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American Democracy Now
Test Two
83
Political Studies
Undergraduate 3
03/02/2010

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

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Term
Political Socialization
Definition
the process by which we develop our political values and opinions through out our lives
Term
Agents of socialization
Definition
the individuals, organizations, and institutions that facilitate the acquisition of political view
Term
Gender Gap
Definition
the measurable difference in the way women and men vote for candidates and in the way they view political
Term
Generational effect
Definition
the impact of an important external event in shaping the views of a generation
Term
Public Opinion
Definition
the public's expressed views about an issue at a specific point in time
Term
Public opinion poll
Definition
a survey of a given population's opinion on an issue or a candidate at a particular point in time
Term
Straw Poll
Definition
a poll conducted in an unscientiffic manner, used to predict election outcomes
Term
Population
Definition
in a poll, the group of people whose opinion are of interest and/or about whom information is desired
Term
Random sampling
Definition
a scientific method of selection for a poll in which each member of the population has an equal chance at being included in the sample
Term
Quota Sample
Definition
a method by which pollsters structure a sample so that it is representative of the characteristics of the target population
Term
Stratified sampling
Definition
a process of random sampling in which the national population is divided into fourths and certain areas within these regions are selected as representative of the national population
Term
Sampling Error
Definition
also called margin of error; a statistical calculation of the difference in results between a poll of a randomly drawn sample and a poll of the entire population
Term
Tracking Polls
Definition
polls that measure changes in public opinion over the course of days, weeks, or months by repeatedly asking respondents the same questions and measuring changes in their responses
Term
Push Polls
Definition
a special type of poll that both provides information to campaigns about candidate strengths and weakness and attempts to skew public opinion about a candidate
Term
exit Polls
Definition
polls conducted at polling places on Election Day to determine the winner of an election before the polls close
Term
Reapportionment
Definition
reallocation of  seats in the House of Representatives to each state based on changes in the state's population since the last census
Term
redistricting
Definition
redrawing of congressional district boundaries within each state, based on the reapportionment from the census
Term
gerrymandering
Definition
the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit an incumbent, a political party, or anouther group
Term
majority-minority district
Definition
a legislative district composed of a majority of a given minority community- say, AFrican American--the inent of which is to make it likely that a memeber of that minority will be elected to Congress
Term
trustee model
Definition
a model of representation in which a member of a the House or Senate should articualte and vote for the position taht best represents the views of constituents
Term
Instructed delegate model
Definition
a model of representation in which legislators, as representatives of their constituents, should vote in keeping with the constituents' views, even if those views contradicts the legislator's personal views
Term
Pork barrel
Definition
legislators' appropriations of funds for special projects located within their congressional district
Term
earmark
Definition
a designation within a spending bill that provides for a specific expenditure
Term
casework
Definition
personal work by a member of Congress on beahlf of a constituent or group of constituents, trypically aimed at getting the government to do something the constituent wants done
Term
ombudsperson
Definition
a role in which an elected or appointed leader acts as an advocate for citizens by listening to and investigating complains against a government agency
Term
oversight
Definition
the process by which the legislative branch "checks" the executive branch to ensure that the laws Congress has passed are being administered in keeping with legislators' intent
Term
agenda setting
Definition
determination by Congress of which public issues the government should consider for legislation
Term
bill
Definition
a proposed piece of legislation
Term
hopper
Definition
a wooden box that sits on a desk at the front of the house of representatives, into which House members place bills they want to introduce
Term
joint referral
Definition
the practice, abolished in the 104th Congress, by which a bill could be referred to two different committees for consideration
Term
lead committee
Definition
the primary comitte considering a bill
Term
seniortiy system
Definition
the system in which the memeber with the longest continuous tenure on a standing commitee is given preference when the committee chooses its chair
Term
standing commitee
Definition
permanent committee in Congress, with a defined legislative jurisdiction
Term
select committe
Definition
congressional committee created to consider specific policy issues or address a specific concern
Term
joint committee
Definition
bicameral committee composed of members of both chambers of congress
Term
subcommittee
Definition
a subordinate committee in Congress that typically handles, specific areas of a standing committee's jurisdiction
Term
agency review
Definition
part of the committee or subcommittee process of considering a bill, wherein committee memebers ask executive agencies that would admister the law for written comments on the measure
Term
hearings
Definition
sessions held by committees or subcommittees to gather information and views from experts
Term
markup
Definition
the process by which memebers of legislative committees "mark up" a bill with suggested language for changes and amendments
Term
report
Definition
a legislative committee's explanantion to the full chamber of a bill and its intent
Term
discharge petition
Definition
