BASIC AP Gov Review

People in Government
People give consent to the government(Locke)
Vote in Elections (for representatives, not laws).
Protest and Petition (Write, speak or email to
Representatives and/or stage a protest (non
violent).
Join Interest groups
Run for office
Speak to the media
Give $$ to Candidates running for office (Tied to
freedom of speech).

Role and Power of the

Presidency
Role Enforce the Laws.
Formal Powers: Veto Power,Command Armed
forces, pardoning power (Ford and Nixon),
appointment powers, make treaties, and
convene Congress (times of crisis).
Informal Powers: Power to go to the public,
make executive agreements, issues
executive orders, issue signing statements,
create and use bureaucracy, Personality and
leadership and make legislative proposals.

Role and Power of Congress

Role Make the laws
Formal Powers: Make laws, Appropriations
(funding), Confirmation of nominees,
Impeachment, Treaty Ratification, Congressional
Oversighht (hearings or investigations), declare
war, pass laws, resolutions regarding foreign
policy issues, Regulate Foreign Commerce/Trade,
Raise and collect Taxes.
Informal Powers: Necessary and Proper Clause
Do what is needed to fulfill their duties, mainly
hold hearings over the actions of the President
and or the Bureaucracy.

Role and Power of the Supreme

Court
Interpret the Laws
Declare Laws, statues and Executive orders
unconstitutional (Mar v. Mad).
Hold Trials of cases of Original Jurisdiction(Rare).
Use Precedent to decide cases
May also use Judicial Activism to decide cases:
when the court decides a case on the basis of
impact to society and or policy argument.
Typically will rule the case to be unconstitutional
(Roe v. Wade and issue of Privacy).

The Bureaucracy (Not in the Constitution

but can be considered a 4th Branch).
Tied to the Presidency and Congress.
Implementation (putting into practice laws,
Executive orders and guideline pass by Congress).
Adminstrative Discretion- Interpret the
meaning of a law in order to put it into practice
(Laws can be vague or not fully thought out).
Administration- Collecting Fees, issuing permits,
giving tests etc. (ex IRS and paying taxes)
Rule Making- Makes regulations for the federal
government and states to follow. Can be
challenged in court.

Congressional Committees
Standing Committees Most important; Handle Bills
in different policy areas and shape legislation.
Select Committees- Temporary and formed for
specific purposes. Hold investigations and hearings
(think watergate). Some select committees have
become standing committees
Joint Committees: Both House and the Senate, Help
focus public attention to major issues .
Conference committees: Members of both House
and Senate formed to fix issues in legislation which
creates a compromise bill for each house for final
approval.

Congressional Leadership
Split into Majority and Minority
Majority is the members of the policy
party with 51 or more in the Senate
or in the House 51% or more
Minority is members is less than 50
in the Senate or 50% of the House.
Majority controls legislation and
upcoming bills and debates

Congressional Leadership
Senate

House of
Representatives

President of the Senate- is the

Vice Pres. Of the USA, Can be a
tie breaker.
President Pro Tempore- Most
senior member usually
ceremonial in nature.
Majority leader Most influential
and determines committee
assignments also sets the agenda
Minority Leader little power, but
Majority leader may confer to get
minority support for legislation or
agenda.
Whips Same as in the house

1). Speaker of the HouseMost powerful member of the

majority party. Know their
powers
2). Majority leader- 2nd in
charge in the house, know
their powers
3). Minority Leader- Most
likely to be speker when
minority pary gets majority.
4). Party Whips- inform
members of important bill
and do nose counts.

Political Culture
Core Values of Americans
Liberty, Equality, Individualism,
Democracy, Rule of Law and Civic
Duty.
Captialism and Free Enterprise.
Political Tolerance
Mistrust of Government

Political Efficacy
Internal Efficacy- Ability to understand and
take part in political affairs.
External efficacy- belief that the
government will respond/ listen to personal
needs or beliefs.
Little change in internal efficacy, but most
Americans believe that government does
not listen or pay attention to the people.
Culture wars- political/social issues that
divide people; ie gay marriage, abortion etc.

Public Opinion
Polling- measurement of public opinion or
feeling on a topic or issue.
Random sampling- gives everyone in the
population an equal chance of being polled.
Bias ( causes polling data to be incorrect).
Lack of Knowledge of issue
Wording
Cost to take polls (may shut out those of
lower income).
Sampling Errors.

Political Socialization
Family- most important- Majority of young people identify
with parent political views and party. People become more
independent as they grow older from their parents.
Gender- More women tend to vote Democrat Rather than
Republican. This is called the Gender gap due to partys
stances on women issues
Marriage- Married -> Republican/ Single-Democrat
Religion: More Religious (Christian) tend to be Republican
Education: Higher Education-> Vote Republican; Lower ->
Democrat
Social Class: Wealthier-> Republican Middle Class can be
split but tend to be more Republican, than Democrat Lower
income-> Democrat

Political Socialization Cont.

