APG Unit II Review2013

What is the name for federal spending on local projects members

of Congress want in order to win favor from their constituents?

pork barrel spending

How does the Constitution handle the question of

political parties?

It doesn’t, parties have emerged and reshaped

their coalitions (who supports them) over time

Who can exert more influence over the legislative

process, an individual member of the House, or an individual Senator? Why?

Senator, more informal proceeding in Senate &

rules allowing for filibusters, cloture, etc.

What is the name for the process by which Congress holds the Executive

branch, and all bureaucratic agencies, accountable?

Congressional (or legislative) oversight

When do senators use a motion for cloture? What

kind of majority do you need for a cloture motion?

to end a filibuster; 3/5 or 60% (60 senators makes

you “filibuster proof”)

In general, all bills pertaining to revenue and other monies

must originate where?

House of Reps

What type of spending is required by law and cannot

be adjusted by Congress during the regular budgetary

process? What type of spending can Congress

adjust?Mandatory is required,

Discretionary can be adjusted

What is an entitlement program? What are the two

biggest examples?

Government program that provides benefits to a

specific group of people; Social Security and

Medicare

Which branch did the founders believe would be the most

powerful? Why did they fear its power?

Congress, bad experiences with Parliament

In what list are most of the specific powers of Congress found? What two areas do

most of these relate to?

The enumerated powers, finance and defense

What gives Congress the power to make all laws

“necessary and proper”?

Elastic clause

What gov’t role was a part time job for much of the first 100 years of our history? When did Congress

first start meeting in continuous session?

Working in congress, mid 20th century

How many bills are introduced in Congress each

year?

About 10,000

Which branch most often takes exception to the growing power of the

President?

Legislative

Who has the power to create new courts? Do they use

this power often?

Congress, no

The right of members of Congress to send mail to their constituents

at the gov’ts expense is called____. Why is this an advantage for

incumbents?

Franking, constant PR at no expense to themselves

Which Constitutional clause has been used most often to

expand the power of the national gov’t? How?

Commerce clause; so many things fall under the purview of regulating

commerce

How many sessions is each term of congress divided into? How long does a modern session last?

2, January to November

What is the age requirement for serving in the House?

The citizenship requirement?

25 years of age, 7 years a citizen

How many representatives currently serve in the

House? How are these reps divided between the states?

435, by population

Who has the power to cast the tie-breaking vote in the

Senate? Who runs the Senate in the absence of the

VP?

The Vice President, President Pro Tempore

How long is the term of office in the house?

2 years

What organization determines the population of

each state? How often is this done? How does this

impact Congress?

The Census Bureau, every ten years – seats in the

House are reapportioned based on the census

Who is in charge of redistricting a state after the

census?

Usually the legislature of each state, some states

now use bipartisan committees

Identify the two main ways that state legislatures have

traditionally abused this power.

creating districts of unequal population and

gerrymandering to favor a certain party

What is gerrymandering?

it’s when districts are drawn to benefit a specific

political party or constituency, or to limit

power of a minority group

What did the “one person-one vote” decision require?

that all districts contain approximately 600,000

people, assuring equal power for each vote

When a member of congress works to resolve a specific

issue related to an individual or small group from their district, they are doing

________.

casework

What is the age requirement to be a senator? The

citizenship requirement?

30 years of age, 9 years a citizen

How long is the term of office for a senator? What portion of the senate is up for reelection every two

years?

6 years, 1/3 is up for reelection

What is censure?

a formal vote that disapproves of a member’s

behavior

Describe the average member of congress in terms of age, ethnicity, profession and gender.

over 50, white, lawyer and male

What percentage of incumbents won reelection

between 1945-1990?

90%

Identify two reasons why incumbents are generally

more successful in winning reelection.

money from PACs, gerrymandering, voter recognition, franking

privileges

When did the tide begin to turn against incumbents?

the “Voter Revolution” of 1994

Identify the three House leaders chosen by the

majority party.

Speaker, majority leader, majority whip

What are the basic definitions of fiscal policy

and monetary policy? Which is controlled by Congress

and the President?Fiscal policy is all the decisions Congress and the President make in regard

to the federal budget (taxing and spending),

monetary policy relates to how the FED controls the

money supply

What are two of the main powers of the Speaker?

assigning bills to committees, presiding over House debates, playing a

key role in the calendaring of bills

What do the party leader and whip do, respectively?

leader sets the agenda and priorities, whip maintains

party discipline

What is the primary role of congressional committees?

to closely evaluate proposed bills, hold

hearings on them, and decide whether they go on to the full house or senate

Which committee controls the proceedings of the house and

gives final consent to the calendar?

the Rules Committee

Who has the power to declares laws/acts unconstitutional?

Judicial Branch/Supreme Court

Who has the power to tax, regulate trade and coin

money?

Congress

Who has the power to declare war, raise an army,

and approve treaties?