a special tactic used to extract a bill from a committee in order to have it considered by the entire House
Term
Rules Committee
Definition
one of the most important committees in the House, which decides the length of debate and the scope of amendments that will be allowed on a bill
Term
unanimous consent
Definition
an agreement by every senator to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation
Term
filibuster
Definition
a procedural move by a member of the Senate to attempt to halt pasage of or change a bill, during which the senator can speak for an unlimited time on the Senate floor
Term
cloture
Definition
a procedural move in which a supermajority of sixty senators agrees to end filibuster
Term
conference committee
Definition
a bicarmeral, bipartisan committee composed of legislators whose job is to reconcile two versions of a bill
Term
pocket veto
Definition
a special presidential veto of a bill passed at the conclusion of a legislative session, whereby the president waits ten days withouth signing the bill, and bill dies
Term
Speaker of the House
Definition
the leader of the House of Representives, chosen by the majority party
Term
House majority leader
Definition
the leader of the majority party, who helps the Speaker develop and implement strategy and work with other memebers of the House of Representatives
Term
majority whip
Definition
a go between with the majority leadership and party memebers in the House of Representatives
Term
House minority leader
Definition
the leader of the minority party, whose job mirrors that of the majorty leader but without the power that comes from holding a majority in the House of Representatives
Term
minority whip
Definition
go between with the minority leadership, whos job mirrors that of the majority whip but withouth the power that comes from holding a majority in the House of Representatives
Term
president pro tempore
Definition
theoretically, the chair of the Senate in the vice president's absence; in reality, an honorary title, with the senator of the majority party having the longest reconrd of contnous service being elected to the position
Term
Senate majority leader
Definition
the most powerful position in the Senate; the majority leader manages the legislative process and schedules debate on legislation
Term
Senate minority leader
Definition
the leader of the minority party in the Senate, who works with the majority leader in negotiating legislation
Term
logrolling
Definition
the practice in which memebers of Congress agree to vote for a bill in exchange for their colleagues's vote on another bill
Term
attentive public
Definition
the segment of voters who pay careful attention to political issues
Term
line- item veto
Definition
power of the president to stike out specific line items on an appropriations bills while allwoing the rest of the bill to become law; declared unsconstitutional by the Supreme Court of 1997
Term
signing statement
Definition
a written message that the president issues upon signing a bill into law
Term
executive agreement
Definition
internatinal agreement between the United States and other nations, not subject to Senate approval and only in effect during the administration of the president who negotiates the agreement
Term
balance ticket
Definition
the selection of a running amte who brings diveristy of ideolgoy, geographic region, age, gender, race, or ethnicity to the slate
Term
cabinet
Definition
the group of experts chosen by the president to serve as advisers on running the country
Term
Executive Office of the President
Definition
offices, counsels, and boards that help the president to carry out the day to day responsibilites of the office
Term
White House Office
Definition
the office that develops policies and protects the president's legal and political interests
Term
chief of staff
Definition
among the most important important staff members of the WHO; serves as both an adviser to the president and manager of the WHO
Term
press secretary
Definition
the president's spokesperson to the media
Term
White House counsel
Definition
the president's lawyer
Term
National Security Council
Definition
consisting of top foreign policy advisers and relevant cabinet officials, this is an arm of the EOP that the president consults on matters of foreign policy and national securtiy
Term
Office of Management and Budget
Definition
office that creates the president's annual budget
Term
expressed powers
Definition
presidential powers enumerated in the Constituion
Term
take care clause
Definition
the constitutional basis for inherent powers, which states that the president "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"
Term
inherent powers
Definition
presidential powers taht are implied in the Constitution
Term
statutory powers
Definition
powers explicity granted to presidents by congreessional action
Term
executive order
Definition
power of the president to issue orders that carry the force of law
Term
emergency powers
Definition
broad powers exercised by the president during times of national crisis
Term
executive privilege
Definition
the right of the chief executive and memebers of the administration to withhold information from Congress or the courts, or the right to refuse to appear before legislative or judicial bodies
Term
apporval ratings
Definition
the percentage of survey respondents who say that they "approve' or "strongly approve" of the way the president is doing his job
Term
honeymoon period
Definition
a time early in a new president's administration characterized by optimistic apporval by the public
Term
rally 'round the flag effect
Definition
peaks in presidential approval ratings during short-term military action
Term
Works Progress Administration
Definition
a New Deal program that would emply 8.5 million people at a cost of more than $11 million between 1935 and 1943
Term
Watergate
Definition
during the Nixon administraton, a scandal involving burglaries and the subsequent cover-up by high-level administration officials
Term
impeachment
Definition
the power of the House of Representatives to formally accuse the president of crimes
Term
articles of impeachment
Definition
charges against the president during an impeachment
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