government benefits provided to Americans who qualify because of their age, income, and/or status
Platforma statement of a political party on the issues facing the country, adopted at the national convention; each issue position is known as a plank
Unitary systema political system in which all power is derived from the central government
requirements imposed by the national government on state and local governments to comply with federal
Political agendaissues that merit action, as determined by the public or those in power
New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) establishes?The government cannot exert prior restraint.
one party controls the executive (president) and the other party controls one or both houses of Congress
Political action committees (PAC$)extension of an interest group that contributes money to political campaigns
Political culturea set of basic values and beliefs about one's country or government that is shared by most citizens
Pure speechverbal communication of ideas and opinions
Dealigningelection party loyalty becomes less important to voters, and they vote for the other party candidate or
Bill of Rightsthe first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791, which protect basic civil liberties
powers powers, usually claimed by the president, that are implied but not specifically stated in the Constitution or are derived from the office
Markup
national laws supersedes all other laws passed by states
Realignmenta shift of voting patterns to form new coalitions of party support
Opinion leadersthose individuals held in great respect because of their position, expertise, or personality, who may
Conservativea person whose political views favor more local, limited government, fewer government regulations,
a permanent committee of Congress that deals with legislation and oversight in a broad policy area
Congressional oversightrefers to the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation
a claim by the president or a member of the executive branch that information or documents requested by Congress or the courts do not have to be turned over because of the separation of powers
Representative democracycitizens choose officials who make decisions about public policy; a republic
Billa draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.
Superdelegatesparty officials in the Democratic Party who attend the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses
North American Free Trade Agreement
Concurrent powersgovernmental powers shared by the federal and state governments
powers that the Constitution specifically grants to the federal government
Boost!
Boost!
Get-out-the-votea campaign near the end of an election to get voters out to the polls
Frozen!
Frozen!
Deregulation
people who have no party affiliation
Great compromisea solution to the problem of representation at the constitutional convention, in which the number of members that each state would have in the House is determined by population, while each state would have equal representation in the Senate (two senators per state)
Divided government
Congressional oversight
the first court to hear and decide a case; US district courts and the US Supreme Court have original jurisdiction in cases involving foreign affairs, states or the national government
Religion does not override child labor laws. Wisconsin v. Yoder
Media eventa speech or photo opportunity staged to give a politician's view on an issue; staged to present the candidate in a good light
Direct primaryparty members vote to nominate their candidate for the general election
Boost!
Boost!
Majority opinionthe majority of justices agree on the decision and the reasons for the decision
the practice of allowing senators from the president's party who represent the state where a judicial district is located, to approve or disapprove potential nominees for the lower federal courts
a group of private citizens whose goal is to influence and shape public policy
Equal Protection Clauseconstitutional guarantee that everyone be treated equally
Boost!
Boost!
Cloturea method for cutting off a filibuster in the Senate; sixteen votes are needed to call for cloture and sixty are needed to end a filibuster
Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
Pure speechverbal communication of ideas and opinions
Precedentstandards or guides based on prior decisions that serve as a rule for settling similar disputes
Free exercise clause
a division of governmental powers between the national government and the states
Incumbent
Public policythe exercise of government power in doing those things necessary to maintain legitimate authority and control over society
Federal budget decicitthe difference in any year between government spending and government revenue
Public opinion
Implied powerspowers not expressed, but may be considered through the use of the necessary and proper (elastic) clause
Grants-in-aidprograms, money, and resources provided by the federal government to state and local governments to be used for specific projects and programs
practice by which power is divided among three branches of government; each branch has its own powers and duties and is independent of and equal to the other branches
jurisdiction the authority to hear cases is shared by federal and state courts
Joint committeea committee of Congress made up of members of both houses that focuses on issues of general concern but does not propose legislation