ccp gov and pol quest

national party convention

A national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules.

open primary

A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

direct primary

A primary where voters directly select the candidates who will run for office

party identification

An affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood. The best predictor of voting behavior in partisan candidate elections.

realigning election

An election during periods of expanded suffrage and change in the economy and society that proves to be a turning point, redefining the agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within parties.

political party

An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy.

various functions of political parties and impact on democracy

Functions Organize the competition-parties exist primarily as an organizing mechanisms to win elections and thus win control of the government. Unify the electorate- Parties are often accused of creating conflict, but they actually help unify the electorate and moderate conflict, at least within the party. Organize the government- Political parties in the united states are important when it comes to organizing state and national governments. Make policy- One of the great strengths of our democracy is that even the party that wins an election usually has to moderate what it does to win reelection. Public policy seldom changes dramatically after election, but the party that wins the election has a chance to enact its policies and campaign promises. Provide loyal opposition- The party out of power closely monitors and comments on the actions of the party in power, providing accountability. When national security is at issue or the country is under attack, parties restrain their criticism, as the democrats in congress did for some time after 911. Political Party Functions: Organize the competition - recruit and nominate candidates, fundraise for candidates, provide voter lists for candidates, provide volunteers for candidates, etc. Unify the electorate - the electorate is divided into two large nat'l parties through those parties reaching out to voters outside of party and not basing the party on single issues Organize the government - Congress and state legislatures (except Nebraska) are organized along party lines. The part that controls the White House/Governor's Mansion gets patronage where leaders can select party members as officials or judges Make policy - parties moderate what it does in order to be elected ----> limited success in setting the course of nat'l policy during terms Provide Loyal Opposition - party out of power actively criticizes the other, although there is a honeymoon following the new president's term where the press and Congress have positive relations with president despite party affiliation Political Parties hold caucuses in some states to nominate delegates and then those delegates vote in a party convention to then select the party candidates for political office...there are also direct primaries where the people vote for the party candidates directly Political Parties in Gov: Legislative - Congress members are influenced by part on how to vote and identify with party. Majority of party gets to pick leadership positions (like speaker of the house) Executive - Pres. selects most cabinet and advisors based on party Judicial - operates in a nonpartisan way, but the appointment is partisan State and Local - role of parties differ in the states (NY very strong, but Nebraska very weak). Local city councils are generally nonpartisan IMPACT: Peaceful transfer of power Policy does not change drastically because major parties take more moderate views Not all views are accurately represented in gov't When gov't is divided, process is slow for policy, and vice versa for unified Simplifies democracy for voters...many voters look for the R or D next to a candidate's name bc there are so many positions to vote for it is hard to read about all the candidates

hard money

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed. raising such limited funds was harder than raising unlimited soft money, hence the term hard money

various considerations that impact voting choices

Voting on basis of Party: Voting in an election based on your affiliation to your party. This increases the amount of the Independent party members. Voting on the Basis of Candidates: Voters select a candidate because of his or her candidate appeal: how voters feel about a candidate's background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities. Voting on the Basis of Issues: This is where voters favor a candidate because of his stance on a particular issue that they are passionate about. The stance of a politician on an issue can sway or take away voters for his cause. The impact of campaigns: campaigns give voters a firsthand look at their candidates and their issues. They persuade voters for their candidate or party. They give the voters a look at how politicians react to adversity, and show their stances on important issues. Forces that shape political attitudes: Family Schools Peers and friends Mass Media (remember to include selective exposure) Other influences (religious/ethnic) Voting on... Basis of party - party identification est. in childhood comes into play Basis of candidates - candidate appeal has an effect on voters. Candidates address voters directly, not always following party platform said Basis of issues - prospective issue voting (what a candidate promises) and retrospective issue voting (what an incumbent has already accomplished) Impact of campaigns - have become extremely competitive, negative, and personal (with many personal attacks). The drama associated with campaigns has led to more people involved and voting

dealignment

Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of independents.

conservatism

a belief in private property rights and free enterprise

liberalism

a belief that govt an bring ab justice and equality of opportunity

political ideology

a constant pattern of ideas or beliefs about political values and the role of govt, including how it should work and how it actually works

voter registration

a system designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote y submitting the proper documents, including proof of residency

nonpartisan election

an election in which candidates are not selected or endorsed by political parties and party affiliation is not listed on ballots

attentive public

citizens who follow public affairs regularly

a brief history of American political parties- describe in changes in political parties

despite their reservations ab political parties, the founders became early leaders of a two-party system since then, American parties have experienced critical elections and realignments. most political scientists agree that the last realignment occurred in 1932. during the last half century, the two parties have been fairly evenly matched with both parties able to win elections and with divided govt more common than unified govt party identification has remained the best predictor of voting choice and most Americans have a party preference, especially if independent learners are included with partisans Parties have always been the mechanism by which candidates for public offices are chosen, although parties have use various means to choose the candidates. For several decades, the CAUCUS method played a role in the pre revolutionary politics. (Caucus-a meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform). But this was later changed because of the caucus not being representative of the people where a party was in a minority or nonexistent, and because of "secret deal" accusations. During the 1830s and 40s, the system of PARTY CONVENTIONS was used (Party convention- a meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policiu and, in some cases, to select party candidates for public office.) Then the states adopted THE DIRECT PRIMARY, in which people could vote for the party's nominees for office, resulting in delegates having little freedom to change their votes during the convention, especially at the national level. First political parties Jefferson forms the Republicans to compete with Hamilton's Federalist party Republicans→ Democratic Republicans→ Democrats 1824: Andrew Jackson and the Democrats Jackson loses against Quincy Adams in 1824, but in 1828 wins presidency with the help of Van Buren Democrats had become a large, nationwide movement with national and state leadership, a clear party doctrine and a grassroots org. Whigs were nearly as strong Birth of 2 party system 1860: The Civil War and the Rise of the Republicans 1st repub. party lated barely a decade... slavery crisis evolved 2nd repub. Party 2nd repub party: "Grand Old Party" (GOP) Lincoln elected from it in 1860s, with support from financiers, industrialists, merchants, workers, and farmers Repub party kept winning, democrats survived in durable southern white male base 1896: A Party in Transition Caused by econ. Changes, industrialization= hard time for farmers Alliance between western & southern farmers and east & midwest workers suspended agrarian-fundamentalist views on life from creating tensions against industrial-progressive views Realignment was converting, it reinforced republican majority status 1932: Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal Alignment Great Depression= turning point... unemployment high, gross national profit falling Democrats swept into office due to anti-hoover, anti-republican sentiment and FDR's promise of "New Deal" Gov provides jobs to unemployed to stimulate econ. growth Although both parties @ time accepted most New Deal programs, vote on government involvement in economics remains a dividing factor between demo. (for) & repub. (against) today

are the political parties dying?- effects of recent parties, elections, projections

frequent efforts have been made to reform our parties the progressive movement saw parties as then organized, as an impediment to democracy and push direct primaries as a means to reform them following the 1968 election, the Democratic Party took the lead in pushing primaries and stressing greater diversity among the individuals elected as delegates republicans have also encouraged broader participation, and they have been improved their party structure finances. there has been some party renewal in recent years as party competition has grown in the south and the parties themselves have initiated reforms Parties have started to be staggered between states in the past few elections, lessening their ability to influence the election process. There is also an increase in nonpartisan elections. The rise of technology and different news outlets have caused many to learn their political views without the use of political parties. The DNC and the RNC have seen their influence shrink with the rise of wealthy individuals over the past recent elections. 1) parties do not make meaningful and contrasting positions on most issues 2) party membership is essentially meaningless 3) parties are so concerned with accommodating the middle of the ideological spectrum that are incapable of serving as an avenue for social progress 4) others argue that extremes have captured both parties and that is polarization results in deadlock in Congress and between Congress and the president Democrats and Republicans both have had reforms in their political party platforms over the years The rise of television and electronic technology and the parallel increase in the number of campaign, media, and direct-mail consultants have made parties less relevant in educating, mobilizing, and organizing the electorate. These same advancements in the media have strengthened the role of candidates and lessened the importance of parties.

divided govt

governance divided between the parties as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of congress

retrospective issue voting

holding incumbents, usually the president's party, responsible for their records on issues, such as the economy or foreign policy

candidate appeal

how voters fell ab a candidate's background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities

soft money

money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party-building purposes. now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts

participation: translating opinion into action- forms of political participation (voting)

one of the hallmarks of democracy is that citizens can participate in politics in a variety of ways citizens who are dissatisfied w govt can protest individual citizens participate by writing letters to elected officials, calling radio talk shows, serving as jurors, voting, or donating time and money to political campaigns the internet has allowed individuals to volunteer for comapigns in a wider variety of ways, to donate money more easily, and to produce content that can be uploaded onto the internet and viewed by any interested people better-educated, more affluent, older people, and those who are involved w parties and interest groups tend to vote more. the young vote the least voter turnout is usually higher in national elections than in state and local elections, higher in presidential elections that in midterm elections, and higher in general elections than in primary elections close elections generate interest an efforts to mobilize voters and thus have higher turnout than uncompetitive elections The public's opinion can turn into action through voting, internet political blogs, interest groups, political party meetings, petitions, call radio talk shows, etc. The idea of fair and free elections and peaceful transfer of powers has remained constant, but our ideals about suffrage has changed, and the role of voters has expanded (citizens can now directly vote in primaries). Registration for voting is a legal requirement, And it arose as a response to concerns about voting abuses; discouraging voting. participation begin to drop significantly around the 1900s as a result of electoral reforms. The national voter registration act allows People to register while renewing their driver's license, And welfare or disability offices, in schools, or in library or city offices. More new voters have registered when states have actively invited them to while renewing their driver's license. There is also absentee and early voting, which is voting early by mail instead of in person on election day. It has been used since the Civil War, and is more popular today because it increases voting turnout. With this however there is some potential abuse of process, some question if a person might cast the ballot of someone else or be bribed. Voting turnout is defined as the proportion of the voting age public that votes. As education increases, so does the propensity to vote; The idea to understand civic responsibility increases. Older people are more likely to vote, and in recent elections, both Democrats and Republicans have tried to gain the Hispanic vote. Also, since the 80s women have voted in more elections si older people are more likely to vote, and in recent elections, both Democrats and Republicans have tried to gain the Hispanic vote (Democrats do better with Hispanics, young voters, and women). Also, since the 80s women have voted in more elections than men, increasing level of education and employment. Candidates must and often mobilize their supporters by reaffirming support for issues that matter. 40% of eligible citizens feel to vote, and this is due simply to the fact of laziness. Voting Fair and frequent elections and peaceful transfer of power has remained a constant, but our ideas about suffrage has changed. Role of voters has expanded← citizens can directly vote in primaries Registration Legal requirement; arose as response to concerns about voting abuses Motor voter Allows people to register while renewing their driver's license More voters have registered when states actively have invited them to register while renewing license Absentee and early voting Vote early by mail instead of in person on election day; used since Civil War, more popular today Opponents worry about potential abuses of process; person may cast ballot as someone else Turnout Turnout- the proportion of the voting-age public that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote Who votes? As education increases, so does the propensity to vote; ability to understand complicated topics and civic duty Race correlates with education- in recent elections, both parties mounted effort to gain Hispanic votes Older people are more likely to vote than younger people Mobilization Candidates must mobilize most loyal voters "Battleground" states where race is close bombards voters with phone calls, etc. "Swing voters" are intensely courted through person-to-person contact

crossover voter

participation in the primary election of a party with which the voter is not affiliated

American parties today- functions as institutions, in govt, in electorate

parties play many diff roles. as institutions, they are governed by their national and state committees, which are led by the party chairs, and they recruit and elect candidates, promote their party's principles, and keep the party organized. in govt, congress is organized around parties, and judicial and many executive branch appts are based on a large part of partisanship. in the electorate, parties actively seek to organize elections, simply voting choices, and strengthen ind's party identification. in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of persons who call themselves independents. this trend is sometimes called dealignment, but mostly independents are closest partisans who vote fairly consistently or the party towards which they lean. Political parties perform an important task in government. They bring people together to achieve control of the government, develop policies favorable to their interests or the groups that support them, and organize and persuade voters to elect their candidates to office. With rare exceptions, the two major parties control the presidency, the Congress, the d the state legislatures. The number of independent or third-party members of Congress or of state legislatures is extremely low. In recent decades, increasing numbers of individual voters classify themselves as "independent," and they are permitted to register to vote as such in many states. Yet, according to opinion polls, even those who say that they are independents normally have partisan leanings toward one party or another. The standard arrangement for electing national and state legislators in the United States is the "single-member" district system, wherein the candidate who receives a plurality of the vote (that is, the greatest number of votes in the given voting district) wins the election. the Electoral College system for choosing presidents: Under the Electoral College system, Americans, technically, do not vote directly for the president and vice president. Instead, they vote within each state for a group of "electors" who are pledged to one or another presidential candidate. The Republican and Democratic parties both seek broad-based support, and tend to draw voters from across economic classes and demographic groups. With the exception of African-American and Jewish voters — the vast majority of whom usually vote for the Democratic presidential candidate — both parties draw significant levels of support from virtually every major socioeconomic group in society. The parties also exhibit flexibility with respect to policy positions and do not generally enforce a strict adherence to an ideology or a set of policy goals. Rather, they have traditionally been concerned first and foremost with winning elections and controlling the elective branches of government. Institutions: National party convention: A national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses (meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office & to decide the platform), or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules. Supreme authority in both major parties In charge of national party= national committee, which both parties has strengthened National Chair= head official of each party, elected by national committee The typical party platform —the official statement of party policy that hardly anyone reads—is often a vague and ponderous document, the result of many meetings and compromises between groups and individuals Because the nominee does not always control the platform-writing process, presidential candidates can disagree with their own party platform Each state has a state committee headed by a state chair. State law determines the composition of the state committees and regulates them. Despite much state-to-state variation, the trend is toward stronger state organizations, with Republicans typically being much better funded. Some states have significant minor parties Local committees follow same trend as national and state committees Government: Political parties help bridge the separation of powers and facilitate coordination between levels of government in a federal system. In legislative branch: Congress members power and influence are determined by whether their party is in control of the House or Senate; they also have a stake in which party controls the White House. Political parties help bridge the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches by creating partisan incentives to cooperate. Partisanship can also help unify the two houses of Congress In executive branch: Presidents select nearly all senior White House staff and cabinet members from their own party. Few who are from opposite party show bipartisanship In judicial branch: designed to operate in an expressly nonpartisan manner. But the appointment process for judges has always been partisan: Marbury v Madison concerned Federalists' efforts to stack the judiciary with fellow partisans before leaving office @ state & local levels: In some states local parties play an even stronger role than they do at the national level, in others parties play almost no role But in most states and many cities, parties are important to the operation of the legislature, governorship, or mayoralty. Judicial selection in most states is also a partisan matter. Electorate: For citizens in most states, "party" has a particular legal meaning— party registration . When voters register to vote in these states, they are asked to state their party preference The purpose of party registration is to limit the participants in primary elections to members of that party and to make it easier for parties to contact people who might vote for their party. Party regulars place the party first They value winning elections and realize that it is important to keep the party together because a fractured party only helps the opposition. Candidate activists are followers of a particular candidate who see the party as the means to elect their candidate Issue activists wish to push the parties in a particular direction on a single issue or a narrow range of issues they want the party to endorse their position.

voting choices- why people vote the way they do, different considerations

party identification remains the most important element in determining how people vote it represents a long-term attachment and is a 'lens' through which votes view candidates and issues as they make their voting choices candidate appeal, including character and record, is another key factor in voter choice less frequently, voters decided on the basis of issues Voting on basis of Party: Voting in an election based on your affiliation to your party. This increases the amount of the Independent party members. Voting on the Basis of Candidates: Voters select a candidate because of his or her candidate appeal: how voters feel about a candidate's background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities. Voting on the Basis of Issues: This is where voters favor a candidate because of his stance on a particular issue that they are passionate about. The stance of a politician on an issue can sway or take away voters for his cause. The impact of campaigns: campaigns give voters a firsthand look at their candidates and their issues. They persuade voters for their candidate or party. They give the voters a look at how politicians react to adversity, and show their stances on important issues. voting on the basis of party Party identification- an affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood We most often vote for a person from the parties we prefer Voting on the basis of candidates Candidate appeal- how voters feel about a candidate's background, personality, leadership, ability, and other qualities Candidates make their case directly to voters, not depending on party to build a coalition of supporters Voting on the basis of issues Less influential, but important Wedge issues that oppose opposite party on purpose Prospective issue voting- voting based on what a candidate pledges to do about an issue if elected Retrospective issue voting- holding incumbents, usually the president's party responsible for their records on issues, such as the economy and foreign policy Impact of campaigns Memorable and persuasive campaigns; intensely competitive, negative and personal Process has become more democratic→ more to vote on than ever before

forming political opinions and values- forces that create and shape political attitudes

