apg unit ii review
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APG Unit II Review. 2013. 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?. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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