AP Gov ’ t Review

1. AP Gov’t Review Frequently Asked Questions

2. Checks and balances Separation of powers Elements of the Constitution, such as the major powers of Congress What Federalist No. 10 is about Federalism Differences between the House and the Senate How a bill becomes a law The presidential election process. Major concepts you should understand and be able to explain

3. Understand therelationships between key concepts • Federalism and policy making • Interest groups and theories of democracy • Expansion of civil rights via judicial activism • The mass media and the election process • Public opinion and support for political parties.

4. Formal Institutions (Explicit in the Constitution) Constitutional Principles Federalism Presidency- Executive Branch Bureaucracy Congress- Legislative Branch Courts- Judicial Branch Consider recruitment, removal, formal powers, informal powers Informal Institutions (developed outside of the constitution) Elections Interest Groups Media Political Culture Political Parties Public Opinion How do each of the factors listed below interact to shape public policy? You can write an essay on any public policy question if you understand the role of each of these factors and the linkage among factors even if you have minimal knowledge of the specific policy.

5. What is devolution? • Devolution is the return of power to the states. It is a new model of Federalism. Republicans love it. It goes with their ideology of "local control” and getting power away from Washington DC .Welfare is a good example of devolution. Instead of the Feds running the AFDC program (Aid to Families with Dependant Children) they give BLOCK GRANTS to the states to administer Welfare. Each state has basic standards to uphold but they have a generous degree of latitude in how they administer welfare policy.The OLD model of federalism is DUAL or LAYER CAKE federalism where the Feds operate in their sphere of influence while the states have their DISTINCT sphere of influence and they are SEPARATED BY A LAYER OF FUDGY GOODNESS. This is now passé.COOPERATIVE or MARBLE CAKE FEDERALISM is the current model (although there is growing interest in DEVOLUTION). In cooperative federalism there is an intermingling of Fed and State. However the Feds were always supreme because they used CATEGORICAL GRANTS IN AID. Grants in Aid are monies with STRINGS ATTACHED. Because the Feds have so much money they can coerce the states to do their bidding even though they do not have Constitutional authority to do so.

6. What is a grant-in-aid? • The government uses grants as financial incentives. The Feds give money to the states to be spent for a given purpose. Many of these grants have “strings attached” or requirements set by Congress. For example, the Feds might provide money for building a bridge over the St. Croix River but require that minority-owned contractors are given preferential treatment in the bidding process. Grants are also given from the state governments to localities. In Minnesota, these grants were reduced under Pawlenty’s administration causing the local governments to find other sources of money to fund their locality.These types of grants are sometimes called categorical grants-in-aid because the money has to be spent on a certain budgetary category – like building bridges.

7. What is a block Grant? • They are in direct contrast to categorical grants. The feds provide a block of money and the states are allowed much discretion on how to spend the money. There are still some strings, but the states have a lot more flexibility. For example, the Feds used to fund welfare with very stringent categorical grants based on certain formulas. This ended when Welfare was reformed. Now each state receives a block of money labeled “WELFARE.” States have wide discretion on how to fund the welfare program in their state.

8. What's an example of the feds using money to control the states? • States need money. They accept the federal dollars even with the strings that are attached. For example, the federal government wanted to raise the drinking age to 21 across the nation. However, this was not a power granted to the Feds in the Constitution. States alone are given the right to determine what the appropriate drinking age would be for their citizens. South Dakota was resolute in maintaining an 18-year-old drinking age for certain types of alcohol (mainly 3.2 beer). The feds tied highway grant money to lowering the drinking age. States would no longer receive highway dollars if they continued to allow 18 year-olds to drink. South Dakota sued the federal government, but the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government had not violated the constitution – after all, it was still up to the states decide their drinking age. The feds have played a similar game with changing the blood alcohol content level to .08 instead of .1

9. What is Federalist 51 About? • Federalist 51 = Separation of Powers and Checks & Balances.Madison's main points:"If men were angels, no government would be necessary" - since life in an ideal state of nature is impossible because humans are predisposed to desire each other's property and power we need government to protect our life, liberty, & property."Ambition counteracting ambition" - this ties in to Madison's view of human nature. Sine we each covet each others power, we naturally try to make a power-grab for it. Madison believes that each branch of the government will act the same way. Therefore, he desired to use our weakness as a strength of the system. Congress will try to grab the President's power at the same tiem that the President is eyeing Congress' power. If each branch has powers to resist the encroachments of the other branches, an equalibrium of power should be maintained.

