Download Life as a U.S. Senator Vocabulary

Life as a U.S. Senator
Vocabulary
Advice and consent-a power of the United States Senate to be consulted on and approve signed
treaties and presidential appointments
Campaign-the competition by rival political candidates and organizations for public office
Civility- courtesy or politeness
Cloture-a vote to end a Senate filibuster; requires a three-fifths majority, or sixty votes
Constituents-voters in a district or state represented by an elected official
Fairness Doctrine-a policy introduced by the United States Federal Communications
Commission in 1949 requiring licensed broadcast media to present controversial issues to the
public in a balanced and honest way (As of August 2011, the FCC had removed the language
that established this doctrine.).
Filibuster-a practice of unlimited debate in the Senate in order to prevent or delay a vote on a
bill
Partisanship- a psychological connection with a political party; partisanship is also understood
as party affiliation
Roll call vote-a vote in which the names of the persons voting, and whether their vote is “yea” or
“nay”, is recorded
Senatorial courtesy-the tradition of granting senior senators of the President’s party
considerable power over federal judicial appointments in their home states
Talk radio-a radio format consisting of conversations about topical issues; politically oriented
talk radio increased dramatically in the 1990’s
Term-a determined length of time to serve in public office