1. AP GOVERNMENT & POLITICS EXAM REVIEW

2. Constitutional underpinnings
Government & Politics
Democracy v Authoritarian
Traditional Democratic Ideas
Pluralism v Elite-Class Rule
Unitary v Federal v Confederation
Presidential v Parliamentary
Capitalism v Socialism v Communism
Democratic ideas, Enlightenment
Events from colonies to USA
Self-rule, French & Indian War, British Tightening of Control, Revolution, Conservative Revolution, Critical Period, Articles of Confederation, Shay’s Rebellion, Constitutional Convention

3. Constitution
Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan Connecticut Compromise Three-fifths Compromise Commerce & Slave Trade Compromise Separation of Power Checks & Balances Federalism Amendments Supremacy Ratification

4. RATIFICATION 9 of 13 Conventions Federalist Papers
Fed 10, factions complete, unequal distribution of property
Fed 51, checks & balances, republican government “if men were angels” tyranny of the majority / tyranny of the minority
Bill of Rights

5. Madisonian model of government
Wide distribution of power, different methods of selection for those in power, different term lengths for government officials No one person or group will be able to control or hold all government power, and allows many access points for people to participate in government. (pluralism) Separation of power, checks and balances, federalism President – 4 year terms, selected by electoral college, electoral college by method determined by each state legislature Senate – 6 year terms, selected by state legislatures originally, by the direct popular election today, 17th Amendment, at-large elections (whole state) House of Reps – 2 year terms, selected by direct popular election, single-member districts Federal judges – life time appointments, appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate State officials determined by individual state constitutions and state laws, but a republican form of government is guaranteed in each state by Article IV of the U.S. Constitution

6. Federalism Shared or divided power National Gov. and State Gov.
Duel – Layer Cake
Cooperative – Marble Cake
Fiscal (show me the Money) New Deal to present
Categorical Grants
Block Grants
Formula Grants
Project Grants
Mandates, underfunded mandates, unfunded mandates
Devolution

7. amendments 2/3rds to propose
Congress of National Convention (Congress only way used to date)
3/4ths to ratify
State legislatures or State Conventions (state conventions for all but 21st Amend)
PERFECT EXAMPLE OF FEDERALISM / DUAL FEDERALISM BOTH NATIONAL AND STATE LEVELS NEEDED TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION

8. POWER / RIGHTS
Expressed, Delegated, Enumerated, Implied, Inherent, Exclusive, Concurrent, Reserved
Commerce Clause
Necessary & Proper Clause
Supremacy Clause
10th Amendment
Privileges & Immunities Clause
Full Faith & Credit Clause
Extradition Clause
Due Process Clause
Equal Protection Clause

9. Political Beliefs & Behaviors
Political Ideology – positions on issues or philosophy of how should operate
Shared American ideologies: individual freedom, equality, work, education, religious freedom, limited government, rule of law, accountability
Wedge issues divide people, examples include Abortion, immigration, gun control
Liberal
Also described as “the left: and blue states
Stronger central government, more government action beyond the established constraints, usually in the name of social and economic equality
(Democratic Party will align more closely with the liberal ideology)
Conservative
Also described as “the right: and red states
Less government, more individual freedom, follow traditions of the past, and reverence for authority
(Republican Party will align more closely with the conservative ideology)

10. Political socialization
Political socialization is the process of how someone develops their political ideology
Family
School
Religious institutions
Race & ethnicity
Socioeconomic statues
Geography, (north v south) (rural v urban) (industries of individual states)

11. Public opinion
Set of shared beliefs / attitudes held by a significant number of people.
Both Intensity & stability of opinion are hard to measure
Americans belong to many publics at the same time
Measuring public opinion is done through polling
Straw poll
Scientific poll, most accurate [random sampling random-digit dialing, margin of error]
Exit poll
Approval ratings
Issues with polling: non-attitudes, uninformed, privacy v opinion, lying
Media & Polls - horserace journalism, and sensationalism

12. MEDIA
Gate-keeper/Agenda setter, influence what subjects become national political issues and for how long. News agenda becomes the policy agenda
Scorekeeper, keep track of and help make political reputations, note who is being “mentioned” as a presidential candidate, and help decide who is winning and losing in Washington politics. (Horserace Journalism) (100 day, or honeymoon period)
Watchdog /critic, responsibility of the media to protect the public from incompetent or corrupt officials by standing ready to expose any official who violates accepted legal, ethical, or performance standards. (investigative reporting)
entertainment, media owned by private groups created to make profit not inform anymore (yellow journalism)
bias, liberal v. conservative v ratings
broadcast v. narrowcast = polarization

