PS 102 Lecture Notes May 20. REVIEW FOR EXAM

Before we go over the word list, which is of course what you all want me to do, please keep in mind that the words are only 50% of the exam. Memorizing the words can get you 50 points, but without understanding them and how to apply them in an essay question, you're screwed anyway. Okay? We had that happen in one class. One student actually got 48 points on the identification, and got a fat zero on the midterm essay. So I don't always give points on the essay. I try to put something in, but in this case, way off base. So please, I can't emphasize more the concept of knowing the material, not just memorizing it blindly. That's why I hate the word list, but_ still I want to give you as best a chance as possible and for many of you it's something to hold onto even if there are 150 words. Gives you a little security. Well at least you know you can memorize, but try and understand them while you're memorizing and that is my daddly advice. I like to make up words. Once again, the exam will have two parts: part one and part two. This time the questions will be different. They will be different in each class hopefully. I don't know which class will be more difficult. Student's will let me know. It's always the other class that was easier, it seems to be, and I showed them copies of other exams oh, that was an easy one and I get that from the class — I try to balance them out in that sense. Okay?

The identification, once again, 10 out of 20. Words terms names dates. From the word list, from the textbook and maybe words that I may have used in class that you forgot I used, which were used over and over again. The essays, I will give you a choice of one out of two. You will take the one that you like the least -- no. You will take the one that you feel you have to take because you can't answer the other one, but one will be directed towards the textbook, one towards the lectures, but you can use text and lecture and either one usually that's not the issue. I emphasize the executive, judicial, and legislative branches half of the term, and therefore you will find some question somehow pertaining to the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. What it is I haven't got the slightest idea. Please remember that on-line there is an example final exam that you can check out. I have no idea which one I put up there but I'm sure --oh, why don't we read one of the questions from the executive, judicial, legislative branches.

You said describe how public opinion and media, the two party system and the judiciary, all limit the power of the presidency. (Karen, I didn't get the entire question) Describe how you think a person with charisma can be perceived by his colleagues as president, as a Congressperson, as an associate justice. Explain your answer showing the knowledge of the --U.S. federal government. Notice I threw in the charisma and leadership and so you got a —you have to analyze it. In other words, it's not a regurgitating question like how does a bill become a law. Okay?

You can do that in high school or in elementary school, but in college we expect that you synthesize it by using that material, and that's what makes people hate me and my exams, but that's why we create certain standards and all of you are passing or if you're not, you should have dropped and —hopefully you'll pass with better grades than you anticipated by doing better on the final.

Any other procedural questions?




Q Will you post our grades on the web site?

A Yes. Grades that are up there are from last semester. I only post the final grades up there as soon as I get them done. Your class, I won't post them until all of the grades are in. Basically because people don't all take the exam at the same time. Which means that Thursday your class is taking the exam so none of the grades will be posted until probably Saturday. They will also be posted on the bulletin boards outside the classroom sometime by probably June first when they have to be turned in, but they'll be up in the internet and they'll be found because you'll find a little green man that says grades that's sticking his tongue out at you. So that will be useful. At least you don't get what my on-line students get when they click on the grades because I put theirs up almost every week and it says "bend over and assume the position." So I'm bad. I know.

Q Can I have the web site again?

A No. It's right on your green sheet. So there's no sense of my trying to give it to you again. It's written all over the place. Maybe on the calendar, I wasn't being nasty to you. I am nasty at times, but I'll let you know when I intend to be nasty. The lectures are up there within limitations. We're still missing about six or -- that Tricia turned over and I asked CJ to check them out. The words will be up there within — I should hopefully get this one up, and this is the one with the words, if I get it tomorrow, through Saturday, hopefully, as soon as I get them. Now that they've been able to put it on the E-mail I can get it up within about 30 seconds or so. Without any problem. Really works nice.

Q It's really funny to read them because I remember the lectures how you —I checked one out. It's really funny when you read it. It doesn't seem to make much sense, but it's different from the lectures.