Race & Ethnicity: Whites tend to Vote
Conservative/Republican, Hispanic->
Democrat, African American-> Democrat, Asian
American (Very little research) but tend to be
more conservative, but vote Democrat
Geographic Region: South-> Republican,
Northeast-> Democrat Midwest-> Split (purple)
West Coast Tends to be more Democrat with
the exception of the Southwest which votes
Republican or is purple.

Political Ideology
Political Ideology: Coherent set of
values and beliefs about public policy.
Two groups Liberals and Conservatives.
Not always consistent: Can have a mix
of views
Liberals: Actions that expand the size of
government; More regulation
Conservatives: Decrease the size of
government; Deregulation

Political Participation
Who Participates in government:
Higher Education, Tend to be more
religious/church-goers, Tend to be
white, tend to be older, can be either
male or female and tend to live in a
state where elections are competitive
( not a solid blue or red state).
This is changing due to change in
demographics

Voting
Voting is the heart of Democracy:
History of suffrage Non-land owning
white males-> black males->
women-> 18-21 year olds. (know the
amendments and legislation).
All voters must be registered, Prior
to elections. (Hinderance)
Motor Voter can register to vote
when applying or renewing a drivers
license.

Reasons for Low Voter

Turnout
1). Difficulty of Absentee voting
2). Number of offices to elect.
( People only know President, but no
one else). (ballot fatigue)
3). Weekday, non-holiday voting
(hard for working people).
4). Weak Political Party (very little
effort to get people to vote).

Political Parties
Linkage institution- Connect people to
Government
Increase political efficacy- connect people
to government and help people understand
governmental actions.
Select Candidates for Office
Inform the public of policies, Goals and
Candidates
Organize the Government and create policy

Why a Two Party System?

1). Historical Influence (Federalist and
Anti-Federalists)
2). Winner Take all. You win by taking a
majority, offices/votes are not awarded
based off percentage.
Consensus of values: Disagree over policy
but not ideas of freedom, liberty, the
Constitution, or election system,
Know the different eras of political parties.

Elections
Also a linkage Institution
Candidates run for nomination based of the
support of political parties
Caucus: Most Famous Ohio: People meet together
and debate and can choose a candidate
Primaries- used to select a partys candidate
3 types:
Close Primary: Must belong to that party to vote for that
partys candidates
Open Primary: Can vote for either partys candidate
Blanket (rare) can vote for multiple candidates for different
parties.

Elections
Congressional

Presidential

Regional (By state for Senator,

Regional for Representative)
House of Reps less competitive,
incumbents tend to win
Senate elections more competitive
(higher profile)
Few people vote in Congressional
elections in Off years (Non
presidential elections).
Presidential elections create coattail
effect (presidents party tend to win
office/ majority).
Communicate directly with
constitutents (ie personal
appearances, going door to door).

National
Very Competitive ( most
Americans know who is
running for Presidency).
Use of mass media to
communicate with voters
Mid-term elections: Voters
tend to vote for opposite
party into power in
Congress due to Presidential
Policy, Popularity or general
unhappiness.

Road to Presidency
1). Announcement: Candidates must determine
if they have financial (support a long campaign)
and political support ( from people, leaders of
political parties and other influential figures)
2). Presidential Primaries: Elections held in
states to assign delegates to candidates based
off voters, some states do winner take all or
proportional delegates.
Super Delegates: Democratic party only, highly
influential party members can change their vote
or persuade others to do so at the convention.

Road to Presidency Cont.

The Conventions:
Formally nominates the candidate for
president, usually if the candidate
gained a predetermined # of delegates.
Political party outlines their party
platfrom and agenda for the next 4
years.

Road to Presidency Cont

General Elections:
- Campaign starts as soon as
Convention ends.
- Most campaign $ is spent on media,
general campaign, and election
experts.
- Televised Debates between
Democratic and Republican
candidates. (very influential).
- Televised Ads = very expensive.

Critical Realignments and

Dealignments
Critical Realignment electionssignificant change in the way people
vote in a shift of party alignment
For example Election of 1860, 1896,
1932
Dealignment- Instead of shifting
party alliance, rise of the third party
or independent voter.

