Polisci Topic 3
The rallying cry for the 26th Amendment...
"If you're old enough to die, you're old enough to vote"
The three basic types of interest groups
1) Membership organizations 2) Nonmembership organizations 3) Government organization
Approximately how many nonmembership organizations are registered with the Texas Ethics Commission?
2,000
What percentage of party activists work within local political party organizations?
95 percent
The party realignment in 1896 was in part caused by...
A banking crisis that led to a depression
Geographic distribution
A characteristic of some interest groups, refers to the fact that the groups have members in all regions of the state
Public opinion poll
A device for measuring public opinion whereby a relatively small number of individuals (the sample) are interviewed for the purpose of estimating the opinions of a whole community (the population)
Apathy
A feeling of personal disinterest in or lack of concern
Alienation
A feeling of personal powerlessness that includes the notion that government does not care about the opinions of people like oneself
Primary election/direct primary
A form of election in which voters choose a party's nominees for public office. In most states, eligibility to vote in a primary election is limited to voters who designated themselves as party members when they registered to vote
Outside lobbying
A form of lobbying in which an interest group seeks to use public pressure as a means of influencing officials
Proportional representation system
A form of representation in which seats in the legislature are allocated proportionally according to each political party's share of the popular vote. This system enables smaller parties to compete successfully for seats
State party organizations are usually small and are directed by...
A full-time chairperson
Ideology
A general belief about the role and purpose of government
Trade association
A group that represents a specific industry
Agents of socialization: secondary agents
A less intimate connection with the individual and usually more important later on in life, as is the case of work associates
Sampling error
A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll, mainly a function of sample size and usually expressed in percentage terms
Objective journalism
A model of news reporting that is based on the communication of "facts" rather than opinions and that is "fair" in that it presents all sides of partisan debate
The Fairness Doctrine
A policy that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that fairly reflected differing viewpoints
Grassroots party
A political party organized at the level of the voters and dependent no their support for its strength
Party competition
A process in which conflict over society's goals is transformed by political parties into electoral competition in which the winner gains the power to govern
Iron triangle
A small and informal but relatively stable group of well-positioned legislators, executives, and lobbyists who seek to promote policies beneficial to a particular interest
#MeToo Movement (2017-)
A social media movement meant to show the extent to which women are subjected to sexual assault and harassment
The 15th amendment states...
A state cannot abridge the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude
Two-party system
A system in which only two political parties have a chance of acquiring control of the government
Multiparty system
A system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government, separately or in coalition
What percentage of voters today cast a split ticket?
About 10 percent
Black Lives Matter Movement (2020 peak-)
Activist movement seeking to change local law and government enforcements, which provide inferior services in predominantly Black neighborhoods
Agents of socialization/schemas
Agents, such as the family and the media, that have significant impact on citizens' political socialization
What relationship does the national Democratic or Republican Party have with the state and local parties?
All three levels are independent but work together
Single-member system/plurality
Also called a winner-take-all system or a plurality, an electoral system in which the candidate who gets the most votes (the plurality) in an election district is elected to office from that district
Political movements
Also called social movements, active and sustained efforts to achieve social and political change by groups of people who feel that government has not been properly responsive to their concerns
Trustee
An elected representative whose obligation is to act in accordance with his or her own conscience as to what policies are in the best interests of the public
Delegate
An elected representative whose obligation is to act in accordance with the expressed wishes of the people he or she represents
What is a super PAC?
An independent-expenditure-only committee
Issue network
An informal and relatively open network of public officials and lobbyists who come together in response to a proposed policy in an area of interest to each of them. Unlike an iron triangle, an issue network disbands after the issue is resolved
Political party
An ongoing coalition of interests joined together to try to get their candidates for public office elected under a common label
Salience
An opinion dimension; how highly people rank an issue relative to other issues
Modern lobbyists primarily concentrate on providing lawmakers with...
Arguments and evidence for their position
If you were lobbying Congress, what would be the safest strategy for you to use?
Be aboveboard with members
Private (individual) goods
Benefits that a group (most often an economic group) can grant directly and exclusively to individual members of the group
Collective (public) goods
Benefits that are offered by groups (usually citizens' groups) as an incentive for membership but that are nondivisible (such as a clean environment) and therefore are available to nonmembers as well as members of the particular group
All party organizations have a responsibility to...
Build support among voters
Hard money
Campaign funds given directly to candidates to spend as they choose
Conventional forms of participation other than voting...
Campaigning, lobbying, virtual participation, and community activities
Although party organizations still manage many tasks related to elections, the lead role in elections now lies with the...
Candidate
What statements describe how U.S. campaigns are both party centered and candidate centered?
Candidates organize their own campaigns; the same parties are represented nationwide
Why is it important that the media perform the common-carrier function?
Citizens need to know what their political leaders are doing
Where in American politics is the impact of public opinion felt most clearly?
Congress
What term refers to a situation in which multiple group loyalties diminish a person's identification with a single group?
Crosscutting
One characteristic of political socialization is that its effects are...
Cumulative
Which two political parties were competitive during the first party system?
Democratic-Republicans and Federalists
Inside lobbying
Direct communication between organized interests and policymakers, which is based on the assumed value of close ("inside") contacts with policymakers
What term refers to whether people have a pro or con position on an issue?
Direction
Make America Great Again/MAGA (2016)
Donald Trump's presidential campaign movement
Why some Americans vote and others do not...
