Term
| Very simply, what does Congress do? |
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Definition
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Term
| What term describes our two house legislature? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the two separate powers of the US House? |
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Definition
Power of the purse- all bills that have to deal with money must start in the house
Impeachment of officials. |
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Term
| Three powers of the US Senate? |
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Definition
| Declare War, Approve treaties, Impeachment trial |
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Term
| Qualifications to become a US Representative? |
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Definition
| Must be 25 & a US citizen for 7 years, and had lived in the area you will represent |
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Term
| Qualifications to become a US Senator? |
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Definition
| must be 30 years old, citizen for 9 years, live in the state you represent |
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Term
| What five territories are represented by non-voting members of the US House? |
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Definition
| Samoa, D.C. , Guam, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico |
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Term
| Be able to differentiate between reapportionment and redistricting. |
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Definition
reapportionment- Redoing how many representatives each state has
redistricting- changing the representation areas within a state |
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Term
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Definition
| Drawing the districts within a state so that one person or one party has an advantage |
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Term
| What are the main powers of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives? |
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Definition
1) Procedure- means she/ he gets to decide how the rules are enforced
2) Assign people to permanent committees
3) Assign people to special committees
4) recognize speakers- you cannot speak unless the speaker tells you are aloud to speak
5) assign bills to committees
6) schedule votes |
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Term
| What are the powers of the President of the US Senate and the Majority Leader of Senate? |
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Definition
President-Break a tie
majority leader is the person in charge |
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Term
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Definition
| They get the members of the party in line- they count how many people will be voting for or against a bill, and convince people to vote one way or the other |
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Term
| What four things do Congressmen do all the time? |
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Definition
1)Make laws
2)Oversight
3) Constituent services
4)Running for re- election |
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Term
| What is the nickname of Congressional Committees? |
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Definition
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Term
| *What are the 4 committee types? |
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Definition
| 1) standing committees 2) select committee 3) conference committee 4) joint committee |
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Term
| Standing Committees in both the House and the Senate. |
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Definition
| 1) agriculture 2) budget committee 3) home land security 4) energy |
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Term
| Define what the Conference Committee is. (Who are its members and what does it do?) |
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Definition
| Committee from members of both the House and the Senate, and they compromise on any differences that are in the HOuse and Senate versions of a bill |
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Term
| Know how a bill becomes a law. |
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Definition
1. gets introduced in either the House or Senate
2. gets sent to a committee
3. Gets sent to a subcommittee and talked about/voted on
4. Sent back up the the full committee and gets voted on
5. Sent to the full house/Senate to be voted on
6. Repeat in the House/Senate
7. Conference Committee
8. President |
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Term
| How are the procedural rules of the US House different from the procedural rules of the US Senate? |
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Definition
The Senate has set rules
The House has different rules for every singe bill |
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Term
| What are the six strategies that members of Congress use to decide how to vote? |
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Definition
1) personal opinion- what they think should be done
2) constituent opinion- that’s how people voted them into office think
3) interest groups- company’s that’s want to see a bill passed or not passed & they can send people to talk to congress men about their opinion
4) political parties- your political party can tell you which way to vote
5) presedent- can tell members of his political party how to vote
6) log rolling- trade votes. example: “ill vote for you on this if you vote for me on that” |
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Term
| What kinds of constituent services do people expect from their Congresspersons? |
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Definition
1. Helps navigate the complex
2. Provides connection between Washington and other districts
3. Treats good will for congressmen
4. Opportunity for “pork/ ear marks” project for reasonable constitution |
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Term
| Differentiate between partisan and bipartisan. |
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Definition
| Partisan means you only stick to your political party & bipartisan mean you work with both political parties. |
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Term
| Is your representative a trustee or a delegate? How can you tell? |
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Definition
| A trustee votes their own opinion & a delegate vote son their constituents opinions. |
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Term
| Why is the presidency seen as the most powerful position in our government? |
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Definition
| More people vote for the president than any other position |
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Term
| When did the first peaceful transition, or revolution, occur in US Politics? |
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Definition
| 1800, when Thomas Jefferson took office. The President before him was a Federalist and TJ was an anti-Federalist |
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Term
| Who was the first VP to take over for a President? |
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Definition
| John Adams- after G Washington |
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Term
| What were the two main goals of our early Presidents? |
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Definition
| Foreign relations/working with congress |
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Term
| *What was President Washington’s basic definition of the US Presidency? |
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Definition
| Chief Clerk of the United States- meaning he just runs things, he doesn’t change things |
