POLITICAL SCIENCE 100 FINAL EXAM REVIEW

Franklin Roosevelt

1933-1945, Democrat, "forgotten man," broke two term rule, platform - prohibition, help farmers, prevent fraud, balanced budget, decrease public spending, third election - two groups: "Defend America by Aiding the Allies" and "America First." Served during the Great Depression and World War II. Had a bull session between him and the press. Also had a televised press conference held by President JFK. Proposed to Congress in February 1937 that another justice be added to the Supreme Court for each sitting justice over the age of 70 years. This would have increased the number of justices on the court from nine to fifteen. His ostensible justification was the Court's workload and the ages of the justices. He was frustrated by the Court's decisions, gutting his New Deal economic programs by declaring many of their measures unconstitutional.

Bill Clinton

1992 and 1996; Democrat; Don't Ask Don't Tell policy implemented by Congress, Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, Travelgate controversy; Operation Desert Fox (4 day bombing campaign in Iraq); Scandals: Whitewater controversy, Lewinsky scandal (impeached and acquited), Travelgate controversy, Troopergate; first balanced budget since 1969. Impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998 on grounds of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice. In 1992, launched rudimentary first presidential election website dubbed brochureware. The site posted basic biographical information, position papers, speeches, and simple newspaper-style ads that were very similar to Clinton's paper campaign brochures. Had very few visitors. By 1996 campaigns were experimenting with flashier websites and basic discussion boards where voters could contact the campaign. An Obama ad was reminiscent of George H. W. Bush checking his watch during a debate with Democratic candidate Bill Clinton in 1992. Voters reacted negatively to both debate incidents.

Mashup

A digital presentation that combines material from a variety of sources, such as voter-produced campaign videos, that combine existing footage of candidates with original content.

Super Tuesday

A Tuesday typically in February or March, when a large number of states hold their presidential primary elections.

Impeachment

A formal charge alleging misconduct against a public official, such as the president, that is a first step in their removal from office. (ie. Donald Trump) The president is impeached if one or more articles of impeachment are passed by the House.

Hollywood Ten

A group of nine screenwriters who were questioned to investigate the influence of Communists in Hollywood. The group of screenwriters included Ring Lardner Jr. And Dalton Trumbo, and director Edward Dmytryk were paraded before the committee. Members of Congress asked them "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?" Commanded to provide the names of people they knew to be Communists or face incarceration. Some of the Hollywood Ten responded aggressively to the committee, not answering questions and making statements asserting their First Amendment right to free expression. Images of the hearings were disseminated widely in front-page photos in newspapers and magazines and on TV.

Anita Hill

A law professor at University of Oklahoma who accused Supreme Court nominee, Clarence Thomas, of sexually assaulting her when she worked at the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Whistleblower

A person, often someone working inside an organization or government agency, who discloses information to an authority about wrongdoing. The identity of whistleblowers often remains anonymous, and there are laws to protect them from losing their jobs.

Pizzagate

A rumor claiming that new emails pointed to a pedophilia ring with Hillary Clinton and John Podesta, her campaign manager, at the center that was run out of a pizza restaurant in a residential neighborhood in Washington, DC. It was retweeted thousands of times. The "pizzagate" rumor quickly spread across social media platforms, and inspired a man to attempt to liberate the purported child sex slaves. He fired an assault rifle inside the pizza restaurant as staff and patrons fled into the street.

National Labor Relations Board

Acts as both prosecutor and judge. Federal law directs workers complaining about unfair labor practices to go to regional directors of NLRB, who decide if there is probable cause that the law has been violated. If so, NLRB's general counsel brings a case on behalf of the complainant before NLRB's special administrative law judges, who hear both sides of the dispute and issue a decision. That ruling may be appealed to the full NLRB. Only then may the case go to federal court.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

Also called the McCain-Feingold, this federal law put limits on soft-money contributions and political committees and prohibited corporations and labor unions from advocating for or against a candidate via roadcast, cale, or satellite prior to presidential primaries and the general election.

Clarence Thomas

An African American jurist, and a strict critic of affirmative action, he was nominated by George H. W. Bush to be on the Supreme Court in 1991, and shortly after was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill. Hearings were reopened, and he became the second African American to hold a seat in the Supreme Court. He won by a 52-48 vote.

Swift Boat ad

An ad produced by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, challenging Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's Vietnam War record, that aired during the 2004 election.

Special election

An election held to fill a seat that has been vacated by the incumbent before a scheduled election is to take place.

Runoff election

An election held when no candidate has received the required number of votes to win during the general election.

Recall

An election that allows voters to remove an elected officeholder.

