Hollywood Popular Artists

Jul 16th 2012, 17:26

45 million 18-29 year olds will be eligible to vote in this year's presidential election, representing the largest potential voting bloc in the country. Learn more about the issues, register to vote and get involved with MTV's Power of 12. Today, we've got another "Jargon Buster" for you.

Oooh, logrolling! The one activity I did not suck at in grade school P.E.! That and parachute day. Oh, how I did love parachute day. But I digress ...

logrolling (gerund, noun): The exchanging of political favors, especially the trading of influence or votes among legislators to achieve passage of projects that are of interest to one another

In the world of politics, logrolls are a tad less exhilarating than their gym class counterparts; then again, for politicians gunning for office, a good logroll might cause quickened pulses and joy in their hearts, too. You see, though they do have to give a little in exchange, logrolling guarantees that those candidates in question will get something they're after, too. This for that. 

In this case, if Legislator A is deeply invested in a bill that needs more votes to pass, he or she may ask Legislator B to pitch in toward said passage. In return, Legislator A will give some votes to a cause Legislator B really cares about -- generally a cause Leg A doesn't really give a darn about. In this way, neither party needs to sacrifice much, but both step closer to passing their respective platform laws.

When a bill is gridlocked, this perfectly legal maneuver can help nudge things toward a decision. Critics, however, argue over whether the practice is ethical in nature. What do you think? Is vote trading fair?

Logrolling isn't limited to politics, mind you. When two showbiz stars tweet out praise of one another -- in sync -- they may, in fact, be doing a little PR logroll. When you expect help on your homework in exchange for your own tutoring skills, that's logrolling, too. Playing co-wing(wo)men while playing the field? Well, that's just being good friends.

And here's a super GIANT log roll to get your Monday off and, um, rolling...

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