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Government
exam 1
77
Other
Undergraduate 1
10/30/2006

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Cards

Term
Declaration of independence
Definition
Declared our indepence from Gret Britian (by Thomas Jefferson)
Term
social contract theory
Definition
people can select a leader/ruler for certain purposes but they can resist or remove them if they do not do their job
Term
republic
Definition
elected representatives govern (no monarchy)
Term
confederation
Definition
loose assosiation of independent states that agree to coorporate on specific matters
Term
Articles of confederation
Definition
a compact between the first 13 states (first gov)
[gave central gov no power to tax)
Term
virginia plan
Definition
seperated gov into 3 branches and also made the legislative bicameral(erected in 1787)
[also allowed the national legislature to nullify state laws]
Term
legislative branch
Definition
makes laws
Term
executive branch
Definition
enforces laws
Term
judicial branch
Definition
interprets laws
Term
new jersey plan
Definition
set of 9 resolutions that would ammend the articules of confederation as opposed to getting rid of it
Term
Great compromise (conneticut comp.)
Definition
planned for a bicameral legislature
(states have equal representation and also its based on population)
Term
republicanism
Definition
form of gov where power resids in the people and they elect representatives
Term
federalism
Definition
the division of power between a central gov and regional govs
Term
extraoridinary majorities
Definition
majority rule greater than 50% +1
Term
checks and balances
Definition
allows each branch to check one another
Term
enumerated powers
Definition
powers granted to congress by the constitution (article 1)
Term
nessisary and proper clause
Definition
Gives congress the means to execute its enumerated powers (basis for implied powers)
Term
implied powers
Definition
those powers that congress requires in order to execute its enumerated powers
Term
judical review
Definition
power to declare gov. acts unconstitutional
Term
supremacy clase
Definition
national laws take precedence over state and local laws when they conflict (article 6)
Term
bill of rights
Definition
1st 10 ammendmentsto the constitution (prevent national government from tampering with fundamental rights and civil liberties)
Term
the 3/5 clause
Definition
gave didproportionate influence in presidential elections to white men in slave states
Term
The federalist papers
Definition
provided a rationale for pluralism/supported a strong central gov/pointed out how checks and balances would limit tyranny
Term
political socialization
Definition
process when people aquire their political values
Term
socioeconomic status
Definition
position in society (based on combo of education/job/income)
Term
self-interest principle
Definition
the implication that people choose what benifits them personally
Term
Federal communications commission (FCC)
Definition
independent federal agency that regulates interestate and communication by radio tv and other stuff
(also it forces a station to sell time to one canidate as the same as it would to the others)
Term
reasonable access rule
Definition
requires stations to make their facilties ok for expression of conflicting views or issues
Term
television hypothesis
Definition
idea that tv is to blame for the low level of citizens knowledge of puplic affairs
Term
political agenda
Definition
list of issues that need gov attention
Term
socialization
Definition
process of aquiring political veiws
Term
communitarians
Definition
tend to be prominent with people with low education and income
Term
ideologies
Definition
set of values and belifes people hold about the purpose and scope of gov
Term
mass media
Definition
more importand in the majoritiarian than the pluralist model of democracy
Term
lobbiyst
Definition
a representative from an interest group
Term
political action committee (PAC)
Definition
and org. that polls campaign contributions from group members and donates funds to canidates for political office
(also a method of using money to gain access to public officals)
[most contrubutions based on pragmatic stategies]
Term
direct lobbying
Definition
attempts to influence legislator's vote though personal contact
(most common is the personal presentation of a group's position)
Term
grassroot lobbying
Definition
lobbying by "rank-and-file"interest group members and would-be members
Term
information campaign
Definition
an organized effort to gain public backing by bringing groups views out into public
Term
coalition building
Definition
the banding together of several interst groups for the purpose of lobbying
Term
membership bias
Definition
tendency of source sectors of society-ecspessially the wealthy and educated
Term
James madison believed interest groups...
Definition
were natural but their effects could be controlled
Term
reapportionment
Definition
redistrubution of representatives among the states, based on population change (changes every 10 yrs)
Term
impeachment
Definition
charges president with high crimes
Term
incumbent
Definition
a current officeholder
Term
gerrymandering
Definition
redrawing a congressional district to benifit a specific party
Term
standing committee
Definition
permenent committee
Term
select committee
Definition
temp. committee made for a certain purpose
Term
conference committee
Definition
temp. committee to work out differences between the house and the senate.
Term
speaker of the house
Definition
the presiding officer of the house of reps.
Term
majority leader
Definition
head of the majority party in the senate (2nd highest ranking member of the majority party in the house)
Term
cloture
Definition
the mechanism when a filibuster is cutt off by the senate
Term
constituents
Definition
people who live and vote in a gov officals district or state
Term
delegate
Definition
a legislator who is mainly responsible to represent the majority view of his or her constituents regardless of his or her own view
Term
parliamentary system
Definition
a system of gov in which the cheif executiveis the leader whose party holds the most seats in the legislature after an election or whose party forms a major part of the ruling coalation
Term
house and senate can both
Definition
vote on declarations of war
Term
the legislative agenda is shaped by:
Definition
the president/party leaders and committe chairs/new issues and events
Term
what makes more of a plurilist system?
Definition
decentralization/ specialization/ congressional attention to interests of the district
Term
in the senate the greatest power is in the hands of...
Definition
the majority leader
Term
used in the house of reps but ont the senate______
Definition
rule on germaneness
Term
senates tradtion of unlimited debate promotes_____________
Definition
pluralism
Term
reps who seek re-election rarely lose....its known as___
Definition
the incumbency effect
Term
the incumbency effect
Definition
reps who seek re-election rarely lose
Term
senators seeking re-election...
Definition
realize the incumbency effect is less of an advantage
Term
inherent powers
Definition
also known as implied powers (powers claimed by the pres)
Term
executive orders
Definition
president can create/modify laws without congress knowing
Term
delegation of powers
Definition
congress goves president more power so they can solve something
Term
divided gov.
Definition
when one party controls the white house while the other controls at least one house of congress
Term
some things the president can do is be:
Definition
the administrative head of the union, cammander-in-chief of the military, treaty maker
Term
Article 2 gives the presedent the power to:
Definition
convene congress
Term
precedent
Definition
judical ruling (serves as the basis for the ruling in a subsequent case)
Term
stare decisis
Definition
"let the desicion stand"
Term
solicitor general
Definition
3rd highest ranking offical of the us (represents the national gov b4 the supreme court)
Term
concurring opinion
Definition
when a justice agrees with a judgement but for different reasons
Term
conservative likes:
Definition
order/freedom/equality
Term
liberal likes:
Definition
equality/freedom/order
Term
president carter emphasized_______
Definition
racial and political diversity
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