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159 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
1980 Election
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1992 Election
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1994 Election
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1996 Election
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2000 Election
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2002 Election
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2004 Election
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2006 Election
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2008 Election
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14th amendment
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The amendment to the US Constitution which specifies who are legal citizens of the United States and their protections under the law.
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16th amendment
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allows the Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or basing it on Census results
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17th amendment
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"transfers Senator selection from each state's legislature to popular election by the people of each state. It also provides a contingency provision enabling a state's governor
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22th amendment
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sets a term limit for the President of the United States
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25th amendment
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deals with succession to the Presidency
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26th amendment
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standardized the voting age to 18
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“Imperial Presidency”
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term used to describe a president as an “emperor” who acts without consulting Congress or acts in the secrecy to evade or deceive Congress
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“Solid South”
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Region controlled by the US Democratic Party from 1877 to 1964. Includes at least all the 11 former Confederate States.
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Amendment X
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Restates the Constitution's principle of federalism by providing that powers not granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or the people.
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American with Disabilities Act
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"A federal law designed to eliminate discrimination against individuals with disabilities by mandating equal access to jobs
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Amnesty
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pardon: a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense
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Amicus Curiae Brief
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a brief presented by someone interested in influencing the outcome of a lawsuit but who is not a party to it
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Appellate Courts
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An appellate court is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal
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At large election
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All voters in a political jurisdiction may vote for candidates for all offices
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Bill of attainder
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A legislative determination imposing punishment without trial; prohibited under the United States Constitution
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Blanket primary
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A primary in which all the names of the candidates for all parties are on one ballot
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Block grants
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"Formula funds that are not allocated to a specific category and are more flexibly distributed. The grant seeker applies directly to a state for these funds
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Brady Bill
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This law requires a 7 day waiting period before buying a handgun
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Brown v. Board of Education
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the Supreme Court decision in 1954 that declared segregation of public schools unconstitutional
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Budget and Impoundment control Act
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Federal law that governs the role of the Congress in the United States budget process.
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Categorical grants
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"Issued by the United States Congress
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Caucus
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meet to select a candidate or promote a policy
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Christmas Tree Bill
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"In the United States Congress
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Civil Rights Act of 1964
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"The nation's first comprehensive law making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race
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Clean Air Act
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a piece of United States environmental policy relating to the reduction of smog and air pollution
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Clinton Coalition
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President Bill Clinton's political base
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Closed primary
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a primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote
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Closed rule
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Permits general debate for a specified period of time but generally permits no amendments.
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Cloture motion
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"also called closure and sometimes a guillotine
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Coattail effect
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the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election
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Conference committee
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A committee of members of the House and Senate to confer on differences in measures which have passed both houses.
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Congressional Budget Office
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Provides information and analysis on economic trends and budget requirements.
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Contract with America
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a document released by the United States Republican Party during the 1994 Congressional election campaign
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Critical election
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are terms from political science and political history describing a dramatic change in the political system
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De facto segregation
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segregation (especially in schools) that happens in fact although not required by law
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De jure segregation
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segregation that is imposed by law
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Open seat election
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Dealignment
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a process whereby voters are moved toward nonpartisanship thus weakening the structure of political parties
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Debt
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the state of owing something (especially money)
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Deficit
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"Déficit is a Mexican feature film
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Delegated
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delegate - a person appointed or elected to represent others
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Democratic National Committee
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The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis
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Discharge petition
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Starts a process in the House of Representatives to force a bill out of committee.
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Discretionary spending
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The budget authority that is provided and controlled by appropriation acts and the outlays that result from that budget authority
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District Courts
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the general trial courts of the United States federal court system
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Division of powers
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"The division of Federal
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Earmarks
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A congressional provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees.
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Elites/activists Endorsements
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"sanction: formal and explicit approval; ""a Democrat usually gets the union's endorsement"""
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Entitlements
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"a guarantee of access to benefits because of rights
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Environmental Protection Agency
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an independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment
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Ethic in Government Act of 1978
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Sets financial disclosure requirements for public officials and restrictions on former government employees' lobbying activities.