A Yeah I know. It's what I -- I suggested not reading them. I will edit them into more formal lectures hopefully this summer. But it's pretty funny. I would think so especially taking things out of the context it's like anything else. Remember what I said earlier in the first chapter of my book, in the Nixon Kennedy debates? Those that listened to_ Kennedy on the_ radio felt that Nixon won. Those that watched on TV felt that Kennedy won. So the large extent of lecture is what I'm expressing and how I'm expressing in the classroom which can't come through. Which in the judicial system explains exactly why they do not deal on appeals with evidence that's presented in the courtroom. Because the jury sees the person presenting it and gets an impression. But when you read it, it is totally different and so that's why they will not touch on how the evidence was presented because the jury seeing the evidence —and having served on a jury I was amazed at how some people looked at the witnesses and how — definitely influenced their attitude towards the outcome of this simple case which was simply--so. I haven't read through them. Except for sort of minor editing in the sense, because sometimes they come in with page gaps and I pull them together, but I do intend to —and get rid of all my ums, okay. Any other procedural questions? All right. Then let's go on to — you can control your fingers for the time being, or I'll give you a finger --so. Where are we at? Well, before going to the word list I intend to deal with concepts, ideas that might be used for an essay question. Now you may have no questions or gaps in your notes or things you want me to fill in, but understanding as I indicated is 50% of the course and therefore I think before going with that strict memorization approach, let's respond to any questions that you think could appear in an essay that you're missing material in your notes or you're not sure You want clarified, okay? So let's start with that. Are there any questions that need clarification of words?

Q The democracy chart. What about it? Would there be a question on the democracy chart?

A Any material from the first exam, unless we've gone through it again or — I mean something could be used, it doesn't mean somehow you find a use for it on the essay, but there won't be any direct questions relating to the material that was for the last exam. Certainly any of that material is usable in an essay question. So it's easy to come up with questions pertaining to words. But the real meat, as I keep implying, of the exam is thoughts, concepts, ideas.

Q How far do we need to get into knowing the two party system?

A I don't know if that question that she read had some element to the two party system. But certainly I will at times ask you to relate the two party system to the power of the executive , judicial, legislative branch. Now do you need to know the breakdown of the structure of the parties such as the national party? The national party chairman, the local and state parties? No. I don't think that. And I know the textbook does do that but that is beyond — I emphasize the role of political party power and how they're not relevant as they once were and some of that is in the textbook as well. Any other general questions or specific ones relating to what might be essay questions? Does anybody got Dewitts exam tomorrow morning at eight? I guess he's got an exam. I don't know if it's poly sci or —I don't know where the heck he is. Probably sitting on Elvis Presley's toilet somewhere, but he's promised to call me from wherever he is because, I don't function in the morning. I'm awake. I'm up early but I don't have any idea what I'm doing except playing on the Internet or answering E-mails and putting in grades. And that's nice and procedural and so I'll not remember that I am supposed to be here. So I wanted to warn you. But you're not going to, okay. Any other questions on essays?

Then, let's go to the word list before we start _ e will set at least one major ground rule. If somebody asks me a question about a word and you ask me right afterwards what that is, that's fine because you didn't get it right away and there's no other words in between ,but after I've answered them and it's five minutes later and I've done three or four other words and somebody asks the same thing, forget it. I'm not going to go over it again if you weren't listening to me the first time. Okay? Is that understood? Okay. Because that's only fair rather than constantly repeating myself, you need to pay attention. Two, you probably have a different word list than I have, there are two of them out there and it looks like I ran out of the ones that have the " no screaming" at me but the other word list has more words on it. I don't know how many of you have the word list with the ugly drawing on it. How many have you have this one? You do? Oh, well it's not important in the sense that there are more words on it, but I'm going through this word list just in case and some of the words I will be crossing out which is what I'm about to do, not on your word list, so don't raise your hand and say how can I cross it out, it ain't there? I just told you, okay? However, there may be one or two that I added that are not on here but they will probably be ones I've covered and the one I added was executive orders, but we did cover that so it's not getting crossed out. So okay. Go down your list. If the word's on the list, cross it out. If not, don't add it. These words are going to be crossed out. Ready? Set There's the gun. Alger, Horatio, Amuse Me Generation, Aristocracy, Authoritarian, Baha'i, Brush, Fire Wars, George Bush, Calvinism, John Calvin, Catch 22, Cold War, Communism, None of you have De Facto De Jure on your list, right? Détente, Robert Dole, East West Terms, Elastic clause, Entitlement ethic, Factionalism, Gerrymandering, Gingrich, Newt, Glosnost, Grass Roots politics, Human Potential Movement, Imperial Presidency, International Corporation, Jihad, Kellog-Brand packet, Lame Duck, Leisure Ethic, Libertarian, Machiavellian, MADS, Me Generation, Merit System, Muckraking, Multinational Corporations, Myth of Sisyphus, Nation-State, Necessary and Proper clause, North-South Term, Nuts,Perestroika, Plural Executive, Predestination Protestant reformation Protestant Work Ethic, Realpolitik, Rose Garden Strategy, Sovereignty, Third World Nations, Totalitarianism, Tribalism, World Federalism, Yippies, Yuppies.

