System of…
… checks and balances
—> balance of the differnt powers/ branches —> no one gets too powerful
What are the three powers?
executive (president)
legislative (congress)
judicative (supreme court)
Executive power: (4)
President
Vice President (= president of the senate, tie-breaking vote, when 50:50)
Cabinet
4 years
Legislative power: (2)
congress
two branches: House of Representatives and Senate
House of Representatives: (6)
part of the congress
2 years
435 seats
represents population (—> districts)
passes the laws
in charge of the money
Senate: (8)
Part of the congress
6 years
100 seats
every two years: 35 of 100 seats re-elected
represents the states
2 senators from each state (50 states)
approbes/ rejects laws
confirm appointed
Judicial power: (4)
Supreme Court
a justice service for life
9 seats
after the death of a judge, the new judge gets elected by the president
System of checks and balances: (pic)
Problem with the chamber system:
gridlock
chambers can block each other/ the president’s agenda
if the chambers have a different colour than the president, the president might become a “lame duck”
Gesetzesentwurf: (voc)
bill
Wahlkreis: (voc)
US: district
UK: constituency (Wahlkreisbewohner = constituent)
Wahlzettel: (voc)
ballot
Vorwahl: (voc)
primary (pl. primaries)
or
cancus
Briefwahl: (voc)
mail-in ballot
Democratic Party - founded/ colour/ symbol:
1828
blue
donkey
Democratic party - famous presidents: (6)
Joe Biden
Barack Obama
JFK
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Jimmy Carter
Bill Clinton
Democratic Party - current leaders: (5)
Jaime Harrison (party leader)
Nancy Pelosi (former speaker)
Chuck Schumer (senate majority leader)
Joe Biden (president)
Kamala Harris (vice president)
Democratic Party - famous achievements: (7)
women’s right to vote
civil rights act
social insurance program
NATO
unemployment benefits
Marshall Plan
health reform (Affordable Care Act/ Obama Care)
Democratic Party - current topics of interest/ party platform: (5)
abortion rights
tighten gun control
improve health care system
climate change
support Ukraine
Democratic Party - voter profile: (7)
female
African-American, Hispanic
18- 29 years
income: 50.000$ - 100.000$
political philosophy: liberal
most important issues: civil rights
Northeast, Pacific Coast, big cities
Republican Party - founded/ colour/ symbol:
1845
red
elephant
Republican Party - famous presidents: (6)
Donald Trump
Abraham Lincoln
George W. Bush
Ronald Reagon
Theodore Roosevelt
Eisenhower
Rebublican Party - current leaders: (4)
Mitch McConnell (senate minority leader)
Kevin McCarthy (speaker)
Donald Trump (former president)
Ron de Santis
Republican Party - famous achievements: (7)
economy
reshaping the courts
medical research
NASA
High Way System
started building Mexican Wall
fight against terrorism
Republican Party - current topics of interest/ party platform: (4)
loose gun control
restrict immigration
economy: inflation/ cost of living
fight violent crime
Republican Party - voter profile: (8)
male
white
religious
unhappy with current government
elderly
South, country side
not good educated
not very wealthy
midterms:
elections (every 4 years)
in the middel of a president’s 4-year term
re-election of the House of Representatives and one third of the Senate
Swing states:
states where the both parties have similar leveles of support among the voters
Pennsylvania
Wisconsin
Michigan
Florida
Ohio
Nevada
North Carolina
Virginia
Red states:
a state with predominantly votes for the Republican party
Alaska
Idaho
North Dakota
South Dakota
Wyoming
Texas
Blue states:
a state with predominantly votes for the Democratic Party
California
Hawaii
Washington
New York
Minnesota
New Jersey
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Maryland
How to run for president: (16)
XY: “I want to become president”
forming exploratory committee to “test the waters” (chances?)
fundraising (continued the whole time)
official declaration of the candidacy
launching campaigns in the key states
campaigning heavily in early primary and caucus states
trying to win enough delegates to win the party nomination
picking a running mate (—> candidate for vice president)
after winning majority of delegates —> becomes official party nominee at a party convention
further promoting party’s message/ agenda and party’s platform
campaigning heavily in swing states (=battleground states) and media appearences
trying to motivate your voters to go to the polls/ to register
election day (firts tuesday after first monday in november)
has to win a majority of electors in the “electoral college” —> indirect system
president-elect assembles cabinet and crafts, a more thorough political agenda, forms a team to run the White House
inauguration day in January
Wahlmänner: (voc)
electors
Wahlprogramm: (voc)
party’s platform
Parteitag: (voc)
party convention
Zuletzt geändertvor 2 Jahren