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Ex post facto
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"affecting things past; ""retroactive tax increase""; ""an ex-post-facto law"""
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Exclusionary Rule
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a rule that provides that otherwise admissible evidence cannot be used in a criminal trial if it was the result of illegal police conduct
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Executive agreements
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An agreement made between the executive branch of the US government and a foreign government without ratification by the congress
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Executive orders
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"a directive issued by the President
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Factions
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"A political faction is a grouping of individuals
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Federal Communication Commission
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"An independent agency of the United States government
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Federal Reserve System
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"The central bank of the United States. The Fed
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Federalism
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the idea of a federal organization of more or less self-governing units
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Filibuster
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A form of obstruction in a legislature or other decision-making body. An attempt is made to extend indefinitely a debate upon a proposal in order to delay the progress or completely prevent a vote on the proposal taking place
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Fiscal policy
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a government policy for dealing with the budget
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Fiscal year
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"For the federal government
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Formal Franking
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Informal Franking
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Gender gap
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the difference that exists between males and females in access to some social good or benefit based solely on their difference in gender
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Great Society
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a set of domestic programs proposed or enacted in the United States on the initiative of President Lyndon B. Johnson
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Gov. Cabinet Ethics Act 1978
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An Extension of the Ethics in Government Act that extended it to include members of the cabinet
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Hard money
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a specific type of asset-based loan financing through which a borrower receives funds secured by the value of a parcel of real estate
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House Ways and Means Committee
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the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives
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Implied powers
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powers that the national government does not have specifically listed in the Constitution but which can be reasonably deduced from the expressed or delegated powers
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Impoundment
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an act that occurs when the President refuses to spend money appropriated by Congress
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Incrementalism
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"Any method of achieving a goal by means of a series of gradual increments
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Incumbency
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"Is the leader of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections
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Independent regulatory Commissions
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"Agencies that were established to be outside the power of both the president and the Congress in their operations. Such agencies have authority that is partly legislative and partly judicial. The first independent regulatory commission
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Interest groups
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"organization of people who share political
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Intergovernmental lobby
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"Local and State governments and agencies of local and state governments lobby the federal government in Washington
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Issue ads
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an ad not supporting or attacking any specific candidate
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Judicial activism
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an interpretation of the U.S. constitution holding that the spirit of the times and the needs of the nation can legitimately influence judicial decisions (particularly decisions of the Supreme Court)
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Judicial restraint
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a theory of judicial interpretation that encourages judges to limit the exercise of their own power
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Judicial review
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the power of the Supreme Court to review acts of the President and Congress and determine if those acts are constitutional
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Line item veto
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A provision to allow the President to reject particular portions of the budget rather than simply accept or reject the entire budget
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Logrolling
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act of exchanging favors for mutual gain; especially trading of influence or votes among legislators to gain passage of certain projects
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Majoritarian politics
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Mandates
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the authority granted by an electorate to act as its representative
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Mandatory spending
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Spending authorized by permanent law rather than annual appropriations. An example is Social Security
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Marbury v. Madison
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Supreme Court case decided in 1803 that established the concept of judicial review -- the power of the Supreme Court to review acts of the president and Congress and determine if they are constitutional
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Markup (bills)
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"refers to the process by which a U.S. Congressional committee or state legislative session debates
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Marxist theory
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"Posited that communism would be the final stage in human society
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McCain-Feingold Act
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"Is United States federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
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McCulloch v. Maryland
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Supreme Court case decided in 1819 that established the concept of implied powers for the national government
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Medicaid
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health care for the needy; a federally and state-funded program
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Medicare
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health care for the aged; a federally administered system of health insurance available to persons aged 65 and over
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Minor party/3rd. Parties
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A political party whose electoral strength is so weak that it has little chance of gaining control of a government.