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Term
| Who coined phrase, “government is best, which governs least?” |
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Definition
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Term
| Who initiated and pushed through the Louisiana Purchase? |
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Definition
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Term
| What were the two main problems Madison found during the War of 1812? |
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Definition
| Small size of the Army and lack of a powerful bank capable of funding the government’s war |
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Term
| What domestic matters did Congress concentrate on during the 1820’s and 1830’s? |
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Definition
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Term
Which President started and completed a War with Mexico and expanded the
American west? |
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Definition
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Term
| List the three bold moves that Lincoln is known for? |
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Definition
Calling for states to send troops (drafting),
Suspending Habeas Corpus (anyone can be arrested even if they are not guilty of anything), and
spending money without the approval of congress |
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Term
| What was President Woodrow Wilson’s biggest failure? |
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Definition
| Not getting the League of Nations (a treaty) passed in the Senate |
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Term
| What were the three major initiatives of FDR’s New Deal? |
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Definition
1. Social Security for old people
2. government would guarantee deposits (insure them)
3. the government would provide jobs for the unemployed |
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Term
| How did FDR redefine the US Presidency? What war did he lead us through? |
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Definition
The president became the source for national leadership and future presidents would have more power
He led us through WW2 |
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Term
| hat was the Truman Doctrine and what war did we fight because of it? |
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Definition
The US would give money and military support to any country threatened by communism
we fought in Vietnam because of it and the Cold War |
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Term
| Although Great Society failed, in what three areas did we see some positive change? |
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Definition
1. increase in federal aid to education
2. Medicare and Medicaid (health insurance to old and poor people)
3. voting rights for African Americans |
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Term
| Although President Richard Nixon resigned, what did he have the greatest success? |
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Definition
| He improved the US's relationship with China and the Soviet Union (Russia) |
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Term
| President Carter had two occupations, before his presidency, he was a peanut farmer and what? |
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Definition
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Term
| *Why was President Reagan so successful and what three things did he do? |
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Definition
| He connected with the people. 1. Cutting taxes, 2. Cutting funding for social spending, 3. Increased spending on |
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Term
| For what two reasons did President George HW Bush lose his bid for re-election? |
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Definition
| People worried about the debt, he was not able to connect with the people |
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Term
| President Bill Clinton was successful, even with a Republican Congress. Why? |
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Definition
| He made the republican’s problems his own problems. |
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Term
| What were the successes of President George W. Bush in his first term? Second term? |
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Definition
| No Child Left Behind Second term? War on terror |
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Term
| *What are the Constitutional powers of the US Presidency? |
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Definition
| Commander in chief, pardons and paroles, negotiates treaties, nominate people for office, veto power, |
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Term
| *What are the five Roles of the US President? |
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Definition
| Chief of state, chief executive, Chief diplomat, Chief legislator, Commander in chief. |
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Term
| *What are the four Implied Powers of the US President? |
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Definition
| Crisis manager, Party Leader, Executive orders, Initiative |
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Term
| How has the role of the Vice President changed over the course of the last 100 years? |
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Definition
| Today they are partners, advisors, sounding boards and diplomats. |
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Term
| Other than replacing the President, what is the one Constitutional duty of the Vice President? |
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Definition
| Breaking a tie in the Senate |
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Term
| What are the roles of the First Lady? Who made the First Lady a more aggressive role? |
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Definition
Continually evolving. Legislative duties, Chief of State, Chief Diplomat
Eleanor Roosevelt |
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Term
| What are the three most important relationships for any US President? |
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Definition
| President and people, president and congress, president and media |
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Term
| What made President Reagan such a “great communicator?” |
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Definition
| He had a way with words. He connected with the general public through the TV by putting his acting skills to good use |
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Term
| Why Presidents MUST cooperate and/or “get along” with Congress? |
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Definition
| So they can pass laws, otherwise nothing will get done |
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Term
| *What are the three Constitutional requirements to become President of the U.S.? |
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Definition
Born a citizen
Be 35
has lived in the US for 14 years |
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Term
| Who was the oldest elected U.S. President? Youngest elected? Youngest? |
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Definition
Oldest- reagan
Youngest elected-JFK
Youngest- Teddy Roosevelt (because he was VP, and the president was killed) |
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Term
| *Know the differences between the 12th, 20th & 22nd Amendments. |
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Definition
12- fix the electoral college(make sure the president and vice president were of the same party)
20- Move the Inauguration to Jan 20th instead of March 20th.