13. Political participation
Local civic organizations, PTA, Kiwanis Club, Elks Lodge, Shriners Club, VFW, Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts
Political party, local state, national Dem & Rep
Special Interest Group, MADD, Sierra Club, National Organization for Women, National Riffle Association, American Bar Association, Chamber of Commerce, AARP, NAACP, PETA, UAW, National Association of Realtors, International Association of Insurance Professionals
Protest
Donate money to campaigns
Run for office
Work for or on behave of a candidate
Letters, s, texts, phone calls to public officials
Media events
Litigation
Civil disobedience
VOTING IS NUMBER 1 FORM OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, AND ALSO THE EASIEST!

14. Elections Suffrage, franchise = the right to vote
Requirements left to the states by constitutional convention, but there are some federal restrictions in Constitution, and Amendments
Expansion of the electorate, White land owning males to all citizens 18 years of age and older (Amendments 15, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26)
Elections are a two step process, nomination and general election
Primary elections and caucus meetings, (Iowa Caucus, New Hampshire Primary) winner-take-all / single member districts, Front-Loading
Closed primary, open primary, blanket primary, nonpartisan primary
Momentum, media, money
Incumbency advantage – name recognition, money, case work, PACs, role of the economy
Presidential race – state caucus/primary elections select delegates, national convention, general election, electoral college election [presidential elections more voters, president’s party wins seats in Congress, off-year/midterm elections, less participation, president’s party usually lose seats in Congress]
Majority of electoral college votes to win (270) ( State’s electoral college number is House seats + Senate seats)
No majority or tie House selects president (1800 & 1824), 12th Amendment separates ballots

15. Campaign finance reform
The Federal Election Campaign Act (1971)
Tightened reporting requirements and limited candidates’ expenditures, strict donation limits to a candidate & PACs, created the Federal Election Commission to monitor and enforce regulations, and created a voluntary public fund to assist viable presidential candidates
Buckley v. Valeo (1976) money limits to candidates and PACs constitutional, limiting how much a candidate spends of their own money violates freedom of speech
Hard money v soft money
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) 2002, (McCain/Feingold) banned soft money, prohibited corporations, trade associations, and labor organizations from paying for electioneering communications within 60 days of general election & 30 days of a primary. Also acknowledgement for ads “I approve this message”
Citizens United v. F.E.C. (2010) corporations, trade associations, and labor organizations have a right to free speech and could not be stopped from exercising it before an election
PAC (coordinate with candidates, donation limits, and disclosure)
Super PAC (Cannot coordinate with candidates, no donation limits, but have disclosure rules)
501(c)(3) & 501(c)(4) dark money groups ( not created for electioneering, no disclosure or donation limits, but have spending restrictions 10-20% of organizations activities)

16. LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS PARTIES AND SIGs
POLITICAL PARTIES
INTEREST GROUPS
Nominate candidates for office
Establish issues and goals for the government
Inform & activate supporters
Bond/insure good performance of candidates & office holders
Provide day to day leadership in government
Serve as watchdog of the government by keeping an eye on the opposition party
Promote a particular public policy
Influence public opinion
Endorse candidates supporting their issue
Influence parties and elections, often through the use of PACs or lobbying
Supply public with information that supports the groups’ interest
Build a positive image for the group
Create public attitudes by using propaganda
K Street & revolving door

17. PARTIES AND SIGs shared traits
Made up of people who unite for a political purpose
Try to sway public policy
Function at ALL levels of government, national, state, and local
Concerned with influencing the policies of government
Interested in the issues of government

18. Party ERAs Federalists & Democratic-Republicans
Whigs & Democrats (but mostly Dems)
…Dominated by Democrats
…Dominated by Republicans
…New Deal by Democrats
1968-Present…Era of Divided Government