10. What is Federalist 10 about? • Federalist 10 = Factions. Madison viewed interest groups as dangerous factions that had the ability to tear apart our Republic. Madison (using his penname Publius) also said that although bad, factions will always exist where there is freedom. Therefore, to create an effective republic you need to USE them to your benefit. Instead of having one or two major factions (that would be too powerful and get everything that they want), it is best for there to be multiple factions. This way they are always competing and "canceling" each other out.A faction may be very powerful on one issue, but it can't possibly be powerful on all issues because of ga-zillions of groups competing for control. The magic word to remember here is PLURALISM. Pluralism is the idea that people participate in groups in our democracy (instead of the elite controlling everything). Average people can join associations and be part of the policy making process (or be close to the "stage" of government – if you remember that analogy from way back).Madison was all about checks and balances (they were part of his MADISONIAN MODEL) and just like Congress and the President checking each other's power, factions also balance each other out.

11. What's the different between a plurality and a majority? • Plurality means the MOST votes. Majority means OVER HALF of the votes. In 1996, Bill Clinton won a plurality of the popular vote. He did not win a majority of it because Ross Perot was also running and took some votes away from him. When two people run, the winner always has a majority. More often than not, when three or more run, the winner only gets a plurality of the popular vote.To win in the Electoral College, you need more than a plurality (MOST) of the votes. You need 270 Electoral Votes which is a majority (OVER HALF) of them. There are 538 total Electoral Votes (435 +100+ 3 for DC). Half of this is 269. 270 is OVER HALF and therefore a majority.Test your knowledge of plurality and majority.Candidate A: 47 votesCandidate B: 42 votesCandidate C: 9 votesCandidate D: 2 votesQ: Which candidate won a majority of the votes?A: None. There are only 100 votes. No candidate got 51 so no one won a majority. Likely, candidates C and D took enough votes from Candidate A to stop them from winning a majority.Q: Which candidate won a plurality of the votes?A: Candidate A because they won the MOST votes.Q: Is the following statement True or False? If you win a majority of the votes, you automatically win the plurality of votes.A: True. Once you win over half the votes, no other candidate can have more than you.Q: Is the following statement True or False? If you win a plurality of the votes, you automatically win a majority of the votes.A: False, look at the example above with Candidates A,B,C, and D.

12. What is frontloading? • Iowa holds the first caucus and New Hampshire has the first primary. Their state constitutions and tradition dictate that if any other state's caucus/primary date leapfrogs ahead of their contest, they by law have to move their caucus/primary earlier.This has caused the caucus/primary season to begin earlier and earlier. There are fears that the first contests will soon be in November/December of 2007 for a Presidential election that isn't until November of 2008.All the states that want to be a major player in the political game will also move their contests earlier and earlier so they can be as soon after IA and NH as possible. This is called FRONTLOADING. Remember, the whole point of states having caucus/primaries is awarding DELEGATES to the national party conventions in AUGUST. The closer you are to IA and NH on the election calendar the more media attention you receive and the more attention the candidates give your state.After only about six weeks of caucus/primaries, there is a clear Democrat and Republican who have enough delegates to be the official nominee of their party. The grand-daddy of them all SUPER TUESDAY usually puts one candidate over the top and secures them enough delegates. Super Tuesday is usually in early March (maybe soon to move into late February??) and has 13 or so states all having primaries on the same day. Bush vanquished McCain in 2000 with his grand slam performance on Super Tuesday. McCain was a contender until Bush nearly swept Super Tuesday. In 2004, Kerry dominated on Super Tuesday ending Edwards chance of being the nominee.Of course, as the election season grows longer and longer so does the cost of campaigning. If you sew up your nomination in March, you have APRIL, MAY, JUNE, JULY to wait until the National Conventions. It is a bonus for an incumbent president running for re-election in this situation. Bush won't be seriously challenged in the primaries and so he can remain healthy and not spend campaign dollars while the Democrats commit fratricide and beat each other to bloody pulp.