Tweetups

An online or offline meeting organized via the microblogging platform Twitter

Pendleton Act

Approved on January 16, 1883. Established a merit-based system of selecting government officials and supervising their work. Congress passed the Pendleton Act in January of 1883 after the assassination of President James A. Garfield by a disgruntled job seeker. Steered through Congress by long-time reformer Senator George Hunt Pendleton of Ohio. Signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur, who had become an ardent reformer after Garfield's assassination. Provided that Federal Government jobs be awarded on the basis of merit and that Government employees be selected through competitive exams. Made it unlawful to fire or demote for political reasons employees who were covered by the law. Forbids requiring employees who were covered by the law. Further forbids requiring employees to give political service or contributions. The Civil Service Commission was established to enforce this act.

Brett M. Kavanaugh

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, nominated by Donald J. Trump. Amy Coney Barrett was also nominated and became the justice to replace Ruth Bader Ginsberg. **

Michelle Obama

Born January 17, 1964 First African American First Lady of the United States and Lawyer. She advocated for healthy foods in schools and living a healthy lifestyle. Barack Obama competed with Hillary Clinton to become president. Hillary Clinton wanted to become the first female president but Barack Obama beat her. Obama (Joe Biden VP) ended up running against Republican Senator John McCain (Sarah Palin VP) in 2008. He believed in raising taxes on the wealthy and won the general election. He also won the election in 2012 against Republican Mitt Romney.

Amicus Curiae

Brief raising additional arguments, filed by a third party to a lawsuit.

Antonin Scalia

Conservative Justice who unexpectedly died in February 2016 while on a hunting trip, whereupon Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Republican-controlled chamber would not take up any replacement nominated by President Obama but would leave it up to the next president (even though Obama had nearly a year left in office). Appeared on 60 Minutes to promote a book he coauthored on how to persuade judges. Discussed some of his views. Book: Antonin Scalia and Bryan Garner, Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges (Eagan, MB: Thomson West, 2008). Appeared on the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) panel on the state of civil liberties televised by C-SPAN (October 15, 2006), explaining and defending some of his decisions.

Super delegates

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention who are party luminaries, members of the Democratic National Committee, governors, and members of Congress. These delegates do not have to run for delegate in caucuses or primaries.

Video-sharing platforms

Digital media that allow people to post campaign-related videos and share them with others through links, email, and social media.

Divided government

Divided government is when a majority of members of the House and/or Senate are of a different party than the president.

Midterm elections

Elections held in nonpresidential election years that often are viewed as a referendum on the performance of the sitting president or the party controlling the House or Senate.

Executive Order

Executive orders are directives to administrators in the executive branch on how to implement legislation already enacted; courts treat them as having the status of law, but they may be superseded by congressional legislation.

Filibuster

Extended debate in the Senate that blocks or delays the passage of legislation.

Howard Dean

Governor Howard Dean (VT) was the Democratic presidential candidate most vociferously opposing the Iraq War. His stance and forceful rhetoric gave his campaign unprecedented success in obtaining funds and volunteers through the web. His stance and forceful rhetoric gave his campaign unprecedented success in obtaining funds and volunteers through the web. Voters contributed to coverage of campaigns through eyewitness reports of candidates on the stump. Howard Dean was also a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, broke new ground with his online media efforts. Used Internet to fundraise and recruit volunteers through "meet-ups." Former governor of Vermont Howard Dean worked with consultants to develop an innovative campaign strategy centered on using the Internet to develop an innovative campaign strategy centered on using the uniternet to build a base of online supporters through sites including Meetup.com and MoveOn.org, and to raise funds. DP was concerned because he ignored traditional bases of the party's support, including environmental activists and other liberal interest groups.

Finance Director

Helps the candidate raise funds directly and through a finance committee. The research director is responsible for information supporting the candidate's position on issues and for research on the opponents' statements, voting record, and behavior, including any vulnerabilities that can be attacked.

Chris Wallace

Joe Biden's 2020 election was held in-person with coronavirus precautions in place. Chris Wallace facilitated the debate. He is a veteran journalist with prior experience moderating debates. The debate was broadcast by sixteen television networks and was watched by 73.1 million people.

Freedom Caucus

Libertarian wing of the Republican Party, in Congress, that believes in cutting government spending and taxes. They believe in a strict adherence to constitutional principles. House Freedom Caucus gained a foothold as the Tea Party Caucus declined. The Freedom Caucus consists of conservative Republicans, some of whom are veterans of the Tea Party. It seeks to shift power away from the House leadership to rank and file members, and to push an agenda that includes defunding Planned Parenthood and repealing Obamacare. Composed of conservative Republicans and the Main Street Partnership is a moderate Republic group that is committed to small business.

