question

A cooperative effort by two political parties.

answer

Bipartisan

question

An extremely soft-hearted person who feels compassion or pity towards all people; used to criticize liberals who favor government spending for social programs.

answer

Bleeding Heart

question

a democrat who takes on some Republican stances on issues. (Usually Southern Democrats)

answer

Blue Dog Democrat

question

Using one's political position to express one's views, especially during a crisis, usually used by the President to inspire or moralize. Whenever the President seeks to rouse the American people, he is said to be speaking from the bully pulpit.

answer

Bully Pulpit

question

The power of a popular candidate to gather support for other candidates in his or her party. Winning candidates are said to have coattails when they drag candidates for lower office along with them to victory.

answer

Coattails

question

when a member of a political party compromises with the opposing political party on an issue.

answer

Cross the Aisle

question

a candidate who is not expected to win who receives unexpected support.

answer

Dark Horse

question

What politicians do when they visit their electoral districts to explain an unpopular action.

answer

Fence Mending

question

Where an issue is placed when it must be dealt with immediately.

answer

Front Burner

question

Grand Old Party, nickname of the Republican Party.

answer

GOP

question

Political activity that originates locally, or arises from ground level.

answer

Grass Roots

question

A current elected officeholder.

answer

Incumbent

question

The area inside the Capital Beltway, a highway that encircles Washington, D.C. An issue described as "inside the Beltway" is believed to be of concern only to the people who work in and with the federal government and of little interest to the nation at large.

answer

Inside the Beltway

question

An officeholder whose term has expired or cannot be continued, who thus has lessened power.

answer

Lame Duck

question

Liberal/Conservative. Social Change/Traditional Values. (The labeling system originated from the seating pattern of the French National Assembly, which put liberals on the left, moderates in the middle, and conservatives on the right.)

answer

Left-wing/Right-wing

question

A group seeking to influence an elected official, or the act of doing so.

answer

Lobby

question

Negative, nasty, and overly personal campaigning. Candidates continually try to minimize its impact.

answer

Mudslinging

question

Short for "photo opportunity," an event staged specifically for news cameras to help a politician appear on the evening news or in morning papers.

answer

Photo-Op

question

The positions that a party adopts, and stands on, at the beginning of an election campaign.

answer

Platform

question

the goodwill that a government or politician has stored. By building up political capital by pursuing popular policies, a politician can then support unpopular policies yet have enough popular support to remain in office

answer

Political Capital

question

Wasteful and unnecessary projects that politicians secure for their local districts, usually to gain favor with local voters. (The term dates from the days when salted pork was occasionally handed out to slaves from large barrels. An observer once wrote that the mad rush of politicians to get their district's share of treasury funds looked like slaves rushing to the pork barrel.)

answer

Pork Barrel

question

A political analyst, commentator, or columnist who usually works for a newspaper or magazine, or in broadcasting.

answer

Pundit

question

The official routine or procedure marked by excessive complexity which results in delay or inaction on the part of the government. (Stems from an 18th-century British practice of binding official papers with a reddish twine).

answer

Red Tape

question

politicians who claim to be Republican but are in fact liberal and therefore generally alienate true conservatives

answer

RINO (Republican in Name Only)

question

The mass of Americans whose opinions are not loud and public, but who together have enormous power. Popularized by President Richard Nixon, who claimed that Vietnam War protesters comprised a minority, while a "silent majority" supported the war.

answer

Silent Majority

question

The sort of place where behind-the-scenes political wheeling and dealing, often devious, occurs.

answer

Smoke-Filled Room

question

A politician's attempt to shape the way the public looks at an issue or event, much the way a tennis player uses spin to direct the ball.

answer

Spin

question

a speech used over and over on the campaign trail; originated when standing on a stump was the only way to elevate themselves to speak to a crowd.

answer

Stump Speech

question

a state that has no clear preference for a candidate for office that can sway the outcome of an election one way or the other.

answer

Swing State

question

An idea a politician suggests in order to observe the reaction. If public reaction is favorable, the politician takes credit for it; if not, the idea dies quickly.

answer

Trial Balloon

question

Hostile reaction toward a candidate, incumbent, or ruling body because of a decision. Voters will then not elect or re-elect them.

answer

Voter Backlash

question

The practice of making speeches in many towns in a short time, often during a single day. (When politicians traveled by train, small towns were called whistle-stops. Politicians would use the stop to deliver a quick campaign speech, often from the back of the train, before heading to the next stop).

answer

Whistle-Stopping

question

An investigation carried out to uncover disloyalty in a political party or person with unpopular opinions. (Refers to witch hunts in 17th-century Salem, Massachusetts, where many innocent women accused of witchcraft were burned at the stake or drowned.) *No Cartoon*

answer

Witch Hunt

question

government system that undertakes primary responsibility for the economic and social well-being of its citizens. *No Cartoon*

answer

Welfare State

Political Jargon Definitions – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards