Poli Sci Final Exam Masthay

proportional allocation

used to divide each state's delegate seats between the candidates; thus if a candidate receives 40 percent of the votes in a state's primary, the candidate gets roughly 40 percent of the convention delegates from that state.

Bradley Effect

(Social desirability bias)

value added vote

- 3 member district - values how many ballots a candidate appears on

Slant

- A media outlet provides either favorable or unfavorable coverage about certain people and issues - Many media organization often accused of this (ex: New York Times & MSNBC depicted as liberals and Fox News depicted as conservatives)

Third Party System (1857-1896)

- Democrats v. Republicans (r. dominant) - slavery & reconstruction were the biggest issues - Reps shut out of the south - rise of political machines

Second Party System (1828-1856)

- Democrats vs. Whigs - characterized by the creation of the modern political party (dem) - the party exists as an organization (spoils system) - Whigs broke apart b/c of disagreement about slavery

Fifth Party System (1933-1969)

- Dems dominant - obvious realignment - scope of the federal gov was the major cleavage - dems had broad support in N & S - New Deal coalition and union members, catholics, Jews, African Americans, White Southerners, etc.

Fourth Party System (1897-1932)

- Dems v. Reps - balancing out of the parties - reps became more economically 'conservative' and pushed for industrialization - southerners still wouldn't vote for republicans - ended with the Depression

Sixth Party System

- Dems v. reps - non-southern Dems became more liberal on racial issues - split the dem party in half - "We have lost the South for a generation" (LB) - Solid south was crystallized in the 1990's

Framing

- Happens alongside priming - Tells the story from a certain perspective, helping provide a "frame" through which people view the issue

Party Organizations

- Headed by the national committee - State and local parties are underneath - They recruit candidates, raise money, build consensus on issues - set rules to pick presidential candidate - will work in tandem with PACs and 527's but aren't apart of the official party apparatus

2013 IRS Targeting Scandal

- IRS investigated several groups applying for tax exempt status - Disproportionately targeted politically conservative groups - Ultimately nothing came from it

1936 Election

- Literary Digest Poll ~ 2.4 million respondents - Prediction: Landon wins with 57% of the popular vote and 370 electors - results: FDR 27,751,597 (60.8%), Landon 16,679,583 (36.5%)

How do elections work?

- No direct democracy - Yes representative democracy - selection of officeholders is their most visible function - House (435, every 2 yrs), Senate (100, every 6 yrs), President (1, every 4 yrs)

cumulative voting

- One 3 member district - Voters can distribute 3 votes however they like, including voting the same candidate multiple times - Measures strength of support

Priming

- The stage after agenda setting - The media assigns a level of importance to an issue it is covering - EX; Brussels attack was a lead story on essentially every mass media outlet

Voter Restrictions

- US citizen - 18 years of age - residency requirement - felons can't vote

Party in the electorate

- citizens who identify with a party - party id, party id, party id is a crucial variable to explain voting behavior - through the portion of people who identify with a party has declined, independents often have a de facto party id

Polarization

- does it exist among the population? - depends on how the questions are asked - why are we so polarized?

inside lobbying

- done on the ground in Washington D.C. - "direct lobbying" - most lobbying is done towards those who already agree with the interest group - most groups can't exploit the rules - Interest groups hire experts, who can provide crucial information for members of Congress - These research teams lend credibility to interest groups, which is the best currency on Capitol Hill

Single issue groups

- focuses on a very narrowly defined portfolio EX: National Rifle Association, National Abortion Rights Action League

Group identity

- gender, race, education - people may rely on people who "look like them" for opinions

Public Opinion

- many opinions are latent - come as a result of on the spot decision making - people haven't thought much about parties

Agenda setting

- media outlets choose which stories to cover - however, most stories are not covered by mass media - "Media does not tell us what to think, but rather what to think about"

Electioneering

- one of the major functions of interest groups - they make contributions - endorse candidates - run ad's

Three roles of parties

- party organization: people who work for party - party in governments: people who serve as an elected party member - party in the electorate: people who identify

Policy mood

- reflects what types of policies will be favored by Americans - large swings observes before changes in the party composition of major political institutions

Government groups

- represents the interest of governments to other governments - A part of the federalist structure - EX: National Governors Association

How do we get these ideas?

