AP Government Chapter 12 Review

Delegates*

a person sent or authorized to represent others, in particular an elected representative sent to a conference.

Trustees*

an individual person or member of a board given control or powers of administration of property in trust with a legal obligation to administer it solely for the purposes specified.

Filibuster (who does it do and is it in the Constitution)

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.

List and Explain five advantages incumbents have over their opponents in congressional elections.

1) Advertising- incumbents get free advertising. 2) Credit Claiming- Enhancing their standing with constituents through service to individuals and the district. They do this in two ways, casework and pork barrel. Casework- helping constituents as individuals- cutting through the bureaucratic red tape to give people what they think they have a right to get. Pork barrel- federal projects, grants and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges and other institutions in a congressional district. 3) Position Taking- They must take positions on policies when they vote and when they respond to constituents questions. The positions they may take can affect the outcome of an election 4) Weak Opponents- they are likely to face weak opponents because the advantages of incumbency scare off potential effective opponents. 5) Campaign Spending- costs to beat an incumbent are v high

List three ways Congress has tried to regulate the activities of lobbyists.

1) Congress passed a law in 1995 requiring anyone hired to lobby members of Congress, congressional staff members, White House officials, and federal agencies to report what issues they were seeking to influence, how much they were spending on the effort, and the identities of their clients. 2) Congress also placed severe restrictions on the gifts, meals, and expense-paid travel that public officials may accept from lobbyists. 3) Congress passed a law in 2007 and the House revised its ethics rules after the story of Jack Abramoff's success in the lobbying and scheming business.

List three congressional staff agencies

1) Congressional Research Service 2) Government Accountability Office 3)Congressional Budget Office

Describe the following influences on Congress: party & constituents

1) Party- On some issues, members of the same party stick together, but sometimes, the party can become unglued. Civil rights often cause the greatest divide amongst party members. 2) Constituents- Members of Congress are representatives. Their constituents expect them to represent their interests in Washington.

List four formal powers of the Speaker of the House

1) Presides over the House when it its in session 2) Plays a major role in making committee assignments, which are coveted by all members to ensure their electoral advantage 3) Appoints or pays a key role in appointing the party's legislative leaders and the party leadership staff 4) Exercises substantial control over which bills get assigned to which committees.

List and explain the four types of congressional committees

1) Standing committees- Handle bills in different policy areas. Each house of Congress has its own standing committees. 2) Joint committees- Exist in a few policy areas, such as the economy and taxation, and draw their membership from both the Senate and the House. 3) Conference committees- Formed when the Senate and the House pass different versions of the same bill. Appointed by the party leadership, a conference committee consists of members of each house chosen to iron out Senate and House differences and to report back a compromise bill. 4) Select committees- May be temporary or permanent and usually have a focused responsibility. The House and Senate each have a select committee on intelligence, for example.

List and explain three ways that an incumbent might be defeated.

1) sometimes challengers receive unexpected help. An incumbent tarnished by scandal or corruption becomes instantly vulnerable. 2)Incumbents may lose supporters if the boundaries of their districts change. An incumbent would have to fight against another incumbent, or it might split the district of an incumbent's of a minority party to make that district more competitive. 3)Major political tidal waves can change the views of the constituents causing a change in the constituents votes, causing incumbents to lose votes

Caucus

A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic.

Bicameral legislature

A legislature divided into two houses.

Casework*

Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals, particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get.

Committee chairs and seniority system

Committee chairs are chosen based on a seniority system.

How does the organization of Congress contribute to the expanding scope of government?

Congress creates a larger scope of government in the sense that Congress members vigorously work to protect the interests of their constituents; something that causes the government to become more involved, and thus have a larger scope.

Pork barrel spending*

Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district.

In what ways is Congress unrepresentative?

Its members are an American elite. Its leadership is chosen by its own members, not by any vote of the American people. Voters have little direct influence over the individuals who chair key committees or lead congressional parties. The Senate is apportioned to represent states, not population, a distribution of power that accords citizens in less populated states a greater say in key decisions.

Speaker of the House

Leader of the House of Representatives. Holds formal and informal powers.

How can lobbyists benefit members of Congress?

Lobbyists benefit members of Congress by providing them with crucial policy information, political intelligence, and often with assurances of financial aid in the next campaign.

Whip

Party leaders who work with the majority leader or the minority leader to count votes beforehand and lean on waverers whose votes are crucial to a bill favored by the party.

What is the difference between the personal staff and the committee staff?

Personal staff members spend their time on casework, providing services to constituents, while committee staff members spend the majority of their time organizing hearings, researching legislative options, drafting committee reports on bills, writing legislation, and keeping tabs on the activities of the executive branch.

Why do some assert that Congress is too representative?

Some say that Congress is too representative, and therefore it can't take decisive action to deal with difficult problems. The agricultural committees busily tend to the interests of farmers, while committees focusing on foreign trade worry about cutting agricultural subsidies. Some say that Congress is protecting the interests of too many people, one of the reasons why the government spends so much money.

What are the main functions of the House Rules Committee

The House Rules Committee plays a key role in agenda setting. They review most bills coming from a House Committee before they go to the full house.

Describe how a president influences Congress in the legislative process

The President has his or her own legislative agenda, based on his or her party's platform. Their task is to persuade Congress that their agenda should also be Congress's agenda, and they have a good chance that Congress will at least give their proposals a hearing.

Minority Leader

The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

Majority Leader

The principal partisan ally of the Speaker of the House, the the party's manager in the Senate.

What is meant by legislative oversight? What does this process look like?

The process of monitoring the bureaucracy and its administration of policies most of which were established by Congress. Committees handle oversight mainly through hearings.

How does the seniority system work?

The seniority system is a simple rule for picking committee chairs, in effect until the 1970's. The member who had served the longest on the committee and whose party controlled the chamber became chair, regardless of their party loyalty, mental state or competence.

Politicos*

The spanish word for politics.

What are some of the Speakers informal powers?

The speaker has a great deal of informal clout inside and outside congress. When the Speaker's party differs from the president's party they are also a national spokesperson.

List three criticisms of term limitations (bottom of page 341)

Voters wouldn't be able to vote for who they wanted Those that gained proper experience would be denied to run again There are plenty of new-comers

Partisans*

a strong supporter of a party, cause, or person.

Describe the "typical" member of Congress in terms of the following categories

male, white, older (from mid to older 40's), protestant, either a background in public service or law, from upper middle class to wealthy

Descriptive Representation

representation of constituents by mirroring political, personal characteristic.

Substantive Representation

representation of the interests of groups.