Ap Gov

• Devolution ("new federalism")


  Shifting power from federal gov back to the states (ex: Welfare Reform Act of 1996)
• 2 steps necessary to amend Constitution

  2/3 vote in House + Senate; Ratification by 3/4 of state legislatures
• 2 steps to remove president (or federal judge) from office


  Impeachment by House; Conviction in Senate trial (2/3 vote)
• Pocket veto


  Normally if the president does nothing with a bill it becomes a law without their signature, but if the president does nothing with a bill in last 10 days of Congressional session then it's a pocket veto and does not become law
• (Line) Item veto


  Ability of pres. to veto just part of a bill (declared unconstitutional)
• How choose committee chairperson?

  Usually is the longest serving member of committee from majority party
• Linkage institutions


  Institutions outside of govt that link us to govt (ex: parties, interest groups, the mass media, elections).
• Discharge petition


  A petition in the House to save a bill from the committee that is trying to kill it
• Committee of the Whole

  A temporary House committee that contains everyone present in the House--used to help meet quorum
• Party system


  When you have a certain set of parties that stand for certain things and attract certain types of voters. Since 1932 we have been in the 5th party system
• Realignment


  The parties realign after a realigning/critical election and you get a new party system. While we have had regional realignment since 1932 (white southerners switched from Democrats to Republicans), there has not been national realignment because most of the other characteristics of our 2 main parties remain as they have been since 1932.
• Dealignment


  People leaving political parties and becoming independent
• 10th Amendment


  Says powers not given to the federal govt (nor denied to the states) should stay with the states. Favored by advocates of states' rights
• "Necessary + proper" (elastic) clause


  Constitutional clause saying that besides having those powers specifically listed (declaring war, etc) that Congress shall also have the power to make all laws "nec. + proper" for executing its powers.
• Expressed/enumerated powers


  Powers of Congress listed in the Constitution
• Implied powers


  Powers of Congress not listed in Constitution that come from "necessary + proper" (elastic) clause". Note that in McCulloch v. Maryland the Supreme Court okayed that creating a national bank was a valid implied power.
• "Formal" powers of the president


  Those listed in Consitution (ex: sign/veto bills, Commander in Chief, Chief Executive, giving State of the Union address, calling Congress into special session)
• "Informal" powers of the president


  Those not listed in Consitution (ex: executive orders, executive privilege, executive agreements)
• Filibuster


  When one or more senators tries to delay/prevent a vote on a bill by talking it to death. Can only be stopped by a cloture vote that gets a supermajority of 60 or more.
• Member of Congress voting as a "delegate"


  Vote based on how they think their constituents that they represent back home feel
• Member of Congress voting as a "trustee"


  Vote based on how the member personally feels
• Member of Congress voting as a "partisan"


  Vote how their party leaders tell them to vote
• Federalism


  Power divided between national/federal government and the states
• Separation of powers


  Power divided between the 3 branches (legislative makes laws, exec enforces, judicial interprets)
• Checks + balances


  Each branch can check the power of the other 2 branches (ex: the senate can reject a treaty made by the president or reject a presidential nomination for the federal courts or bureaucracy)
• How do we elect president / vice-president


  A: Via the electoral college. Most states are winner-take-all. To be elected you must get majority of EC votes, and if no one gets then it goes to the House of Reps.
• Criticisms of the Electoral College


  Sometimes the candidate who wins (because they have a majority of E.C. votes) doesn't have a majority of the popular votes--has happened 4 times (most recently in the Bush v. Gore 2000 election).

  Small states are disproportionately powerful in the E.C. because they get the same 2 electoral college votes for their 2 senators as big states do.

  Often the E.C. vote percentages are quite different than the popular vote percentages, so thus the E.C. can distort the margin of victory.
• Pendleton Act


  Replaced the old "spoils system" where presidents gave bureaucratic jobs to their supporters with the "merit system" where middle and lower bureaucratic jobs are had by competitive civil service exams and a person's merit.
• 4 parts of the bureaucracy

  Cabinet Departments (the 15 "Cabinet" heads of these Departments advise the president in their area--such as foreign policy or transportation--and can be fired by the president at any time. Independent Regulatory Agencies, such as the FCC, protect the public and although the heads are chosen by the president once they are in office they cannot be fired. Government Corporations--U.S. Postal Service is the largest--provide services for a fee. Independent Executive Agencies, such as the FDA or EPA or NASA, protect the public and the heads can be fired by the president at any time.
• Judicial review


  From Marbury v. Madison (Chief Justice John Marshall). The Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional.
• Judicial philosophy


  Either judicial activism or judicial restraint. Activist judges are OK with the courts getting involved in modern issues (ex: forced school busing, creating the right to privacy) not mentioned in the Constitution. Pro-restraint judges want to stick to only dealing with issues in the Constitution and want to avoid judicial legislation.
• Divided govt


  Pres. of one party, but at least one house of Congress majority the other party
• Federal term limits


  None in original Constitution, but later on an amendment established 2-term limit for pres.