final exam study guide

Gov’t study guide

Chapter 1

Public policyLegislative,executive,judicial powersConstitutionDictatorship,democracy, state, sovereignAutocracy,oligarchy,plutocracyUnitary, federal, confederalPresidential, parliamentary

Chapter 2

Limited gov’t, representative gov’tMagna carta, petition of rights, English bill of rights 1689Charter, proprietaryUnicameral, bicameralAlbany plan of union, popular sovereigntyArticles of ConfederationVirginia (Randolph), NewJersey (Patterson), Connecticut (Sherman)-Great {Compromises}Three-fifths, commerce and slave trade compromisesFederalists, Anti-Federalists, Federalist papers, quorum

Chapter 3

Six basic principles of gov’t.Preamble, articles, amendmentsRule of law!Separation of powers, checks and balances, veto, judicial reviewMethods of amending the Const., bill of rights!Treaty, electoral college, cabinet, senatorial courtesy

Chapter 4

Federalism, division of powerDelegated power, exclusive power, expressed power, implied power, inherent power, concurrent power, reversed powerRevenue sharing, block grants, categorical grants, grants-in-aidFull faith and credit clause! Privileges and immunities clauseExtradition

Chapter 5

Political partiesPartisan, partisanshipParty in power vs. party out of powerTwo party systemMinor partiesSingle member districtSimple majority, majority, pluralityBipartisan, consensus, coalitionIncumbent, factions, electorate, sectionalismIdeological,single-issue,economic protest, splinter {parties}Ward, precinct, Party organsation

Chapter 6

Suffrage, electorate, transient, poll books, literacy tests, poll taxGERRYMANDERINGPresidential vs. off year electionsPolitical efficacy and socializationParty ID, straight-ticket voting, split-ticket votingWhere do people get their political ideology?

Chapter 7

Declaration of nomination, primaries, CAUCUS.!Direct primary, closed primary, open primary, blanket primary, runoff primaryAbsentee voting, types of ballots, coattail effectPOLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES (PACS)Soft vs hard money

Chapter 8

Public opinion vs. public affairsMass mediaPeer groups, opinion leadersMandateInterest groups, straw votes, quota samplePublic agenda

Chapter 9

Interest group and public policy, public affairsTrade associations, public-interest groupsPropaganda, single-interest groupsLOBBYINGGrass roots

Chapter 10

Term vs. sessionQualification for house and senateApportion, apportionment, reapportionment, GERRYMANDERINGSingle-member districtsIncumbent, constituencyOversight function!Franking privilege.

Chapter 11

Expressed, implied, inherent {powers}Strict vs. liberal (loose) constructionalistTaxes-direct, indirectPublic debt, bankruptcyEminent domain, copyrightElastic clause-necessary and proper clause.Impeachment (House Judiciary Committee is the first step)

Chapter 12

House leadership, Senate leadershipCAUCUS, seniority rule, committee chairmen (committee is the answer!)Standing, select, joint and conference committeesResolutions, rider, Christmas tree bill, discharge petition, engrossedFilibuster, rule 22 of the senate, cloture motion.Veto, pocket veto.

Chapter 13

Roles of the President (8)25th amendment, succession of the PresidentElectoral college!Powers of the President!War Powers Act of 1973Line-item veto

Chapter 18

Diagram of the court structureInferior courts, jurisdictionCriminal vs. civil casesAdversarial structure

Free Response study guide

Electoral College

1. Electoral math= # of representatives in the HOR + both senators to equal the number of electors for each state. California has 53 HOR members + 2 senators= 55 electors.

2. Census taken every 10 years on the 0 year to count all of the people to reallocate the seats in the HOR based on population.

3. Selection of Electors is done by the state political parties (Democrat, Republican, Green, etc.) and usually are people who have helped their party for a long time and this is a payoff for that work.

4. Election Day! popular vote [you and me vote] we really are voting for the elector from the political party of the candidate selected.

5. Count the popular vote:

a. winner take all-simple majority of the popular vote gets all electors in the state

b. at large-split the vote by Congressional district with one vote for each. Candidate who wins the most districts also gets the 2 senatorial electors. Nebraska and Maine are the only two that use this system.

6. Slate of Electors: Each party has their own electors equal to the # of HOR members and senators. Following the election, the electors from the candidates party who won get the "call" to go to their state capitol for the official Electoral vote.

7. Monday after the second Wednesday in December the electors meet in the respective state capitals for a roll call vote. The “POTUS” is officially selected and is designated President Elect by the HOR.

Gerrymandering

1. Gerrymanding is the redrawing of Congressional district lines that favor one party over the other.

2. Census every 10 years on the 0 year to chart the population movement.

-reapportion the HOR after the census.

3. State Legislatures are in charge of redrawing the lines.

4. Named for Elbridge Gerry who redrew the district lines in Mass. after the 1810 census.

How a Bill Becomes a Law

House of Reps:

Intro a bill/ first read
Hopper-give bill a number and send to correct committee
goes to committee for action
sent to subcommittee
sent back to full committee with mark-ups
discharge petition
sent to Rules Committee-set the limit for debate in the HOR.
sent to the whole HOUSE for debate
The whole HOUSE votes
Votes yes, then goes to the Senate

Senate:
Intro the bill/ first read
Senates version of the hopper to decide to what committee the bill should go
goes to committee for action
sent to subcommittee
sent back to full committee with mark-ups
discharge petition
sent to the whole Senate (no Rules Committee)
debate in the "well" of the Senate
filibuster/cloture motion
Whole Senate votes yes
sent to Conference Committee to "tiddy up" the bill for the POTUS to sign.

Presidential Succession

The 25th Amendment changed succession to:

The Vice President Joseph Biden
Speaker of the House John Boehner
President pro tempore of the Senate Daniel Inouye
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta
Attorney General Eric Holder

(extra credit for any that follow below)

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood
Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano