POLISCI CHAPTERS 7-13
What are midterm elections?
Elections held in a nonpresidential election year.
The Senate position with the longest experience is known as
The president pro tempore
What does the media sell
audience
Which of the following is not considered new media
cable news
The idea that the two chambers of Congress and the presidency are controlled by different parties is referred to as
divided government
What is the term that signifies at least one house of Congress is controlled by a party different from the party in control of the White House?
divided government
One area where the president is not granted authority is with
economic authority
___ refers to the spike in the polls that follows an event.
electoral bounce
In the Electoral College, each state's number of votes is ____ its congressional delegation.
equal to
Parties generally nominate candidates from which office for president?
governor
The vice president's role has ___ during the latter part of the twentieth and early part of the twenty-first century.
greatly increased
What crime can the House impeach the president for
high crimes and misdemeanors
The more cosponsors a bill has the
higher likelihood of passage
A congressional caucus convenes regularly to discuss common interests and consists of which of the following?
house and senate members
Bogging down the government with interest groups is referred to as
hyperpluralism
Candidates running in the primary are talking to more _____ voters and then to more _____ voters in the general election.
ideologically driven; centrist
In Federalist no. 10, Madison suggests the way to prevent factions from killing off popular government is to
increase the number of them
Originally the president would serve a four-year term, which could be renewed
indefinitely
The corporate setting helps blur the line between news, politics, and entertainment, a phenomenon now known as
infotainment
What are attempts by public officials in one part of the government to influence their counterparts elsewhere—in another branch or at a different (state or local) level of government?
intergovernmental lobbying
The cozy relationship in one issue area between interest group lobbyists, congressional staffers, and an executive branch agency is called
iron triangle
The conference committee is critical because
it allows the House and Senate to work out a compromise on a particular piece of legislation.
The principle that enables the courts to check the other two branches of government is known as
judicial review
A central function of the Speaker of the House is to
lead majority party
A __________ is an individual who contacts government officials on behalf of a particular cause or issue.
lobbyist
Appellate courts hear cases from the
lower courts
The second in command in the House is known as the
majority leader
Party discipline would most likely be achieved by
majority party whip
The primary way candidates reach voters is through
media
The use of a third party to solve a legal dispute most likely refers to the process called
mediation
A member of Congress who lacks the capacity to promote significant reform would most likely be referred to as a
minnow
____Is all the ways people get information about politics and the wider world
mwdia
United States senators' term is ___ years; that's one of the ___ elected terms in the world
six; longest
After the Watergate scandal reporters redefined their roles and became
skeptics
Prior to World War II what type of standing army did the United States have?
small
Which type of voting would be most likely to lead to a divided government?
split-ticket voting
The ________ committee is a permanent committee in Congress.
standing
An annual event where the president addresses the nation is called
state of the union address
Who determines how electors to the Electoral College are chosen?
states
The president's official advisors are called
the cabinet
The lobbying restrictions imposed in 1995 limited
the gifts that lobbyists can give members of Congress
What is the document called that contains a political party's core convictions and issue priorities?
the party platform
Committees are central to Congress because
they allow congressional members to specialize on a particular issue.
Executive orders are unique because
they do not require congressional approval
The agreed-on way to elect the president is
through the electoral college
Why does the United States hold frequent elections?
to hold public officials accountable
What statement best characterizes party electoral competition in the sixth party system
too close to call
A primary tension during the fourth party system was between
big business and progressive reform in the form of fair pay and better working conditions.
The 1946 Regulation of Lobbying Act required lobbyists to
both a and b : -report the amount and sources of income derived from lobbying. -register with Congress.
Who can introduce legislation?
both house and senate members
Mark Twain's comment that "every senator is a little king" suggests
senators possess a remarkable degree of autonomy in comparison to House members.