- socialization - political events - group identity

outside lobbying

- tactics employed outside of capitals, but still with the goal of policy influence in mind - "grassroots lobbying": Relies on group members to participate (e.g. through a protest) •Done to gain attention from the government and media coverage - Astroturf lobbying - A group makes it looks like there is spontaneous independent participation from a lot of people (e.g. blast emails) - Electioneering activities count as outside activities for groups

Disenchantment w/ gov

- the paradox inherent in these opinions - high marks for their own representative - leads to the reelection rate of MC's - appears to be an intractable problem

Labor Organizations

- works for labor union formation, working conditions, collective bargaining rights, etc. EX: National Education Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

First Party System (1789-1828)

-Feds. vs. Dem-Reps - constitutional questions about the role of states becomes a theme - Party System 1.5 - Era of good feelings - economic issues becomes a theme

Voting Rights

1787: no federal law, left to the states to decide (they decided on white, land owning males only) 1828 - 1856: Universal white male suffrage 1870: 15th amendment ratified 1890: Wyoming is the first to extend franchise to women 1920: 19th Amendment ratified 1924: native american citizenship allowed 1952: Asian American citizenship allowed 1961: 23rd Amendment ratified 1964: 24th Amendment ratified 1965: Voting Rights Act passed 1971: 26th Amendment (18 yrs & up)

sampling error

A calculation that describes what percentage of the people surveyed may not accurately represent the population being studied. Increasing the number of respondents lowers the sampling error.

realignment

A change in the size or composition of the party coalitions or in the nature of the issues that divide the parties. Realignments typically occur within an election cycle or two, but they can also occur gradually over the course of a decade or longer.

cohort effect

A cohort effect is the particular impact of a group bonded by time or common life experience

caucus (electoral)

A local meeting in which party members select a party's nominee for the general election. EX: Iowa

party platform

A set of objectives outlining the party's issue positions and priorities. Candidates are not required to support their party's platform.

"right to work" laws

According to the Legal Defense Foundation, right to work laws prohibit union security agreements, or agreements between employers and labor unions, that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees' membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment, either before or after hiring. Right-to-work laws do not aim to provide general guarantee of employment to people seeking work, but rather are a government regulation of the contractual agreements between employers and labor unions that prevents them from excluding non-union workers, or requiring employees to pay a fee to unions that have negotiated the labor contract all the employees work under.

fairness doctrine

An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to present several points of view to ensure balanced coverage. It was created in the late 1940s and eliminated in 1987.

equal time provision

An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to provide equal airtime on any non-news programming to all candidates running for an office.

citizen interest groups

An interest group is an organization of people who share a common interest and work together to protect and promote that interest by influencing the government. Interest groups vary greatly in size, aims, and tactics. - claim to speak for the public - some ideological, some are not - EX: Family Research Council, Green Peace, Citizens United

super PAC

An interest group or a division of an interest group that can raise money to contribute to campaigns or to spend on ads in support of candidates. The amount a PAC can receive from each of its donors and the amount it can spend on federal campaigning are strictly limited. - Advantage: Can spend unlimited amounts on electioneering; can support or oppose specific candidates. - Disadvantage: Cannot make contributions to candidates or coordinate efforts with candidates or parties

latent public opinion

An opinion formed on the spot, when it is needed (as distinct from a deeply held opinion that is stable over time).

What is an interest group?

