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What is a unified government?
whatever majority wants to do, will happen
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How many terms does a House rep serve?
2
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How many terms does a Senate serve?
6
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Pork Barrel Spending
government spending money on things that we want but don't need in order to gain popularity
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How many seats are in the House?
435
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Gerrymandering
drawing districts so it can help one party over another
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Information Costs
how you determine the best candidate
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Opportunity Costs
time spent that you could be spent doing something else
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Benefits of voting
- 1. Civic Duty
- 2. Making a difference
- 3. Stakes being high
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Pre-Primary Season
where the potential candidates raise money and get their name out to states
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Primary Season
candidates going state to state to get voters to follow them
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What do presidential debates do?
affect public opinion at the margins
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How many people are in the Electoral College?
538
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How many electoral college votes are needed to win the presidency?
270
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What happens if neither candidate gets to 270?
the votes get turned to the House of Rep. and each state will get 1 vote
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Important states to win
- Cali, 55
- Tex, 38
- NY, 29
- Fl, 29
- PA, 20
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When do incumbents lose?
- 1. Scandals
- 2. Marginal Districts
- 3. Midterm Elections
- 4. High Visibility Challenger
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Speaker of House?
John Boehner
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Majority Republican leader of House?
Eric Cantor
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Minority Democratic leader of House?
Nancy Pelosi
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President of Senate?
Joe Biden
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President Pro Tempore?
Patrick Leahy
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Why is it more likely for the speaker of the house in the 20th century to become President?
The 25th amendment says when VP seat is vacant, the president gets to choose a new VP
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Standing Committe
- 1. where most of the work in Congress gets done
- 2. Most bills die here
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Select Committees
deal with a particular issue, uncommon
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Joint Committees
made up of Senators and House, do mostly investigation
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Conference Committees
- 1. Members of both chambers to resolve disagreements on a particular bill
- 2. Iron out the differences between the two bills
- 3. Have power to add and take out things
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What does the House do if a bill is passed?
- 1. Decides on terms of debate and on amendments
- 2. Can decided whether or not bill goes to House floor
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Rider
an amendment to a bill that doesn't relate directly to the bill's content
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Filibuster
A senator trying to convince Congress to pass or kill a bill.
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How many votes are needed for cloture?
60
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How does the House and Senate override a presidential veto?
2/3 vote
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Congress shall have the power to?
- 1. Declare war, and make rules concerning captures on land and water
- 2. Raise and support armies
- 3. Provide and maintain Navy
- 4. Make rules for the government
- 5. Regulation of the land and Naval forces
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Declaration of War by Congress
- 1. War of 1812
- 2. Mexican-Amercian War, 1848
- 3. Spanish-American War, 1890's
- 4. WWI, 1914
- 5. WWII, 1941
- 6. Korean War, 1950
- 7. Vietnam War, 1959
- 8. Gulf War of 1991
- 9. Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
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What is the War Powers Resolution?
told presidents they had the right to initiate war but after 60 days Congress can either initiate war, or send troops home
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Oversight
can bring in people to Washington and question them
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The Legislative Veto
Granting the legislative branch certain powers to veto president
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Impoundment
An act by the President of not spending money that has been appropriated by the US Congress
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Line-Item Veto
- 1. President choosing to veto things in a budget without losing the whole budget
- 2. Later declared unconstitutional
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Original Jurisdiction
- 1. case starts in this court
- 2. hears case you bring to it
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Appellate Jurisdiction
- 1. A chance to get your case heard again
- 2. Court that hears appeals
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Civil Rights
rights of groups in society, and especially minority groups
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Civil liberties
refers to the rights of individuals
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13th Amendment
Outlawed slavery
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14th Amendment
- 1. Citizenship to those born on US soil
- 2. Required states to uphold due process
- 3. Equal protection clause
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15th Amendment
Gave former slaves (men) right to vote
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The "Jim Crow" Era
- 1. Legal and illegal intimidation
- 2. Limiting right to vote
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GA Citizenship Test, 1958
- 1. Had to be able to read, write, and pay a fee
- 2. Designed to keep the minorities and poor from voting
- 3. Registrars ultimately decide who passes or fails
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The Impact of WWII
- 1. millions of people affected globally
- 2. GREAT need of soldiers
- 3. Were forced to draft and hire minority groups
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Voting Rights Act of 1965
Gave all citizens right to vote
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Affirmative Action
In order to remedy segregation, Nixon encouraged diversity
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Specific Powers of President
- 1. Head of State
- 2. Veto power
- 3. Power to Pardon
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Powers shared with Senate
- 1. Power to make appointments (Federal Judges, Cabinet Members, Ambassadors)
- 2. Power to make treaties
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How many votes are required for ratification of a treaty?
2/3
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Executive Order
- 1. a signed presidential directive that has the force of law
- 2. Meant to carry out legal process of law
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Famous Executive Orders
- 1. Emancipation Proclamation
- 2. The Executive Order 9066: The Internment of Japanese Americans
- 3. Harry Truman and the integration of US military
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