POLS 1402H - Intro to American Politics: Final Exam Questions

Katherine J. Cramer argues that:

"rural consciousness" 1. perception of power - who makes the decisions/ who chooses what to discuss 2. perception of values and lifestyle 3. perception of resources and who gets what She argues that "rural consciousness" acts as a lens through which rural residents a social identity and as a lens through which they "think about themselves, other people, and public affairs."[4] According to Cramer, a driver of political sentiment in rural Wisconsin is the beliefs among voters such as "I'm not getting my fair share of power, stuff or respect" and "All the decisions are made in Madison and Milwaukee and nobody's listening to us".[3][5] Cramer has found this "rural resentment" comes partly from changes to rural life and partly from massive changes in the economy.[6] Rural people, she asserts, feel overlooked and disrespected by elites; they work hard, yet they see the "good life" is passing them by, which is one reason why they voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election.[5]

Larry Bartels argues that:

-Whats the matter with whats the matter with Kansas -working class is more socially conservative but mostly democratic -economic inequality is a political phenominon -more economic inequality during republic, less economic inequality during democratic

Efforts to reduce the "cost" of voting in American elections have included:

-making transportation free

A key change in American media that, in the view of many analyists, fuels populist political movements, has been:

-media forces driving people into self-reinforcing social groups that see others as their enemies rather than as potential partners facing similar, if distinct, economic and social challenges.

A key goal of the Affordable Care Act (also known as "Obamacare") has been to:

-reform private insurance marker -make affordable health care available to more people -expand medicaid programs to cover all adults lower than the federal poverty level -support innovative medical care methods that lower the price of medical care generally

Robert Dahl argues that which of the following is an "undemocratic element" of the U.S. Constitution, as origanlly proposed in 1787?

-tolerance of slavery -suffrage -election of president -representation in senate -election of senators -judicial power -limitation od congressional power

Essay: "Our Constitution, which rightly protects property rights, more fundamentally protects human rights." Do you agree? Cite and discuss two provisions of the Constitution and/or its amendments that deal with property rights, and two that deal with human rights. Indicate whether and why you think it is or is not appropriate that the COnstituion protect property rights, and whether and why you think it is or is not appropriate that the Constitution protect human rights.

...Property rights 4th amendment - protect americans from unreasonable searches and siezures 5th amendment - 2 ways

What is the best thing about the American political process? What is the worst thing?

...checks and balances

Each of the following Constitutional amendments dealt, at least in part, with the issue of racial discrimination except the:

5th 14th 13th 15th

A UConn student, accused of underage drinking at a University-sponsered concert, is held on $1 million bail. He might challenge the Constitutionality of this level of bail based on which Constitutional amendment?

8th

Most of the civil liberties protections outlined in the Bill of Rights have been applied to the states, due to Supreme Court interpretations of the ________ Amendment.

14th

Each of the following Constitutional amendments has as its purpose expanding access to voting rights except:

15th 19th

A speaker at a student-sponsored UConn event arguing against gun safety regulations and against federal efforts to control the sale of alcoholic beverages might reasonably argue that her rights and arguments are protected and/or supported by which amendments to the Constitution?

1st amendment

In the last three American presidential elections, approximately ____ of the eligible citizens have actually voted.

58%

What is the current legal status of capital punishment in the United States?

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the United States, currently used by 31 states, the federal government, and the military

The right of citizens to privately own handguns was affirmed in the Supreme Court's decision in which of the following cases?

District of Columbia v. Heller

The "free rider problem" concerns:

Free rider problem -people not contributing but enjoying the benefit from the collective

Essay: Many argue that the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment are not, in fact, as broad as they seem on first reading. For any two of these rights, discuss the restrictions imposed by Congress, the Supreme Court, or the Executive branch. Briefly summarize the arguments for and against these limitations.

Free speech -false statements of fact -obscenity --> Miller v California - speech is unprotected if the average person would find them obscene/if they are patently offensive to community standards/if the work lacks value -child pornography -fighting words and offensive speech --> Chaplinsky v new Hampshire -restriction on speech owned by others - plagerism freedom of assembly: -cannot be violent -law can constrict when you gather - police department can control and prevent -permit -private property is exempt -based on free speech - Village of Skokie v. National Socialist Party (1978) denied based on the content of their message

Which of the following describes the legal status of racial segregation at the end of the nineteenth century (late 1890s)?

Jim Crow Laws -Plessy v Fergenson Seperate but equal

People who espouse a libertarian ideology might find intellectual support for their philosophy in the writings of:

Locke

According to Suzanne Mettler, the "submerged state" refers to:

existing politics that lay beneath the surface of U.S. market institutions and within the federal tax system -federal policies that function by providing incentives, subsidies, or payments to private organizations or households to encourage them for conducting activities deemed to serve a public purpose -operate through indirect means like tax breaks or payments

The decline of "civic life" in the United States is a central thesis of:

Robert Putnam - Bowling Alone: The collapse and revival of American Community

The "Lemon test" is the term for the Supreme Court's doctrine in:

The Lemon Test is used to determine if a law violates the 1st Amendment. rules of the test: ... tests may be gleaned from our cases. First, the statute must have a secular legislative purpose; second, its principal or primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion; finally, the statute must not foster an excessive government entanglement with religion.

In Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) the Supreme Court upheld:

United States Supreme Court ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in a 5-4 decision

Essay: Why do some issues make it onto the "public agenda" while others do not? Give an example of an issue that did make it onto the agenda and explain what made this happen. Give another example of an issue that might be important to some people but never got that far. What does this comparison say about how well the American political system is living up to such core democratic principles as political equality, political freedom, and majority rule?

WOmens rights -campaign for the 19th amendment -desired all womens suffrage -even went as far as to side with the white southern racists the wanted white women to vote to counter-balance the black citizens allowed to vote from the 15th amendment -seneca falls convention -universal sufferagists campagin - lost momentum to the civil war - regained it - lost momentum to WWI - regained it showing that women were just as patriotic as men Marijuana legalization -interest groups that try to push it into the political agenda -pushed out by "war on drugs" -"even though it is on the political agenda" for some states, it is not a universal

Justice Potter Stewart's famous words, "I know it when I see it," were embodied in a Supreme Court ruling dealing with:

whether the state of Ohio could, consistent with the First Amendment, ban the showing of the Louis Malle film The Lovers (Les Amants), which the state had deemed obscene.

According to Walter Russell Mead, those who "believe that the United States has both a moral obligation and an important national interest in spreading American democratic and social values throughout the world" fall in the _________ camp.

Wilsonians

A nominating system in which members of each political party gather in small open meetings and choose delegates to county or regional conventions is a _______ system.

caucus

A primary election in which voters can only vote in the primary of the party in whcih he or she has previously registered is called a(n) _____ primary.

closed

According to Ken Kollman, the term "outside lobbying" refers to:

defined as attempts by interest group leaders to mobilize citizens outside of policymaking community to contact or pressure public officials inside the policymaking community

In 2001 Connecticut lost one seat in the House of Representatives. This was due to:

districts had to be redrawn because the census showed that Connecticut had not gained as many people as other states - therefore was losing one senator (6 to 5)

The words "interest group" and "lobby" dont appear in the COnstitution, yet some argue that interest groups and lobbyists are preforming a constitutionally-protected function. What is the Constitutional basis for lobbyists' activities or, more broadly, for the advocacy activities of interest groups? Do you agree with analysts who say that our democracy could not function without organized groups? What would the uNited States lose if there were no lobbyists?

free speech - first amendment interst groups and lobbyiests have a central concern and they work to influence government and gain support to change government policies that impact their concerns -despite complaints - they work closely with congress to draft legistlations -contribute and support campaigns (gain nominees support and funds) -difficult to identify segment of society not reflected in an interest group -not trying to be elected span from eithic to recreational - marijuana

In which relam - economic policy, social policy, or forgein policy - does American public policy seem most responsive to current public needs? In which realm is it least responsive? Indicate why, giving some specific examples to bolster your case.

most responsive - social policy -not nessecarily the fastest - but social policy has the most responses 13th, 14th, 15th amendments for black rights 19th amendment universal sufferage LGBTQ sam sex marriages -increased response due to the media taking a strong interest and being a strong focus Least responsive - economic policy poverty and number of homeless people are increasing minimum wage is impossible to live on trump attempting to retract obama care without a replacement plan tax plan all over the place without strongly informing the people about whats happenign

In Dynamics of the Party System James Sundquist writes about a hypothetical community whose citizens, fist divided into two parties over issues of public spending, then split into four different factions over the issue of:

projects funded by more taxes (ie dam)

The Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case (2010) dealth primarily with:

regulation of political campaign spending by organizations

In making appointments to the U.S. District Court, presidents often rely on the advice of:

senate

In Morse v. Frederick ("Bong Hits 4 Jesus") the Supreme Court majority held that:

that the First Amendment does not prevent educators from suppressing, at or across the street from a school-supervised event, student speech that is reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use.

Essay: Over the course of the term we made frequent references to the 2016 presidential Campaign and election. In theory, at least, one of the functions of the political process is to translate the public's wishes into reality. Do you agree with that as a criterion of evaluating the political process? Why or why not? In any event, how well, in your view, did the 2016 campaign meet the goal of translating public will into political reality? Framing and shaping the national debate? Producing clear outcomes? Maintaining the stability and credibility of the poltical system?

yes - one function is to reflect the peoples will I agree because the function of democracy is to give the people a voice and elect a leader that push forward their political agenda 2016 election in a sense failed to because 58 percen tof people came out to vote - les speople voting the less people are representing to majority, ALso donald trump won the electoral vote but hilary clinton won the popular vote. In this sense, the political representative is what failed. Donald trump and hilary had very different political agenda - diffrering in immigration, gun control, LGBTQ rights. The election created a greater national debate over the elctoral system, left the people grapeling for clear outcomes over who "won" the elction, and has increased the number of peopl ethat are suspicicous adn doubt th eintegrity and stability of the political system.