Congress

What are two ways the President can try to influence Congress?

veto, call special session, make State of the Union

Address

What are two powers Congress has over the

President?

approve treaties, cabinet officials, & judges (advise & consent power held by Senate), veto override,

control the budget

What percentage of bills actually become laws?

roughly 5%

What is the basic procedure for amending the

Constitution?

Amendments originate in Congress (2/3 support) and then must be passed by ¾ of the state legislatures

What type of representative system often leads to

domination by two major political parties?

Single representative system – in which each

geographical district has only one representative

What is the legislative veto? How has the Supreme Court

ruled on its use?

A congressional vote to reject an executive branch

action or orderUnconstitutional, violates

separation of powers

What is the difference between an amendment to a

bill and a rider?Amendments are changes related to the legislation in

question, riders are unrelated and wouldn’t

pass on their own merits (sometimes used to get $$

or force veto)

What is legislative oversight?

When members of Congress work (usually in their

committees) to oversee & supervise the ways

existing laws are being carried out and enforced

Who is responsible for drawing the boundaries for

Congressional districts? When is this done?

State legislatures (or their designees), every 10 years

after census

What type of congressional committee helps reconcile

differences in bills passed by the House and Senate?

Conference committee

The power of Congress most frequently contested in the

courts relates to what activity?

The power to regulate interstate commerce

What is a linkage institution? Name two examples of

linkage institutions.

Connect people to the government; media,

parties, interest groups, elections

What is a plurality election?

An election involving more than two candidates in which the person who

receives the most votes is the winner

What are four of the most common political actions of

interest groups?

filing lawsuits, sponsoring advocacy ads, lobbying,

testifying before Congress, issue related fundraising

The House committee with the greatest power over

taxation is ______. Greatest power over spending is

__________.

Ways and MeansAppropriations

Who can bring charges of impeachment? For what

reasons?

House of Reps, “Treason, bribery, or other high

crimes and misdemeanors”

Who acts as the jury in an impeachment trial? What is

the required vote for a “conviction”?

The Senate, two-thirds

Identify three roles of political parties.

Pick candidates, run campaigns, provide cues

to voters, articulate policies, coordinate policy

making

Over the history of American politics, how far do

successful parties usually stray from the political

center?

Not far at all

Is the control and leadership of American political parties

highly centralized?

No; more fragmented and decentralized – history of party machines running

local politics

What is the difference between a closed and an

open primary?Closed primaries require voters to register ahead of

time for the party’s primary they wish to vote in, open primaries allow

voters to make that choice on election day

What is a blanket primary?

A primary in which all voters get the chance to vote for

a candidate for each office, regardless of party

affiliation

What kind of political activism happens on a person to person basis?

grassroots

In what way do powerful members of the media act

as gatekeepers?

By deciding what issues, events, and candidates get

the most coverage

Which party represented the true entrance of the

common man into American politics? Who was its

leader?

The Democrats, Andrew Jackson

What issue brought about the rise of the Republican Party? What year did they

first capture the White House?

Slavery, 1860

What is it called when a party loses a group of voters from its coalition? Regroups and forms a new coalition?

Party Dealignment (Dems in 1980), Party Realignment (FDR in 1932, Reagan in

1980)

Which party controlled most of American politics for the

~60 years following the Civil War? What brought that

control to an end?

Republicans, FDRs New Deal Coalition of Democrats in

1932

Provide two examples of instances where 3rd parties had a major influence on a

Presidential Election.

Bull Moose in 1912 (TR), American Independent in 1968 (Wallace), Reform in

1992 (Perot), Green in 2000 (Nader)

What gathering, held every 4 years, is critical to the

National Party Organization? What are the two main tasks

of this gathering?

National Party Convention; officially select Presidential candidate and write party

platform

What are two reasons third parties are significant?

They allow for non-revolutionary expression of discontent (a vent), they impact elections by drawing

votes away from major party candidates, they allow for discussion

outside the mainstream discourse

What is the name for a voter who always votes right down

the party line?

Straight Ticket Voter

How are the two major political parties organized? Who is the most influential

party official?They have separate,

independent organizations at the national, state, and local levels; National Party Chairperson – plays major

role in setting national agenda and strategy

What role do PACs play in campaigns?

They work outside the official campaign structure

to try and influence the result by running ads, staging events, etc.

What two SC decisions greatly increased role of

PACs?

Buckley v Valeo essentially gave PACs free speech rights, Citizens United

removed limits on donations to PACS and led to creation of “super PACs”

(virtually no funding restrictions

What is the nickname for an Executive department,

Congressional committee, and interest group all working on

public policy?

“Iron Triangle”

All of the interest groups, government officials, think

tanks, and individuals working on a given issue are

called a _______.

Policy (or Issue) network

What are the two most common ways for interest

groups to work through the courts?

Amicus curiae briefs and class action lawsuits

Why is regulating commerce such an important power for

Congress?

Because commerce has been defined broadly, so through this power

Congress can do everything from desegregate public accommodations

to pass environmental regulations