Majority leader The elected head of the party holding the majority of seats in the House and/or Senate. The majority leader is a prominent figure on the Hill.

Majority-minority districts A situation in which constituency boundaries are drawn deliberately in order to ensure representation for minority groups (usually in regards to ethnicity). Whilst it is a form of gerrymandering, supporters claim that it helps to ensure that the House of Representatives looks more like America. The whole issue of majority-minority districts bears relevance to residential sorting; where wealthy predominately white voters have moved out of the inner-cities. For all the rhetoric about America being a ‘melting-pot,’ households are strongly sorted by income and ethnicity. Re-districting tends to occur on the basis of three methods – cracking (spreading like-minded voters to dilute their voting weight), packing (concentrating like-minded voters into one district) and the collusion of the main parties to protect incumbents. Obama has spoken about changing the re-districting process, but done little about it.

Mama grizzlies A generalized term for a group of female conservative voters. Sarah Palin  was closely associated with this particular constituency.

Mandate That which is gained by the party which forms the government. It is claimed from the people and lasts until the next election when the government seeks to renew their mandate. In the United States it can be problematic for any party to adopt and implement a policy platform. For one, the whole notion of mandate is weaker within the United States because party loyalty is much weaker, as too are party labels. It is extremely difficult to get everyone implementing the same policies, even when that party has campaigned upon a shared platform. Party whips have very few sanctions to impose, and there are times when a politician has a vested interest in displaying his/her independence. It is important to note that members of Congress are elected on a separate mandate to the President. In contrast, there is a shared mandate within the United Kingdom.

Manifest destiny A phrase coined by John O’Sullivan supporting the ambition to expand the territory of the United States. Critics of American foreign policy claim that the US is drunk on its own manifest destiny. As with any drunk, they routinely ignore the consequences for the rest of the world and leave a trail of destruction for others to deal with.

Manufacture of consent A term used to describe the manner in which the news media portrays a distorted view of current affairs. For example, most of the news media in the US took a pro-Bush stance on the issue of Iraq (particularly in the early stages of the conflict) whereas anti-war views were effectively shut out. Deprived of an alternative view, consumers of the news media unwittingly give their approval to what their government is doing on the basis of false or incomplete knowledge. The term is associated with the American academics Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman (1988).

Market-based solutions Reform options for social policies that are based on tax credits, flexible spending accounts and other schemes that rely on competition in the free market. The assumption behind market-based solutions is that competition will improve the service available.

Marketization The use of market forces and market principles within the welfare state. As the term suggests, marketization takes the private sector as its model. Opponents of marketization claim that it represents the privatization of public services. Critics also claim that marketization of welfare has reduced citizens to the status of consumers rather than stakeholders. Supporters however claim that marketization results in efficiency gains and a greater level of personal choice. Marketization is an idea closely associated with the New Right perspective and to some extent new Democrats.

Markup One of the steps through which a bill becomes a piece of legislation, in which the final wording of the bill is determined. This can be highly significant to the resultant legislation.

Mass media Sources of information such as newspapers, television networks and radio stations that provide information. Most of us consume politics via the mass media.

Mass survey A way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population.

Media bias Where elements of the media exhibit an impartial stance in favor of a particular party or viewpoint. The media is run on the basis of profit, and in order to gain customers (be they readers or viewers) the ‘truth’ is presented to their audience in order to generate maximum revenue. Prejudices and assumptions are thereby reinforced rather than challenged. The aim is to provide comfort, not intellectual challenge or questioning. Customers want the comfort of knowing they are right. The result is what Peter Wason coined conformation bias in which red and blue America shout at each other rather than engage in a meaningful debate. Aspects of the new media (such as blogs on the Internet) also exhibit a notable level of bias. Local newspapers also tend to have a partisan leaning.

Media conglomerates Companies that control a large number of media sources across several types of media outlets. Those who run media conglomerates are very powerful actors within the political process.

Media effects The impact of media coverage on our opinions and actions. There are various theories that seek to comprehend the importance of the media upon the political process, such as the hypodermic syringe theory.

Median voter theorem The supposition that political parties will tend to adopt moderate policies in order to attract voters that congregate around the center of the political spectrum. Whilst the term is applicable to any number of liberal democracies, the term is more widely used in the states.

Medicaid An entitlement program funded by the federal and state governments that provides health care coverage for low-income Americans.

Medicare The federal health care plan that provides coverage for retired Americans for hospital care, medical care and prescription drugs. Medicare is one of the most popular aspects of the welfare state.

