AP Government Flashcards
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| 9837798003 | political efficacy | - belief that one's actions can impact the government - the higher, the more likely to vote | 0 | |
| 9837801464 | Political equality | - ex: Civil Rights act of 1964 and Voting rights acts of 1965 - minority groups have more equality than women (ERA) | 1 | |
| 9837805550 | free enterprise (capitalism) | - adam smith - govt needs to support someone to pursue their economic opportunities - people say people promote businesses too much (ex: result is elitism) | 2 | |
| 9837809709 | equality for opportunities | - people support political equality but not economic equality as much, can be seen in the amendments of the constitution | 3 | |
| 9837815107 | mistrust of government | - seasonal - temporary, decline bc of recession - structural - pretty permanent, regardless of economy (has happened since the 1960s when the vietnam war, stagflation) | 4 | |
| 9837827332 | political socialization | - process in which people gain their political beliefs - as you grow older, you become more connected to your beliefs | 5 | |
| 9837830280 | ways people are political socialized | - family: done in an informal setting, the number one way how people pick up beliefs - media - school: promote national unity, favors democracy and capitalism | 6 | |
| 9837842811 | political participation over time | - older people vote more - party identification increases with age | 7 | |
| 9837851661 | public opinion | - how the public views certain issues, events, people, etc. - measured by polls which sample the population | 8 | |
| 9837853242 | characteristics of polls | - (started during the great depression) - random sampling - allows for accuracy - representative sample - should reflect society (ex: include women and multiple races) - large sample size w a low margin of error - around 3% - cannot have wording bias | 9 | |
| 9837863585 | pros of polls | - helps politicians know what is important to the public - can stay in touch w the public | 10 | |
| 9837866128 | cons of polls | - some politicians are too influenced by polls leading them to be followers instead of leaders - could lead to bandwagon - exit polls - done on election day, discourages voting | 11 | |
| 9837876797 | political participation | - different activities and ways individuals engage in politics and policies - two major ways: conventional and unconventional participation | 12 | |
| 9837879823 | conventional participation | - traditional ways of influencing govt - ex: voting, campaigning, running for office - more people are donating to candidates over the years | 13 | |
| 9837882233 | unconventional participation | - nontraditional methods - ex: protest, civil disobedience, violence - inspired sit-ins, bowl-ins, and wade-ins - this method has large success in civil rights movement | 14 | |
| 9837888184 | info on participation | - higher socioeconomic status leads people to participate more in politics - blacks and whites vote in close numbers - elderly vote more than the younger | 15 | |
| 9837894067 | political ideology | - sets of values and beliefs of an individual - two major types: liberal and conservative | 16 | |
| 9837895975 | liberals | - support a larger scope of govt and more govt involvement - favor policies that promote equality (affirmative action) - military spending should decrease - abortion - prochoice - want higher taxes for wealthy - increase spending on social programs (social security) | 17 | |
| 9837900432 | conservative | - less govt involvement and smaller scope of govt - promote policies of free enterprise or capitalism - increase military spending - abortion - pro life - oppose affirmative action - lower taxes - lower the spending on social programs | 18 | |
| 9837905551 | more info on liberal/conservative | - more americans are conservative - people under 30 are more liberal - blacks are more liberal - women are more liberal - a specific religion is not as important in their ideology but how religious are they | 19 | |
| 9840982575 | political party | - organization that seeks to control the govt through political offices - anyone can register as a member of the party - no dues or fees to become one | 20 | |
| 9840987841 | function of political parties | - they are a linkage institution: organization that connects the public to the govt (other ex: media, elections, interest groups) - pick candidates for particular offices - run campaigns and help run, fund, and organize a campaign - provide voters w information - advocate a stance on particular issues | 21 | |
| 9841007842 | political machines | - ex: tammany hall and boss tweed - relied on patronage to reward supporters (how to get jobs) - merit system replaced patronage | 22 | |
| 9841015618 | state level of political parties | - open vs. closed primary - open: voters do not have to be registered to vote in a primary - closed: have to be registered as a democratic or repub (people like this better bc they can identify you) - every state have political party hq - don't manage campaigns but do aid state campaigns | 23 | |
