American National Government Review Sheet Test 3 POLS 206 This is a list of general topics you will need to know in order to do well on the second test This test covers chapters 11 13 15 16 and 18 including the topics of Congress the Presidency and the courts the budget social welfare policy and national defense policy 1 Where is the center of policymaking a Legislature Congress 2 What are the attractions to the job of being a member of Congress a Power b Salary of 174 000 c Generous retirement and health benefits 3 What is substantive representation members 4 What is meant by pork barrel projects a Speaking for the interest of groups of which they themselves are not a Federal projects grants and contracts available to state and local governments businesses colleges and other institutions in a congressional district 5 What are the advantages of incumbency and why do incumbents lose a Advertising i Constituent contact b Credit claiming i Casework 1 Helping individual constituents by cutting through some bureaucratic red tape to give people what they think they have a right to get ii Pork Barrel projects c Known commodities i You know exactly where they stand on issues d PACs give most money to incumbents e Position taking f Weak opponents g Campaign spending 6 What do PACs buy with their money Incumbents 7 What is bicameralism a a Legislatures are divided into two houses b Bills must pass both houses c Checks and balances d Result of Connecticut Compromise e The House i More institutionalized and seniority based ii Rules Committee 1 Senate doesn t have this iii Speaker of the House is the leader of the house of reps iv HUGE power gap v Almost all power resting with the speaker f The Senate i Majority leader rules 1 Current is republican ii Seniority based iii Unlimited debate iv The Filibuster 1 Talking a bill to death 2 Most effective towards the end of a session 3 Requires control of the senate for as long as one can 4 Vote of Quorum a Number of reps you need to take a vote 8 Know what is meant by the act of impeachment and the process of impeachment v Less centralized and seniority based a Impeachment The political equivalent of an indictment in criminal law prescribed by the Constitution The House of Reps may impeach the president by a majority vote for Treason Bribery or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors 9 What are the differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate a Table 11 2 10 What do congressional whips do a Party leaders who work with the majority leader or minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to the passage of a bill favored by the party b Report the views and complaints of the party rank and file back to the House leadership 11 What is a filibuster a A strategy 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 Sixty members present and voting can half a filibuster on legislation 12 Why are committees and subcommittees important to Congress a Help organize the most important work of congress 13 Know the different types of committees a Standing Committees i Most important ii Every session has iii More in House than the Senate b Joint committees i Made up of both members of the House and Senate ii Usually formed for research c Conference committees i Members of the House and Senate come together when the houses 14 What is presidential power according to Neustadt don t pass the same version of a bill a Presidents were generally in a weak position to command so they had to rely on persuasion 15 Know the 22nd Amendment a Limits presidents to 2 TERMZ of office 16 Know the responsibilities of the vice president a Presiding over the Senate and voting in case of a tie among the senators b Being advisors to the president c Represents president abroad in some cases 17 How does the President control the bureaucracy a Power to appoint top level administartors b Power to recommend agency budgets to Congress c Executive orders 18 What are the OMB NSC and CEA a Office of Management and Budget i Originated as Bureau of Budget ii Prepare the president s budget b National Security Council i Committee that links the president s key foreign and military policy ii advisers Include President ViP secretaries of state and defense formal members c Council of Economic Advisers on economic policy i 3 members each appointed by the president who advise the president ii Prepare the annual Economic Report of the President which includes data and analysis on the current state and future trends of the economy and help the president make policy on inflation unemployment and other economic matters 19 Know the different types of vetoes a Pocket Veto i Mere threat of a veto can change the fill from its track ii Occurs when Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president and the president simply lets the bill die by neither signing nor vetoing it b Line Item Veto i President doesn t have this ii Governors do 1 Can veto parts of bills they don t like 20 What is a midterm election a Elections held between presidential elections b Party in white house usually loses seats 21 What are electoral mandates a Perception that the voters strongly support the president and his policies 22 Know the War Powers Resolution 1973 a A Law passed in 1973 in reaction to American fighting in Vietnam and Cambodia that requires presidents to consult with Congress whenever possible prior to using military force and to withdraw forces after 60 days unless Congress declares war or grants an extension However presidents have viewed the resolution as unconstitutional 23 How does the president use the press a Principal intermediary between the president and the public and relations with the press are an important aspect of the president s efforts to lead public opinion 24 How do presidents use public opinion and public approval a The higher the president stands in the polls the easier it is to persuade other to support presidential initiatives 25 What are class action lawsuits a A small number of people sue on behalf of all people in similar circumstances b May be useful in civil rights cases 26 Know what is meant by original jurisdiction a The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first usually in a trial These are the courts that determine the facts about a case 27 Know what the Judiciary Act 1789 did 28 What are amicus curiae briefs and writs
View Full Document
Unlocking...