Written declarations commenting on a bill that is signed into law is known as
signing statement
"I take my voting instructions directly from my constituents" would likely be said by what type of legislator?
delegate
The idea that the executive branch can issue a rule on congressional legislation is known as
delegated powers
Traditionally, which party has adhered to the proportional representation system?
democrats
Executive expressed powers include all of the following except
power to declare war
The US system sets strict limits on individual donations: no one may contribute more than ___ to any individual candidate.
$2700
How much can one individual contribute to an old fashioned PAC?
$5000
Candidates for national office (presidency and Congress) spent more than ___ on their campaigns in 2016.
$6.5 billion
How much of the Senate is elected every two year?
1/3
How many Americans did NOT vote in the 2016 presidential race?
100 million
What percentage of the House is elected every two years?
100%
There are _________ federal appellate courts.
13
The executive branch includes ________ departments.
15
To approve a treaty the Senate must reach a _______ decision.
2/3
To overcome a presidential veto, Congress needs
2/3 approval of house and senate
How often is the president elected?
4 years
Soundbite have gone from over___seconds to under___seconds
40; 8
How many members are in the United States House of Representatives?
435
In the last forty midterm elections the president's party picked up seats in Congress how many times?
5
The original Supreme Court had how many justices?
5
Senate terms last __________ years.
6
How many Senators does it take to override a veto?
67
A House member represents a district of about
730,000
Because people generally consume media that reinforces their existing beliefs, it takes broad coverage with an unambiguous message to change peoples minds. What does the text book called this phenomenon
A loud signal
What is an issue network?
A shifting alliance of public and private interest groups, lawmakers, and other stakeholders all focused on the same policy area.
in media jargon , What is a small clip from a candidate speech referred to as
A soundbite
Pluralism is defined as
An open, participatory style of government in which many different interests are represented.
Most congressional power is found in
Article 1 Section 8
Presidential power is vaguely defined in
Article 2 of the Constitution
Which two networks monopolize the television news business during the 1960s and 1970s
CBS and NBC
News media is likely to pitch a story toward which political slant
Center
Which type of media bias is most obvious to Academics
Commercial
Although crime is____, media coverage has audiences believing that crime is____
Dropping; rising
What government agency was created in the FDR administration to referee the airwaves
Federal communications commission
During the 1930s who delivered a weekly radio address known as the fireside chat
Franklin Roosevelt
The longest presidency was
Franklin Roosevelt
The only president who has served more than two terms was
Franklin Roosevelt
Do United States does not typically rely on which model of media organization
Government ownership
An example of an "old order crumbles" situation can be linked to which administration?
Hoover
What classic "rule of thumb" guides local TV news
If it bleeds it leads
___ refers to the tendency for members of Congress to win reelection in overwhelming numbers.
Incumbency advantage
What did the telecommunications act of 1996 accomplish
It allowed for cross-ownership of media outlets by media conglomerates.
What did the fairness doctrine attempt to accomplish
It regulated the mass media so that different viewpoints would have to be presented on each and every television station.
One of the ways that the Internet could enhance democracy is by
Making everyone a potential news reporter
The principle of judicial review is traced back to the case of
Marbury v. Maddison
How much access do lobbyists have to Supreme Court justices?
Meager, almost nonexistent.
What is the main demographic for talk radio
Middle-aged white male and conservative
A major change in media over the past 50 years is
More formats
Research has shown that reporting on terrorist attacks lead to
More terrorist attacks
What was the first state to allow women to voter?
New Jersey
Facebook is an example of
New media
Which two Republican presidential candidates developed a "southern strategy" that, in the end, converted the South to a Republican region of the country?
Nixon and Reagan
Which group is most likely to claim the media is biased
Republicans
A new order president is
Ronald Reagan
Who was the president when the FCC repeal the fairness doctrine
Ronald Reagan
A filibuster is a power unique to the
Senate
The _______ can determine whether the president exceeded the scope of inherent powers.
Supreme Court
In United States history, who is the only third-party candidate to ever finish second in a presidential election?
