Historical Terms #2

  1. Trial Balloon
    Testing an idea before the public
  2. Twisting Slowly in the Wind
    failure to support a nominee under attack
  3. Fishing Expedition
    random search for information/ no specific objective
  4. Byzantine
    secretive and maniplative
  5. Realpolitik
    international diplomacy based pon power rather than morality
  6. Hobson' Choice
    all or nothing choice
  7. Mandate
    overwhelcming public support for you program
  8. Smoking Gun
    incontrovertible evidence of guilt
  9. Fallback
    an agreed upon line of retreat
  10. Walking Back the Cat
    retreating from a negotiating position
  11. Balanced Ticket
    candidates chosen to appeal to as broad a range of voters as possible
  12. Kiss of Death
    unwelcome support from an unpopular source
  13. Sherman Statement
    a final and irrevocable declaration of non-candidacy
  14. Yahoo
    common man (usually seen as a rural mid-westerner)
  15. Swing Voter
    a voter who votes for the candidates, not the party
  16. Stir up the animals
    ignite an unwanted controversy- take a position that will cause controversy
  17. Old Guard
    conservative traditional Republicans
  18. Off the Reservation
    Refusing to support your party's candidiate/ platform
  19. Nonpartisan
    without thought of political party interests
  20. Man on Horseback
    a militart figure with political potential/ future
  21. Linkage
    success in one area is contingent on success in another area
  22. Harball
    rough political tactics during an election
  23. Bellweather
    a trend-setter or a district with a history of reflecting nation voting pattern (IA, MO, CA, IN, OH, FL)
  24. Cowboy
    a party member that does not obey party discipline
  25. Boondoggle
    a government project which wastes money due to inefficiency or corruption
Author
ellie.kay88
ID
103287
Card Set
Historical Terms #2
Description
vocabulary
Updated