Campaign Spending and

Reform
Know 1976 Amendment, Buckley v. Valeo, Bi
Partisan Campaign Reform act of 2002 and
Citizens United.
Federal Election Commission(FEC) Oversees
Election contribution and spending.
No Foreign Contribution, Contributions over $100
must be disclosed ( no cash)
Limits on Contribution: Individual =$1000 per
candidate, $20k to National Party and $5k to PACs
PAC contribution = 5,000 per candidate and 15k
to National Party

Interest Groups
Linkage institution
Focus on specific issue or policy position
Accomplish their goals through lobbying, electioneering,
litigation and appealing to the public for support.
Lobbying- Attempt to influence government policy through
contact, socializing, or testifying at hearings.
- Members of Congress rely on Lobbyist for information and
advice. Only works if member is committed to their cause.
Litigation:
Amicus Curiae Friends of the court written support for an issue
and provide information
Class action lawsuit: enable a group of plantiffs to bring their case
to the court as a whole. Think NAACP and Brown v. Board of Ed.

Interest Group Cont

Electioneering: Contribute to candidates political
campaign (Mostly Done by PACs)
Appealing to the public
Since interest group greatest assest is public
influence -> encourage people to vote and contact
their Representatives on a Certain topic (People
who join interest group tend to be political = have
more influence, since they speak with 1 voice.)
Interest groups can also run Advertisements to
support their causes. ( Think Got Milk, Pork the
other white meat).

PACs and 527s

PACs- Political arm of interest groups,
directly contribute to candidates and
influencing election results. Politicians can
form their own PACs to support their future
campaigns.
Can also represent businesses, industry,
unions and trade associations.
527s- Tax exempt groups-> influence
nomination, election, appointment or
defeat of candidates for public office.

Theories of Interest Group

Politics
1). Elitist Theory- Few interest groups have
the most power/ government is run by a the
elite few
2). Pluralist Theory- IGs benefit democracy
by bringing representation to all (giving
people a voice) many groups do not allow
the rise of a few powerful groups
3). Hyperpluralist- Many groups try to
influence political process-> chaos and
contradiction amongst government policies.

Mass Media
Functions of Mass Media: Entertainment
News Reports, Agenda Setting and Creation
of Political Forums
Structure of the Media: Print Media,
Electronic Media, and the Internet.
Government Regulation of the Media:
Prior Restraint: Media can be prosecuted for
slander or libel, media can keep their
sources confidential, but courts can compel
to reveal sources with a court order.

Mass Media cont

Federal Communication Commission: Grants
licenses and regulates radio and television
stations.
Telecommunications Act: Limits the number
of stations one radio company may own.
Equal time rule: All candidates must have
the same time available to them to run ads.
Right of Reply Rule- A candidate must be
able to reply if a broadcaster endorses their
opponent.

Mass Media
Sound bites- Comments compressed into
several seconds. Impact Television and Radio
Media and Campaigns
1). Advertising
2). News Coverage
3). Presidential Debates
Spin Doctors- someone who tries to influence
journalists with interpretations of events that
are favorable to a particular candidate.

Mass Media
Accountability of Candidates Claims:
News services that evaluate the
claims of candidates.
Politifact.com
Factchecker.org

Media and Government

Officials
Cover all levels of government from
student to the Presidency
White House Press Corps- reporters
who are assigned full time to cover
the activities of the President
Press Secretary- gives press briefings
to the Press Corps.

Impact of Media
Media does not make direct policy
decision, but they have a huge
influence on American Politics and
Government. They link the public to
government and often set the public
agenda (which issues/ problems take
priority)
The future of the media is the
internet; social media, blogs and
other content sharing sites.

Congress
Influences on Congress:
1). Constituents- (Delegate) Personal contact (in
person, email, letters or phone calls) with those who are
in their state or district.
2). Party Views : Congress is organized along party
lines, party membership is an important to help
determine Congressional Members views and how they
vote on bills.
3). Personal Views: (Trustee) If a Congressional leader
disagrees with the party and their constituents, they may
vote along along their own personal views. Can be tricky
if they vote against what their constituents want they
can be voted out of office.

Qualifications of Congress
House of
Representatives
25 years old
Seven years a citizen
of the United States
and from the state
they represent
Term is set at two
years
Total members 435
Census determines
how many
represenatives a state
has.

Senate
30 years old
Nine years a U.S.
Citizen and of the
state they represent.
Term is set at 6 years
100 members (2 per
state).

Special Powers
House of
Representatives

Senate

All Revenue Bills must

start in the House
Impeachment PowerHouse makes the charge
against President, Vice
President and other civil
officers, but the Senate
conducts the trial.
Chooses a President if no
candidate reaches a
majority of Electoral
College Votes

Major Presidential Appointees

must be confirmed by the
Senate
Offers advice and consent to
the president by a majority vote
regarding federal judges,
ambassador and Cabinet
positions
Treaties with other nations
created by the President must
be approved by a 2/3 vote
Chooses a Vice President if no
candidate reaches a majority of
Electoral College Votes.