19. House of Representatives
congress
House of Representatives
senate
Representation based on population, each state gets at least one member
Direct popular election (single-member districts)
2 year terms
At least 25 years old, live in state you represent, a citizen of the United States for at least 7 years
Select own leaders, must have a Speaker of the House
Revenue/money/tax bills must originated in the house
Power of impeachment, (make an accusation of wrong doing by a government official were the penalty can be removal from office)
More influential in domestic policy
Representation based on equality, each state gets two members, and they cast votes independently
Selected by state legislatures originally, direct popular election because of 17th Amendment, (at-large elections)
6 year terms
At least 30 years old, live in state you represent, a citizen of the United States for at least 9 years
Select own leaders, must have a president pro tempore
Advise and consent power on presidential appointments to executive offices and federal judges (except white house office staff) and on treaties
Act as the jury in impeachment cases
More influential in foreign policy

20. representation
Substantive Representation v. Descriptive Representation
Models of voting: Delegate Model, Trustee Model, Partisan model, Politico Model
Single-member districts vs at-large (Senate seats)different constituents
Incumbency rate

21. How a Bill Becomes a law -Introduced
-Referred to Committee (most bills die here)
-Mark-up, Pigeon-Holed, Voted out of committee
-Scheduled for floor debate, (House Rules Committee, Senate Majority Leader)
-Debated, filibuster (Senate only), if passed the bill is sent to the other chamber, process repeated
-If bill has been amended, or a similar measure has been passed in each chamber, bill sent to conference to workout disagreements (bills most pass both chambers in identical form)
-Passed by both chambers sent to the President
-President can Sign into law, Veto, Pocket-Veto
- Congress can override a Presidential Veto by a two-thirds majority vote in EACH house of Congress

22. Committees
The majority of congressional work is do in committee, divide the workload, become policy experts on a specific topic
Standing Committees, permanent committee made of House members OR Senate members
(Senate Armed Services Committee)
Subcommittee, sub-unit of a standing committee that deals with more specific issues for that committee
(Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities)
Joint Committee, composed of members of both the House and Senate and have jurisdiction over matters of joint interest
(Joint Committee on the Library of Congress)
Select Committee, also known as a special committee, appointed to perform a special function beyond the authority of a standing committee. Usually temporary, can be members of one chamber or both, most often used to investigate something.
(The Watergate Committee)
Conference Committees, composed of members of both the House and Senate, temporary, formed for the purpose of resolving differences between House & Senate bills on the same topic
(The House-Senate Budget Conference Committee)
Have to know House Rules Committee & House Ways and Means Committee

23. Iron triangles & issue networks
Unique relationship between an executive agency or department, a congressional committee, and a special interest group that results in the mutual benefit of ALL three of them.
“I AM IRON MAN”
Department of Defense
Senate Armed Services Committee
Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics,
Relationship that consists of individuals, members of an interest groups, members of Congress, people who work on congressional staffs and in federal agencies (bureaucracy), university professors, researchers, and members of the media that work together to promote policy as it relates to a specific issue.
“I’M STILL IRON MAN”
Issue, National Security (world a safer place for Americans)
Department of Defense, Homeland Security, State Department, Interior, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services
Individual members of Congress
College professors who are experts on global terrorism
Amnesty International , Red Cross, Doctors without Boarders, UNICEF
Defense contractor, Tech companies
Foreign diplomats
Religious leaders and organizations
Media

24. president Natural born citizen At least 35 years of age
A resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years
Selected by electoral college
4 year terms
Can only be elected for two terms, serve 10 years (half another president’s term + elected for two of their own)

25. Powers of the president
Formal powers
Informal powers
Appointment Power
Convening Power
Treaty Power
Veto Power
Commander in Chief Power
Pardoning Power
Power to go public or bully pulpit
Persuasion
Executive agreement
Executive orders
Executive privilege
Signing statements
Create & use bureaucracy
Leadership & personality
Propose legislation

26. Federal bureaucracy Departments Independent agencies
Independent regulatory commissions
Government corporations

27. Federal courts
Three levels of constitutional courts, (94) district, 12 circuit courts of appeal, plus the Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit, (1) Supreme Court of the United States
District Courts, original jurisdictions criminal & civil cases, hear the most cases in the federal system
Circuit Court of Appeals, appellate jurisdiction, review the proceedings of the lower courts and regulatory agencies to make sure constitution is upheld, and laws were administered correctly
SCOTUS, highest court in the land, judgments are final, original & appellate jurisdiction (most cases appellate) (example of original New Jersey v. New York) between cases a year. Only court created by the Constitution, and jurisdiction set in Article 3
9 judges, 5 conservatives, 4 liberals
Rule of 4
Writ of certiorari, solicitor general, amicus curiae, [briefs, oral arguments, court in conference, opinion writing, ruling of the court] Majority opinion, concurring opinion, dissenting opinion

