American Political System and Key Legislation

Vocabulary

Presidential Elections

A president elected by popular vote is an invention of the American political system.

Presidential Vetoes and War Powers

Grover Cleveland was known for vetoing bills he disliked, frequently targeting bills designed to give special pensions to Civil War veterans.

The War Powers Act of 1973 defined and limited the president's ability to declare and wage war. It was passed in response to the Vietnam War.

The modern general election campaign begins roughly around Halloween.

In September 2002, President George W. Bush announced that the doctrine of preemption would guide American foreign policy regarding the war on terror.

Modern members of Congress are more likely to communicate with each other through social media.

Government Legislation and Funding

The Pendleton Act of 1883 is a federal law establishing that ranks and positions within the national government should be awarded on the basis of merit instead of political affiliation. It was enacted in response to widespread political patronage and corruption.

Trust funds operate outside the regular government budget, and appropriations committees have no control over these expenditures.

Terminology and Judicial Review

Retrospective Voting is voting for or against the candidate or party in office based on whether one likes or dislikes their past performance.

Nations that embrace judicial review tend to have a strong tradition of an independent judiciary.

Stare decisis is the legal principle of determining points in litigation according to precedent.

In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (2012), the Supreme Court ruled that states do not have to expand their Medicaid coverage because the provision violates the Constitution by impermissibly threatening states with the loss of existing federal funding for the program.