Where everything is bipartisan until it is not.
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.
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.
Political sabotage and dirty tricks aimed at disrupting opponents' campaigns, from spreading false rumors to creating fake scandals. The dark arts of campaign warfare, typically involving tactics that would make a Bond villain blush.
A cabinet formed when multiple political parties must cooperate because no single party has a majority, resulting in governance by committee and compromise. Democracy's group project.
A candidate receiving their home state's support in a nomination contest, often as a placeholder or bargaining chip rather than serious contender. Regional pride meets political chess.
A group of expert advisors who counsel political leaders on policy, theoretically chosen for expertise rather than loyalty. The smart people hired to make politicians sound smarter.
The portion of the budget Congress actually votes on every year (defense, education, infrastructure), as opposed to mandatory spending that just happens automatically.
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.
A 2010 Supreme Court decision that basically ruled 'corporations are people and money is speech'—fundamentally transforming American politics into an open auction.
To ceremonially seat someone on a throne with all the pomp, circumstance, and legal legitimacy that comes with claiming sovereign power. It's coronation's formal cousin—you don't just sit down, you're installed with witnesses and pageantry.
Grassroots activism actually funded and organized by corporations or the wealthy, because authentic public opinion is so expensive.
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.
A political-economic theory advocating centralized control and social equality that sounds great on paper but historically devolves into totalitarianism just like other systems. The irony: it claims to destroy hierarchy while creating it.
A political commentator who confidently predicts outcomes they have no special knowledge about, generating outrage and ratings in equal measure.
When two parties who were absolutely furious at each other decide maybe they should be friends again. The fancy French word for 'let's pretend the past never happened.'
A formal group of colleagues united by shared purposes—like a college of cardinals picking a pope, or an electoral college picking a president. Way fancier than just calling it a 'committee.'
Government spending allocated specifically to regional projects designed to curry favor with voters, regardless of actual merit or necessity. It's taxpayer money masquerading as economic stimulus, usually strategically timed before elections.
A legislative proposal substantial enough to warrant a presidential veto (as opposed to the trivial nonsense Congress passes daily).
To formally charge a high-ranking government official with misconduct or, more broadly, to challenge someone's credibility or call their judgment into question. It doesn't mean removal from office—just the beginning of a very public legal headache.
A rank-and-file legislator without a leadership position, literally sitting in the back rows of parliament and metaphorically sitting in the back rows of power. They vote as told and dream of the frontbench.
A proposal to replace an entire bill or amendment with alternative text, essentially hitting 'select all, delete' on someone else's legislative work. It's the parliamentary equivalent of 'I have a better idea—mine.'
In politics, the art of "encouraging" party members to vote the party line through various techniques ranging from gentle persuasion to outright threats about committee assignments. Whips are the enforcers of legislative loyalty, keeping rebellious members in check and counting votes like a bookie tracking bets. The term comes from fox hunting's "whipper-in" who kept hounds from straying—an oddly appropriate metaphor for managing politicians.
An informal principle that the Speaker of the House will not bring legislation to a vote unless a majority of the majority party supports it, ensuring minority party votes aren't needed. Named after Dennis Hastert, who used it to kill bipartisan bills that most members actually supported.