28. Civil rights & civil liberties
No state shall deny to any person within it jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Government must treat people equally under the law
Brown v. Board of Education
De jure segregation – by law
De facto segregation – in fact
5th U.S. Government cannot deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law
14th no state shall deny any person life, liberty, or property without due process of law
Liberty = freedom
Freedoms protected in the Bill of Rights cannot be taken away without due process
Mapp v. Ohio
Miranda v. Arizona
Gideon v. Wainwright

29. Selective incorporation
DATE:
AMENDMENT:
LIBERTY/RIGHT:
CASE:
1925
FIRST
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
GITLOW V. NEW YORK
1931
FREEDOM OF PRESS
NEAR V. MINNESOTA
1937
FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY
DE JONGE V. OREGON
1940
FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION
CANTWELL V. CONNECTICUT
1947
ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION
EVERSON V. BOARD OF EDUCATION
1958
FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION
NAACP V. ALABAMA
1963
RIGHT TO PETITION GOVERNMENT
NAACP V. BUTTON
2010
SECOND
RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS
MCDONALD V. CHICAGO
THIRD
NO QUARTERING OF SOLDIERS
NOT INCORPORATED
1949
FOURTH
NO UNREASONABLE SEARCH AND SEIZURES
WOLF V. COLORADO
1961
EXCLUSIONARY RULE
MAPP V. OHIO
1897
FIFTH
GUARANTEE OF JUST COMPENSATION
CHICAGO, BURLINGTON, AND QUINCY RR V. CHICAGO
1964
IMMUNITY FROM SELF-INCRIMINATION
MALORY V. HOGAN
1969
IMMUNITY FROM DOUBLE JEOPARDY
BENTON V. MARYLAND
RIGHT TO A GRAND JURY INDICTMENT
1932
SIXTH
RIGHT TO COUNSEL IN CAPITAL CASES (DEATH PENALITY)
POWELL V. ALABAMA
1948
RIGHT TO PUBLIC TRIAL
IN RE OLIVER
RIGHT TO COUNSEL IN FELONY CASES
GIDEON V. WAINWRIGHT
1965
RIGHT TO CONFRONTATION OF WITNESSES
POINTER V. TEXAS
1966
RIGHT TO IMPARTIAL JURY
PARKER V. GLADDEN
1967
RIGHT TO A SPEEDY TRIAL
KLOPFER V. NORTH CAROLINA
RIGHT TO COMPULSORY PROCESS FOR OBTAINING WITNESSES
WASHINGTON V. TEXAS
1968
RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL IN SERIOUS CASES
DUNCAN V. LOUISIANA
1972
RIGHT TO COUNSEL FOR ALL CRIMES INVOLVING JAIL TERMS
ARGERSINGER V. HAMLIN
SEVENTH
RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL IN CIVIL CASES
1962
EIGHTH
FREEDOM FROM CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT
ROBINSON V. CALIFORNIA
FREEDOM FROM EXCESSIVE FINES OR BAIL
NINTH
RIGHT TO PRIVACY
GRISWOLD V. CONNECTICUT

30. Domestic policy Economic Environmental Social Welfare Players:
Fiscal v. monetary policy, Keynesian economics v. Laissez-faire economics, Protectionism v. free trade
Environmental
Clean air & Water, fossil v. renewable (green) energy, environment v economic
Social Welfare
Entitlements v. means-tested entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid)
Mandatory spending v. Discretionary spending
Players:
Congress, President, bureaucracy (Treasury Fed, Council of Economic Advisors, OMB, CBO), Interest groups, political parties, iron-triangles, issue networks, majoritarian politics (DD) interest group politics (CC), client politics (CD), entrepreneurial politics (DC), courts/litigation
Regulation v. deregulation

31. Foreign policy
Relationships between U.S. and foreign nations, economic relationship, security relationship, adversarial relationships
Isolationism v Internationalism
deterrence
Weapons of mass destruction
Economic sanctions, military strikes, war
President chief diplomat, senate advise and consent
President Commander in Chief, Congress declares war, power of the purse
National Security Advisor, National Security Council, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Departments of State, Defense, & Homeland Security