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Definition
| In the early 20th century the primaries were used to select national convention delegates instead of State conventions |
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Term
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| Meeting of candidate supporters who choose delegates to a state or national convention - a group within congress formed by members to pursue common insterests |
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| certain kinds of party leaders - members of the house and senate who became automatic or ex-officio delegates |
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| public money that the federal election commission distributes to primary candidates according to a pre-specified format |
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Term
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extended period of campaigning that occurs before any primaries or caucuses take place.
Incl. fundraising, trying out issues and themes, spending time in small number of the early primary states to build momentum |
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Definition
| many states move their primaries and caucuses early in the calendar |
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| Strengths and Weaknesses of the Nomination Process |
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Definition
More popular participation
Implementation of Superdelegates show that not everyone wants popular election of candidates
Voters in Iowa and NH have a disproportionate amount of influence
Political activists exert more influence in nomination so candidates who appeal to activists have an advantage
Media turned campaigns into a competitive game
Nomination process takes too long |
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| 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act |
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Definition
| The general election of the two major party candidates were federally funded |
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| Money contributed by interest groups, lobar unions, and individual donors that is not subject to federal regulations |
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| Bi-partisan Campaign Reform Act |
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Definition
banned soft money at the national level
>reasons: 1. 527 poli. organizations formed primarily to influence elections and therefore exempt from most federal taxes. 2. 3rd party candidates get no funding |
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Term
| retrospective / prospective voting |
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Definition
| voting on basis of the past performance of the incumbent administration / voting on basis of the candidates policy promises |
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Term
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| Senate elected by popular vote - The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures. |
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| the allocation of House seats to the states after reach decade census |
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Term
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| drawing new boundaries of congressional districts after the census with equal populations in each district - Wesberry v. Sanders = a case involving congressional districts in the state of Georgia, brought before the Supreme Court of the United States |
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Definition
| A house or senate race with no incumbent |
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| Obstacles for Challengers against incumbents |
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Definition
| 1. low visibility 2. safe seat - congressional district certain to vote for the candidate of one party 3. overcoming incumbency advantage = the electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by virtue of being an incumbent, over and above his other personal and political charateristics |
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| Bills for the construction of major public works that benefit a particular district or state, such as bridges, dams, and highways or the establishment of military bases |
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| The ability of the presidential nominee to help get these other officials elected - i.e. Ronald Reagan had long coattails in 1980, when enough Republicans were elected to give the party control of the Senate for the first time in a quarter-century. |
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| voting in which nearly all members of an ethnic or racial group vote for the same candidate or party |
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Term
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| redistricting and racial gerrymandering must be held under strict scrutiny to ensure compliance with Voting Rights Act - Case involved the restricting of North Carolina |
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Term
| The First Branch + its powers |
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Definition
Congress - called the first branch because Constitution describes its powers in article one.
Powers - 1. to tax, spend 2. to declare war 3. necessary and proper clause |
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Definition
| Screening process whereby members of each camber are divided into committees specializing in one particular policy area |
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Definition
| permanent committees that determine whether proposed legislation should be presented to the entire House or Senate for consideration. |
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Term
| Select Committees (Special Committees) |
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Definition
| these are temporary and are established to examine specific issues. They must be reestablished with each new Congress. The purpose of select committees is to investigate matters that have attracted widespread attention, such as illegal immigration or drug use. They do not propose legislation but issue a report at the conclusion of their investigation (i.e. HOMELAND Security) |
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| House Committees - three levels of importance |
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Definition
Top: Rules (right arm of the speaker), Appropriations, Ways and Means, and Commerce
2nd Lev.: nationally significant policy areas such as Arms services Civil Rights
3rd Lev.: government reform and oversight, Veterans affairs |
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| Senate Committees - major and minor committees |
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Definition
Major: appropriations and finance
Minor: rules committee |
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| Logrolling + three theories of purpose |
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Definition
| representatives from different states and even different parties may agree to support each other's legislative agendas - Purpose: distributive, informative, and partisan manner |
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Term
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Definition
| Bill is introduced (except for revenue and tax bills (house only), all other legislation introduced in house + senate)-> refer to house or senate committee -> referred to subcommittee -> reported by full committee -> full house, senate debates and votes on passage -> conference committee -> House,Senate approval -> president -> veto overridden or signed |
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| Economic development agency |
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Definition
| Everyone wanted a piece of the action so almost 80 percent of all counties were classified as economically depressed |
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Term
| State of the Union Address |
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Definition
| speech every January given by the president fulfillment of the constitutional obligations of reporting to Congress on the state of the union |
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Term
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Definition
| Modern Persuasive Power - the nature of presidential status as an ideal vehicle for persuading the public to support the president's policies. FDR's Fireside Chat |
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Term
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Definition
| presidential veto after congress postpone executed merely by not signing a bill into alaw |
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| President could reject specific spending items within a larger bill. The Supreme Court struck down this attempt to increase presidential discretion two years later, however, in Clinton v. City of New York. |
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| President as Chief of State (Unchecked power) |
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Definition
| president have the ability to meet with ambassadors and other public ministers and commission all the officers of the United States |
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Term
| Efficient and Dignified aspect |
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Definition
according to Walter Bagehot there are two aspects of government
efficient - aspect of govt that involved making policy, administering the laws, and settling disputes
dignified - aspect of govt included royalty and ceremony that generates citizen respect and loyalty |
