Terms from Chapter 13, 14, 15, 16, & 17
313954339 | Chief of State | term for the president as the ceremonial head of the united states, the symbol of all the people of the nation | |
313954340 | Chief Executive | term for the president as vested with the executive power of the United States | |
313954341 | Chief Administrator | President as head of the administration of the Federal Government | |
313954342 | Chief Legislator | term for the president as architect of public policy and the one who sets the agenda for congress | |
313954343 | Chief of Party | term for the President as the leader of his or her political party | |
313954344 | Chief Citizen | term for the president as the representative of the people, working for the public interest | |
313954345 | Presidential Succession | The order in which the office of president is to be filled if it becomes vacant | |
313954346 | Presidential Succession Act of 1947 | Set the order of succession following the Vice President | |
313954347 | Balancing the Ticket | Occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a vice presidential running mate who has different qualities in order to attract more votes for the ticket. | |
313954348 | Presidential Electors | a person elected by the voters to represent them in making a formal selection of the Vice President and President. | |
313954349 | Electoral Votes | votes cast by electors in the electoral college | |
313954350 | Electoral College | group of persons chosen in each state and the district of columbia every four years who make a formal selection of the president and vice president | |
313954351 | Presidential Primary | an election in which a party's voters (1) choose state party organization's delegates to their party's national convention, and/or (2) express a preference for their party's presidential nomination | |
313954352 | Winner-takes-all | an almost obsolete system whereby the presidential aspirant who won the preference vote in a primary automatically won the support of all delegates chosen | |
313954353 | proportional representation | Rule applied in Democratic primaries whereby any candidate who wins at least 15 percent of the votes gets the number of State Democratic convention delegates based on his or her share of that primary vote | |
313954354 | national convention | the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform. | |
313954355 | Platform | a series of statements expressing the party's principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues | |
313954356 | keynote address | Speech given at a party convention to set the tone for the convention and the campaign to come. | |
313954357 | direct plan | Do away with Electoral College and let the people vote directly for the president | |
313954358 | district plan | proposal for choosing presidential electors by which two electors would be selected in each State according to the Statewide popular vote and the other electors would be selected separately in each of the State's congressional districts. | |
313954359 | proportional plan | proposal by which each presidential candidate would receive the same share of a State's electoral vote as he or she received in the State's popular vote | |
313954360 | electorate | all of the people entitled to vote in a given election | |
313954361 | executive article | Article II of the Constitution. Establishes the presidency and gives the executive power of the Federal Government to the President | |
313954362 | Mass Media | Those means of communication that reach large audiences, especially television, radio, printed publications, and the Internet | |
313954363 | Imperial Presidency | Term used to describe a president as an "emperor" who acts without consulting Congress or acts in secrecy to evade or deceive congress | |
313954364 | Oath of Office | Oath taken by the president on the day he takes office, pledging to "faithfully execute" the office and "preserve, protect, and defend" the constitution | |
313954365 | executive order | directive, rule, or regulation issued by a chief executive or subordinates, based upon constitutional or statutory authority and having the force of law | |
313954366 | ordinance power | power of the president to issue executive orders; originates from the constitution and acts of congress | |
313954367 | treaty | a formal agreement between two or more sovereign states | |
313954368 | executive agreement | A pact made by the president directly with the head of a foreign state; A binding international agreement with the force of law but which (unlike a treaty) does not require senate consent | |
313954369 | recognition | the exclusive power of a president to recognize (establish formal diplomatic relations with) foreign states | |
313954370 | persona non grata | an unwelcome person; used to describe recalled diplomatic officials | |
313954371 | line-item veto | Presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending bill without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court | |
313954372 | reprieve | An official postponement of the execution of a sentence | |
313954373 | pardon | release from the punishment or legal consequences of a crime, by the President (in a federal case) or a governor (in a state case) | |
313954374 | clemency | mercy or leniency granted to an offender by a chief executive | |
313954375 | commutation | the power to reduce (commute) the length of a sentence or fine for a crime | |
313954376 | amnesty | a blanket pardon offered to a group of law violators | |
313954377 | Progressive Tax | a tax for which the percentage of income paid in taxes increases as income increases | |
313954378 | Tax Return | A declaration of taxable income and of the exemptions and deductions claimed. | |
313954379 | Payroll Tax | a tax imposed on nearly all employers and their employees and on self-employed persons--the amounts owed by employees withheld from their paychecks | |
313954380 | Regressive Tax | taxes levied at a flat rate | |
313954381 | Excise Tax | general revenue tax levied on the manufacture or sale of selected items | |
313954382 | Estate Tax | a levy imposed on the assets of one who dies | |
313954383 | Gift Tax | a tax on a gift by a living person | |
313954384 | Customs Duty | a tax laid on goods brought into the United States from abroad, also known as tariffs, import duties, or imposts | |
313954385 | Interest | a fee that borrowers pay for the use of someone else's money | |
313954386 | Deficit | the yearly shortfall between revenue and spending | |
313954387 | Surplus | more income than spending | |
313954388 | Public Debt | all of the money borrowed by the government and not yet repaid, plus the accrued interest on that money; also called the national debt or federal debt | |
313954389 | Entitlement | 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 | |
313954390 | Controllable Spending | an amount decided upon by congress and the president to determine how much will be spent each year on many individual government expenditures, including environment protection programs, aid to education, and so on. | |
313954391 | Uncontrollable Spending | spending that congress and the president have no power to change directly | |
313954392 | Continuing Resolution | a measure which allows agencies to continue working based on the previous year's appropriations | |
313954393 | Domestic Affairs | All matters not directly connected to the realm of foreign affairs | |
313954394 | Foreign Affairs | A nation's relationships with other countries | |
313954395 | Isolationism | a purposeful refusal to become generally involved in the affairs of the rest of the world | |
313954396 | Internationalism | a political movement that advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations | |
313954397 | Foreign Policy | a group of policies made up of all the stands and actions that a nation takes in every aspect of its relationships with other countries; everything a nation's government says and does in world affairs | |
313954398 | Right of Legation | The right to send and receive diplomatic representatives | |
313954399 | Ambassador | an official representative of the United States appointed by the president to represent the nation in matters of diplomacy | |
313954400 | Diplomatic immunity | when an ambassador is not subject to the laws of the state to which they are accredited | |
313954401 | Espionage | spying | |
313954402 | Terrorism | the use of violence by groups against civilians to achieve a political goal | |
313954403 | Draft | Conscription, or compulsory military service | |
313954404 | Collective Security | the keeping of international peace and order | |
313954405 | Deterrence | the policy of making the military power of the US and its allies so strong that no enemy would attack for fear of retaliation | |
313954406 | Cold War | a period of more than 40 years during which relations between the two superpowers were atleast tense, and often hostile. A time of threats and military build up | |
313954407 | Containment | a policy based in the belief that if communism could be kept within its existing boundaries, it would collapse under the weight of its internal weaknesses | |
313954408 | Detente | relaxation of tensions | |
313954409 | Foreign Aid | Economic and military aid to other countries | |
313954410 | Regional Security Alliance | treaties in which the U.S. and other countries involved have agreed to take collective action to meet aggression in a particular part of the world | |
313954411 | UN Security Council | A 15-member panel which bears the UN's major responsibility for keeping international peace. |