An organization of people who share common political interests and aim to influence public policy by electioneering and lobbying EX: NRA, PETA, ASPCA, YMCA, Girls Scouts, AAA

political machine

An unofficial patronage system within a political party that seeks to gain political power and government contracts, jobs, and other benefits for party leaders, workers, and supporters. *Different from spoils system* receive rewards due to effort

direct lobbying

Attempts by interest group staff to influence policy by speaking with elected officials or bureaucrats.

selective incentives

Benefits that can motivate participation in a group effort because they are available only to those who participate, such as member services offered by interest groups. Example: bumper sticker

Centralized vs. Confederation

Centralized groups have a national headquarters (usually in D.C.) where all of the resources go. Most well known interest groups operate this way Confederation has several chapters throughout the country. Easier to find out what their members want and believe

media conglomerates

Companies that control a wide range of news sources.75 Today, all four major television networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox) are part of larger companies that own many other broadcast and cable stations, movie production and distribution companies, radio stations, newspapers, and other media outlets.

soft money

Contributions that are not used to help a specific candidate. A 527 organization (the number refers to a provision in IRS regulations) can raise unlimited so-called soft money from individuals or corporations for voter mobilization and for issue advocacy, but these expenditures must not be coordinated with a candidate or a party.

solid south

During the New Deal Coalition, southern whites realized they didnt have alligning views so they split into the repulbican party because they were in favor of segregation. The South then only elected Republicans and prevented any African Americans to elect democrats, turned into a crystalized party for the south

Regulation of the Media

Federal Communication Commission (FCC) regulates broadcast media and the use of the "F" word

direct democracy

Government by the people. In most contexts, this means representative democracy in which the people elect leaders to enact policies. Democracies must have fair elections with at least two alternatives.

Ralph Nader

Green Party nominee during Gore/Bush election

Iron triangle

In United States politics, the iron triangle comprises the policy-making relationship among the congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups.

nationalized election

Nationalized or "wave" elections are atypical congressional elections in which the reelection rate is relatively low for one party's House and Senate incumbents and national-level issues exert more influence than usual on the House and Senate races. Such elections generally occur when a large number of voters switch to using the anti-party-in-power cue, which leads them to vote against candidates from the president's party.

voting cues

Pieces of information about a candidate that are readily available, are easy to interpret, and lead a citizen to decide to vote for a particular candidate.

retrospective voting

Retrospective voting refers to voting made after taking into consideration factors like the performance of a political party, an officeholder, and/or the administration. It presumes that people are more concerned with policy outcomes than policy instruments. There are two types of retrospective voting. They are based on simple retrospective evaluations based mainly on direct experience with personal finance, war, civil rights, and the like. Another is based on mediated retrospective evaluations which are those evaluations that depend on some intermediary.

undervotes

Such undervotes can happen when a voter casts an unmarked ballot, votes in some races on the ballot but not others, or casts a ballot that cannot be counted for some reason. And ballot counting itself adds more complexities. Most states have laws that allow vote recounts if a race is sufficiently close (typically within 1 percent or less).

democratic/republican national conventions

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention. The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions of the United States Republican Party since 1856. ... Some 2,472 delegates have attended the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, July 18-21 to select the presidential nominee.

ideological polarization

The effect on public opinion when many citizens move away from moderate positions and toward either end of the political spectrum, identifying themselves as either liberals or conservatives.

Federal Election Commission

The government agency that enforces and regulates election laws; made up of six presidential appointees, of whom no more than three can be members of the same party.

party in government

The group of officeholders who belong to a specific political party and were elected as candidates of that party.

party coalition

The groups that identify with a political party, usually described in demographic terms such as African American Democrats or evangelical Republicans.

party principle

The idea that a political party exists as an organization distinct from its elected officials or party leaders.

coattails

The idea that a popular president can generate additional support for candidates affiliated with his or her party. Coattails are weak or nonexistent in most American elections.

Free rider problem

The incentive to benefit from others' work without making a contribution, which leads individuals in a collective action situation to refuse to work together. We suffer bc it is in everyone's own interest to let someone else do the work while shirking the work oneself, the danger is that no one will contribute, even though everyone wants the outcome that collective contributions would create

policy mood

The level of public support for expanding the government's role in society; whether the public wants government action on a specific issue.

spoils system

The practice of rewarding party workers/supporters with benefits like federal government positions.

political socialization

The process by which an individual's political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture.