13. What's the difference between a primary and a caucus? • They both ultimately determine how many delegates will attend the National Convention for each candidate running for President.CAUCUSESMinnesota had a caucus this year. Neighborhoods are grouped into precincts. People in neighborhood precincts near the high school showed up at North Jr. High and met in a classroom with my neighbors who were from the same political party. This same thing was occurring all across the state in people’s homes, churches, and community buildings. Democrats and Republicans both hold caucuses in separate locations because the world might self-combust if they met in the same building.At the caucus, people voted for their presidential preference. They totaled up the results from all the Democratic caucuses in the state. Kerry got 51% of the delegate votes, Edwards had 27%, and Kucinich had 17%. These percentages determine how many delegates that each candidate will have voting for them at the national convention.People get organized so they can run a solid campaign in the next election, and talk about what the party should stand for. Delegates are chosen to attend the senate-district political convention (eventually these people keep getting elected to higher political conventions and some will eventually become delegates to the national conventions).The most important thing to remember about caucuses is that people actually get together and have an old fashioned town meeting to discuss issues.PRIMARIESPrimaries are much easier. They are set up at the same voting locations as during regular elections. People show up and vote for their presidential preference. These numbers are totaled statewide and they announce how many delegates each candidate will get at the each parties national convention. For example, in NH Kerry got 13 delegates and Dean got 9. Bush got all of NH’s Republican delegates because he’s running unopposed. The actual people who will become these delegates are determined at other political meetings in the future.Primaries are quicker, less involved, and also more expensive to operate because it involves a full scale election.

14. What fractions do I need to know? To make an Amendment (the most common way): 2/3 of Congress (both houses) and 3/4 of the state legislatures. This is hard. It's only happened 27 times.To pass a bill: Simple majority of the Congress (both houses).To override a presidential veto: 2/3 of both houses (very rarely accomplished).To ratify a treaty: 2/3 vote in the Senate is requiredTo confirm a federal court judge, an appeals court judge, or a Supreme Court justice nominated by the POTUS: majority vote in the Senate.To confirm heads of bureaucratic agencies nominated by the POTUS: majority vote in the Senate.To report a bill out of a House or Senate committee or subcommittee: majority vote is necessary.

15. What is impoundment? Impoundment means that the president does not spend all the money that Congress appropriates in the federal budget. Congress has the power to approve the size of the budget (with the POTUS' signature or by overriding his veto) but there is nothing in the Constitution that says that the POTUS has to spend that money.Numerous presidents have impounded funds and returned the money to the Treasury at the end of the Fiscal Year (FY).In Nixon's administration, the Democratic Congress was upset that he kept vetoing their pet projects. They overrode his veto and Nixon responded by impounding funds (he claimed he was doing so for the economic health of the nation). Congress felt that this tipped the balance of power in the favor of the POTUS so they drew up the BUDGET AND IMPOUNDMENT CONTROL ACT of 1974. Congress required that the POTUS spend all appropriated funds unless Congress and the President come to an agreement to reduce spending.The Supreme Court agreed with Congress that the separation of powers was being adulterated. They ruled unanimously (including four justices that Nixon placed on the Court!) that the POTUS has the constitutional responsibility to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed," therefore he has to spend all the money.Because of Watergate and the diminished power of the POTUS, Congress took many opportunities to "steal" power and to increase the authority of Congress. The War Powers Act is another example of this phenomenon. This is exactly what Madison meant in the Federalist Papers when he said, "ambition must be made to counteract ambition."

