Chapter 14 (The Presidency) Vocabulary

22369538	divided government	one party controls the White House and another party controls on or both houses of Congress
22369539	unified government	the same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress
22369540	gridlock	the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government
22369541	electoral college	the people chosen to cast each state's votes in a presidential election. each state can cast one electoral vote for each senator and representative it has
22369542	pyramid structure	a president's subordinates report to him through a clear chain of command headed by a chief of staff
22369543	circular structure	several of the president's assistants report directly to him
22369544	ad hoc structure	several subordinates, cabinet officers, and committees report directly to the president on different matters
22369545	cabinet	the heads of the fifteen executive branch departments of the federal government
22369546	bully pulpit	the president's use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public
22369547	veto message	a message from the president to Congress stating that he will not sign a bill it has passed. must be produced within ten days of the bill's passage
22369548	pocket veto	a bill fails to become law because the president did not sign it within ten days before Congress adjourns
22369549	line-item veto	an executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature
22369550	legislative veto	the authority of Congress to block a presidential action after it has take place. the supreme court has held that Congress does not have this power
22369551	impeachment	charges against a president approved by a majority of the House of Representatives
22369552	lame duck	a person still in office after he or she has lost a bid for reelection