22- two terms in office |
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Term
| Besides its placement and servants, what other amenities can be found in the White House? |
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Definition
| Bowling alley, swimming pool, tennis court, playground, rose gargen, vegetable garden, movie theatre, horseshoe pits |
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Term
| How many planes (Air Force 1) does the US President have? |
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Definition
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Term
| Where do the U.S. Presidents get their Medical and Dental care from? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| Orginization designed for a specific goal. |
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Term
| What were Max Weber’s 6 characteristics of an effective bureaucracy? |
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Definition
Organize along the lines of specialization, expertise and a division of labor.
2. Hierarchical chain od command.
3. Common set of rules.
4. Good maintenance record.
5. Heir of professionalism.
6. Merit based hiring |
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Term
| Why does every Society have an organization? |
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Definition
| To create order. Nature=order=death Civilization=order=life |
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Term
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Definition
| Speacialist in their field |
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Term
| Differentiate between policy implementation and regulations. |
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Definition
| Policy Implementation is the process of carrying out the law. Regulations are rules issued by the bureaucracy to implement the law. |
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Term
| What is the Federal Register? |
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Definition
| Quarterly publication by congress that lists and tracks all new regulations. |
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Term
| What term describes how agencies implement vague or ambiguous laws of Congress? |
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Definition
| Administrative Discretion |
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Term
| What entity makes the final decision of what is a reasonable interpretation of a law? |
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Definition
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Term
| If Congress is not satisfied with an agency’s performance, what are its five options? |
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Definition
| 1. Cut their budget 2. Refuse or interfere with presidential appointments. 3. Eliminate the agency all together. 4. Induct hearings and investigations. 5. Shifting power from one agency to another. |
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Term
| *Before the 20th Century, what were the four roles of the US Bureaucracy? |
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Definition
| Ran the post office, Diplomacy/war, regulate the economy, Law and Order. |
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Term
| What were the three original Departments of the US Government? Which one was Part-time? |
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Definition
War, State, Treasury.
Part-time:Department of Justice |
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Term
| How much did the Federal Budget grow from the 1930’s to 1960’s? |
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Definition
| from 9.5 billion to over 332 billion |
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Term
| What four strategies shifted power from the federal to state governments in the 1980’s and 90’s? |
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Definition
| Privatization, Deregulation, Devolution, Efficiency |
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Term
| *What are the four TYPES of Bureaucratic Agencies? Know examples of each. |
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Definition
| Departments (Homeland Security, Secret Service) Independent Agencies (FBI CIA NASA) Regulatory Agencies (EPA, EEOC) Government Corporations ( USPS) |
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Term
| Approximately how many people work for the federal government? What are the breakdowns? |
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Definition
| 1 million UD postal employees, 1.5 million military personnel |
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Term
| What percent of the President’s hires have to be approved by the US Senate? |
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Definition
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Term
| Differentiate between patronage and Civil Service. |
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Definition
| Patronage is hiring who you know, not what you know. Civil service is hiring “qualified” applicants. |
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Term
| What Act protects civil servants from partisan politics? |
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Definition
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Term
| What did the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 change Civil Service? |
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Definition
| Replaces Cicil service with OPM (Office of personnel management) and MSPB ( merit systems protection board) |
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Term
| What is the paradox between what the General Public wants in a Supreme Court Justice and what they want the Supreme Court to do? |
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Definition
| Public wants to hire strict condervatice justices, but wants a liberal activist court! |
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Term
| What is the basic job of the Federal Judiciary? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the two main types of law? What four subfields of law were mentioned? |
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Definition
Civil Law and Criminal Law
Constitutional law, Administrative Law, Public Law, Private Law. |
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Term
| How many legal proceedings do we have in one year? About how many are criminal cases? |
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Definition
25 million Cases
1/3 Criminal cases |
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Term
