“Obstructionism” is the act of deliberately stalling, delaying, or preventing legislation from being passed.
It has a negative connotation, as politicians do not want to be seen as preventing progress.
Obstructionist politicians are typically either a a party with control …
An October surprise is a news event which takes place shortly before a closely-watched election and which may influence the election’s outcome.
Usually, the term in reference to a presidential election, although it can be applied to any election.
The …
“Off the record” is a term used in journalism meaning that the information given to the reporter cannot be attributed to the person saying it.
Off the record quotes are often used to protect sources who are giving information that …
An “off-year election” is one which takes place in a year when a presidential or midterm election does not also take place.
It’s typically when many mayoral and local races are on the ballot. In addition, there are often a …
An “old bull” is a powerful and influential Member of Congress.
Old bulls are typically senior members who have worked their way into positions of power through decades in Congress.
Republican strategist Ed Rollins explains:
…There is a term
The “old guard” is the more conservative, often older, branch of any political grouping.
The old guard of a party might not be politically more conservative than other members of the same party; “conservative,” here, refers to the old guard’s …
“One man, one vote” is a slogan used to express an ideal of equal representation for all citizens. One man, one vote is also often expressed as one person, one vote.
In practice, the phrase has been used to argue …
“One minute speeches” refers to a procedure that allows members of a legislative body, such as a parliament or congress, to speak briefly on a particular matter.
This is typically done when the body is considering a motion
A “one-house bill” is a bill introduced by a lawmaker for the purpose of grandstanding or to demonstrate their effort to fulfill political promises without the ability to actually pass the bill into law.
One-house bills are often introduced to …
A party convention in which delegates are able to vote for the candidate of their choice, and are not tied to the results of primaries or caucuses.
Open conventions were the norm until about 1968. The Democratic Party’s delegates were …
An “open primary” is an election that allows voters to select candidates on one party’s ballot without declaring their own party affiliation.
Open primaries are often contrasted with closed primaries, in which only registered members of a …
Karl Marx famously declared that religion is the opiate of the people. There are a few conflicting translations of the quote, so that sometimes religion is the “opium of the masses,” and sometimes it’s the “opiate of the people,” but …
An “opinion leader” is one whose opinions about something have a significant impact on the opinions of others. “Influencer” is sometimes used as a synonym for opinion leader.
In politics, an opinion leader helps to shape public opinion about policies, …
Someone who is “out of the loop” is uniformed or not given access to shared information, especially to information which is shared informally and on an continual basis, in a grapevine.
A person who is out of the loop may …