527s: a tax-exempt political
interest group formed to influence voters; they do not make donations
directly to any party or candidate, so they are not regulated by the Federal
Elections Commission, nor are they subject to contribution limits. (i.e. MoveOn.org,
Club for Growth
Blue dog Democrats: Democrats
who generally favour more conservative social policies
Blue state: A state that typically elects Democrats, mainly the
Northeast and the West cost (i.e. Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon)
Bully pulpit: The US presidency when it is used as a platform for
persuasively advocating a national agenda
Bundler: A fundraiser who gathers
contributions from several individuals or corporations, and presents the
large total amount to the campaign.
Caucus: A method of selecting party nominees for president used by some
states; in order to participate, registered party members must attend a
local caucus meeting. Once the caucus begins, voters group themselves by
candidate or undecided, give speeches on behalf of their candidates, and try
to convince others to join their group. At the end of the caucus, party
officials count the numbers in each candidate’s group, and report the
numbers to the state party organisation. The state party then awards
candidates delegates to the national convention - either on a proportional
or winner-takes-all basis - where they vote for their preferred nominee
Convention: Each party holds a national convention every four years to
decide the party platform and formally nominate their candidate for
president. The Democratic Convention
will be held August 25-28, 2008 in Denver, Colorado, and the Republican
Convention will be held September 1-4, 2008 in Minneapolis-St. Paul,
Minnesota
Delegate: A state representative to the party’s national convention.
Delegates are determined by state caucus or primary, and the number of
delegates from each state depends on its population
Donkey: Mascot for the Democratic
party
Elephant: Mascot for the Republican party
Federalism: System of government in the United States dividing power
between federal and state governments; the federal government can only
exercise powers enumerated in the Constitution (i.e. on matters of national
defence, interstate and foreign commerce, taxation, etc.). The powers that
the Constitution does not forbid or give to the federal government is
reserved for the states.
Fence mending: What a candidate must do when after endorsing a policy
that upset base supporters (i.e. Sen.
Clinton’s vote for the Iraq war; Mayor Giuliani’s stance on
abortion rights)
G.O.P.: Grand Old Party, a nickname for the Republican party since 1875
Gerrymandering: When state legislatures draw
the boundaries for Congressional districts to benefit the party in
power. It often results in districts in unusual shapes, and constituents are
often confused about which Congressional district they are eligible to vote
in. Named after Elbridge Gerry, who, when governor of Massachusetts in 1812,
signed into law a tortuous electoral district resembling a salamander in
order to advantage Jeffersonian Democrats
Hard money: Direct campaign contributions that are regulated
by the FEC; for example, a citizen can donate a maximum of $2,300 per
candidate per election cycle and a maximum of $28,500 to a national
political party per year.
Inside the Beltway: 1. The area within the Capital Beltway (Interstate
485 loop) that encompasses the entire District of Columbia and parts of
Virginia and Maryland 2. Usually refers to a way of thinking that is focused
on matters important to federal government, politicians, and lobbyists (a
similar affliction in the UK is called the “Westminster Bubble” or "Westminster
Village")
K Street: Reference to a street in Washington, DC that is home to many lobbying
firms
Lame duck: A politician who is finishing out his final term and is not
seeking re-election
Moonbat: Pejorative label for a person on the political left
October surprise: A campaign strategy where a potentially extremely
damaging political attack is launched against an opponent just weeks before
an election in November, leaving the opponent with little time to recover
from the damage and/or launch a counter attack (see Mark
Foley scandal, Swift
Boat Veterans for Truth)
PAC: Political Action Committee, a group organized around a common
interest in order to influence elections, mostly representing business,
labour, or ideological interests. Individual contributions to PACs are
limited, and Federal Election Commission guidelines restrict the amount of
money a PAC can contribute to a candidate or political party. (i.e. American
Medical Association, American Federation of
Teachers, EMILY’s List)
Primary: Another method of selecting party nominees for president where
a state holds an official election allowing registered party voters to
select their party’s candidate. The state party awards delegates to the
national party convention depending on primary vote totals.
Pork barrel spending: When politicians divert federal monies to fund
specific projects in their district in order to garner favour with their
constituents
Purple State: See “Swing state”
Red State: A state that typically elects Republicans; i.e. Texas, Utah,
and Georgia
RINO: Republican In Name Only; pejorative term used to describe Republican
elected officials who are more socially liberal
Soft money: Political contributions not regulated by federal law. Until
2002, it generally encompassed spending by parties on behalf of their
candidates, but the Campaign Finance Reform Act placed restrictions on party
spending. Today, soft money in politics generally comes from 527 groups
Swift Boat (verb): To attack a candidate in a way that damages his
credibility, usually by employing an “October Surprise”. So named for the
assault on 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's military
record by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group largely funded by
Republicans which claimed he had lied about acts of heroism performed during
the Vietnam War
Swing state: A state that is not predictably Republican or Democrat in
presidential elections, but whose
electoral votes are crucial in deciding the presidency. They are often
called the battleground states or purple states).
Swing voters: Supposedly key voting groups that candidates must target
in order to win office; in the 2004 election, they were Security
Moms and NASCAR
dads
War chest: The total amount a candidate is able to spend on their
campaign
Wingnut: Derogatory term for a person on the political right