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Miranda v. Arizona
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"A landmark 5-4 decision of the United States Supreme Court. The Court held that statements made in response to interrogation by a defendant in police custody will be admissible at trial only if the prosecution can show that the defendant was informed of the right to consult with an attorney and of the right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police
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Monetary policy
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Management of the money supply and interest rates to influence economic activity
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Motor Voter Act
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required state governments to allow for registration when a qualifying voter applied for or renewed their drivers license or applied for social services
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National Security Council
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a committee in the executive branch of government that advises the president on foreign and military and national security; supervises the Central Intelligence Agency
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Necessary and proper clause
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"establishes the ""implied powers
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New Deal Coalition
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the alignment of interest groups and voting blocs that supported the New Deal
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New Federalism
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"a plan
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Office of Management and Budget
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the executive agency that advises the President on the federal budget
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Open primary
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a primary in which any registered voter can vote (but must vote for candidates of only one party)
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Open rule
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Permits general debate for a specified period of time and allows any member to offer an amendment that complies with the standing rules of the House
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Oversight
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function of Congress in which it tries to insure that federal agencies do not waste resources
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Party vote
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is a vote in which every member of a political party votes the same way
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Patronage
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granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support
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Plea bargaining
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The process of negotiating a verdict and sentence without a complete trial
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Plessy v. Ferguson
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The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the doctrine of “separate but equal” public accommodations for blacks and whites. The law would stand until 1954
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Plurality
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(in an election with more than 2 options) the number of votes for the candidate or party receiving the greatest number (but less than half of the votes)
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Pocket veto
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"veto of a bill that occurs when the President does not sign or veto a bill passed by both houses of Congress and if
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Political Action Committees
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groups formed to disburse political campaign funds to candidates for office
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Pork barrel
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It comes from the plantation practice of distributing rations of salt pork … Just Kidding. a derogatory term referring to appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district
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President pro tempore
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title of the assistant presiding officer of the Senate who is chosen by the Senate
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Primary
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election in which political parties choose their nominees or candidates for office
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Prior restraint
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a legal term referring to a government's actions that prevent communications from reaching the public
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Prospective election
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Reagan Democrats
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"used to denote traditionally Democratic voters
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Realignment
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"the coming to power of a new coalition
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Rehnquist court
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"Considered a conservative
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Reserved powers
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powers that are denied the national government and reserved to the states
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Retrospective election
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Revenue sharing
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distribution of part of the federal tax income to states and municipalities
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Riders
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a clause that is appended to a legislative bill
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Republican National Committee (RNC)
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provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States
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Roe v. Wade
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" The Court held that a mother may abort her pregnancy for any reason
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Rule of Four
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Practice that permits four of the nine justices to grant a writ of certiorari. This is done specifically to prevent a majority of the court from controlling all the cases it agrees to hear
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Rules Committee
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are chaired by the chambers’ presiding officers and determine which bills will be brought before each chamber for a vote
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Rustbelt
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urban areas in New England and Midwest characterized by concentrations of declining industries (steel or textiles)
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Securities and Exchange Commission
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an independent federal agency that oversees the exchange of securities to protect investors
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Select committee
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One of the types of committees used by Congress. Select committees are usually temporary committees established by one of the houses of Congress to investigate or study a problem (see special committee)
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Selective Incorporation
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legal doctrine by which portions of the Bill of Rights are applied to the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
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Senate Judiciary Committee
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charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on whether to confirm or not confirm prospective federal judges (including Supreme Court justices) nominated by the president
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Senate Majority Leader
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"first-ranking party position
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Separation of powers
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the system established in the Constitution to give each branch a different responsibility for law in the United States and thus keep any one branch from becoming too powerful
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Shays’ Rebellion
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"An armed uprising in Central and Western Massachusetts
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Single member district
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political district in which only the residents of the district can vote for their representative
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Soft money
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Political contributions made in such a way as to avoid the United States regulations for federal election campaigns
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Solicitor General
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A law officer appointed to assist an attorney general
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Split ticket voting
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Voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election
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Standing committee
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One of the permanent committees used by each house of Congress
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Stare decisis
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The principle of following judicial precedent
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Straight ticket voting
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When a voter in an election casts a ballot that includes only candidates of the same party.
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Sunbelt
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states in the south and southwest that have a warm climate and tend to be politically conservative
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Super delegates
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"Delegates not selected based on the party primaries and caucuses. Instead
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Super majority
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"any qualified majority
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Symbolic speech
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action that is meant to convey a message
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Voting Rights Act of 1965
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outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the United States
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War Powers Resolution (Act)
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Congress joint resolution providing that the President can send U.S. armed forces into action abroad only by authorization of Congress or if the United States is already under attack or serious threat.
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Warren Court
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"Marking some of the most dramatic changes in judicial power and philosophy in the history of the American judiciary
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Winner takes all
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Where the winner of the primary or electoral college vote takes all of the state's convention or electoral college delegates
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