Bully Pulpit

mandatory spending

Federal spending required by law that continues without the need for annual approvals by Congress.

Committee of the Whole

A committee that consists of an entire legislative body; used for a procedure in which a legislative body expedites its business by resolving itself into a committee of itself. It is dissolved when it "rises and reports with a recommendation," to the House.

judicial activism

A judicial philosophy in which judges make bold policy decisions, even charting new constitutional ground. Advocates of this approach emphasize that the courts can correct pressing needs, especially those unmet by the majoritarian political process.

judicial restraint

A judicial philosophy in which judges play minimal policymaking roles, leaving that duty strictly to the legislatures. It asserts that judges should hesitate to strike down laws unless they are obviously unconstitutional, though what counts as obviously unconstitutional is itself a matter of some debate.

delegate

A person appointed or elected to represent others. Attends or communicates the ideas of or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations, which may be at the same level or involved in a common field of work or interest.

Cloture

A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate. The Senate may limit consideration of a pending matter to 30 additional hours, but only by vote of three-fifths of the full Senate, normally 60 votes.

Rules Committee

A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the house.

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.

Logrolling

An agreement by two or more lawmakers to support each other's bills. Specially common when the legislators are relatively free of control by their national party leaders and are trying to secure votes for bills that will concentrate sizable benefits on their own home districts while spreading most of the costs out over taxpayers in the rest of the country. Local projects such as Federally funded dams, bridges, highways, housing projects, VA hospitals, job-training centers, military bases and the like are often pushed through _________.

Trustee

An official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances; one interpretation of the role of the legislator.

Veto

Chief executive's power to reject a bill passed by a legislature/a power of one department or branch of a government to forbid or prohibit finally or provisionally the carrying out of projects attempted by another department.

discretionary spending

In US American public finance, it is government spending implemented through an appropriations bill. This spending is an optional part of fiscal policy (use of government revenue collection and expenditure to influence the economy), in contrast to entitlement programs for which funding is mandatory and determined by the number of eligible recipients.

politico

Lawmaker who attempts to balance the basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles.

pork-barrel legislation

Legislation giving benefits to constituents through sometimes unnecessary of unwise projects within a state or district, to enhance a memeber's chance of reelection.

stare decisis

Let the decision stand; decisions are based on precedents from previous cases. Used in a sentence; Most judicial nominees voice respect for _________ during confirmation hearings.

Whips

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

White House Staff

Personnel who run the White House and advise the President. Includes the Chief of Staff and Press Secretary. The staff of the various offices are based in the West Wing and East Wing of the White House, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and the New Executive Office Building. Almost all of the White House Office staff are political appointees of the President.

discharge petition

Petition that, if signed by majority of the House of Representatives' members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.

Entitlements

Policies for which Congress has obligated itself to pay X level of benefits to Y number of recipients. Social Security benefits are an example. Constitute a binding obligation on the part of the federal government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security, veterans' compensation, and government pensions are examples.

Congressional Oversight

Power used by Congress to gather information useful for the formation of legislation, review the operations and budgets of executive departments and independent regulatory agencies, conduct investigations through committee hearings, and bring to the public's attention the need for public policy

implied powers

Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions. The bank's existence is an example, the Constitution doesn't say that Congress has the right to establish a bank, but its defenders claimed that one was necessary to carry out the Congress' power to collect taxes.

holds

Senators have power to place HOLD - Indication of disapproval for a bill, strong hesitation will likely lead to a filibuster, a hold allows Senators to be informed of any change in status or action on a bill or confirmation, holds can usually be very powerful/influential, if there are 60 votes: Holds won't stick.

rider amendment

amendment to a bill that has little to do with that bill (little add - on that will get passed when attached to a bigger bill that will get passed).

policy agenda

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time.

Gerrymandering

manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class. Can be explained by a chart, and classified into groups; "perfect representation, "compact but fair", "neither compact, nor fair".

divided government

Type of government in presidential systems, when control of the executive branch and the legislative branch is split between two parties, and in semi-presidential systems, when the executive branch itself is split between two parties.

signing statement

a presidential document that reveals what the president thinks of a new law and how it ought to be enforced. They are usually printed along with the bill in United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN).

unanimous consent

an agreement by every senator to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation. May be requested t on the floor to set aside a specified rule of procedure so as to expedite proceedings. If no Senator objects, the Senate permits the action, but if any one senator objects, the request is rejected. Requests with only immediate effects are routinely granted, but ones affecting the floor schedule, the conditions of considering a bill or other business, or the rights of other senators, are normally not offered, or a floor leader will object to it, until all senators concerned have had an opportunity to inform the leaders that they find it acceptable.

Precendent

an example that may serve as a basis for imitation or later action. An example is the legal decision in Brown v. Board of Education guiding future laws about desegregation.

lame duck

an outgoing official serving out the remainder of a term, after retiring or being defeated for reelection. Result from term limits, planned retirement, or electoral losses.

Bully Pulpit

the president's use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public. C omes from the 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt who understood the modern presidency's power of persuasion and recognized that it gave the incumbent the opportunity to exhort, instruct, or inspire. He took full advantage of this,speaking out about the danger of monopolies, the nation's growing role as a world power, and other issues important to him. Provides one with the opportunity to share one's views.

one person, one vote

under the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution, legislative voting districts must be the same in population size. The idea behind the rule is that one person's voting power ought to be roughly equivalent to another person's within the state.