these are gorups of legislators who share special interests and meet to pursure common legislation objectives, e.g. black caucus, womens caucus
divided government
when the house of representatives, senate and presidency are not controlled by one party
fillibuster
when a senator gives a prolonged speech on the floor of the senate in order to obstruct legislative progress of a bill or confirmation of appointments to the executive or judiciary
gridlock
a situtaion when the president and congress have equal power and preventing each other from acting, leading to difficulty passing legislation
incumbency
the current holder of a political office re House or Senate seat or presidency
mid-term elections
congressional elections held mid-way through a president's four-year term
oversight
the ability of one branch of government to supervise the work of another.
partisanship
a situation in which congressman/women are incredibly loyal to their party, even when it results in a gridlock
unanumous consent
a sentor or congressman/women requests it on the floor to set a side a specified rule of procedure to expedite proceedings
