'How do you know when a politician is lying? His lips move!'
'The first rule of politics: If you lie, don't get caught!'
'You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.' Abraham Lincoln
Most people seem to think that politicians are dishonest and many people have no faith in the political process; however, America is heading towards a Presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain, and the English speaking media is full of political news. Here is some of the key vocabulary you will need to keep up with the news reports:
Ballot
(Countable Noun / Verb) The act of holding a secret vote. As a verb, holding a secret vote.
'In democratic counties voting is done through a secret ballot. No one knows who you voted for.'
Bill
(Countable Noun) A proposed change in the law. When it is still in the planning stage and before it becomes legal, a law is called a bill.
'There is little support for the new bill. I don't think it will ever become law.'
Coalition
(Countable Noun) The time when different political parties agree on a something for a reason.
'During periods of war, coalitions between political parties are common.'
Democracy
(Countable Noun) A system where power is held by the people through elections. One person = one vote.
'The alternatives to Democracy, Communism for example, have largely been failures.'