Melting pot The notion that as different racial and ethnic groups come to America, they should assimilate into American culture. As such, they leave their native languages, customs and traditions behind. Each culture therefore contributes to the overall flavor of America. It could however be claimed that America is more of a tossed salad (in which we celebrate our diversity rather than melting down into one identity). The term bears obvious resonance to the debate concerning immigration.

Message box A term used by campaign teams seeking to ensure a coherent and effective message. It a square divided into four quadrants; what the candidate says about themselves, what the candidate will say about their opponent(s), what the opponent(s) will say about them and what the opponent(s) will say about the candidate.

Mexico City policy A policy that seeks to prevent federal funds going towards groups that support abortion overseas. George W. Bush supported the Mexico City policy.

Michigan mandate The notion that a University should represent the state’s population. The Michigan mandate can be used as an argument in favor of affirmative action based on the rationale of integration rather than merely diversity.

Micro-targeting A means of gaining people’s vote via breaking the electorate down into defined segments. This ‘slicing and dicing’ approach enables the party or candidate to manipulate their message in order that they might appeal to target voters. In order to get out the vote in 2008 the Obama campaign used an on-line call tool. This enabled phone calls to be directed to voters in the crucial swing states. Volunteers placed another three million calls from the campaign’s Last Call for Change.

Mid-term elections Congressional elections held half-way through the President’s first (or second) term. Mid-term elections are widely perceived as a report card on the performance of the President. With the notable exception of 2002, the President’s party usually loses seats during mid-term elections. In 2010 the Democrats suffered major losses to the Republicans, and Obama described his party’s defeat as a “shellacking.”

Miller test Established in Miller v. California (1973), the Supreme Court uses this three-part test to determine whether speech meets the criteria for obscenity. If so, it can be restricted in some form.

Minority leader The head of the party holding the minority of seats in the House or Senate.

Miranda rights The list of civil liberties described in the fifth amendment that must be read to a suspect before anything the suspect says can be used in a trial.

Missouri compromise An agreement by which one pro-slavery state and one anti-slavery state were added to the union together in order to keep the balance between the two.

Mixed economy An economic system with a sizeable element of both private sector and public sector activity. In the United States, a mixed economy is associated with those on the left of the political spectrum. Those further to the right tend to support a reduction in the role of the state within the economic realm.

Mobilization Motivating supporters to vote in an election and, in some cases, helping them get to the polls on the date of the election.

Modified primaries A particular type of primary in which registered party voters can vote alongside those who have registered as independents.

Modified rules Conditions placed on a legislative debate by the House Rules Committee allowing certain amendments to a bill while barring others.

Money primary Fund-raising by candidates prior to the primaries/caucuses. The term reflects one element of the invisible primary, although the term money primary is more widely used.

Monroe Doctrine The American policy initiated under President Monroe stating that the United States would remain neutral in conflicts between European nations, and that these nations should stop colonizing or occupying areas of North and South America.

Mootness The irrelevance of a case by the time it is received by a federal court, causing the court to decline to hear the case.

Moral rights Those rights that exist only as moral claims such as human rights and natural rights. Moral rights are therefore a contested concept within political discourse. Unlike legal rights, moral rights are not enforceable by law unless they exist in law itself.

Multilateral action Foreign policy carried out by a nation in co-ordination with other nations or international organizations.

Multilateral agreements Those agreements reached by a number of countries.

Multi-level governance Where power and authority is shared amongst a number of institutions and agencies. Multi-level governance has been criticized as ineffective in response to a genuine crisis such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but it's perhaps inevitable in a federal system characterized by a system of checks and balances alongside the separation of powers.

Mushy middle Where the main parties are virtually indistinguishable in terms of policies and ideological platform. In the US there is a strong tendency for both parties to adopt a vague non-ideological stance. George Wallace once said “there isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between the two parties” – and many Americans would be inclined to agree. With little ideological distinction between the two main parties, candidates from the main parties must persuade voters that they are worth voting for via expensive marketing and extensive spin. It is plausible to claim that in the absence of genuine ideological distinction between the two main parties, both Democrats and Republicans exaggerate their divisions in order to persuade voters that they are both distinct and thereby worth voting for.

Muskie moment That moment when a candidate has effectively lost the campaign. The term derives from Ed Muskie who, in 1972; shed a tear when denouncing a slanderous article in the press.

My Pet Goat moment A phrase used to depict that moment when the President seems utterly disconnected from events that surround him. The term refers to the school sign behind George W. Bush when he was first informed about the terrorist attacks of 9/11.