Theodore roosevelt
The ultimate arbiter of all cases is the
U.S. Supreme Court
The only person who can break a tie in the Senate is the
Vice President
One of the most direct way the media affects politics is via it's___role
agenda-setting
Which of the following is essential for having a case heard by the Supreme Court?
all of the above : standing legitimate controversy no moot cases
Which factor contributes to winning a congressional election?
all of the above : money, strategy& organization, message
In order for an interest group to be successful, it must
all of the above: - communicate members' views to government officials. -inform members about political developments. -mobilize the public.
Which branch of government do lobbyists contact to convey their opinions and push their policy priorities?
all of the above: executive branch legislative branch judicial branch
When interest groups mobilize the public to do something on their behalf, this includes actions such as
all of the above: letter writing. contributing funds. protesting.
why do people complain about news media bias
all of the above: Stories are to the right of liberals, stories are fact pitch to Center, and stories are held to the left of conservatives
A brief submitted by a person or group that is not a direct party to the case is called
amicus curiae
An interest group is defined as
an organization whose goal is to influence government.
"Party members who tend to vote loyally for their party's candidates in most elections" is the textbook's definition of
base voters
After the president is impeached the president the trial is held in the
senate
The president can act as a ________ and recommend and veto measures from Congress
chief legislator
The central gatekeeper for the president is called the
chief of staff
Members of the bureaucracy who keep their positions regardless of presidential changes are the
civil servants
When only party members can cast a vote in the primary it is known as a(n)
closed primary
A filibuster can only be stopped by a process called
cloture
The power to establish U.S. citizenship laws lies with the
congress
Local news gets much of its drama from
crime
Executive power generally ______ during crises.
expands
The three forms of presidential powers are
expressed, delegated, and inherent
A district court is a
federal trial court
Acts of terror, insider trading, and immigration would be heard by
federal trial courts
The United States was the ___ nation to choose its chief executive by popular election.
first
First year members of Congress are referred to as
freshman
_________ is important because it allows presidents to win support for themselves or their ideas.
going public
___ refers to running for office by attacking the opponent. An unpopular tactic that is, nevertheless, very effective.
negative campaigning
Which media form is likely to include a variety of viewpoints
newspaper
In the 1830s,___became the first mass media
newspapers
Americans vote more often and for more officers ___ than the people of almost any other nation.
on every level of government
When any eligible voter can vote in a primary it is known as a(n)
open primary
A judge who interprets the Constitution literally is known as a(n)
originalist
Lobbyists are problematic because they can __________ the political agenda
overly influence
A meeting of all Democrats and Republicans in either the House of Representatives or the Senate is commonly known as a
party caucus
Which is the least organized part of the tripartite party structure?
party in the electorate
"A hierarchical arrangement of party workers, often organized in an urban area to help integrate immigrants and minority groups into the political system" is the textbook's definition of what?
party machine
The set of institutions, interests, and ideas that shape a political era is the
political order
Which event normally has the effect of creating an increase in the poll numbers for a presidential candidate?
political party convention
Which of the following was an issue position of the Radical Republicans in the aftermath of the Civil War?
political rights for former slaves
A judge who observes a living and changing Constitution is known as a
pragmatist
District court judges are appointed by the
president
A bill most likely will falter after the conference committee because
president can veto
The Senate has sole power to review
presidential nominations
How do people around the world view the two major parties in the United States?
pretty much alike
A system of ___ allocates delegates based on the proportion of the vote a candidate wins.
proportional representation
Power in the executive branch is measured by
proximity to Oval Office
In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that ___ could not be the predominant factor in creating congressional districts.
race
How often has Congress been able to override presidential vetoes?
rarely
Traditionally, which party has adhered to the winner-take-all system?
republicans
Which term refers to attempts by government officials to influence interest groups on behalf of their preferred policies?
reverse lobbying
The role of the circuit courts is to
review the trial record of cases decided in district court.
What type of party system does the United States have today?
two party system
The idea that no other branch can check the president is known as the
unitary executive theory
Someone hoping to enact landmark legislation would most likely be referred to as a
whale
___ refers to a system under which the winning candidate receives all the delegates for that state.
winner takes all system