Descriptionary

hopper the box where proposed bills are placed in a legislative chamber.

impeach to formally charge a politician with wrong­doing while in office.

imperialism expanding a nation's authority by acquiring new territories, exploiting another land's resources, and so on.

incumbent a politician already in office who is run­ning for reelection against a challenger.

independent a nonpartisan politician. Also, a per­son who votes for a candidate and not for a candi­date's party affiliation.

inflation the rising of prices, due to various eco­nomic forces.

initiative the proposal of a new statute, amend­ment, ordinance, etc., by the gathering of signatures of registered voters on a petition by ordinary citizens, to put the issue in front of a legislative body for con­sideration or to force a popular vote. Also known as a citizen's initiative.

interest group any group, such as the National Rifle Association, that lobbies members of Congress to rep­resent its interests.

intransigent unable to be persuaded; entrenched in one's beliefs; uncompromising.

Iron Curtain term coined by Winston Churchill in 1946 to illustrate the political divide between demo­cratic Western Europe and communist Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

isolationism the foreign policy of minding one's own business or remaining neutral in international disputes.

joint chiefs of staff the four highest-ranking U.S. military officers: the chiefs of staff of the army, navy, and air force, plus an appointed chairman; they advise the secretary of defense on the nation's mili­tary matters.

joint committee a committee of members from both legislative bodies.

joint session a meeting of members of both legisla­tive bodies.

junket a trip taken by a politician at taxpayer expense, ostensibly for research into foreign affairs but often suspected of being more of a free vacation.

kangaroo ticket a ticket in which the candidate for vice president is more popular than the candidate for president.

keynote speech the main address designed to rouse emotions or loyalty at a convention.

kitchen cabinet influential close friends and minor officials who advise the president informally.

knee-jerk liberal a liberal intellectual who thinks only superficially about issues.

laissez-faire the policy of little or no government intervention into economic issues, with the belief that the private sector will take care of itself.

lame duck a politician whose term is nearly over and whose power is subsequently diminished, espe­cially after being freshly defeated by a challenger in an election.

landslide a huge election victory.

leading economic indicators a set of 10 statistics used to predict if the economy will expand or con­tract in the next year. These include manufacturer's new orders, delivery of new merchandise to vendors, new orders for equipment, new building permits, money supply, manufacturer's average work week, initial jobless claims, the rise or fall of the SP 500, the spread between long and short interest rates, and consumer confidence.

left wing the part of a political organization advo­cating reform or overthrow of the established order.

legislation laws passed by a legislative body.

liberal one who advocates government action to protect individual liberties and rights; one who is broadminded.

liberalism a political orientation evolving from the philosophies of Thomas Jefferson and others and characterized by strong support for individual rights and freedoms and the belief that church and state should be kept separate. Liberals tend to favor gov­ernment social programs, better access to education, stringent environmental protections, and the adop­tion of universal health care.

litmus test issue an issue that tests a politician's ide­ology, whether liberal or conservative or something in between.

lobby the attempt to influence an elected official into voting a certain way on important legislation. Also, an organization that does the influencing.

lobbyist one who tries to influence a politician's decision on an upcoming vote.

logrolling voting for a colleague's issue so he will return the favor and vote for yours; backscratching among politicians.

Machiavellian alluding to politics based on cun­ning and deceit rather than on morals, so-called after Niccolo Machiavelli, a Renaissance political theorist who believed humans were evil by nature and thus best governed as such.

majority leader the head of the majority party in the House or Senate.

managed news government news released to the press to serve its own interests.