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 of one …
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.
Merriam …
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 could get them in …
An off-year election is one which takes place in a year when a presidential election does not also take place.
Most elections in the United States take place in even-numbered years. As the US Senate’s website notes:
…National Elections take
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.…
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 …
A one-house bill is introduced by a legislator 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 congress by …
Also called, “one minutes”, a speech typically given at the beginning of the day by a House member on a chosen topic.
One minutes can also be scheduled at the end of legislative business. It is at the discretion of …
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.
It’s not to be confused with a blanket primary or jungle primary, in which all candidates appear …
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 …