Explain the difference btw. civil liberties and civil rights.
Civil Liberties are protections of citizens from improper gov't action (what gov't must not do). Civil Rights are the legal or moral claims that citizens are entitled to make on the gov't (how gov't must treat you).
100
A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of a legislation
Executive Orders (inherent powers)
100
An electorate that is allowed to elect only one representative from each district is called:
a single-member district
100
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. Requires cloture vote to end this.
Filibuster (cloture requires 3/5 votes)
100
FCC requires broadcasters to provide time for opposing views on issues
Fairness Doctrine
200
Elites are best fit to govern and "excessive democracy" is dangerous. Strong national gov't. Property owners, creditors, merchants. Madison, Hamilton, Washington
Federalists
200
List (any) 3 differences btw. the House and the Senate
Minimum age (25/30), Citizenship (7/9), Term (2/6), Number, Constituency (local/local+nat'l), Rules Committee, Role in veto process, etc.
200
Today, someone who generally supports the social and economic status quo and is suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulas and economic arrangements is known as this.
a Conservative
200
A clause in Article VI of the Constitution. All laws passed by the nat'l gov't and all treaties are the supreme laws of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision.
the Supremacy Clause
200
An announcement made by the president when a bill is signed into law.
a signing statement
300
The ability of courts to exclude evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment (searches and seizures). Mapp v. Ohio (1961).
the Exclusionary Rule
300
The policy of removing a program from one level of gov't and passing it down to a lower level - is another way to downsize the federal gov't.
Devolution
300
An organization seeking influence over gov't by electing its members to office
Political party
300
Political parties effectively lower the information costs of voter participation because they provide this.
a brand-name recognition
300
Enabled by the internet (+other technologies), this promotes a wider variety of perspectives in journalism. Critics of this express concerns about upholding traditional journalistic standards and training.
Citizen Journalism
400
Describe the "Collective Action Principle"
All politics is collective action. Individually rational incentives may not align with shared, collective interests.
400
One of the 4 missions of bureaucratic agencies. Related to the core functions of keeping gov't running and the nation secure. Examples: IRS, DOJ, DOD
Maintenance of the Union
400
A method used by pollsters to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a participant
Probability sampling
400
The president, before formally nominating a person for a federal district judgeship, finds out whether the senators from the candidate's state support the nomination.
Senatorial Courtesy (informal but seldom violated)
400
An effort by a gov't agency to block the publication of material it deems libelous or harmful in some other way: aka. censorship. Near v. Minnesota (1931)
Prior restraint
500
A type of federalism since the New Deal era. Grants-in-aid have been used strategically to encourage states and localities (w/o commanding them) to pursue nationally defined goals. Intergovernmental cooperation.
Cooperative Federalism
500
Explain the structure of the U.S. federal court system (in comparison w/ the state level)
#Federal: District C - C of Appeals - US Supreme Court // #State: Trial C - Appellate C - State Supreme C - US Supreme C
500
Explain Duverger's Law.
plurality-rule electoral systems will tend to have two-party systems, PR systems will tend to have multiparty systems.
500
Explain the political transition of the U.S. South.
solidly Democratic region to being a solidly Republican region
500
Ellsberg's release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971, which led to shift in public opinion about the Vietnam War, is an example of this. Individuals can shape news through the dissemination of confidential information.