Where everything is bipartisan until it is not.
The fancy term for 'the person (or branch) who actually makes things happen,' as opposed to bureaucrats who debate whether things should happen. In government, it's the branch that enforces laws; in business, it's whoever gets blamed when projections miss.
A temporary alliance of political parties, groups, or nations formed to achieve a common goal — emphasis on temporary, because these marriages of convenience rarely last. Essential in parliamentary systems where no single party has a majority, forcing rivals to play nice and share power. The political equivalent of frenemies working together on a group project.
When government agencies created to regulate industries become dominated by the very interests they're supposed to control, turning watchdogs into lapdogs. The fox doesn't just guard the henhouse—it gets appointed henhouse inspector.
The art of drawing electoral district boundaries to favor one party over another, creating bizarrely shaped districts that look like modern art had a seizure. Democracy's favorite loophole.
A schedule of non-controversial bills that can be quickly passed without debate, typically by unanimous consent or voice vote. The legislative express lane for matters too boring to argue about.
An acronym meaning 'Vice President I'd Like to Facebook,' a sanitized and social-media-appropriate variant of a more explicit phrase that emerged during Sarah Palin's 2008 VP run. It's political attraction repackaged for the Web 2.0 era. Because nothing says democracy like turning politicians into memes.
Legislation requiring government meetings and records to be open to public scrutiny, because apparently politicians need to be legally forced to do their jobs in daylight. A radical concept that government should actually be visible to the governed.
Legislation adorned with so many amendments, earmarks, and special provisions that it resembles a decorated holiday tree, with each member of Congress hanging their pet project on it. A must-pass bill that becomes a legislative grab bag because everyone knows it's going through regardless.
Political rhetoric designed to excite and energize a party's base supporters, typically involving emotional appeals, partisan attacks, or extreme positions. The junk food of political discourse—satisfying to the faithful but nutritionally void.
Publicly funded but independently operated schools freed from many regulations, existing in the political crossfire between education reform and teachers' unions. Educational policy's perennial wedge issue where everyone claims to speak for the children.
Research institutions producing policy analysis and recommendations, theoretically non-partisan but usually funded by interests that appreciate certain conclusions. Academic-sounding organizations that manufacture the intellectual ammunition for predetermined political battles.
The underdog who dares to face off against the current champion or incumbent, armed with optimism, ambition, and usually less money. In politics and sports alike, challengers are the ones trying to dethrone the establishment, often by promising everything short of world peace. They're betting their reputation on the belief that people are ready for change—or at least tired of the current titleholder.
Redrawing voting districts in hilariously partisan ways to guarantee your political party wins—gerrymandering with extra awkwardness. It's the electoral equivalent of moving the goalposts.
The number of people who actually show up to vote, which politicians obsess over because it directly correlates to their job security. High turnout means your preferred voters actually got off the couch.
Political Action Committee: a legal entity that bundled campaign contributions for candidates, because corporations are people with free speech rights.
A coded message that appears innocuous to general audiences but activates strong responses in targeted groups, combining plausible deniability with effective persuasion.
The orderly exodus of people from a location due to danger or emergency—think fire drills but with actual consequences. It's what you do when staying put is no longer an option and the building clearly doesn't want you there anymore.
Government funding allocated to projects that benefit a specific constituency primarily to boost a politician's re-election chances—because nothing says 'I care about you' like a bridge to nowhere.
Either an actual unelected bureaucracy running actual policy, or a conspiracy theory that makes people shout on internet forums—it's increasingly hard to tell which.
The redistribution of congressional seats among states based on population changes following the Census, determining political power for the next decade.
Classification of states based on typical electoral voting patterns—shorthand for 'don't waste time campaigning here because our minds are already made up.'
Democratic Party delegates who can vote for whomever they want regardless of primary results, because the party values flexibility over democratic principles.
Using computational models and voter data to pack opposition voters into impossible districts— 21st-century gerrymandering that makes 1990s efforts look quaint.
The insular world of Washington D.C. politics and federal government, referring to the Interstate 495 loop surrounding the capital. It's where policy gets made by people who've lost touch with reality.