Okay. That eliminates about 50 words or 45 or something in that number which is what I said I would do. Many of you already crossed out some because you knew they came from chapter 7 and 8 from my book. Some came from other areas, but unless they're in the word list in the book they're crossed out. If they should appear in the word list, which I don't know, in the book they might be accidentally added back in, but I doubt it. But just in case, remember, 80% will be coming from the word list. About 40% from the book. All right. It's now up to you to ask me to redefine for you any of the words on the list that you are not sure of.

The Bull Moose party -- was the political party created by Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 so that he could run for president.

Anti masons -— a political party in the middle of the 19th century that believed the masons were anti Christ, drinking blood of Christian children. They wanted to get rid of all the masons in government and in the country. They were —they had a political party dedicated to getting rid of masons. They were often seen like communists today are seen. Anti masons were political parties in the 19th century that wanted to get rid of masons because they thought they were evil. What are masons? Masons
Are at this juncture we call them a fraternal organization. They have secret hand shakes and rituals and they're all men. Basically today what they do is that they serve as service organizations. They help people. They collect money for charity. Years ago they also had large political debates and disputes as well as raising funds. Sort of like asking me, "What's Amway." Which do have all these meetings and discussions. Anything dealing with pyramids got to be. Masons have their own retirement home in Union city. We mentioned that.

Article of the Constitution — deals with the judicial system. That is the article that covers in detail or at least has material explaining the judicial system.

Ad hoc committee–an ad hoc (interpreter) Sorry? (teacher) Is that you? Boy you can't even tell where it's directly coming from. The ad hoc committee is a committee that is established for a specific period of time for a specific purpose in contrast to a standing committee; it's permanent. An ad hoc committee is a temporary committee established for a specific purpose and specific period of time.

Cozy Triangle —interest groups, executive agencies are in bed together and instead of screwing each other, they're screwing us. Interest groups, executive agencies and Congress are in bed together screwing us.

Executive agreement —is an agreement between the President of the United States and the head of another nation that generally has the power of a treaty within limitations.

Altruism —is an English word meaning being unselfish. Unselfishness.

Grand jury — an investigative body that can indict people.

Double dipping —is going to Baskin Robbins–double dipping is taking a job in government after retiring from another government job where you get a pension. So you're actually going twice, getting two salaries from the government in a sense. One is the pension and one is the salary. Usually retirement from the military after 20 years, but it can be any government job.

Franking privilege —refers to free mailing for legislators. Named after the first postmaster general, Ben Franklin.

Fourth amendment —Constitutional amwendment pertaining to searches and seizures without warrants. You are protected from searches and seizures. There has to be a search warrant issued. Fourth amendment says that you cannot be searched, your property can be not be seized, unless there is a legally drawn up warrant. A court warrant.

Cloture–it is closing debate. Ending debate. Terminating debate.

Parkinson's Law — work expands to fill time.

Miranda Rights --"you have a right to remain silent, not to testify against yourself, right to an attorney. If you can't afford one, one will be provided for you."_

Know nothing parties —It was the American party called Know Nothings because they never seem to know anything about the political system except that they were unhappy with it. They wanted to return to the past, but they weren't sure what they wanted in the past either. So every time they were asked something it's like, we don't know.

