or making decisions without delegating authority to elected representatives |
| bicameral legislature | 2 chambers sharing control of Congress. |
| checks and balances | Each branch of government has the power to check or limit the actions of the other two to ensure that no one branch becomes too powerful. |
| separation of powers | “The constitution divides the government into 3 branches: Legislative, Executive, Judicial. Each branch has its own purpose: to make the laws, execute the laws, and interpret the laws.” |
| Great Compromise | “An agreement in which Congress would have two houses, the Senate (where each state gets equal representation-two senators)(New Jersey Plan) and the House of Representatives (where representation is based on population)(Virgina Plan).” |
| federalism | Form of government in which power is divided between the federal government and the states. |
| block grant | Federal grant given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services. |
| categorical grant | “Federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or "categories," of state and local spending. They come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions.” |
| commerce clause | “The clause in the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.” |
| concurrent powers | “Powers that the Constitution gives to both the national and state governments, such as the power to levy taxes.” |
| cooperative federalism | Stresses federalism as a system of intergovernmental relations in delivering governmental goods and services to the people and calls for cooperation among various levels of government. |
| dual federalism | Views the Constitution as giving a limited list of powers—primarily foreign policy and national defense—to the national government, leaving the rest to the sovereign states. Each level of government is dominant within its own sphere. The Supreme Court serves as the umpire between the national government and the states in disputes over which level of government has responsibility for a particular activity. |
| elastic clause | “Clause in the Constitution that states that “Congress should have the power to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers. . . .” This clause is also known as the elastic clause as is a major and significant power of Congress, granting Congress the ability to interpret its lawmaking ability in a broad manner.” |
| supremacy clause | “Constitutional doctrine that whenever conflict occurs between the constitutionally authorized actions of the national government and those of a state or local government, the actions of the federal government will prevail.” |
| civil liberties | freedoms to think and act without government interference or fear of unfair legal treatment |
| clear and present danger | Interpretation of the First Amendment that holds that the government cannot interfere with speech unless the speech presents a clear and present danger that it will lead to evil or illegal acts. |
| establishment clause | Clause in the First Amendment that states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. The Supreme Court has interpreted this to forbid governmental support to any or all religions. |
| free exercise clause | Clause in the First Amendment that states that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. |
| exclusionary rule | a law that prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence in a criminal trial. |
| civil rights | the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality. |
| civil disobedience | “the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest.” |
| defacto segregation | “Racial segregation, especially in public schools, that happens “by fact” rather than by legal requirement.” |
| dejure segregation | is separation enforced by law |
| separate but equal doctrine | “constitutional law that justified and permitted racial segregation as not being in breach of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which guaranteed equal protection under the law to all citizens, and other federal civil rights laws.” |
| agenda setting | the ability [of the news media] to influence the salience of topics on the public agenda. |
| generational effect | information is better remembered if it is generated from one's own mind rather than simply read. |
| life cycle effect | mediated process of aging that changes political attitudes and associated behavior |
| opinion poll | an assessment of public opinion obtained by questioning a representative sample. |
| political socialization | The proccess in which one accquires thier ideas about politics. Number one being that from family and secondly, from education. |
| public opinion | A combination of the ideas and beliefs held by the adult population. |
| free rider problem | Where a group of people benefit more than their fair share. |
| interest group | An organized group that tries to convince the government to adapt certian policies that would benefit them. |
| lobbyist | Someone who tries the persuade legislators to benefit their cause. |
| public interest | The appeal to the relevance of the general population. |
| third parties | An alternative party from the normal two main parties in a two party system. |
| dealignment | When a large group of electorates abandons thier party without creating a new one. |
| divided government | When one party controls the Executive Branch and the other has the majority in Congress. |
| electoral college | People who represent the states of the US who formally cast their votes for the election of the President. |
| party identification | An informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood. |
| political party | An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy. |
| realignment | An election during periods of expanded suffrage and change in the economy and society that proves to be a turning point, redefining the agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within parties. |
| safe seat | An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party’s candidate is almost taken for granted. |
| swing voters | the approximately one-third of the electorate who are undecided at the start of a campaign |
| Austrialian ballot | A secret ballot printed by the state. |
| 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.” |
| registration | System designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents. |
| voter turnout | The proportion of the voting age public that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote. |
| battleground state | “A state in which no candidate has overwhelming support, meaning that any of the major candidates have a reasonable chance of winning the state's electoral college votes. Swing states” |
| beauty contest | A presidential primary in which contending candidates compete for popular votes but the results do not control the selection of delegates to the national convention |
| caucus | A meeting of party members designed to select candidates and propose policies. |
| open primary | A primary in which any registrered voter can vote( but must vote for candidates of only one party). |
| closed primary | A type of primary in which the voter is limited to choosing candidates of the party of which he or she is a memeber. |
