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Article of Impeachment
A formal charge resulting from an impeachment inquiry.
If an article of impeachment is approved by a majority vote in the House of Representatives, the Senate conducts a trial to determine if the impeached individual should be removed from office.
House votes to impeach Trump (2019-Dec-18)
Blue Dog Democrats
(Coming)
Common Sense Coalition
A coalition of senators started in 2017 to propose bipartisan solutions on issues that have become subject to partisan deadlock.
For more, read the Business Insider story.
Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)
(Coming)
Referenced by...State Dept. harassed employees for political leanings (2019-Aug-15)
Constituent
In a word - YOU!
In terms of government, you are a constituent of whoever you elect to represent your interests. In terms of federal policymaking, that would be the following...
o In the House of Representatives, the Representative elected from your Congressional District who represents the people in that district.
o In the Senate, both Senators elected from your state.
Contract With America
(Coming)
Deep State
In a sense, a state within a state.
The term can be used to describe a situation where a government's employees operate independently of elected representatives.
It takes on negative connotations when the employees are accused (rightfully or not) of doing so in an effort to undermine those elected officials.
For more, read this Politico article.
Founding Fathers
A general term describing the leaders who created the initial mold for the United States - from the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution.
Historians typically include the following as among America's founding fathers...
o Benjamin Franklin
o Alexander Hamilton
o John Jay
o Thomas Jefferson
o James Madison
o George Washington
Freedom Caucus
A group consisting of some of the more conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives. Not all representatives who are believed to members of the group acknowledge their membership.
For more about the Freedom Caucus, read the Pew Research Center report.
Grassroots
Political movements organized by constituents - the ones affected by policies - are called grassroots movements.
Impeachment Managers
Selected members of the House of Representatives who present arguments for articles of impeachment - essentially acting as prosecutors - in a Senate trial.
Referenced by...House votes to impeach Trump (2019-Dec-18)
Political Spectrum
A general classification of how someone might view various public policies.
The following terminology and characterizations often are used to distinguish. They are only generalizations. People have various views on different issues.
| Left | Right |
| Liberal | Conservative |
| Democrat | Republican |
| Wants high marginal tax rate | Wants low marginal tax rate |
| Understands global warming is real | Claims global warming is a hoax |
| Supports a woman's right to abortion | Wants abortion outlawed |
| Supports sex education in schools | Does not want sex education taught in schools |
While these are just generalizations, they can be useful to take note of because they tend to divide people due to the phenomenon of confirmation bias. Also, political parties often unite on opposite sides of these issues.Referenced by...
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy Resigns (2018-Jun-27)
Problem Solvers Caucus
A group of Republican and Democratic representatives who have agreed to seek bipartisan solutions to issues for which the parties tend to present incompatible proposals.
For more, read The Hill story.
Ranking Member
The most senior member of a congressional committee from the minority party.
Republican National Committee (RNC)
The organization that sets the official platforms for the Republican Party and funds Republican candidates' campaigns.
Website: www.gop.com.
Saturday Night Massacre
(Coming)
Tea Party
(Coming)
Tuesday Group
(Coming)
Watergate
(Coming)