Politicians
Which of the following best describes pork barrel politics?
a. The Office of Management and Budget negotiates with Congress to get the President's budget proposal passed.
b. Senators from states with agricultural economies promote farm price supports.
c. Voters in rural areas support different issue positions than do voters in metropolitan areas.
d. Members of Congress negotiate bills so that individual districts get money for projects that do not benefit the nation as a whole.
d. Members of Congress negotiate bills so that individual districts get money for projects that do not benefit the nation as a whole.
What are 2 examples of discretionary spending
spending on national parks, research, etc.
Anything that is not interest payments, social security, welfare etc.
What is the first stage in the policy-making process?
a. Policy formulation
b. Program evaluation
c. Agenda setting
d. Implementation
Agenda setting
What are is one Presidential appointment that requires Senate Approval?
Cabinet Secretaries
Ambassadors
U.S. Attorneys
Many agency heads
Judges and Justices
What is one advantage that bureaucrats in federal government have over the President in the policy making process?
a. Bureaucrats control the budgetary process
b. They have an independence from the President that is guaranteed by the constitution
c. They usually have continuity of service in the executive branch that the President lacks.
d. They have better access to the media than does the President.
c. They usually have continuity of service in the executive branch that the President lacks.
The voting patterns of members of COngress correlate most strongly with
a. the population density of their districts
b. their economic background
c. their educational level
d. their political party affiliation
d. their political party affiliation
What is one major difference between the House and Senate in terms of how legislation is debated?
No filibuster/cloture
Limits on debate....
What are the 4 different types of committes and what do they do?
Standing
Select
Joint
Conference
Which enumerated power in Congress relates to Congress increasing unemployment benefits?
Power to pass a federal budget.
What does Alexander Hamilton argue for in Fed 70?
a single executive who can respond quickly to crises
Who is the most powerful figure in Congress?
The Speaker of the House
Which chamber of the House initiates all revenue bills introduced into Congress?
The House of Representatives
Explain what gerrymandering is and how it has been used.
What is one Supreme Court Case that relates to racial gerrymandering? What was the ruling?
Shaw v. Reno:
Unconstitutional if by race.....
How can the Supreme Court check the power of the Executive?
Declare an executive order unconstitutional.
List 3 agencies that are a part of the bureaucracy
1. Executive Departments (15)
These are the largest parts of the federal bureaucracy. Each is headed by a Cabinet Secretary (except Justice, which is headed by the Attorney General). [socialstud...eshelp.com], [The Organi...story.org]]
2. Independent Executive Agencies
These agencies are not part of a Cabinet department and often have specialized missions. [cliffsnotes.com], [studyguides.com]
Common AP Gov examples:
3. Independent Regulatory Commissions
These create and enforce regulations in specific policy areas. They are designed to be somewhat insulated from presidential control. [cliffsnotes.com], [studyguides.com]
Common AP Gov examples:
4. Government Corporations
These provide services similar to private businesses but are owned by the federal government. [cliffsnotes.com], [The Organi...story.org]]
Examples:
In a press briefling, the White House press secretary issues a statement criticizing members of Congress who refuse to act on the president's judicial nominees to the federal courts. This scenario best illustrates which of the following?
a. Congress does not consider judicial nominations important enough to act on.
b. Judicial nominees must pass both chambers of Congress, which slows down the process.
c. Members of the White House staff are strategically used to help the president pass an agenda.
d. Cabinet members have a tendency to clash with members of the opposing party.
c. Members of the White House staff are strategically used to help the president pass an agenda.
Which of the following is an example of congressional oversight?
a. Holding hearing for review of an executive agency's activities
b. Assisting constituents with particular problems
c. Reporting campaign contributions to the Federal Election Commission.
d. Signing trade agreements with other countries without input from the president.
a. Holding hearing for review of an executive agency's activities
Describe the issues, holding and impact of Baker v. Carr (1962)
Baker sued the state of Tennessee because districts were not balanced (Malapportionment) based on population. Votes counted more in rural districts because less people lived there.
While trad. States are in charge of districting, it was deemed appropriate for the Supreme Court to step in because of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Each person's vote should count the same.
Therefore the court ruled that new districts needed to be made to deal with this issue.
This case allowed for a precendent for the Courts to get involved in districting if it is deemed that people don't have equal protection under the law.
Discuss the difference between Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint
Judicial Activism: To reinterpret a law as unconstitutional which leads to a change in the law.
Judicial Restraint giving legislators the benefit of the doubt.
What are the roles of the bureaucracy
Explain the 3 types of political models a Congressperson could choose to follow.
Delegate: Follow what constituents want
Trustee: I'm the expert, don't need to follow constituents
Politico: mix of d and t
Partisan: Party lines
Bill Written
Committee (by Speaker if in House)
Debate and Negotiation (as follows House Rules Committee if in House)
Vote in Chamber
if 51% goes to other Chamber
Conference Committee to negotiate versions if needed
vote in other chamber 51%
to pres to sign or veto.....
Discuss the issue, holding and impact of Shaw v. Reno (1993).
The issues was that in North Carolina, an additional majority minority district was created to try to help ensure that black citizens had representation in the state.
This was deemed unconstitutional because it violated the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause if it was ONLY due to race. There was not a "compelling state interest" other than race to justify this racial gerrymandering.
prior to his confirmation, Democrats on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions questioned a Republican president's Secretary of Health and Human Services about the ethics of some of their investments. The nominee was eventually confirmed with support of Republicans in the Senate. This check on presidential power illustrates that
a. the process of selecting Cabinet members is usually negotiated by making concessions to the minority party in the Senate.
b. the process of confirming members of the president's Cabinet can lead to conflict with members of the Senate.
c. presidents rely on the bully pulpit to get members of Congress to act on confirmations.
d. even when an executive order is issued, members of the opposing party in the Senate can work to block them.
b. the process of confirming members of the president's Cabinet can lead to conflict with members of the Senate.
Which of the following is the best example of a president using technology to communicate and obtain public support for a public policy agenda?
a. President Ronald Reagan rassuring the nation in a televised address after the Challenger disaster.
b. President John F. Kennedy outlining Cold War challenges and urging Americans to civic action in his inaugural address.
c. President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressing a joint session of Congress to seek a declaration of war after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
d. President Richard Nixon claiming executive privilege to protect the recorded conversations he made in the White House.
b. President John F. Kennedy outlining Cold War challenges and urging Americans to civic action in his inaugural address.