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GOVT 1 Final
Federal and California Government
87
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
12/16/2011

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term

True/False

 

The Constitution of 1849 is still in place in California today.

Definition

False.

 

CA first constitution. Had a 2 house legislature, supreme court, and exec branch. Only white males allowed to vote.

Term

True/False

 

In California the election of local and judicial offices is nonpartisan.

Definition

True.

 

nonpartisan elections- reform that removed party labels from ballots for local and judicial offices

Term
What was the basis of the influence of the "Big 4"?
Definition
Southern Pacific Railroad
Term
The procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office between scheduled elections is known as a ___________.
Definition
Recall
Term
The ______________ was known for its hostility towards Chinese workers in California.
Definition
Workingmen's Party
Term

True/False

 

An initiative is a process by which voters can demand the review and approval of a particular legislative action by the voters.

Definition

False.

 

It is a device so people can put laws and constitutional amendments on the ballot after getting enough signatures.

Term
Led by Hiram Johnson, the ____________ amended the California constitution to include recalls, referendums, and initiatives.
Definition
Progressives
Term

True/False

 

A referendum is a process by which voters can directly propose to enact constitutional amendment.

Definition

False.

 

It is a reform requiring the legislature to place certain measures before the voters.

Term
What did the Constitution of 1879 do?
Definition
It mandated regulation of the railroads.
Term
The Progressives replaced party conventions with ________ elections.
Definition
Primary
Term
Who are the Big 4?
Definition
Stanford, Hopkins, Crocker, Huntington
Term
What is generally considered the most important force in person's political socialization?
Definition
Family
Term

True/False

 

The electoral college is primarily a winner-take-all system.

Definition

True.

 

electoral college- group of electors selected by voters of each state to elect the Pres. and VP

 

WTAS- most votes wins

Term

 

In 1936, due to a ______________ the Literary Digest ran a poll predicting a landslide victory for Alf Landon over Franklin Roosevelt

Definition
Biased Sample
Term

True/False

 

Political parties generally prefer the closed primary

Definition

True.

 

Only party members can vote to choose that party's candidate

Term
What was a method historically used to prevent African Americans from voting?
Definition
Literacy Tests
Term
A primary in which voters choose the party primary in which they wish to vote without having formally registered as a member of that party is called __________
Definition
an open primary
Term

True/False

 

Historically in the U.S. the primary purpose of a poll tax was to fund the cost of running an election.

 

Definition

False.

 

Originally used to keep niggas down

Term

True/False

 

Independent expenditures are campaign contributions directed to a political party rather than an individual candidate.

Definition

False.

 

Spending by interest groups and political action committees on behalf of candidates

Term

True/False

 

In a general election voters choose the candidates of their party who will run in November.

 

Definition

False.

 

Voting for the President, vice president, and senators and representatives.

Term
In the past the _______________ loophole allowed corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals to contribute as much as they wanted to political parties
Definition
soft money
Term
The practice of states moving up the date of their primaries to earlier in the year is known as _____________
Definition
Front Loading
Term
The rights of all Americans to equal treatment under the law are called ___________
Definition
Civil Rights
Term

True/False

 

The Lemon Test is applied to cases involving freedom of the press.

Definition

False.

 

The Lemon Test is applied to see if money given to parochial schools is constitutional

Term

True/False

 

De Facto segregation refers to racial segregation that is established by law.

Definition

False.

 

It refers to the segregation caused by past social and economic conditions.

Term
What is an example of an establishment clause issue?
Definition

School prayer

 

Est. Clause- deals with religion

Term

True/False


Civil liberties can be understood as individual rights protected by the Constitution against the powers of the government.

Definition
True
Term

True/False

 

A law based on a suspect classification is subject to strict scrutiny by the courts.

Definition

True.

 

Profiling is wrong.

Term
The series of statements informing suspects, on their arrest, of their constitutional rights are known as ______________.
Definition
Miranda Warnings
Term
The separate-but-equal doctrine was overturned in the case of ________________.
Definition
Brown v. Board of Education
Term

True/False

 

To win a libel or slander case one need only prove that the statements made were untrue and caused actual harm.

Definition

False.

 

One needs to also prove that it stemmed from an intent to do harm

Term
Policies designed to give special consideration to members of groups that have been discriminated against in the past are known as ______________.
Definition
Affirmative action
Term
What is the name of the first Hispanic to become a Supreme Court justice?
Definition
Sonya Sotomayor
Term

True/False

 

 

An interest group can be defined as a group of individuals who organized to win elections, operate the government and determine policy.

Definition

False.

 

They share common objectives who actively attempt to influence policymakers

Term
parties formally select their presidential and vice-presidential candidates at their _______________ held every four years.
Definition
national convention
Term
The difficulty that exists when individuals who do not invest money or time in an interest group, but still share in the collective benefits of group actions is known as the ________________.
Definition
Free rider problem
Term

True/False

 

A political party is an organized group that attempts to influence policymakers.

Definition

False.

 

They are a group of individuals that try to win elections

Term

True/False

 

According to pluralist theory politics is a contest among various interest groups- at all levels of government- to gain benefits for their members.

 

Definition
True
Term
What is an example of a public-interest group?
Definition
American Civil Liberties Union
Term
A ________________ is a committee that is established by a corporation, union or special interest group to raise funds and make campaign contributions.
Definition
PAC (Political Action Committee)
Term

True/False

 

A party that has fewer members in the legislature than the oppsoing party is known as the minority party.

 

Definition
True.
Term
In terms of political parties the United States is considered to have a ______________ system
Definition
Two-party system
Term
What is an example of a third party in American politics?
Definition
The Green Party
Term
What animal is generally used as the symbol of the republican party?
Definition
Elephant
Term
Which Republican candidate for President is considered the most libertarian-leaning?
Definition
Ron Paul
Term

True/False

 

A constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget passed in the House of Representatives recently.

