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.
mandate a demand by the people to an elected official to carry out some action or to take a certain course of action, such as getting tough on environmental issues.
McCarthyism any kind of investigative probe that compromises one's rights and invades one's privacy unjustly.
minority leader the head of the minority party in the House or Senate.
moderate one who takes a middle-of-the-road position on an issue.
mollycoddle to pamper or spoil constituents at taxpayer expense, for example, to vote for every welfare program that is proposed.
mossback one strongly opposed to progress and change.
mouthpiece a politician's spokesperson.
muckraker a journalist who works to expose government corruption and incompetence.
mudslinging the trading of insults and unsubstantiated charges between politicians; a smear campaign.
mugwump one who frequently votes the opposite of his party's wishes.
nonpartisan neutral; not favoring any one party; irrelevant to party ideology.
old guard nickname for conservative Republicans.
oligarchy a government run by a few individuals, such as one run by one family.
ombudsman a government official who investigates citizen complaints against the government and tries to counteract its bureaucracy.
Oval Office the office of the president.
pacifist a peace lover.
pairing an agreement between two politicians not to appear at an upcoming vote since their votes would cancel each other out.
palace guard the president's closest circle of advisers and friends; used pejoratively.
paper tiger a nation that flaunts a degree of power it does not have. Also, any danger that has been exaggerated or blown out of proportion.
partisan of a particular party's principles and beliefs; favoring or supporting any one party.
party a large political group with specific beliefs, goals, and guiding principles, such as the Republican Party or the Democratic Party.
party line the ideology, policies, and philosophy of a political organization.
pecking order a hierarchy; the chain of command from top to bottom.
Pentagonese abstruse military jargon.
perks the fringe benefits and special privileges accrued to politicians and people in power.
platform a set of promises and goals to accomplish adopted by a candidate for office.
playing politics working more for the good of one's party than for the public interest.
play in Peoria the question "How will it play in Peoria?" refers to the reaction and acceptance of an issue or idea from America's heartland.
plum, political an appointed office or position with good pay for little or no work.
point of order in a legislative meeting, an objection that a rule of order is not being followed correctly.
politico a politician or one who is active in politics.
pork barrel the federal or state treasury from which a share of funds are taken by politicians for local projects.
presidential succession the political officials who move up in power in case something befalls the president in office. Specifically, the line of power is passed from the president to the vice president, followed by the speaker of the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the secretary of state, and the secretary of the treasury.
president of the Senate the vice president serves as the president of the Senate, but rarely presides. See president pro tempore.
president pro tempore a senator chosen to take the place of the vice president as president of the Senate.
pressure group any organization that seeks to influence politicians through a variety of means.