| general election | an election held to choose which candidate will hold office. |
| front loading | The practice of moving presidential primary elections to the early part of the campaign to maximize the impact of these primaries on the nomination. |
| independent expenditures | “Non-regulated contributions from PAC's organization, and individuals. The funds may be spend on advertising or other campaign activities so long as those expenditures are not coordinated with those of a candidate.” |
| issue advocacy advertising | Advertising paid for by interest groups that support or oppose a candidate's postion on an issue without mentioning voting or elections. |
| PAC | “A committee set up by and representing a corporation, labor union. or special interest group. PAC's raise and give campaign donations.” |
| super delegate | A party leader or elected official who is given the right to vote at party's national convention. Superdelegates are not elected at the state level. |
| public agenda | Issues that are perceived by the political community as meriting public attention and governmental action |
| sound bite | A radio or video clip of someone speaking |
| spin | An interpretation of campaign events or election results that is favorable to the canidate's campaign strategy |
| appropriation | A legislative grant of money to fianance a government program or agency |
| casework | Social work directly concerned with individuals especially that involving a study of a person's family history and personal circumstances |
| conference committee | Joint committees appointed to resolve differences in the Senate and House versions of the same bill |
| earmarks | "Hidden" congressional provisions that direct the federal government to fund specific projects or that exempt specific persons or groups from paying specific federal taxes or fees. A provision in a law that provides a direct benefit to a client without the benefit having been reviewed on the merits by all of Congress. |
| constituent | Being a voting member of a community or orginization and having the power to appoint or elect |
| filibuster | An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely thus preventing the Senate from taking action on the bill |
| gerrymandering | Drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party |
| hillstyle | “the actions and behaviors of a member of Congress in Washington, D.C., intended to promote polices and the member's own career aspirations” |
| homestyle | The actions and behaviors of a member of Congress aimed at the constituents and intended to win the support and trust of the voters at home. |
| instructed delegate | A legislator who is an agent of the voters who elected him or her and who votes according to the view of constituents regardless of personal beliefs. |
| trustee | A legislator who acts according to her or his conscience and the broad interests of the entire society. |
| Rules Committee | “A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the House.” |
| logrolling | An arrangement in which two or more members of Congress agree in advance to support each other's bills. |
| oversight | The process by which Congress follows up on laws it has enacted to ensure that they are being enforced and administered in the way Congress intended. |
| reapportionment | The allocation of seats in the House of Representatives to each state after each census. |
| redistricting | The redrawing of the boundaries of the congressional districts within each state. |
| select committee | A temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period and for a special purpose. |
| executive order | A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law. Executive orders can implement and give administrative effect to provisions in the Constitution, to treaties, and to statutes |
| executive privilege | The right of executive officials to withhold information from or to refuse to appear before a legislative committee |
| impeachment | “The power delegated to the House of Representatives in the Constitution to charge the president, vice president, or other "civil officers," including federal judges, with "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." This is the first step in the constitutional process of removing such government officials from office.” |
| OMB | “A division of the Executive Office of the President; assists the president in preparing the annual budget, clearing and coordinating departmental agency budgets, and supervising the administration of the federal budget” |
| War Powers Resolution | “Passed by Congress in 1973; the president ins limited i the deployment of troops overseas to a sixty-day period in peacetime (which can be extended for an extra thirty days to permit withdrawal) unless Congress explicitly gives its approval for a longer period.” |
| White House Office | Presidential staff who oversee the policy interests of the president |
| iron triangle | “concept stating that committees in the House and Senate, federal departments and agencies, and think tanks and interest groups all work together to develop and conserve their own power, and expand their political influence.” |
| issue network | “Individuals in D.C. -located within interest groups, congressional staff, think tanks, universities, & the media--who regularly discuss & advocate public policies” |
| independent agency | “A government entity that is independent of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.” |
| independent regulatory agency | a government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress |
| Pendleton Act | Reform measure that created the civil service commission to administer a partial merit system. |
| merit system | “The system by which federal civil service jobs are classified into grades or levels, to which appointments are made on the basis of performance on competitive examinations” |
| stare decisis | “in court rulings, a reliance on past decisions or precedents to formulate decisions in new cases” |
| writ of certiorari | a request for the Court to order up the records from a lower court to review the case |
| judicial review | “power of the courts to review acts of other branches of government and the states; Marbury v. Madison” |
| judicial activisism | “An approach to judicial review which holds that judges should discover the general principles underlying the Constitution and its often vague language, amplify those principles on the basis of some moral or economic philosophy, and apply them to cases.” |
| judicial restraint | a philosophy of judicial decision making that argues courts should allow the decisions of other branches of government to stand, even when they offend a judge's own sense of principles |
| precedent | prior judicial decision that serves as a rule for settling subsequent cases of a similar nature |
| Rule of Four | at least four justices of the Supreme Court must vote to consider a case before it can be heard |
| senatorial courtesy | An unwritten traditions whereby nominations for state-level federal judicial posts are not confirmed if they are opposed by a senator from the state in which the nominee will serve. The tradition also applies to courts of appeal when there is opposition from the nominee's state senator. |
