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What are the people already holding office usually win elections called?
Incumbents- usualy win because they have more money, their face is known, voters know how they vote
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What are federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local gov, businesses, colleges and other institutions in a congressional district called?
pork barrel- way of servicing the constituency, in the long run it gives a favorable public image
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What committie in the house of rep reviews most bills coming from a house committee before they go to the full house?
house rules committee
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What is a strategy that is unique to the senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the senate from ever voting on a bill?
filibuster-senators can talk for as long as they want until the ones who propose the bill give up their battle
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What is the only way to stop a filibuster?
cloture- voted upon by sixty members present, most don't use them though because they don't want it agaisnt them when they want to filibuster
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Who is the chief among leadership poistions in the house of reps?
speaker of the house- chosen by the majority party, second in line to be president
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What are the jobs of the speaker of the house?
- 1. presides over the house when it is in session
- 2. plays a major role in making committee assignments
- 3. appoints the party's legislative leaders and party leadership staff
- 4. substantial control over which bills get assigned to which committees
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Whos is the prinicpal partisan ally of the speaker of the house and is the party's manager in the senate?
majority leader
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What are the jobs of the majority leader?
- 1. responsible for scheduling bills in the house
- 2. responsible for rounding up votes on behalf of the party's position on legislation
- 3. influences committee assignments
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Who works with the majority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party?
whips
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What are the jobs of the whips?
- 1. carry the word to the troops
- 2. report the views and complaints of the party rank and file back to the leadership
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Who is the principal leader of the minority party in the house or in the senate?
minority leader
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What is a group of members of congress sharing some interest or characteristic called?
caucus- contains both members from both house and senate, very similiar to interest groups
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what are the goals of caucus groups?
to promote the interests around which they are formed
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What is the removing of a descredited president before the end of their term and is political equivalent of an indictment in criminal law called?
impeachment- house impeaches them and then the case goes to the senate with 2/3 vote
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What can the house of reps impeach a president for?
- treason
- bribery
- other high crimes
- misdemeanors
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What is the constitutional power of the president to send a bill back to congress with reasons for rejecting it called?
veto- 2/3 vote in congress can override a veto
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What law passed requires presidents to consult with congress whenever possible to prior to using military force and to whithdraw forces after 60 days unless congress declares war or grants an extension?
war powers act
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What is it called when the national gov spends more money than it recieves in taxes?
deficit
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What are major areas of gov spending called?
expenditures
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What provides elderly americans with money to save them from poverty?
social security- takes money from the working members and spends it on retired people
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What is a program that provides health insurance for the elderly, covering hospitalization and fees?
medicare
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What are policies for which congress obligates itself to pay X level of benefits to Y number of recipients?
entitlements- why expenditures are uncontrollable
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What house of rep committee writes tax codes, subject to the approval of congress as a whole?
house ways and means committee
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What senate committee writes the tax codes, subject to the approval of congress as a whole?
senate finance committee
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What advises congress on the probable consequences of its decisions, forecasts revenues, and is a counterweight to the president's OMB?
congressional budget office
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What is an act of congress that actually funds programs within limits established by the authorization bills?
appropriations bill- only funds programs for a year, can't exceed amount of money authorized in the program
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What is the hierarchial authority structure that uses task specialization, operates on merit principle, and behaves with impersonality?
bureaucracy
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What is a system in which jobs and promotions are awarded for policitcal reasons rather than for merit called?
patronage
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What is an act that created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit instead of patronage?
pendleton civil service act- established when there was a bunch of corruption in appointment for poistions and it now requires someone to take and pass an exam
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What is a federal law that prohibits gov employees from active participation in partisan politics while on duty or for ones in sensitive positions?
Hatch act
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What is the office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal gov using elaborate rules in the process?
office of personnel management OPM- go to them to get civil service job, take a test, for each agency 3 names are sent and one must be picked
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What is a rate based on salaries and experience?
General schedule rating GS
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What is a gov agency with responsibilty for making and enforcing rules to protect the public interest?
independent regulatory commission
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What are the rest of the gov such as agencies not in the cabinet departments, regulatory commissions, and gov corporations?
independent executive agency
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What are bureaucrats who are in constant contact with the public and have considerable administrative discretion?
street-level bureaucrats
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What are procedures for every day decision making enabling bureaucrats to bring efficiency and uniformity to the running of complex organization?
standard operating procedures, SOP- save time, creates better served justice, makes personnel interchangable
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What is the use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector?
regulation
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What is the lifting of gov restrictions on business, industry, and professional activites?
deregulation- belief regulation hurt us more than it helped us
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What is a mutually dependent, mutually advantageous relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees called?
iron triangles- complicates the bureaucracy
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What is granted by the president through his judicial powers that exuses someone from their crime?
pardon
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What is granted by the president through his judicial powers that pardons a group of people?
amnesty
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What is granted by the president through his judicial powers that grants the reduction of a jail sentence?
reprieve
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What is it called when a legislature is divided into two houses?
bicameral legislation
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What is a gov organization that provides a service that could be delivered by the private sector and charges for its services?
Gov. corporation
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What is the committee in the house of reps that reviews most bills coming from a house committee before they go to the full house?
house rules committee
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What is the power of the courts to determine whether actos of congress and the executive follow the U.S. constitution?
judicial review
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What is an unwritten tradition whereby nominations for state level federal judicial posts are not confirmed if they are opposed by a senator of the presidents party?
senatorial courtesy
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What were the events and scandal surrounding a break in at the democratic national committee headquarters in 1972 and a cover up of the white house involvement?
watergate scandal
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What is it called when congress reconvenes in an even numbered year follwing the november general elections to consider various items of business?
lame duck session
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