POLS 206: EXAM 3
58 Cards in this Set
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
|
(1) What is the center of policymaking?
|
TEST ANSWER
Congress
|
|
(2) What are the attractions to the job of being a member of Congress?
|
-First and foremost: Power
-$174,000 salary
-retirement and health care benefits
|
|
(3) What is substantive representation?
|
Representing the interests of groups of which they themselves are not members.
|
|
(4) What is meant by pork barrel projects?
|
The Pork Barrel is composed of federal projects, grants, and contracts available to different districts, companies, colleges, etc. A Pork Barrel Project is a project won by a Representative that brings money back to his/her district.
|
|
(5a) What are the advantages of incumbency?
|
1. Advertising
2. Credit Claiming
3. Position Taking
4. Weak Opponents
5. Campaign Spending
|
|
Advertising
|
The goal is visibility-> make themselves known within the constituency.
-Get a detailed list of of specific desires of potential voters
|
|
Credit Claiming
|
-Emphasizing the vote and policies makes friends and enemies, BUT servicing the constituency only makes friends.
-Done through casework, or activities of Congress that help constituents as individuals, and Pork Barrel Projects.
|
|
Position Taking
|
They can show you how they vote and how they represent the district and what the district wants.
|
|
Weak Opponents
|
Effective Opponents are scared off by the incumbent advantage.
-lack of adequate campaign funds; don't get 'free' advertising like incumbents do
|
|
Campaign Spending
|
-Money buys name recognition, which incumbents already have
-Incumbents generally outspend challengers
-PAC's donate to incumbents
|
|
(5b) Why do incumbents lose?
|
-Sometimes an incumbent is tarnished by a scandal or corruption, giving the challenger an advantage.
-If districts change, incumbents can lose some of their supporters, or two can be moved into the same district and have to battle it out.
-Public mood shifts
|
|
(6) What do PACs buy with their money?
|
Name-recognition, generally for the incumbent
|
|
(7) What is bicameralism?
|
Legislature divided into two houses.
|
|
(9) What are the differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate?
|
House of Representatives: Initiates revenue bills, passes articles of impeachments, Larger, shorter terms, smaller constituencies, centralized, strong leadership, less prestige, budget-focused, more specialized, small turnover, seniority is important, limited debate.
Senate: Gives adv…
|
|
(11) What is a filibuster?
|
A strategy of the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the Senate from voting on the bill. "Talking the bill to death"
|
|
(10) What do congressional whips do?
|
Work with the majority (or minority) leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.
|
|
(12) Why are committees and subcommittees important to Congress?
|
Committees control the congressional agenda and guide legislation.
-where most of the work gets done
|
|
(13) Know the different types of committees
|
1. Standing Committees
2. Joint Committees
3. Conference Committees
4. Select Committees
|
|
Standing Committees
|
-Permanent subject matter committees
-Most important-make recommendations on whether or not a bill should
-Every policy has a committee
|
|
Joint Committees
|
-Have members from the House and Senate
-Study and research committees; studies what can benefit both houses of Congress.
-Few policies have joint committees, ie economy and taxation
|
|
Conference Committees
|
-Established when House and Senate pass different versions of the same bill.
-5 members from either House, usually from standing committee.
|
|
Select Committees
|
-Focused responsibility
-Usually when there's a scandal, ie Watergate, Benghazi, IRS, etc.
|
|
Legislative Oversight
|
-Monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings.
|
|
How a Bill becomes a law
|
SEE FIGURE 11.2 PAGE 382
|
|
(14) What is presidential power according to Neustadt?
|
-President's have weak position to command, so they rely on the power of PERSUASION
|
|
(15) Know the 22nd Amendment
|
Limits the presidents to two terms or 10 years in office
|
|
How do most president's get to office
|
-Election
|
|
(8) Know what is meant by the act of impeachment and the process of impeachment
|
1. Act of Impeachment: A grand jury issues and indictment, and in this case, the House of Representatives is the Grand Jury and impeachment is the indictment.
2. Process of Impeachment: The equivalent of a trial. The President is tried in the Senate; a 2/3 majority decides whether or not…
|
|
(16) Know the responsibilities of the vice-president
|
-Little responsibility, mainly a ceremonial role.
-Can be chosen to placate some region in society or compliment deficiencies in the president.