Evolutionary Powers
Elastic or necessary and proper clause gives
Congress the authority to carry out its enumerated
(formal) functions/
Oversight of the Budget: Reviews and Restricts
the annual budget prepared by the executive
branch. Must pass an Authorization Bill- that
states the maximum amount of money available
and can also set the Appropriations- Actual
money available in a fiscal year. ( Check on the
Preisdent)
Investigation: (examples Watergate, Clinton
Scandal and Benghazi).

Staff and Staff Agencies

15,000 people work as staff for Congressional leaders

Representative Staff -15 people Senator Staff- 30 people.
Staff Agencies:
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Request for
information, develops summaries and tracks bills, neutral
member (non-partisan)
General Accounting Office: Financial Audits of money
spent by Executive Branch and the Bureaucracy.
Investigate policy effectiveness
Congressional budget Office (CBO). Advises and
informs Congress on economic effects of various spending
programs and policies. Analyzes the presidents budget
and make economic projections about the economy.

Incumbency benefits and

vulnerabilities

Franking Privilege Free mailings

More likely to be re-elected
More connections to the media
Easier to raise $$
Vulnerabilities:
Scandal or Corruption
Angry Voters
Negative Publicity
Gerrymandering/Redistricting (Only affects
members of the House).

Diagnostic Test Correction

Write down the question and answer
in your own words in your notebook.

Criticisms of Congress
Pork barrel Spending/ Pork: benefits that Congressional
leaders seek for their constituents for reelection -> may be seen
as wasteful spending
Logrolling: Member of Congress supports another member of
Congress pet project (pork) in return for support for their own pet
project (pork).
Earmark: part of spending bill that provides money for a specific
project, location or institution.
Party Polarization: Congress is split along party lines and views> legislative process becomes slow and difficult to reach a
consensus (compromise).
Term Limits Debate: Members of Congress focus only on
reelection and not on their role as representatives of the people.
Term limits (how long a senator or represenative would solve this
problem).

The Presidency
Qualifications:
Natural Born Citizen
Lived in the United States for the last 14
years.
Must be 35 years old

Powers of the Presidency

Military Power
Commander-in-Chief- Can send in troops
War Powers Act limited Presidents war making power

Diplomatic Power
Makes treaties with the advice and consent of teh Senate->
2/3 of Senate must approve

Appointment Power
Appoints Ambassadors, judges and public officials with the
advice and consent of the Senate-> 2/3 for confirmation

Veto Power
President can veto a bill with a veto message or can use
the pocket veto.

Strengthening The
Presidency
1). Executive Privilege
(Confidentiality)
Separation of powers keeps one branch
from getting involved in the internal
workings of another branch
Presidents conversation with advisors
are kept private without fear of press
and public reaction

Strengthening the
Presidency
2). Impoundment of Funds
Refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress. (No Longer Valid
due to Budget Refrom Act of 1974).

3). President as Morale Builder

Expected to help unify the nation and create a climate of support and
working together

4). Agenda Setting

Make Policy proposals -> work with Congress to get this done

5). Power of Persuasion

Key Representative of the U.S. Government-> Persuasive Power

6). Executive Orders

Have the force of law

7). Changing Veto Power

Line item veto- reject section of a bill without rejecting the entire bill. ->
Ruled Unconstitutional

Issue of Gridlock
Divided Government- One party
controls the White House another
party controls one or both houses of
Congress.
Produces Gridlock-> inability to get
anything done.

Vice President
Most important function take over
presidency if president dies or cannot
perform their duties.
12th Amendment Votes get to vote
for the V.P.
Can also advise the President on
important issues.

Offices of the President

White House Office- Aides to the President
Pyramid Model- Aides flow through the Chief of Staff
Circular Model- Presidents have direct contact with Staff
Members

Executive Office of the President

National Security Council
Office of Managment and Budget
National Economic Council

The Cabinet- Heads of department

Inner cabinet- Sec of Defense, Atty General, Sec of
State, Sec of Treasury Appointed and Confirmed by the
Senate.

Selection of the President

Electoral College
Each elector vote for President based off the majority of state voters
Controversy -> undemocratic

Presidential Disability and Succession

22nd Amendment Limits Presidents term to two terms/ no more than 10
years.
25th Amendment- VP and Cabinet determine if president can carry out his or
her duties-> Pres can Challenge and Congress will decide the issue.
Recovering president can also recclaim the office.

Impeachment
Way to remove President before their term is over.
House Brings the Charges, Senate tries the President with the Chief Justice presiding over
the trial and by a 2/3 vote the Senate may convict and remove the President from office.
Only two Presidents have been impeached Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Nixon came
close, but resigned office.
Senate can also impeach federal judges including Supreme Court Justices. Only one has
been impeached in 1805.