Where everything is bipartisan until it is not.
A judge appointed in the final days of an administration to shape the judiciary for years to come, basically legislating from the bench before leaving office.
Indefinitely postponing a legislative item by moving to table it, the parliamentary way of saying 'let's not talk about this ever again' while maintaining plausible deniability.
A continuous speech or series of obstructive motions designed to prevent legislative action; the legislative equivalent of winning by exhaustion.
A supporters' group for Andrew Yang's political movement, blending 'Yang Gang' (his supporters) with 'bang energy' for humorous emphasis. It's political fandom with extra enthusiasm.
A person who got the job not because of a resume but because someone with influence liked them enough to say so. Appointees are the folks who arrive at the agency on day one and spend their first week asking where the bathroom is.
A permanent legislative committee handling a specific area of policy, such as Armed Services or Ways and Means. Where the real legislative work happens.
The individual requests from voters asking their representative to help with government agencies, turning politicians into complaint handlers.
The symbolic divide in legislatures between the parties, as if seating arrangements actually determine political ideology instead of the other way around.
A politician who repeatedly gerrymandered their districts to maintain power, essentially a habitual electoral map manipulator.
A political term for a candidate or official who swears they belong to no party, and who is usually asked to prove it on a debate stage. In theory, it means impartial, and in practice it means 'I'd like your vote without giving you a team to pick.'
Opposition research conducted to dig up damaging information about political opponents, essentially legalized political dirt-digging.
A portmanteau describing an ardent, uncritical follower of a particular political figure—the term combines 'Trump' with 'troglodyte' to suggest intellectual cave-dwelling.
A gap or loophole in legislation, usually exploited by those savvy enough to notice it.
Capitalized, this label names a member of a major U.S. political party, and lowercase, it describes someone who thinks a nation should be run by elected citizens rather than a monarch. Either way, you're going to hear it at every dinner party for the next four years.
A metaphorical illness describing the collective anxiety and dismay of witnessing the chaos of a particular political era. Symptoms include scrolling through news obsessively and stress-eating at 3 AM.
The committee-room equivalent of 'technically here.' A meeting is quorate when enough members have shown up to make its decisions legal, and everyone present takes a small, solemn pride in being the reason it happened.
When a politician criticizes their opponent's statements with exaggerated outrage intended to damage them politically, manufactured scandal.
The money raised and spent to win elections, the river of cash flowing through politics that everyone pretends isn't controlling everything.
A supermajority of 60 Senate votes sufficient to overcome a filibuster and force a vote, also known as an 'almost never happens' threshold.
Land that Indigenous communities never formally released, sold, or ceded to colonial governments, retaining their original sovereignty and rights. Particularly relevant in Canada and other nations built on Indigenous territories that were never legally transferred.
Intensive preparation before a political debate involving mock opponents, message discipline coaching, and hours of practice.
A member of the moderate-to-conservative wing of the US Democratic Party, usually in the House of Representatives. The Blue Dog Coalition formed in the mid-1990s and is known for fiscal caution and crossing the aisle. Their party's leadership knows them well, usually from late-night negotiations.
The specific policy areas and subjects a particular committee is authorized to oversee and legislate. Turf wars in legislative form.
A competitive process where party members select delegates through local caucuses rather than a simple primary vote. Deliberately Byzantine democratic theater.