| 9841023023 | national level of political parties | - national convention when they nominate prez and vp - consists of representatives from diff states and territories - chairperson is responsible for running the national party | 24 | |
| 9841032786 | Washington's farewell address | - warns about formation of political parties and foreign alliances - unsuccessful bc two parties came about bc of foreign policy which led to the french revolution | 25 | |
| 9841040074 | federalists | - led by alexander hamilton - probritish - supported merchants and wealthy - strong central govt - loose intepretation of consitution - heavy presence in new england | 26 | |
| 9841045753 | democratic-republicans | - led by thomas jefferson - pro-french - supported by farmers - weather national govt - strict interp of constitution | 27 | |
| 9841052517 | era of good feelings | - no federalist party - early 1800s - only 1 political party | 28 | |
| 9841056250 | democrats | - martin van buren - spoils system - eliminated voting req for white males - supported by farmers, urban workers, immigrants - didnt like henry clay's american system (bank of us, tariffs) | 29 | |
| 9841066296 | whigs | - in response to king andrew I - supported clays american system - liked wealthy planters and industrialists and people who didnt like jackson | 30 | |
| 9841070220 | republican party (1850s) | - in response to kansas-nebraska act - didnt want to abolish slavery, just didnt want it to spread - no extension of slavery into western territories - similiar to free soil party - favored high tariffs and devolpment of infrastructure - similar to whigs | 31 | |
| 9841093118 | democrats | - dominate political control in the south, esp in post-reconstruction - election of 1896 was a milestone - campaigned on free silver | 32 | |
| 9841102149 | election of 1932 | - frd vs. Huburt Hoover - fdr wins - fdr was supported by labor unions, southerners, cathlics, those who lived in cities, and AA | 33 | |
| 9841107994 | election 1969 | - nixon vs humphrey vs wallace - nixon focused on states rights, a strong military, and law and order (southern strategy) - appealed to people in the south who supported the vietnam war and civil rights protests - thus, he won south votes (big turning point for the republicans) | 34 | |
| 9841119300 | third parties | - focus on single issues (prohibition, marijuana) - broke off from two parties - once their issues are adapted, they decline | 35 | |
| 9845416355 | requirements for prez | - age is 35 - born in us - live in us for 14 years | 36 | |
| 9845430213 | constitutional powers | - presidential powers are checked by other branches - congress declares war - can appoint cabinet and officials - can veto bills - nominate judges (check on judicial branch) - call congress to special sessions (check on legislative branch) | 37 | |
| 9845478665 | executive office | - created in 1939 - national security council - council of economic advisers - office of management and budget | 38 | |
| 9845488088 | what a prez can do to a bill | - veto, sign, or do nothing - pocket veto: if congress adjourns within 10 days, the president can do nothing and the bill will die - prez does not have a line-item veto (only veto some parts of the bill) - prez and members of congress from the same party have the same thoughts | 39 | |
| 9845503207 | public approval | - high prez approval = more legislation the prez favors | 40 | |
| 9845504629 | electoral mandate | if prez wins by a landslide, then it could be said that people support the president's policies - ex: election of 1932 (how govt should respond to the great depression) | 41 | |
| 9845508875 | legislative skills of prez | - bargaining is important - they are giving incentives to many to gain support | 42 | |
| 9845514758 | executive agreements | - agreements w foreign countries that do not need congressional approval | 43 | |
| 9845517657 | war powers | - congress has not declared in war since WWII - war powers resolution: limited prez powers during war | 44 | |
| 9845523646 | bully pulpit | - presidents can influence public support - can lead to misformed public about policies | 45 | |
| 9845535702 | electoral college | - determines who will be pres and vp - established by constit bc they thought public voting was sketchy - state's electoral votes are decided between the number of senators + number of house members - total of 538 electoral votes (100 senators, 435 house members, 3 from dc) - need at least 1/2 votes to win - if no one wins majority, then house decides w each state receiving 1 vote - all states except main and nebraska have a winner takes all electoral votes | 46 | |
| 9845592083 | signficance of electoral college | - smaller states are more represented than larger states - swing states (ohio, pennsylvania, florida) they dont consistently vote for one political party | 47 | |
| 9845600022 | interest groups | - group that seeks to influence public policy - 4 main types: economic, environmental, equality, consumer | 48 | |
| 9845605904 | theories of interest groups | - pluralism: many groups are beneficial and not one can dominate - elitism: IG's are not important, only the wealthy are important - hyperpluralism: too many groups which weaken the govt | 49 | |
