Districts
1. Voting public represented by legislators: constituents
2. Winner gets less than 55 percent of the vote: marginal
3. Number of districts in Washington state (est. after the 2010 census): 10
4. Due to the fact that Nancy Pelosi will win with well over 55% of the vote, her
district is called: Safe
5. Number of representatives per legislative district: 1
6. Drawing a strange district to give an advantage to one party: gerrymandering
Why did he vote that way?
1. This individual works for the majority leader and attempts to find out how
party members will vote: whip
2. Utilizing majoritarian politics is common in explaining this view of
representation: representational view
3. When members respond primarily to cues provided by their colleagues:
organizational
4. You vote for my legislation and I will vote for your legislation: logrolling
5. Explanation for a Blue Dog Democrat voting against a liberal bill: attitudinal
Committees
1. Permanent committees: standing
2. Both representatives and senators serve: joint
3. Joint committee established to resolve differences in a bill: Conference
Committee
4. Though weak in the senate, this committee is quite powerful in the house:
Rules
5. The way committee chairmen are selected: secret ballot
6. Party that currently has a majority on every committee in the Senate:
Republicans
Budget stuff:
1. According to this act, if the budget is not balanced, automatic across the
board spending cuts kick in: Gramm, Rudman, Hollings
2. Where bills to raise taxes must originate: House
3. Staff agency that advises Congress on the likely economic effects of different
spending programs: CBO
4. The committee in the Senate that investigates the Budget: Budget
5. Nickname given to the recent select Congressional committee that was to
investigate deficit reduction: Super committee
How does a bill become a law?
1. Sets strict time limit on debate in the house and forbids any additions to the
bill: closed rule
2. How one would stop action on a bill in the senate: filibuster
3. Action where 60 senators must vote to end a filibuster: cloture rule
4. A quorum of the full House: majority (218)
5. Legislators make sure their constituents get “stuff” in exchange for support:
pork
6. A bill with lots of riders: Christmas Tree Bill
The Basics
1. Number in the House: 435
2. Original number in the senate: 26
3. Incumbent privilege which enables them to send campaign literature on the
taxpayers dime: franked mail
4. Term limit in the senate: non-existent
5. The CBC, Tuesday Lunch Bunch, and Democratic Study Group are examples:
caucus
6. Needed to overturn a presidential veto: 2/3s Congress