26th Amendment

The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

Duverger's Law

The theory that elections in political systems like the United States' tend to favor the two major parties, making it very hard for a third party to win.

single member district plurality election

This means that the states are divided into districts and each district elects one representative. The candidate with the most votes - not necessarily a majority - is elected. Whether the U.S. single-member district system performs poorly or well is largely in the eye of the beholder but its presumed deficiencies are easily exaggerated.

501(c)(3)

a designation based on their Internal Revenue Service classification, which means that donations to the group are tax-deductible. However, 501(c)(3) organizations must not engage in any political activities or lobbying (other than certain voter education programs or voter registration drives that are conducted in a nonpartisan manner—although some groups are always looking for loopholes in these restrictions). Groups that want to engage in lobbying or electioneering without looking for exceptions can incorporate under other IRS designations and operate as a political action committee (PAC), a 527 organization, or a 501(c)(4) organization.

new deal coalition

a series of federal programs designed to stimulate the national economy, help needy people, and impose a variety of new regulations. Debate over the New Deal brought together the New Deal Coalition of African Americans, Catholics, Jewish people, union members, and white southerners, who became strong supporters of Democratic candidates over the next generation. This transformation established the basic division between the parties that exists to the present day

paradox of voting

also called Downs paradox, is that for a rational, self-interested voter, the costs of voting will normally exceed the expected benefits. Because the chance of exercising the pivotal vote (i.e., in an otherwise tied election) is minuscule compared to any realistic estimate of the private individual benefits of the different possible outcomes, the expected benefits of voting are less than the costs. Formula: R = (B*P) - C This will always be a negative outcome

Proportional representation

an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them. In order to achieve this fair representation, all PR systems have certain basic characteristics — characteristics that set them apart from our current election system. First, they all use multi-member districts. Instead of electing one person in each district, as we do here in the U.S., several people are elected. These multi-member districts may be relatively small, with only three or four members, or they may be larger, with ten or more members. The second characteristic of all PR systems is that they divide up the seats in these multi-member districts according to the proportion of votes received by the various parties or groups running candidates.

public opinion

describes what the population thinks about politics and government—what government should be doing, evaluations of what government is doing, and judgments about elected officials and others who participate in the political process—as well as the wider set of beliefs that shape these opinions.

"The revolving door"

elected to congress, serve and leave, and then get paid to work for lobbyists

hard money

funds that can be used to help elect or defeat a specific candidate (donations to the primaries and general elections count separately).

single transferable vote

is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through ranked voting in multi-seat organizations or constituencies - 3 member district - Lowest first place vote getters eliminated after each round - Those who voted for an eliminated candidate as 1st preference has 2nd preference 'transferred' to 1st preference - Allows for people to vote for their conscience

democratic congressional campaign committee

is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruit candidates, raise funds, and organize races in districts that are expected to yield politically notable or close elections.

Coercion

labor unions can force you to join EX: Ford workers have to be with UAW However, 'right to work' laws have made this illegal

era of good feelings

marked a period in the political history of the United States that reflected a sense of national purpose and a desire for unity among Americans in the aftermath of the War of 1812. The era saw the collapse of the Federalist Party and an end to the bitter partisan disputes between it and the dominant Democratic-Republican Party during the First Party System. President James Monroe strove to downplay partisan affiliation in making his nominations, with the ultimate goal of national unity and eliminating parties altogether from national politics. The period is so closely associated with Monroe's presidency (1817-1825) and his administrative goals that his name and the era are virtually synonymous.

Representative democracy

the people elect representatives who decide policies and pass laws rather than determining those things directly. There are some examples of direct democracy in the United States, such as the New England town meeting and the referendum process, in which people in a state directly determine policy.

Partisan identification

the political party in which an individual identifies with