| *What are Constitutional qualifications for a S.C. Justice? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the ultimate Power of Supreme Court? |
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Definition
| power to declare a law unconstitutional. |
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Term
| How can Congress & President override decision of Supreme Court? |
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Definition
| Make it constitutional by changing the constitution |
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Term
| Know the processes for how the Supreme Court “grants cert”. |
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Definition
| case has to address a constitutional question, has it reached the hightest level of your state? |
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Term
| What is the “Rule of Four?” |
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Definition
| if four justices are interested in the same case, they schedule the hearing. |
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Term
| How long does each side get to plead their case in oral arguments? |
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Definition
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Term
| What kinds of written opinions are there? |
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Definition
| The majority opinion, The dissenting opinion. |
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Term
| We use the adversarial method for trials, but what are the two conditions for a guilty verdict? |
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Definition
| Loss in a criminal trial must be unanimous and beyond reasonable doubt. The loss in a civil trial must be by a majority and only assing a degree of responsibility. |
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Term
| What is the difference between a petit jury and a grand jury? |
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Definition
| Petit-The one that determines guilt ot innocence in a trial. Grand- Look at the evidence to determine if the trial is warranted. |
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Term
| What percent of cases are handled through a plea bargain? |
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Definition
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Term
| Differentiate between Original Jurisdiction and Appellate Jurisdiction. |
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Definition
| Otiginal jurisdiction- the first trial that establishes guilt or innocence. Appellate- A review of the transcrpits of the original trial. |
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Term
| Federal judges are nominated and confirmed for life, how are state judges selected? |
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Definition
| Hired, elected and/or appointed |
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Term
| What are the five major influences on who is selected for a federal judgeship? |
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Definition
| Nominees political preference, Judicial Competence, Party Loyalty, Demographic factors, Current political environment |
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Term
| What does the Solicitor general do? Who is the current Solicitor general? |
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Definition
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Term
| Differentiate between Judicial Restraint and Judicial Activism. |
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Definition
| Judicial Restraint is interpreting the law based on the literal interpretation of the constitution. Judicial Activism is interpretation of the constitution based on the current needs of society. |
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Term
| What is our current Judicial Dilemma? |
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Definition
| "Providing equal justice under the law while maing justice the guardian of liberty” balancing quality order and freedom |
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Term
| What is the Attitudinal Model? |
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Definition
| Most accurate political science model |
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Term
| What four methods do Interest Groups use to influence policy makers? |
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Definition
| Lobbying, Litigiaton, electioneering, education/pusiasion compaining |
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Term
| Define Public Opinion. How is Public Opinion differ from Conventional Wisdom? |
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Definition
Broad principles underlying America’s subjective cultures
Conventional Wisdom is a conclusion based on obervtion. What people can see. |
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Term
| Differentiate between our two main ideologies. |
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Definition
Liberal- want a proactive government. Government is a solution to problems.
Conservative: want a reactive government. Wauit until there is a problem before they fix it. Limited or small government |
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Term
| Define Political Socialization. How does the Primacy Principle (Tendency) affect it? |
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Definition
A learning process by which we create our beliefs on government.
What you learn first, you learn best |
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Term
| What are the five aspects of life that affect our Political Socialization? |
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Definition
| Family, friends, media, religion, education |
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Term
| What do most people consider to be the worst kind of poll? |
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Definition
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Term
| How can we tell if a poll is accurate? What three things do we measure for accuracy? |
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Definition
Statistics modern science of prediction based on random smpling of few
Sample size, bias of the question, is it random? |
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Term
| Who developed the mathematical sub-field of Statistics? |
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Definition
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Term
| When we look at the results of the poll, what three characteristics come out? |
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Definition
| Direction, Intensity ,Continuity |
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