Cool Terms
Senate rules that can be used to end a filibuster with a supermajority of 60 votes.
What is a filibuster?
Efforts by interest groups to influence public policy through targeted interactions with government officials, including providing information, writing legislation, and offering support for political campaigns.
What is lobbying?
The tendency for states to hold primary elections and caucuses earlier in the election season in order to have greater influence over the choice of candidates and increased media coverage.
What is frontloading?
The unofficial term for the power of Congress to fund various agencies in the executive branch, which serves as a powerful check.
What is power of the purse?
A tool for releasing a bill from a committee in the House requiring the signature of 218 members ( a majority).
What is a discharge petition?
Provision of Article I that gives Congress the expressed power to regulate interstate and international trade, which is the basis for much of the legislation passed by Congress.
What is the commerce clause?
The authority of Congress to ensure that the executive branch bureaucracy implements laws correctly by holding hearings, investigating, and using the power of the purse to increase or decrease agency budgets.
What is legislative oversight?
Media reporting of an election that focuses on polling and speculates about the eventual winner, as opposed to a discussion of policy differences between the candidates.
What is horse race journalism?
The theory that the role of an elected representative is to vote based on their conscience in the best interest of society, even if a majority of their constituents are opposed.
What is the trustee model?
A method of compromise in which members of Congress agree to support bills they would normally oppose in exchange for support from other members on bills that are of importance to them.
What is logrolling?
A temporary committee of members of both the House and Senate created to resolve differences in a bill that has passed both chambers of Congress.
What is a conference committee?
A Section of Article VI of the Constitution which states that the Constitution and federal laws overrule any state laws.
What is the supremacy clause?
What is a pluralist democracy?
The term used to describe powers not specifically granted to the federal government or denied to the states. Using the 10th amendment, these kinds of powers belong to states.
What are reserved powers?
What is dark money?
A declaration by the president that impacts policy and has the force of law without congressional approval.
An influential standing committee in the House responsible for initiating all revenue (tax) bills.
What is the Ways and Means Committee?
The process through which an individual adopts a political identity, political party affiliation, beliefs, and attitudes.
What is political socialization?
Political campaign contributions donated directly to political parties for party building activities that were banned by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, also knows as the McCain-Feingold Act.
What is soft money?
Powers of the president that are not mentioned in Constitution, but are considerable acceptable (such as purchasing territory).
What are inherent powers?
Mandatory spending on government programs that provide benefits to qualified individuals, such as Social Security and Medicare.
What is the delegate model?
Individuals (usually party leaders) who are delegates to the presidential nomination convention and are free to vote for any nominee they choose. These delegates are always associated with the Democratic Party.
Who are superdelegates?
A private group created by a corporation, union, or interest group that raises and distributes funds to be used in election campaigns.
What is a political action committee?
Funding for specific projects that is added to appropriation (spending) bills that usually benefit a particular district or state. Sometimes referred to as earmarks.
What is pork barrel spending?