peoples political attitudes form early in life, mainly through the influence of family schools, the media, social groups, and changing personal and national circumstances can cause attitudes to change, although most of our political opinions remain constant throughout life most people fo not follow politics and govt closely and have little knowledge of political issues Family: most powerful socializing agent. Attitudes: An individual's propensity to perceive, interpret, or act toward a particular object in a particular way. These attitudes are usually similar to that of their parents. Schools: U.S. schools see their purpose as preparing children to be ready to participate in the government. Extremely important in fostering later political involvement. Peers and friends: peers and friends are extremely important to young people as they adapt and try to fit in at school and in their lives. Sometimes the opinions of friends contrast those of family. Mass Media: Media is all around everyone through forms of tv, newspaper, and the internet. This holds a big share of what individuals are exposed to. Selective exposure also plays a big role in the data they are presented. Religion, Race, and ethnicity: These groups can make a person feel obligated to conform or vote to the race or religious beliefs. Family: Parents usually shape the political beliefs of their children based on how active they are in politics and if they Schools: Teach students U.S. history- important facts about American history, then to Gov class Influence the knowledge young people need to have in order to want to vote or get involved with American politics Peers/friends: People are influenced by their peers, esp. in college Technology has expanded interaction with peers→ political participation seems limited to Internet only Mass media: Selective exposure- Individuals choosing to access media with which they agree or avoiding media with which they disagree Agents of political socialization by exposing individuals to the values and behavior of others Other influences: Religious, ethnic, and racial backgrounds, and workplace Generalizations of races or religious voting for certain parties is not always true

what parties do for democracy- identify primary party functions

political parties are essential to democracy. they simplify voting choices, organize electoral competition, unity the electorate, help organize govt by riding the separation of powers and fostering cooperation among branches of govt, translate public preference into policy, and provide loyal opposition Bring people together to achieve control of the government, develop policies favorable to their interests or the groups that support them, and organize and persuade voters to elect their candidates to office. They nominate candidates for public office, and represent groups of interest, simplify choices, and make policies Points: Party labels typically help voters get a sense for the candidates; without knowing anything about the individual candidate, voters can make reliable assumptions about the candidate's stance on issues based on his or her political party Organizes and simplifies choices Well established parties promote peaceful transfer of power Organize the competition: Organizing mechanism to win elections and thus win control of govt→ recruit and nominate candidates for office; register and activate voters, and help candidates by training them, raising money for them, providing them with research and voter lists, and enlisting volunteers to work for them Nonpartisan elections- an election in which candidates are not selected or endorsed by a party, and party affiliation is not listed on ballots. i.e. judicial elections Note: less people tend to vote in nonpartisan elections Unify the electorate: Parties help unify the electorate and moderate conflict, at least within party To win elections, parties need to reach out to voters outside their party and gain support Parties have a strong incentive to resolve their internal differences and come together to take on the opposition Parties hope that if voters disagree with the party's stand on one issue, they will still support it because they agree on other issues Organize the govt: Congress & most state legislatures are organized along party lines: the party with the most votes in each chamber elects the officers of that chamber, selects committee chairs and has a majority on all the committees Patronage- the dispensing of govt jobs to persons who belong to the winning party Patronage provides an incentive for people to become engaged in politics and gives party leaders and elected politicians loyal partisans in key positions to help them achieve their policy objectives Importance has dramatically declined due to civil service reform Make policy: A party that wins an election usually has to moderate what it does to win reelection; Party that wins one election has a chance to enact its policies and campaign promises European system= Candidates run on specific party platforms that are expected to be implemented into office American system= candidate centered, we have candidate politics rather than party politics Because American parties do not control nominations, they are less able to discipline members who express views contrary to those of the party. politicians are nominated largely on the basis of their qualifications and personal appeal, not party loyalty. Thus, party leaders cannot guarantee passage of their program, even if they are in the majority Provide loyal opposition: The party out of power closely monitors and comments on the actions of the party in power, providing accountability. When national security is at issue or the country is under attack, parties restrain their criticism Honeymoon- period at beginning of a new president's term during which the president enjoy generally positive relations with press and Congress→ 6 months These have grown shorter in past decades as political parties grow more passionate/competitive Early success in enacting policy can prolong the honeymoon; mistakes or controversies can shorten it.

