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The term “gutter politics” refers to the use of personal attacks, character assassination, and scandal-mongering as a tactic to discredit or malign opponents rather than focusing on policy issues or…

A “situation room” is a physical room in which key decision makers gather to share information and make plans about the major issues affecting their future.

A “snollygoster” is a political operative or candidate who uses cunning or ethically questionable behavior to achieve power.

A pocket veto is a legislative tactic that allows the president to indirectly veto a bill.

The “power behind the throne” is said to be someone who does not hold an official leadership position but who effectively wields control.

The term “strange bedfellows” describes politicians with seemingly opposing ideologies or interests who form an alliance for a specific political objective.

“Merchants of death” is a reference to the bankers and arms manufacturers that supplied and funded World War I.

The term “inside baseball” refers to any subject matter which is considered too highly specialized to be appreciated by the general public.

The term “vote-a-rama” is used to refer to a marathon session of voting in the United States Senate.

A “cookie-cutter campaigns” are political campaigns run by political consultants who use virtually identical strategies in different jurisdictions.

Shivercrats were a conservative faction of the Texas Democratic Party in the 1950s named for Texas Gov. Allan Shivers (D).

The mark-up is the committee meeting held to review the text of a bill before reporting it to the floor.

Fusion voting allows a candidate’s name to appear on multiple parties’ ballot lines, and to combine his or her votes from those lines.

Leader time is the ten minute time allotted to Senate leaders at the start of the daily session.

“Advice and Consent” is a critical phrase in the United States Constitution that outlines a key aspect of the checks and balances among the three branches of government — Executive,…

“Fence mending” means making an effort to repair a political relationship after it has been damaged.

Soon after he entered the Senate, the former Hollywood actor began stocking his desk with candy to gratify his sweet tooth. A few years later, Murphy moved to an aisle…

A “body man” is an assistant or valet who follows a political figure around the clock, providing logistical assistance for daily tasks ranging from paperwork to meals.

A supermajority refers to a requirement for a higher percentage of votes than a simple majority to approve a decision, measure, or action within a legislative body.

A “stemwinder” is a rousing political speech that galvanizes a crowd to take action.

The Blue Dog Democrats are a coalition of moderate House Democrats.

The “Acela corridor” refers to the Northeast megalopolis that stretches roughly from Washington, D.C., through New York City, to Boston.

A split ticket is when a voter chooses candidates from different political parties in the same election.

Hideaways are personal, unmarked offices in the Capitol originally assigned to senior senators. They are often conveniently located near the Senate floor.

The term “revolving door” refers to the practice where individuals move between roles in the public and private sectors, especially within industries that they had been responsible for regulating or…

The Committee of the Whole is a procedural device used to expedite debates in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The “coattail effect” is a phenomenon whereby a political candidate or leader’s popularity leads to improved vote totals for fellow party candidates further down the ballot.

A “straw man” refers to an intentionally misrepresented proposition or argument that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent’s real argument.

The act of spreading negative rumors about a political candidate, in order to discredit him or her in the eyes of voters. This can also be called a whispering campaign.

To be on the “bandwagon” is to follow a group that has a large and growing number of followers.