Chapter 10-13 United States Political Party – Government
In this chapters we discuss United States Political Party – Government.
executive privilege
the claim that confidential communications between a president and close advisers should not be revealed without the consent of the president
recess appointment
the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the U.S. Senate is in recess
executive agreements
agreements made between the president and other countries that has the force of a treaty but does not require the senate’s “advice and consent”
cabinet
the secretaries, or chief administrators, of the major departments of the federal government
spoils system
the practice of a successful political party giving public office to its supporters
balancing a ticket
when a political candidate chooses a running mate, usually of the same party, with the goal of bringing more widespread appeal to the campaign
EOP
executive office of the president- the permanent agencies that perform defined management tasks for the president
executive order
a rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect and formal status of legislation
signing statement
announcements made by the president when signing bills into law, often presenting the president’s interpretation of the law
kitchen cabinet
an informal group of advisors to whom the president turns for counsel and guidance
white house staff
workers in the white house headed by the chief of staff
22nd amendment
amendment that prevents a president from serving more than two terms or more than ten years
25th amendment
amendment that allows for the Vice President to become president in the event of death, resignation, removal from office or impairment that prevents the current president from fulfilling his or her duties
impeachment
the formal charge by the House that a government official has committed “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors”
millionaires club
Senators who gained their positions through corrupt (dishonest) bargains
incumbency
holding the political office for which one is running
non-realignment election
an election that did not cause a dramatic change in the political system
gerrymandering
the appointment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party
joint committee
legislative committees formed of members of both House and Senate
conference committee
joint committees created to work out a compromise on House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation
select committee
temporary legislative committees set up to highlight or investigate a particular issue or address an issue not within the jurisdiction of existing committees
standing committee
a permanent committee with the power to propose and write legislation that covers a particular subject, such as finance or agriculture
subcommittee
a committee composed of some members of a larger committee, board, or other body and reporting to it
fiscal year
a year as reckoned for taxing or accounting purposes
mark up
the amount added to the cost price of goods to cover overhead and profit
discharge petition
a means of bringing a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without a report from the committee and usually without cooperation of the leadership by “discharging” the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution
hold
An informal practice by which a senator informs his or her floor leader that he or she does not wish a particular bill or other measure to reach the floor for consideration
cloture
rule or process in a legislative body aimed at ending debate on a given bill
veto
the president’s constitutional power to turn down acts of congress
pocket veto
a presidential veto that is automatically triggered if the president does not act on a given piece of legislation passed during the final 10 days of a legislative session
filibuster
a tactic used by members of the senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down
CBO
congressional budget office- a federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States government that provides budget and economic information to Congress
OMB
Office of Management and Budget- the business division of the Executive Office of the President of the United States that administers the United States federal budget and oversees the performance of federal agencies
logrolling
a legislative practice whereby agreements are made between legislators in voting for or against a bill; vote trading
pork barreling (pork)
appropriations made by legislative bodies for local projects that are often not needed but that are created so that local representatives can win re-election in their home districts
earmarks
a congressional directive that funds should be spent on a specific project
senatorial courtesy
the practice whereby the president, before formally nominating a person for a federal judgeship, seeks the indication that senators from the candidates own state support the nomination
trustee theory
a model for how we should understand the role of representatives, and is frequently contrasted with the delegate model of representation
delegate theory
a model of a representative democracy. In this model, constituents elect their representatives as delegates for their constituency
politico theory
Legislators follow their own judgment until the public becomes vocal about a particular matter, at which point they should follow the dictates of constituents
bill
a proposed law that has been sponsored by a member of congress and submitted to the clerk of the house or the senate
constituency
the residents in the area from which an official is elected
bicameral
2 houses
sociological representation theory
a type of representation in which representatives have the same racial, gender, ethnic, religious, or educational backgrounds as their constituents
agency representation theory
a type of representation in which a representative is held accountable to a constituency if he or she fails to represent that constituency properly
term limits
legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office
apportionment
the process, occurring after every decennial census, that allocates congressional seats among the 50 states
patronage
the resources available to higher officials, usually opportunities to make partisan appointments to offices and to confer groups, licenses, or special favors to supporters
private bill
a proposal in congress to provide a specific person with some kind of relief, such as a special exemption from immigration quotas
conference
gathering of house republicans every 2 years to elect their house leaders
seniority
a privileged position earned by reason of longer service or higher rank
closed rule
a provision by the house rules committee limiting or prohibiting the introduction of amendments during debate
open rule
a provision by the house rules committee that permits floor debate and the addition of new amendments to a bill
programmatic requests
federal funds designated for special projects within a state or congressional district