| 9845610742 | economic interest groups | - labor interest - businesses like right-to-work laws - unions require employees to join a union once hired | 50 | |
| 9845617439 | environmental interest groups | - want to see policies that control pollution and limi/reverse global warming - oppose oil drilling and building of nuclear plants | 51 | |
| 9845620527 | equality interest groups | - NAACP (colored people) - NOW (women) | 52 | |
| 9845627154 | consumer interest groups | - try to help everyone benefit, not just members of the group - consumer product safety commission: regular consumer products | 53 | |
| 9845630834 | how IG's influence policy | - lobbying - file lawsuits - testify before congress - use issue advocacy ads | 54 | |
| 9845650521 | iron triangle | - relationship between congress, government agencies, and interest groups - want to protect their own self policies |  | 55 |
| 9845669249 | pros of iron triangle | - SIGS receive benefits from the government - congressional districts can increase funding (pork-barrel) | 56 | |
| 9845671214 | cons of iron triangle | - hyperpluralists say that too many groups leads to gridlock | 57 | |
| 9845675108 | activites of interest groups | - lobbying - electioneering - litigation - go public | 58 | |
| 9845676585 | lobbying | - process of trying to persuade politicians - hired by interest groups to represent their issue - 2 types: ones that r paid or ones that r hired on a temporary basis - can help provide key info on policies - show ways to pass legislations - hard to tell how effective it is | 59 | |
| 9845683324 | electioneering | - providing financial aid to vote for candidates - IG's provide assistance through PACS - endorse candidates, provide members for campaigning, and influence party platforms | 60 | |
| 9845686238 | litigation | - used in the court system to influence public policy - ex: Civil rights groups, brown v board of edu - amicus curae: friends of the courts briefs which are groups that files depositions to the court and describes how a ruling may affect them - class action lawsuits: combines people w a same situation under one law suit | 61 | |
| 9845691901 | going public | - appealing to public to assist a cause - very important - ex: TV, newspaper, magazines - hard to tell how effective | 62 | |
| 9845695996 | interest groups and democracy and govt | - more interest groups have lead to more democracy - hard to reduce the size of govt because they want to preserve their interests | 63 | |
| 9845705156 | PACs | - political action committee - people that donate money to a candidate and political party - can only donate $5,000 per candidate and $15,000 per party - they donate money to candidates that are favorable to their issues - are formed by the federal election commission - are popular bc campaigns are very expensive - exs: national association of realtors, NRA, airline pilots association | 64 | |
| 9845716694 | influence of PACS | - legally, PACs cannot buy legislation - people complain PACs are too influencial - they are most influencial in house elections but not too much in presidential elections | 65 | |
| 9845724040 | Super PACs` | - cannot be associated w a particular political candidate - can donate as much money as i want - people don't like them because theres too much influence of them | 66 | |
| 9850762386 | types of mass media | - newspaper (has faded due to internet) - magazines (not too popular) - radio - TV (popular since 1960) - internet | 67 | |
| 9850794468 | functions of mass media | - is a linkage institution - connects people to the govt - runs campaign ads - is a watchdog, can report on scandals, issues, and fact-check | 68 | |
| 9850841587 | horse-race journalism | - focus on polls rather than issues | 69 | |
| 9851295341 | comcast | - largest broadcasting company - third largest is broadcasting | 70 | |
| 9851322337 | if the news media is concentrated in fewer hands, what are potential impacts | - fewer outlets decide what gets covered - could lead to bias bc not many people decide what gets covered - harder for new companies to emerge | 71 | |
| 9851335539 | congress | - bicameral (2 house legislature) - house of rep: 435 members, based off population - senate: 2 per state, equal representation per state - req for being in the house: 25 yr old, citizen for 7 yr, live in state - req for senate: 30 yr old, citizen for 9 years, live state - bc of the 17 amendment senators was elected by state legislatures | 72 | |
| 9851364327 | incumbency | - those that hold office and are running for re-election - powerful in predicting election outcomes esp in the house | 73 | |
| 9851378196 | franking privilege | - congress members can mail without having to pay for postage | 74 | |
| 9851390947 | congressional powers | - declare war - override pres veto (2/3 vote from each house) - congressional oversight: can review an agency, department, or office - can cut fundings | 75 | |
| 9851400538 | how congress votes | - delegate view: votes based on how many people feel about an issue - trustee view: votes based on their own views, or on the public good | 76 | |