16. Why do AP Exams use the term "linkage institutions" when it's not in the texbook? Linkage institutions are ways that citizens connect to their government. Examples of linkage institutions are: Political Parties, Voting, and Interest Groups.Also notice that there are significant trends with each of these linkage institutions. Parties are decreasing in strength, people in America don't vote (especially irresponsible 18 year-olds - ha!). Also, the government (McCain-Feingold Act) is trying to restrict the power of interest groups through eliminating soft money and limiting independent expenditures in the weeks before an election. With these trends, what's happening to our government of the people, by the people, for the people?

17. How is the President impeached (and then removed) from office? First of all, don’t get tricked. Impeachment simply means to bring charges against. It’s similar to being indicted by a grand jury in a criminal case. The HOUSE IMPEACHES. The House Judiciary Committee explores which articles of impeachment to bring against the President. During Nixon’s presidency, the Judiciary Committee was set to send articles of impeachment to the floor of the House but Nixon resigned before the House could act.Once the articles have reached the floor there is a debate and the entire House votes. It only requires a majority vote to impeach the President. Clinton was impeached for perjury (lying while under oath) and obstructing justice. When a president is impeached, he is still commander-in-chief and still lives in the White House. He has been formally accused of a crime…next comes the trial. Like everyone else in the legal system, he is innocent until he is proven guilty.The trial is held in the Senate. The jury consists of the 100 senators. The chief justice serves as the judge. The prosecution is the members of the House Judiciary Committee and the President has to hires counsel for his defense. It takes a 2/3 absolute majority to convict the president and remove him from office. Absolute majority means that you need 67 votes no matter how many senators vote. In absolute majority voting if 10 Senators choose not to vote, you STILL NEED 67/90 in order to vote. So in absolute majority voting, missing the vote or abstaining is the same as voting NO. The Senate shot down the two articles of impeachment brought against Clinton . They didn’t even get close to the 67 votes needed.The only other President to be impeached was Andrew Johnson ( Lincoln ’s VP who assumed the presidency after he was assassinated at the end of the Civil War). Johnson’s conviction vote was much closer. One vote saved him. He was accused of firing a member of his cabinet that the Congress didn’t want him to. Instead of taking the President to court the Republicans in Congress tried to remove him. The SCOTUS later reaffirmed the right of the President to fire his cabinet members. Luckily Johnson wasn’t removed because it would have set a bad precedent.

18. What is the White House staff? The White House Staff consists of the advisors that the President relies on the most. Basically, anyone who is a major character on the West Wing is a member of the President's staff (Press Secretary, Communications Director, Speechwriters, Policy Advisors, and the all important Chief of Staff who typically controls access to the POTUS).Presidents can choose to organize their staffers in a wheel and spokes configuration ( Clinton) and become immersed in policy making or they can organize it like a hierarchical pyramid (Reagan, Bushes 41 & 43) and act on the major decisions as the "CEO" of government. It largely depends on the leadership style and personality of each president as to which of these models they choose.Don't make the mistake of overestimating hte importance of the cabinet.Don't make the mistake of overestimating the importance of the Cabinet. Despite popular myth, the President rarely relies on the advice of his cabinet. Some of his closest advisors tend to be members of his personal staff. Who can the president trust more? A member of his staff that he has a long-term relationship with or a cabinet member who was appointed to pay off political debts whose allegiance is split between the president's and their department's wishes? Also, a President might not have been able to get the person confirmed that he really wanted for the post. If the Senate is of the opposite party of the president, he has to pick “compromises” to fill many posts.

19. How do federal judges get put on the bench? • The president gets to nominate candidates for all judgeships in the federal system. This includes the 94 district courts, the 12 circuit courts of appeal, and of course the Supreme Court.The president gets lots of advice. Some he requests and many interest groups send out theThe president nominates. The candidate goes before the Senate Judicary committee and answers their questions. If they like what he says, they recommend confirmation. If they have questions about him, they recommend against confirmation. Either way, the entire Senate gets to vote. If the candidate gets a majority of the vote, he or she is a federal judge and holds the job for life during “good behavior” (whatever that means).