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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Average age of person in Congress?
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Average age=57 years old
House=56 years old Senate=62 years old |
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Leading occupation of person in Congress?
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Lawyer, at least 1/3, usually closer to 1/2
Also a considerable amount of business people |
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How many women were in Congress in 2008?
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90, around 17%
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Incumbent
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a current officeholder who runs again
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What % of the time do incumbents win?
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92%
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How long does a Congress member serve on average?
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Average house member serves 10 years, 5 terms
Average senator serves 13 years, roughly 2 terms |
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Why is it so easy for incumbents to win?
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- Voters become familiar with incumbents
- Most people don't pay much attention to Congress elections-- name recognition - Once elected, most incumbents want to keep their jobs, so try to make themselves popular - FINANCIAL ADVANTAGE |
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How can incumbents become more popular?
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Get funding for projects in home districts or home states
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What are some reasons that incumbents lose?
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- Unhappy constituents, agency loss
- Tends to be a reaction against the party in power if constituents are unhappy with performance |
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Do members of the President's party have an easier time getting elected?
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Historically, members of the President's political party tend to have a more difficult time winning
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Ad hoc committee
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A congressional committee appointed for a limited time to design and report a specific piece of legislation
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Casework
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The activity undertaken by members of Congress and their staffs to solve constituents' problems with government agencies
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Closed Rule
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An order from the House Rules Committee limiting floor debate on a particular bill and disallowing or limiting amendment
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Cloture
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A parliamentary procedure used to close debate. Cloture is used in the Senate to cut off filibusters. Under the current senate rules, three-fifths of senators, or sixty, must vote for cloture to halt a filibuster
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Conditional Party Government
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The degree of authority delegated to and exercised by congressional leaders; varies with and is conditioned by the extent of election-driven ideological consensus among members
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Conference committee
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A temporary joint committee of the House and Senate appointed to reconcile the differences between the two chambers on a particular piece of legislation
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Discharge petition
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A petition that removes a measure from a committee to which it has been referred in order to make it available for floor consideration. In the House, a discharge petition must be signed by a majority of House members
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Entitlement
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A benefit that every eligible person has a legal right to receive and that cannot be taken away without a change in legislation or due process in court
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Filibuster
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A tactic used in the Senate to halt action on a bill. It involves making long speeches until the majority retreats. Senators, once holding the floor, have unlimited time to speak unless a cloture vote is passed by three-fifths of the members
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Joint Committee
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Permanent congressional committees made up of members of both the House and the Senate. Joint committees do not have any legislative authority; they monitor specific activities and compile reports.
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