| 9851408557 | reasons for trustee view | - congress has info public does not - public is divided | 77 | |
| 9851419752 | special powers of house of rep | - impeach officials (pres or judges) - all revenue bills (taxs or money) must start in the house - they vote in line w their party | 78 | |
| 9851431103 | elections of the house | - members are elected every 2 years - incumbents win most of the time (due to franking privilege and credit claiming) - open seats (someone retiring) are the largest source of turnover | 79 | |
| 9851452258 | important committees of the house | - ways and means committee: economic, taxation, or tariff - rules committee: determines the rules for bills (date, time for debates) - can only be a part of one committee - closed rule: set time limits, no amendments allowed for the billl - open rule: looser time limits, amendments are allowed | 80 | |
| 9851592633 | speaker of the house | - most powerful position - made by henry clay - elected every 2 years - require more than 50% of vote - 2nd in line for the president | 81 | |
| 9851608402 | whips | - carry messages to party members - count votes prior to being cast | 82 | |
| 9851615803 | special powers of senate | - approve pres appointments and treaties - are the jury in the impeachment trail - VP is the president of the senate, votes in case of a tie | 83 | |
| 9851633950 | elections of the senate | - serve for 6 years - 1/3 of the senate is elected every 2 years - originally senators were elected by state legislatures but now bc of the 17 amendment, that has changed - incumbents do not have the same advantage as the house | 84 | |
| 9851648062 | important committees in the senate | - finance committee: similar to the ways and means in the house - foreign relations committee: comfirmation hearings for state department | 85 | |
| 9851659446 | filibuster | - members can delay proposed legislation or a bill by "talking it to death" - happened 1957 civil rights bill | 86 | |
| 9851668366 | cloture motion | - can end a filibuster - if 60 members bring a bill to a vote, then it ends a filibuster but it is rarely used | 87 | |
| 9851686030 | committees | - members of the congress - allow members to become specialized in policy areas - help represent their constituents more effective (gives them ethos) - each party has a steering committee that assigns members to committees | 88 | |
| 9856572142 | committee chairs | - influence the agenda of the committee - chairs r voted on, but they are typically given to the older members - 4 types: standing (permanent), joint, conference, select | 89 | |
| 9856583761 | standing committee | - permanent committee - 16 in the senate, 19 in the house - recommend funding for agencies and progeams | 90 | |
| 9856589660 | joint committees | - membership is between both the house and senate - focus on issues about economy and taxation - not a popular form of a committee | 91 | |
| 9856596441 | conference committee | - establish to help the differences in bills passed in each house - made up of senior members of each part - hope to reach a compromise on the bill | 92 | |
| 9856603862 | select committee | - may be temp or permanent - have a narrow focus | 93 | |
| 9856610480 | subcommittees | - members report to larger committee on specific issues - members of congress are limited to being part of 4 subcommittees | 94 | |
| 9856621461 | major political institution | - presidency - bureau - federal courts - interest groups | 95 | |
| 9856625206 | presidency | - seen as a chief legislator - cannot create a bill but can propose a legislation - popularity of the pres can impact their proposals - white house staff lobby to the congress - congress and pres work best if their the same party | 96 | |
| 9856637592 | beureaucracy | - government agencies that are reliant on funding from congress - congressional committees play a role in funding (credit-claiming) | 97 | |
| 9856676433 | federal courts | - senate approves presidential appointees to the supreme court, court of appeals, and district judges - judicial review allows for any law passed by congress or the pres to be overturned | 98 | |
| 9856683734 | lame-duck period | - period between the election of a new pres and inauguration - harder for pres to influence policy to the congress | 99 | |
| 9856724023 | powers of pres | - appoint judges - commander in chief - make treaties - chief legislator/diplomat - veto bills - head of political party - can issue executive orders (orders given to federal agencies that carry the weight of law) | 100 | |
| 9856744899 | powers not given to pres | - line-item veto (cannot approve chunks of the bill, its all or nothing) - cannot declare war - cannot create new cabinet positions | 101 | |
| 9856755524 | presidental cabinet | - heads of govt departments - chosen by pres - approved by senate - advise the pres on specific issues | 102 | |
| 9860253097 | white house office | - headed by the chief of staff - press secretary - - white house chief strategist - close adviser to the pres, same ranking of the chief of staff | 103 | |
| 9860269387 | national security council | - advise the president on military and foreign policy - | 104 |