Definition

False.

 

Bullshit.

Term
The 2012 lead-off presidential caucus will be held in the state of ________.
Definition
Iowa
Term
The campus police chief at _____________ has been put on administrative leave after a video of campus pilice pepper-spraying peaceful demonstrators went viral on the internet, causing widespread outrage.
Definition
UC Davis
Term

True/False

 

Congress' bipartisan "supercommittee" that was tasked with cutting at least $1.2 trillion from the federal deficit announced Monday that it had failed to agree on a plan.

Definition
True
Term

True/False

 

A coalition backed by some of the biggest names in California politics and a billionaire financier is readying for a ballot initiative that would be a sweeping overhaul of California's tax system.

Definition
True
Term

True/False

 

Authorities say that illegal exchanges of food stamps for lesser amounts of cash may be diverting as much as $300 million in taxpayers' funds annually.

Definition
True
Term
What government program, tax, or benefit is not set to expire this December unless Congress takes action?
Definition
Marine V-22 Osprey aircraft. That shit stays.
Term
Obama's recent trip to _____________ is seen as having allowed him to present himself as a leader protectiong American interests and spreading American values.
Definition
Asia
Term

True/False

 

Giving in to calls from Lt. Governor Newsom the CSU board of trustees agreed to a new vote on a recently approved 9% increase in tuition.

Definition
False
Term
Which Republican presidential candidate has long been rumored to have "served" his first wife with divorce papers while she lay in a hospital with cancer?
Definition
Newt Gingrich
Term
The term _____________ refers to a reporter's slant on, or interpretation of, a particular event or action.
Definition
spin
Term
What federal program pays for health-care insurance for Americans aged 65 or older?
Definition
Medicare
Term
A televised comment, lasting for only a few seconds, that captures a thought or a perspective is known as a _____________.
Definition
sound bite
Term

True/False

 

The health care law passed in 2009 includes an individual mandate requirement.

Definition
True
Term

True/False

 

The Blue Dog Coalition is a group of conservative Republican members of the House of Representatives

Definition

False.

 

They are a caucus that unites the moderate-to-conservative democrats

Term
The use of changes in government expenditure and taxes to alter national economic variables is known as _____________.
Definition
fiscal policy
Term

True/False

 

Personal attack ads are a relatively modern aspect to campaigns first being introduced in the new medium of television in the 1950s.

Definition
False
Term

True/False

 

Reconciliation acts are not subject to a filibuster in the Senate.

Definition

True

 

must deal only with financial matters

Term
The agency set up by Congress to evaluate the impact of proposed measures on the federal budget is known as the _________
Definition
FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee)
Term
__________________ Economics says that government should act to stimulate the economy during periods of recession.
Definition
Keynesian Economics
Term
Which president's campaign ran the famous "daisy girl" ad?
Definition
Lyndon Johnson
Term
Expressed Powers
Definition
Constitutional or statutory powers that are expressly provided for by the Constitution
Term
Isolationism
Definition
A political policy of noninvolvement in world affairs
Term

FPPC

(Fair Political Practices Commission)

Definition

Est. by the Political Reform Act of 1974

 

This commission monitors candidates' campaign finance reports and lobbyists

Term
President Pro Tem
Definition
The legislative leader of the state senate; chairs the Rules Committee; selected by majority party
Term
Item Veto
Definition
The power of the governor to delete or reduce the budget within a bill without rejecting the entire bill or budget. 2/3 of both houses to override.
Term
Big Five
Definition
The governor, assembly speaker, assembly minority leader, senate president pro tem, and senate minority leader who gather informally to talk politics.
Term
Board of Supervisors
Definition

the five-member state board that oversees the collection of sales, gasoline, and liquor taxes.

 

Exec Branch

Term
Council-manager system
Definition
form of govt. where elected council appoints a professional manager to administer daily operations; used by most CA cities.
Term
implied powers
Definition
Power of the federal govt that is implied by the expressed power in article I, Section 8 of Constitution.
Term
Supremacy Clause
Definition

Article VI, Clause 2, of Constitution.

 

Makes all federal laws superior to conflicting state laws.

Term
Monroe Doctrine
Definition

President Monroe 1823

 

State that the US would not tolerate foreign intervention in the Western Hemisphere. Equally, US would stay out of Europe.

Term
Containment
Definition
A US policy designed to contain the spread of  communism by offering military and economic aid to threatened nations
Term
Term Limits
Definition

Limits the number of terms that officers can hold.

 

Exec. and Senators - 2 x 4 year terms

Assembly - 3 x 2 year terms

Local officials - 2-3 x 4 year terms

Term
Speaker of the Assembly
Definition

leader of the assembly; selected by the majority party; controls committee appointments.

 

Term
Gut-And-Amend
Definition
The process of removing the original provisions from a bill and inserting new, unrelated content.
Term
Judicial Council
Definition
Chaired by Chief Justice. Composed of 21 judges and attorneys. Runs the Judicial Branch operations
Term
Controller
Definition
An independently elected state executive who oversees taxing and spending
Term
Prop 98
Definition
1988- intitiative awarding public education a fixed percentage of the state budget
Term
Prop 13
Definition
The Jarvis-Gann initiative. Ballot measure that cut property taxes and significantly reduced revenues for local governments.
Term
COGs
Definition

Council of Governments

 

regional planning organizations with representation for cities and counties

Term
Fiscalization of Land Use
Definition
Cities and counties, when making land-use decisions, opt for the alternative that produces the most revenue
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