Gov. Chapter 8
How are critical elections and party realignments interrelated?
A party realignment occurs as a result of one or more critical elections and may be associated with a national crisis.
Which demographic group was a key part of the New Deal coalition?
African Americans
A major party realignment occurred during the initial election of President __________.
Franklin Roosevelt
Which president forged the New Deal coalition?
Franklin Roosevelt
Why are coalition governments so prevalent in parliamentary systems?
In a multiparty system with proportional representation, single parties usually do not win a majority of the seats.
Today's youngest voters are most likely to identify as __________.
Independents
What is a disadvantage of divided government?
It does not allow for clear accountability on policy.
Which statement best describes the functioning of party machines in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
Parties provided patronage jobs to loyal supporters, especially in urban areas.
The years 1860-1928 saw the dominance of which party?
Republicans
The New Deal coalition fell apart after nearly four decades of political control with the movement of __________ from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
Southern conservatives
Richard Nixon's __________ attempted to bring conservatives over to the Republican Party in what was a Democratic stronghold at the time.
Southern strategy
Which of the following is a potential danger associated with open primaries?
The other party can "raid" the primary to vote for the least viable candidate.
What important role do third parties play in American democracy?
They bring new voters into the electorate.
Which of these is an electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party may be displaced by the minority party?
a critical election
The shift in political coalitions that stemmed from the 1896 presidential election resulted in __________.
a party realignment
Which is not a true statement on congressional voting on Presidential agendas?
a president's wish is always respected by his party
The responsible party model implies that parties should __________.
adhere to the party platform
What is the party in the electorate?
all citizens who claim to be a member of a political party
Party dealignment is associated with __________.
an increase in divided government
The national __________ is the supreme power of the national party organization.
convention
Which has partly filled the void left by the decline of the urban party machine?
county parties
The late 1960s marked the start of __________.
dealignment
When can a party change its platform?
during its national party convention
Advocates of the responsible party model believe parties should craft a platform, candidates should run on that platform, and the majority party should __________.
implement it
Critics of the responsible party model claim that __________.
it is too simple for the complexity and diversity of American society
According to the Downs model, candidates are ideologically likely to place themselves __________.
near the center
A core function of political parties is __________.
nominating candidates
A key component of Anthony Downs's rational-choice model is that __________.
parties want to win office
The __________ is the formal structure of the political party that sets rules for party operations, pursues electoral victories, and keeps the party running between elections.
party as an organization
The __________ is the official statement of a political party's policy alternatives.
platform
What best explains the demise of party machines?
progressive reforms that instituted a merit-based hiring system
European democracies have more parties in positions of political power than does the United States because of their use of __________.
proportional representation
How is the national chair of the president's party selected?
selected by the president and routinely ratified by the national committee
The loyal opposition in the era of Democratic President Andrew Jackson was __________.
the Whig Party
One of the consequences of two-party government is __________.
the moderation of political conflict
Who runs the national party organizations between conventions?
the party's national committee
What does Ralph Nader's 2000 presidential election bid illustrate regarding the role of third parties?
third parties' potential to affect the outcome of the election
Part of Anthony Downs's rational-choice model is that __________.
voters want to maximize the chance that their preferred policies will be adopted by government
What is the most basic task of a political party?
winning elections
Of the following, who is most likely to split their ticket?
younger voters