Caucuses

Meetings of party members in which delegates to the nominating convention get selected; the delegates then choose the party's nominee, who will run in the general election.

Kristen Welker

Moderated the final debate for 2020 between Joe Biden and Donald J. Trump. Maintained tight control over proceedings. Asked questions about COVID-19 pandemic, economy, climate change, foreign interference in presidential election, and the candidates' finances.

Saddam Hussein

President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. Waged war on Iran in 1980-1988. In 1990 he ordered an invasion of Kuwait but was defeated by United States and its allies in the Gulf War (1991). Defeated by US led invasion in 2003. Bush's huge boost from 9/11 lasted well into early 2003; smaller and shorter lift from the invasion of Iraq in April 2003. Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003 before dropping to levels perilously near, then below, 50 percent. Narrowly reelected in 2008

Robert A. MacDonald

Replaced Eric Shinseki as secretary of Veterans Affairs, a department of 300,000. He got his message of change across to the media by testifying before Congress and meeting with reporters. At his first news conference he even gave the journalists his cell phone number. He talked about changing the agency's culture, what was needed to rectify the situation, and what he had accomplished (hiring doctors and nurses, extending clinic hours, and encouraging whistle-blowers).

federal bureaucracy

That part of the executive branch outside the presidency that carries out laws and regulations.

Electoral College

The 538 electors who choose the president and vice president by majority vote. The body of electors chosen by states to select the president and vice president of the United States.

Richard Nixon

The Kennedy-Nixon debate was the first-ever televised presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy in 1960. Nixon was recovering from the flu and wearing heavy pancake makeup, sweating. Kennedy was coolly answering questions. Viewers who saw the debate on TV declared Kennedy to be the winner, but people who listened to the debate on radio were turned off by Kennedy's heavy Boston accent and felt that Nixon won the debate. Nixon faced a ballooning welfare budget after taking office in 1969. Congress failed to act on welfare reform. Nixon turned to administrative measures to slow federal outlays. Deeply conservative appointees initiated new rules; rather than worrying about denying welfare to someone who was qualified, they stressed reducing the number of ineligible persons receiving benefits. Welfare rolls leveled off despite a worsening economy. Nixon downgraded news conference in favor of stage-managed appearances (Like Nixon).

Civil service

The administrative civilian workforce employed by the federal government.

Incumbency Advantage

The advantage generally enjoyed by sitting members of the House of Representatives in getting reelected to office due to better organized campaigns, greater name recognition, more funding, and support from interest groups.

Incumbency advantage

The advantage generally enjoyed by sitting members of the House of Representatives in getting reelected to office due to better organized campaigns, greater name recognition, more funding, and support from interest groups.

Judicial Review

The authority of the federal courts, especially the Supreme Court, to decide whether a state or federal law violates the U.S. Constitution.

Rules Committee

The committee that sets the procedure under which bills will be considered on the House floor.

Patronage

The distribution of governmental jobs and grants to members and allies of the political party in power.

Majority Leader

The legislative leader selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line. Senate majority leader = The most influential member of the Senate, who is responsible for managing the Senate's business and managing the floor. House majority leader = Second in the majority party hierarchy, the majority leader works with the Speaker of the House to set the legislative agenda, coordinate committee activity, and schedule legislation for consideration. Senate minority leader = The head of the opposing party in the Senate, who works closely with the majority leader on scheduling business while also developing strategies for his party to promote its policy objectives.

Line-Item Veto

The power, available to most state governors but not to the president, to reject parts of a bill.

Signing Statements

The president claims the right to ignore or refuse to enforce laws, parts of laws, or provisions of appropriations bills that Congress has enacted and he has signed into law.

Speaker of the House

The top-ranking member and presiding officer of the House of Representatives. Second in succession to the presidency and is the only officer of the House mentioned specifically in the Constitution. Duties include referring bills to committees, appointing members to select and conference committees, counting and announcing all votes on legislation, and signing all bills passed by the House. He or she rarely participates in floor debates or votes on bills. Also is the leader of his or her political party in the House. The Speaker oversees the party's committee assignments, sets the agenda of activities in the House, and bestows rewards on faithful party members, such as committee leadership positions. Nancy Pelosi is the current Speaker of the House and the first female. She served from 2006 to 2010 and regained the Speaker's post following the Democrats' retaking the majority in the House after the 2018 midterm elections.

Shadow Workforce

The work these people do are usually yard work, crop picking, construction work, etc., which tends to be difficult manual labor.

Candidate Image

Those aspects of a candidate's background, experience, and personal qualities that are presented to the public in order to influence people's voting decisions.

gerrymander

To draw congressional districts in a way as to give one political party the advantage in electing its candidates.