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Term
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Definition
| a presidential directive that has the force of law, though it is not enacted by Congress. It can be overturned by Congress. i.e. Truman desegregate the armed forces, johnson institute affirmative action, reagan no homosexuals in military and W Bush authorize military trials for suspected Al Qaeda terrorists |
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Definition
| the right of the president to deny Congress information it requests on the grounds that the activities of the executive branch must be kept confidential |
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| originally called special prosecutor - legal officer appointed by a court to investigate allegations of criminal activity on the part of high-ranking members of the executive branch |
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Term
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Definition
| independent organization created by Congress to fulfill functions related to business - i.e. FDIC insures bank deposits + national railroad passenger corp. runs Amtrak |
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| Bureaucracy Problem (5 things) |
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Definition
1. Impossibility of tasks - objectives are complicated and goals are often vague and indefinite
2. Difficulty measuring performance
3. Expansionary tendencies - try to expand to address a problem better, always feel the need for money + personnel
4. slow to change - standard procedures make it difficult to adjust to new circumstances
5. red tape - serves as a procedural safeguard making sure that a project is handled properly. (things take awhile) |
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Definition
| a system of government employment in which workers are hired on the basis of party loyalty |
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Term
| advantage of spoils system |
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Definition
Gave immigrants an outlet of gaining political power in everyday life
Similar to comtmeporary affirmative action |
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| disadvantage of spoils system |
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Definition
education, training and experience count for little
the best man for the job is not necessarily the recipient |
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Term
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Definition
| a system in which government employees are chosen according to their educational qualifications, performances, or examinations, and work experiences |
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Definition
| a group of civil service reformers who maintained that government officials should be chosen on a merit basis |
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Term
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| a system for hiring federal workers based on qualifications rather than political allegiance; employees were also protected from losing their jobs when the administration changed. |
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Term
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Definition
| Hatch Act (1939) prohibited federal workers from running for office or actively campaigning for other candidates. Such limitations on civil liberties are considered by many the price that has to be paid for a professional, nonpolitical bureaucracy. |
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Term
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Definition
| political appointees who come in, go out and come back in again with each change in administration - lacks the continuity necessary for sustained policy focus |
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Term
| The President and Bureucracy |
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Definition
| Constitution gives the president the power to enforce laws by using the bureucracy |
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Term
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Definition
| Secretary of state, defense, treasury, justice |
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Term
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| newer departments that have fewer ties to the president and are more influenced by interest group pressure. i.e. Agriculture Department Secretary |
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| Independent regulatory agencies |
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Definition
| Most were established by congress to protect workers and consumers from negligent business practices - i.e. Federal Trade Commission )FTC) |
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Term
| Office of Management and Budget (OMB) |
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Definition
| responsible for coordinating the work of departments and agencies of the executive branch |
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| Congressional Budget Office (CBO) |
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Definition
| Congressional agency that evaluates the president's budget as well as the budgetary implications of all other legislation |
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Term
| Congressional Budget Office (CBO) |
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Definition
| Congressional agency that evaluates the president's budget as well as the budgetary implications of all other legislation |
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Term
| Congress and the Bureaucracy |
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Definition
| Bureaucrats are often forced to report to committees which essentially run their agencies |
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Term
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Definition
| the president may make appointments when the senate is in recess and is not subject to their approval - but senate passed legislation that appointee who serve more than 1 year will be prohibited from payment of salary |
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Term
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Definition
| a specific congressional designation of the way money is to be spent - each agency submits a budget for the president to give to congress - then they must defend their budget before the appropriations committee |
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Definition
| agencies, interest groups, and congressional committee |
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Definition
| loose competitive relationships among policy experts, committees, interest groups, and governmental agencies |
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Definition
| requires federal government meetings be held in public. avoid bureaucratic secrecy |
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Definition
| Power of the courts to declare null and void laws of Congress and state legislatures that they find unconstitutional - Marbury vs. Madison (Marbury could not sue on the basis that his job was not a public matter) |
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Term
| 3 theories of Constitutional Interpretation - Original Intent |
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Definition
| determines the constitutionality of a law by ascertaining the intentions of those who wrote and ratified the constitution - believers of OI believes the court limited role in politics |
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Term
| 3 theories of Constitutional Interpretation - living constitution theory |
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Definition
| interpretation that places the meaning of the constitution in light of the total history of the United States - sees broader role for the courts to play in contemporary political controversies |
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Term
| 3 theories of Constitutional Interpretation - Plain meaning of the Text theory |
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Definition
| determines the constitutionality of a law in light of what the words of constitution obviously say - court should not go beyond printed words so be cautious but limited |
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Term
| Lochner vs. New York (1905) |
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Definition
| state of NY could not regulate the number of hours that bakers worked, because to do so deprived them of the right to work as long and as hard as they pleased |
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| Schechter Poultry Corp v. US (1935) |
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Definition
| The National Industrial Recovery Act (unconstitutional) - which addressed labor and competition in the private sector, an unconstitutional intrusion on the power of the states to regulate commerce inside their own border - "sick chicken" case |
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| the lowest level of the federal court system and the courts in which most federal trials are held |
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| decisions by federal district courts are appeals |
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| the judicial act of interpreting and applying ordinary laws, rather than the Constitution, to specific cases |
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| a document issued by the supreme court indicating that the court will review a decision made by a lower court - requires vote of four justice |
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