Where everything is bipartisan until it is not.
A court's authority to review and hear appeals from lower court decisions, allowing people to complain about unfavorable verdicts.
A system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination, implemented in South Africa from 1948-1994. Legalized racism in its most systematic form.
Compensation provided to a group for historical injustices or damages. Money for past wrongs, though politicians often prefer to forget them.
A reference to the 1987 public service announcement featuring a fried egg and the tagline 'This is your brain on drugs,' used to illustrate the damaging effects of drug use. The phrase became iconic shorthand for anti-drug messaging.
A legislative official whose job is to enforce party discipline by convincing, threatening, or bribing fellow party members to vote the right way, which sounds dystopian but is basically just normal politics.
The mere possibility that a senator might filibuster, which is so powerful that the actual filibuster almost never happens anymore because the threat alone kills the bill.
Influence exerted through military might and economic coercion, the traditional approach to international relations before soft power became fashionable.
Foreign policy based on pragmatic national interests rather than ideology or morality. Essentially, 'ethics are a luxury we can't afford.'
Divided into proportional portions according to a formula—particularly in government, where congressional seats get reapportioned after each Census based on population changes. It's why politicians obsess over population counts; your state's seat in Congress depends on it.
To refrain from voting on a measure—the cowardly middle ground that allows politicians to avoid going on record while pretending they didn't vote.
An incompletely punched ballot hole from 2000 Florida recount, a physical artifact that accidentally decided a presidential election.
The final election where all registered voters choose between the party nominees for an office. It's where the primary winner actually tries to win the whole thing.
Tactics used to discourage or prevent eligible voters from voting, whether through discriminatory requirements, misinformation, or administrative obstacles. It's cheating that's somehow legal.
To control, administer, or influence behavior and policy through authority and restraint. The verb form of 'governance,' often used by people who enjoy having power over others' decisions.
Historically, a Christian missionary; today, especially in the LDS Church, one of the twelve top church executives who set doctrine and policy. It's the ecclesiastical equivalent of being on a religion's board of directors, except your decisions are treated as divine law.
Government spending on programs like Social Security and Medicare, which are authorized by law and happen automatically unless the law changes. It's the budget category nobody can control.
A term rooted in Bangladeshi history for someone who collaborates with or supports aggression against Bangladesh from within the country—it carries the weight of wartime betrayal and collaboration.
Official orders handed down by authority figures who've decided democracy is exhausting. These are legally binding pronouncements that make something law whether you like it or not—think royal edicts but with more paperwork and legal citations.
A legal mechanism allowing detainees to challenge the legality of their imprisonment, fundamental to due process protection.
A large, multi-decked sailing ship used from the 15th to 18th centuries, particularly by Spanish and Portuguese explorers and traders. Galleons were designed for both cargo transport and naval combat, featuring significant firepower and cargo capacity.
Senior government and opposition leadership in parliament, sitting at the front and controlling party strategy and legislative action.
A process allowing citizens to propose legislation directly through petition signatures, bypassing the legislature. It's democracy's way of saying 'we don't trust you guys.'
A Muslim sovereign or ruler, typically of a large empire or regional territory; historically associated with Ottoman, Mamluk, and other Islamic dynasties.
Repeated calls to fix the filibuster that fail because fixing it requires eliminating it, which requires 67 votes (or the nuclear option).