midterm election
congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; off- year elections
primary election
elections held to select a party’s candidates for the general election
general election
regularly scheduled election involving most districts in the nation or state, in which voters select office holders; held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in the even numbered years
closed primary
a primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates, but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to the primary day
open primary
a primary election in which the voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election
majority system
a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate must receive a majority of all the votes cast in the relevant district
runoff election
a “second round” election in which voters choose between the top two candidates from the first round
plurality system
a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of votes cast
proportional representation
a multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote
straight-ticket voting
selecting candidates from the same political party for all offices on the ballot; straight party voting
ballot
a process of voting, in writing and typically in secret
redistricting
the process of redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives; happens every 10 years to reflect shifts in population or in response to legal challenges in existing districts
political gerrymandering
a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries to create partisan advantaged districts
racial gerrymandering
re-drawing of legislative districts by the political party in power for the purpose of providing the current majority party stronger voting representation in that district
majority-minority district
an electoral district, such as a United States congressional district, in which the majority of the constituents in the district are racial or ethnic minorities
caucus
a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters
grassroots politics
political campaigns that operate at a local level, often using face-to-face communication to generate interest and momentum by citizens
party platform
a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and policy positions
delegate
a representative who votes according to the preferences of his or her constituency
electoral college
the electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president
initiative
a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote
referendum
the practice of referring a proposed law passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection
recall
a procedure to allow voters to remove state officials from office before their terms expire by circulating petitions to call a vote
campaign
an effort by political candidates and their supporters to win the backing of donors, political activists, and voters in their quest for political office
incumbent
a candidate running for re-election to a position that he or she already holds
527s
a type of U.S. tax-exempt organization organized under Section 527 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code
501(c)s
a tax-exempt nonprofit organization in the United States; provides that 29 types of nonprofit organizations are exempt from some federal income taxes.
prospective voting
voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate or political party
retrospective voting
voting based on the past performance of a candidate or political party
winner take all
the candidate who wins the most votes wins all the delegates at stake
front-loading
distribute or allocate (costs, effort, etc.) unevenly, with the greater proportion at the beginning of an enterprise or process
invisible primary
The period between when a candidate announces their bid for public office and when the actual primaries take place
‘scare off’ effect
the ability of the office holder to fend off challenges from strong opposition candidates
protest
participation that involves assembling crowds to confront a government or other official organization
boycott
withdraw from commercial or social relations with (a country, organization, or person) as a punishment or protest
picketing
act as a picket outside (a place of work or other venue)
absentee voting
vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station or to which the voter is normally allocated
ticket-splitting
A vote for candidates of different political parties on the same ballot, instead of for candidates of only one party
poll tax
a tax levied on every adult, without reference to income or resources
runoff primary
a second primary election held in some states to determine which of the top two vote getters in the first primary will be awarded the party nomination for an office
campaign staff
the people who formulate and implement the strategy needed to win an election
campaign manager
a paid or volunteer individual, whose role is to coordinate the campaign’s operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote (with direct contact to the public), and other activities supporting the effort, directly
finance chair
head of the money
press secretary
a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps his or her employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage
internet team
the group that is in charge of internet coverage
volunteers
people who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task
consultants
people who provide expert advice professionally
communication director
responsible for managing and directing an organization’s internal and external communications
hard money
a specific type of asset-based loan financing through which a borrower receives funds secured by real property
electioneering
soft money
a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations
member PACs
a type of organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaign for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation
Federal Election Campaign Act
a United States federal law designed to increase disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns; amended in 1974 to place legal limits on the campaign contributions
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
United States federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, which regulates the financing of political campaigns
Buckley v. Valeo
A case in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld federal limits on campaign contributions and ruled that spending money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech. The court also stated candidates can give unlimited amounts of money to their own campaigns
Citizens United v. FEC
Court rules that corporations have first amendment right to spend as much as they like in elections. Super-PACs are a result
12th
1804, This amendment states that if no presidential candidate gets a majority of the electoral votes then the House of Representatives decides among the top three