public opinion: taking the pulse of the people- describe Ley dimensions of polling and impact

public opinion is the distribution across the population of a comely combination of view and attitudes that individuals hold, and we measure it through careful, unbiased, random selection surveys public opinion takes on qualities of intensity, latency, consensus, and polarization- each of which is affected by people's feelings about the salience of issues sometimes, politicians follow prevailing public opinion on policy questions in other cases, they attempt to lead public opinion toward diff policy option major events, such as economic crisis and wars, affect both public opinion and govt policy citizens who wish to affect opinion, policy, or both, can take action by voting or engaging in other forms of political participation Public opinion: The distribution of individual preferences for or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population Key Dimensions: Intensity: A measure of how strongly an individual holds a particular opinion. Latency: Political opinions that are held but not yet expressed. Salience: An individual's belief that an issue is important or relevant to him or her. You can measure public opinion through the use of: Polls, interest groups, panel surveys. These are with a random sample which means that every individual has a known and equal chance of being selected. These also use a margin of error which shows that the survey or poll is accurate within a certain range. Public opinion: Public opinion- the distribution of individual preferences for or evalulations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population Measuring Public Opinion Random samples, open-ended ?'s, margin errors Intensity: Measure of how strongly an individual holds on a particular opinion, measured by asking people their opinions Latency: Political opinions that are held but not yet exposed Set rough boundaries for leader's who know that, if they take certain actions, they will trigger either opposition or support Salience: Individual's belief that an issue is important or relevant to him or her Ex: 1930's= Great Depression, so their main focus was to bring America out of economic despair Public policy Political ideology- a constant pattern of ideas or beliefs about political values and the role of govt, including how it should work and how it actually does work Elected officials focus on issues of importance to the public (polls)

political ideology and attitudes toward govt- comparison of two popular ideologies

the 2 most important ideologies in American politics are liberalism, a belief that govt can and should help achieve justice and equality of opportunity critics of liberalisms contend that liberals, by favoring govt solution to problems, limit the capacity of markets to function well and create large and unmanageable beaurcracies and conservatism, a belief in limited govt to ensure order, competitive markers, and personal opportunity while relying on free markets, and personal opportunity while relying on free markets and individual initiative to solve social and economic problems critics of conservatisms contend that some problems require govt to become part of the solution and that too much faith in the market to solve problem is mislead Liberalism: A belief that government can bring about justice and equality of opportunity. Promote individual choice and tax that rises with income. Want the government to counteract the shortcomings of capitalism. Want equality for all and are very adamant on social issues. However, too much reliance on government can corrupt the spirit and undermine self-reliance. Conservatism: A belief in private property rights and free enterprise. Protect the nation from enemies, promote law and order, competitive markets (free trade), and promote family values. Extremely pro-business, believe the market, not the government, should provide services. Want small national governmental power. Social conservatism: focuses less on the economy and more on morality and lifestyle. Critics say conservatism wants more governmental power when it comes to their own laws. Also rely too much on the economy. Socialism: a governmental system where some of the means of production are controlled by the state and where the state provides ket human welfare like health care and old age assistance. Allows for free markets in other activities Communism: A belief that the state owns property in common for all people and a single political party that represents the working classes controls the government. Libertarianism: A belief in limiting government to such vital activities as national defense while fostering individual liberty. Unlike conservatives, libertarians oppose all government regulation even of personal morality. Liberalism: Liberalism- govt can bring justice and equality of opportunity Preserve the rights of the individual and the right to own private property, limited gov, and sought to protect people from governmental harassment in their political and economic lives Conservatism: Conservatism- belief in property rights and free enterprise Keep gov small but support strong national defense People need strong leadership, firm laws, and strict moral codes Socialism Communism libertarianism

public opinion

the distribution of individual preferences for or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population

political socialization

the process-most notably in families and schools- by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs

turnout

the proportion of the voting-age public that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote

prospective issue voting

voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future ab an issue if elected

how parties raise and spend money- party fundraising, expenditure, regulation

w the rise of soft money in the 1990s ad the early 2000s, parties had more resources to spend on politics in 2002, congress passed the bipartisan campaign reform act (BCRA), which banned soft money except for some narrowly defined and limited activities. the parties adapted to BCRA by building a larger ind donor base. donors wanting to spend more than the BCRA limits did so in 2008 through a range of interest groups, many of which ran parallel campaigns w the candidates and parties Candidates aren't the only ones raising record amounts of cash -- the political parties collect hundreds of millions of dollars each election cycle. The parties may only raise "hard money," which is given by individuals and political action committees and is subject to federal contribution limits. Until November 2002, the parties also could raise unlimited "soft money" from corporations, labor unions, and wealthy individuals. Political parties advertise, fundraise. The money can go to multiple places, sometimes to make new advertisements (online or through the mail) or for candidate's personal needs (things like transportation, etc). Soft Money- Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party- building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts. Hard Money- Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed. Raising such limited funds was harder than raising unlimited soft money, hence the term hard money. Party-independent expenditures- spending by political party committees that is independent of the candidate. The spending occurs in relatively few competitive contests and is often substantial