Single-issue politics —politics where groups have only a very narrow agenda. They are only interested in their own cause, could care less and would not compromise on any issue but their narrow issue. Such as, stop those Indians from whaling. And it's a hard one. Whales are no longer an endangered species.

Pendleton Civil Service Act — created the civil services system which is the government bureaucracy. Created the system where you take a test to get a government job.

Third house — is a term referring to the lobbyist.

1883 — was the year the Pendleton civil service act was passed.

Spin doctor —are the hired PR people for political parties or candidates whose job it is to twist the news in their favor. They twist the news in the favor of the candidate for the political party that they are working for. Spin it means to twist it, to turn it around. They doctor the news.

Sunset law–laws that have a built in ending date. A built in termination day. When the law is created it has a date it goes out of existence.

Andy Rooney —was the individual for those of you who were nice enough to watch the video.

Spoil system-a term referring to, basically, to the victor goes the spoils, meaning that when one politician is coming into office, he fires everybody that the other politician had working there and puts his own people in the job. Spoils of the office. Get rid of everything else and put your own people there to pay them off.

Kitchen cabinet–where you put your dishes. Personal friends of Andrew Jackson who met in the kitchen and provided him their advice since he would not meet with his cabinet. Since he got pissed off at his cabinet, he met with his personal friends in the White House kitchen and that is the kitchen cabinet.

Kirshnerisms --that's why you pointed at me? That's okay.–next? There are none?

Q What do you mean? There are none?

A I got in trouble last semester. I'm not answering that question ever again. Do you remember? no, what happened? Tell me. Tell you? That was one of the days that I was sick. Yeah, right. You had a lot of sick days last semester. Somebody asked me Kirshnerisms and I said, "Well, it refers to my inability to run for political office because I've never had an affair. However, I was thinking about running for political office now, so if any of your mothers were interested." You don't remember that? You'd remember that. It's funny, though. Well it appears on all the exams. Probably people went home —Igot all these calls from mothers saying they were too young. I should have said grandmothers. Next?

435–the number of members of the House of Representatives.

Separate but equal doctrine-in 1896, Supreme Court ruled that segregation was legal. As long as you had equal facilities you could have segregation in the United States.

Democratic republicans —was the political party organized by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Madison and Jefferson created a political party that was the democratic republicans, however, they were better known as the anti federalists. Perhaps more important, some people think that the democratic republicans was the beginning of the present democratic party.
Fourth estate–the fourth estate refers to the news media.

Fourth branch —of government refers to the executive agencies, the bureaucracy.

Plea bargaining —pleading guilty to a lesser offense to obtain a lesser penalty. It's not always that, but that's good definition. Sometimes you give evidence and give information and get a lesser penalty but — same difference.

Peter principles —people are promoted to their level of inefficiency in bureaucracies. Level of incompetencies.

Realignment —realignment election is when those groups that traditionally vote for one or two political parties switch fairly permanently to the other political party Those groups that traditionally voted for one or two political parties switched fairly permanently to the other political party.

Whips —are the assistant party leaders in Congress.

War powers act of 1973–simple definition. Was an attempt by Congress to reassert its ability to declare war. It was an attempt by Congress at the end of the Vietnam war to reassert its ability —its constitutional requirement to declare war. Since those wars were not declared by Congress.

Bipartisan–refers to both parties

Congressman —usually refers to a member of the house of representatives unless they're a woman then they're a congresswoman. What was it again? Congressman. The definition. Refers to the person who is a representative-- a member of the house of reps. It shouldn't be but it does.

District courts — are the trial courts at the federal level.

Ombudsman–a Scandinavian term referring to a peoples' advocate. Term. Support the people. We often think of the president of the United States as America's ombudsman.

Parliamentarian —Is the individual who advises the presiding officer of a meeting on the proper running of the meeting. It is the individual who advises the presiding officer as to the rules for running meetings.

Exclusionary rule —states that evidence gathered illegally must be excluded from a trial.

Miranda versus Arizona —is the court case that brought into being the Miranda rights. The court case in 1966 in which Miranda's case was sent back to a new trial because he had not been told of his right to have an attorney. Yeah, we used to use ignorance of the law is no excuse. Since you weren't born, you're getting that crap from your father or mother. Yeah I haven't heard that in a long time.

