Foundations
What was the document replaced by the Constitution?
Articles of Confederation
What is the Supremacy Clause?
The Constitutional clause that states that the federal government and its laws are the ultimate law of the land (i.e. national government outranks state governments)
What are the two main strands of political belief in the United States?
Liberal, conservative
What aspect of our voting system gives the two majority parties a huge advantage over third parties?
Winner-take-all system OR electoral college
What are the three main strategies interest groups use to influence policy?
Lobbying, electioneering, litigation
Name the four theories of democracy
Pluralist, hyperpluralist, elite, participatory
What type of powers does the 10th Amendment award to states?
Reserved powers
Give three agents of political socialization
Family, geography, religion, education, age, race, socioeconomic status, generational events, etc.
Citizens United v. FEC established what principle about campaign finance?
Corporations and other interest groups have the same free speech protections as individuals, so their political spending cannot be limited as long is it is independent of the candidate (i.e. PACs/SuperPACs)
What are the three roles of the media?
Agenda setting, watchdog, scorekeeper
What SCOTUS case established judicial review?
BONUS: Name the year it was decided
Marbury v. Madison
The SCOTUS case US v. Lopez limited the power of what Constitutional clause?
The Commerce Clause
What is the most important factor when considering the veracity of a poll?
Sample size OR selection of participants
What does divided government refer to?
When the President is from one party and the majority group in Congress is from another party
What did Nixon's administration argue about the publication of the Pentagon Papers in New York Times v. US (1971)?
That publishing them violated prior restraint; prior restraint overrode the media's First Amendment rights
What was Madison's overall argument in Federalist 51?
Madison defends the checks and balances system in the Constitution by arguing that it serves to create limited government, is a check on factions, and protects from the tyranny of the majority.
When discussing federalism, what does devolution refer to?
Moving power back to the states from the federal government
Name three third parties in the United States
Green Party, Peace & Freedom, Constitution Party, Libertarian Party, Working Families, etc.
What is frontloading and what is its purpose?
States moving their presidential primaries closer and closer to the start of the year so that the states receives more media attention
Name the three sides of an Iron Triangle.
Interest Groups, Congress/Congressional Committees, Bureaucracy
What were the Framers' three subjects of compromise when writing the Constitution?
Representation among states re: members of Congress; taxation and representation for enslaved people; election and term of the President
What did the 17th Amendment change?
Senators elected directly by the people instead of by state legislatures
Give an example of cross pressure.
Various answers
Buckley v. Valeo (1976) established what principle of campaign finance?
Money = speech, and some speech can be limited
What is the purpose of an amicus curiae brief?
An interest group uses it to petition a court/judge to decide on a case in their favor