-President of the Senate
|
|
(17) How does the President control the bureaucracy?
|
-Through his power to appoint top-level administrators.
-Through the power to recommend agency budgets to Congress
-Executive orders
|
|
(18a) What is the OMB?
|
Office of Management and Budget
-Prepares the president's budget and also advises presidents on proposals from departments and agencies and helps review their proposed regulations.
|
|
(18b) What is the NSC?
|
National Security Council
-Links the president's foreign and military policy advisers.
-President, vice president, secretary of state, and secretary of defense
-Managed by President's National security assistant
|
|
(18c) What is the CEA?
|
Council of Economic Advisors
-Three member body appointed by the president to advise the president on economic policy
|
|
(19) Know the different types of vetoes
|
Pocket Veto
Line-Item Veto
|
|
Pocket Veto
|
A veto taking place when Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to the president, who simply lets it die by neither signing nor vetoing it.
|
|
Line-Item Veto
|
-The power of an executive to veto some provisions in an appropriations bill while approving others.
-The president does not have this veto, but many governors do.
|
|
(20) What is a midterm election?
|
An election held between presidential elections.
|
|
(21) What are electoral mandates?
|
The PERCEPTION that the voters strongly support the president and his policies.
-Every winner CLAIMS a mandate, but only a few actually have one.
|
|
(22) Know the War Powers Resolution (1973)
|
-Requires presidents to consult with Congress whenever possible prior to using military force and requires the withdrawal of forces after 60 days unless Congress declares war or grants an extension
|
|
(23) How does the president use the press?
|
The press is the principle intermediary between the president and the citizens.
-Every president uses the press, even though they are biased, there is always one that will support you and one that will be against you
|
|
(24) How do presidents use public opinion and public approval?
|
Public opinion is the single biggest factor in a president's ability to persuade. Congress listens when the president mobilizes the public, but also listens when they're unresponsive.
|
|
(25) What are class action lawsuits?
|
Lawsuits in which a small number of people sue on behalf of all people in similar circumstances
|
|
26) Know what is meant by original jurisdiction
|
The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first, usually in a trial. These are the courts that determine the facts about a case.
|
|
Appellate Jurisdiction
|
The jurisdiction of courts that hear cases brought to them on appeal from lower courts. These courts do not review the factual record, only the legal issues involved.
|
|
(27) Know what the Judiciary Act (1789) did
|
Congress established the lower federal courts, or constitutional courts.
|
|
(28a) What are amicus curiae briefs?
|
-Legal briefs submitted by a "friend of the court" for the purpose of influencing a court decision by raisin additional points of view
|
|
(28b) What are writs of certiorari?
|
formal requests by the U.S. Supreme Court to call up the lower court case it decides to hear on appeal
|
|
(29) What influences the selection of judges?
|
-Geography was once prominent, but no longer so.
-Partisanship is a major determining factor for a president.
-Ideology, presidents want to pack the court with people who will support their agenda in court (don't just care about justice)
|
|
(30) What is judicial implementation?
|
How and whether court decisions are translated into actual policy, thereby affecting the behavior of other. The courts rely on other units of government to enforce their decision.
|
|
(31) What is judicial restraint?
|
An approach to decision making in which judges play minimal policy-making roles and defer to legislatures whenever possible.
|
|
At what level are the vast majority level of criminal cases heard?
|
State and local court systems
|
|
Who is the Chief Counsel for the United States government? Who represents the US in Supreme Court?
|
U. S. Attorney
|
|
What are written opinions of the court so important?
|
It states the reasoning behind the decision the Court makes. It can have far-reaching implications for future cases.
|
|
What is meant by stare decisis?
|
Latin meaning "let the decision stand"
-Most cases reaching appellate courts are settled on this principle.
-An earlier decision made should hold for the current court.
|
|
Before the Civil War, what type of cases did the Supreme Court deal with? What topic/theme did they revolve around?
|
-Slavery and the strength and legitimacy of the federal government.
|
|
judicial activism
|
An approach to decision making in which judges sometimes make bold policy decisions, even charting new constitutional ground.
|
|
How many courts are mentioned in the Constitution?
|
1-The supreme court
|
|
Who is the current Supreme Court Justice?
|
John Roberts
|
Study Guide: Final Exam