Executive privilege —is when the president refuses to share information with the other branches of government.

Filibuster–is unlimited debate in the Senate. Trying to talk a bill to death. That movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Jimmy Stewart. So filibuster would be when they don't want to talk about another bill. They want to get that bill defeated. So they talk on that bill the whole time so that nothing else can get done. It's not that they don't want to talk about another bill, they want to you can about another one. Is that when reading the phone book and —

Pork barrel legislation–specifically designed for a legislators district. It is going to bring fat back home to a legislators district.

Public opinion–are those views that are directed to influence politics.

Lobbyists — are individuals hired by interest groups to look out for their interest in the legislative capitals. They're individuals hired by interest groups to look out for interest groups in legislative capitals.

Discretionary power of judges —means that judges have the ability to determine what the law says and what the penalty will be. The law is written loosely. They can determine a lot of what the law says and what the penalty will be.

Critical thinking–something that people don't do in this class–I said two definitions in the book were good. One was thinking about what you're thinking why you're thinking. And the other one was reading between the lines.

Interest groups — are groups that promote their views on specific subjects. Like the NRA. Whose views are promoted to the extent that the republicans shoot their selves in the foot every time they support them lately

Primary group —is your immediate family who influences your political value dramatically. Your immediate family who is the major influence on your value system.

Incumbent — is the person who holds the political office. The person in the political office is the incumbent. The one presently holding the office is the incumbent.

Indictment–bringing down legal charges against somebody. Saying that there's enough evidence for them to go to trial, and an indictment generally brings down charges saying there's enough evidence to go to trial.

Judicial activism–is the belief that judges should read into the spirit of the Constitution when declaring constitutionality of law. When judges interpret the constitutionality of the law judicial activism says it's okay to look at the spirit of the Constitution to determine whether the law is constitutional or not.

Marbury versus Madison —was the Supreme Court decision in 1803 that for the first time declared a law unconstitutional. For the first time — set the precedent for the Supreme Court declaring the constitutionality of law. Which law does it say that —well I didn't answer that but I can never, you know, it's not too vital, but the law happened to be, apparently it was a 1789 law. In the —any good is that did not get his commission had a right to appeal to the Supreme court for awrit of mandas, it means that the court, the Supreme Court, can order that be issued. What the Supreme Court ruled was that while the law was valid and he should have been given his commission, the law was illegal because the Constitution says that the Supreme Court shall be an appellate court not original jurisdiction, it means you go directly to them. So the law should have started them at the lower courts. Got the details, all of which I say, you can see what I–it doesn't matter. Just to show you that I'm smart. Okay, yeah. I got it now. More like a smart ass.

Log rolling —I think the easy definition was you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. You vote for my bill, I'll vote for you. You show me mine, I'll show you yours. But you ain't got one -- Okay.

Robert's Rules of Order Revised — is the Bible of parliamentary procedure.

Standing committee–standing committee are those committees that can't sit. No. I know better. They're permanent committees. They go from one session to another session to another. They last all the time. Permanent standing.

Third parties–are political parties in the United States that seldom if ever win an election.

Sound bites-are short, simple statements that are made by politicians that may or may not have meaning. But they attract attention like "No New Taxes." " bridge to the 21st century." "Kiss my Murphy Brown." Better than the Quayle in '99 button. Actually he was more articulate they must have really prepared that speech well. I still love Quayle button. Got a couple more minutes.


Categorical groups–are loose association groups that can, might influence your political behavior. Loose association groups like community college students that might influence your political behavior.

Contracting–is letting out of, hiring out of government research. To private industry.

Term limits — refers to placing a limit on the number of times somebody can run for reelection.

Watergate —in our usage, all the abuse of power of the Nixon administration. It really was pertaining to the Watergate complex but it's become a generic term for lots of different abuses of power that occurred during Nixon's administration.

Executive order? No. it is an order issued by the president to the agency, to the people that work under him,that has the effect of law. It is --there's a better word than order —it is a request, more than request, it's a demand but, I guess it's an order given by the president to the agencies that has the impact of law.

Okay then good luck in your studying on all your exams. Hopefully you'll pass some of them.