Education, income, age, and civic attitudes
Partisan function
Efforts by media actors to influence public response to a particular party, leader, issue, or viewpoint
Candidate-centered campaigns
Election campaigns and other political processes in which candidates, not political parties, have most of the initiative and influence
Party-centered campaigns
Election campaigns and other political processes in which political parties, not individual candidates, hold most of the initiative and influence
Super PACs
Election committees that are unrestricted in their fundraising and spending as long as they do not coordinate their campaign efforts with that of a candidate
Party realignments
Elections or sets of elections in which the electorate responds strongly to an extraordinarily powerful issue that has disrupted the established political order. A realignment has a lasting impact on public policy, popular support for the parties, and the composition of the party coalitions
Interest groups that are not directly involved in litigation may file amicus curiae briefs to...
Encourage a ruling that is beneficial to their cause
Even if a third-party candidate fails to win an election, the candidate will sometimes accomplish which of the following?
Encourage one or both major parties to address issues introduced by the third party; draw attention to an issue previously ignored by the two major candidates
Lobbying elected officials includes which of the following activities?
Face-to-face meetings with members of Congress
Misinformation
False information that is held or spread without regard for intent
Disinformation
False information that is spread with the intent to deceive
Most important primary agents
Family, school, and religion
In the era of Jacksonian democracy, the efforts of local party organizations, along with the extension of voting rights to citizens without property, contributed to an almost ... increase in election turnout
Fourfold
19th Amendment
Gave women the right to vote, ratified in 1920
In the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, the corporate tax cut is permanent, whereas the individual tax cut has an end date. This difference illustrates the fact that...
Getting smaller, more focused business groups to work together on an issue can be highly effective
Whereas Jefferson's party had operated largely at the leadership level, Jackson sought a...
Grassroots party
Membership organizations
Groups whose members are dues-paying individual citizens or businesses
What is true about political contributions called hard money?
Hard money is money political parties give to candidates; hard money is money given directly to a candidate; hard money can be spent as the recipient chooses; hard money is subject to legal limits
The socialization process results in schemas, or frames of reference, that...
Help in forming a common cause; citizens use to evaluate issues and developments
A few decades ago, the media system centered on broadcast news networks, but Americans now have a ... media system, where they can pick from a wide variety of outlets
High-choice
Which type of third party is organized around a framework concerning the nature and role of government in society?
Ideological parties
Sample
In a public opinion poll, the relatively small number of individuals who are interviewed for the purpose of estimating the opinions of an entire population
Packaging
In modern campaigning, the process of recasting a candidate's record into an appealing image
Which of the following are among interest groups' judicial lobbying options?
Influencing the selection of federal judges, lawsuits, filing amicus curiae briefs
For a movement to succeed, it must...
Institutionalize its goals
Linkage institutions
Institutions that connect citizens with government
Agents of socialization: primary agents
Interact closely and regularly with the individual, usually early in life, as is the case of family
Which of the following represents a shared view of pluralists and their critics?
Interest groups are important to bringing the concerns of groups of individuals to the attention of government
How does the Constitution deal with the issue of interest groups?
Interest groups are protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution
Economic groups
Interest groups that are organized primarily for economic reasons but that engage in political activity in order to seek favorable policies from government
Political Participation
Involvement in activities intended to influence public policy and leadership
America's protest tradition...
Is no guarantee that the public will back a protest movement
What is the primary reason that geographic distribution positively affects the power of interest groups?
It allows groups to command the interest of more legislators
What is a benefit to the public that results from the promotion of a special interest?
It can have a positive effect on other interests, such as through job creation
What are the advantages enjoyed by a large interest group such as the AARP?
It has a large staff that lobbies the federal government; it can generate a large amount of mail to members of Congress; it is well-financed, even though individual members' dues are low.
Which political leader wrote that the government must dilute the influence of factions and interest groups by filtering their views through properly structured governing institutions?
James Madison
What percentage of Black citizens were registered to vote in Mississippi up until the 50's?
Less than 5%
Example of linkage institutions
Linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
26th amendment
Lowered the voting age to 18
Today's political campaigns rely on what to be successful?
Media producers, pollsters, and campaign strategists
In its pursuit of electioneering, an interest group's most import resource is
Money
Some important interest groups...
NRA, Christian Coalition of America, Greenpeace, Common Cause, AARP, etc.
Hard news
News stories about breaking events involving public figures, major issues, or significant disruptions to daily routines
Soft news
News stories with a sensational or entertaining element designed to attract consumers who might not otherwise pay attention to news
Were African-Americans able to vote without any trouble after the passing of the 15th amendment?
No, they still faced issues regarding voting due to electoral trickery and intimidation
Local party organizations generally play an active role...
Only during campaign periods
The states' original restrictions on voting, which Benjamin Franklin condemned...
Only males who could own property could vote
A ... primary is one in which any registered voter, regardless of party affiliation, may vote
Open
Tea Party Movement (2009)
Opposition to taxes
Interest groups
Organizations that actively seek to influence public policy
Political scientist Mancur Olson argues that small interest groups can be more powerful than larger groups as long as they are more...
Organized
Citizens' groups/noneconomic groups
Organized interests formed by individuals drawn together by opportunities to promote a cause in which they believe but that does not provide them significant individual economic benefits
Interest groups rely on what two main lobbying strategies?
Outside lobbying and inside lobbying
Three major frames of reference (that shape public opinion)
Party identification, political ideology, and group orientation
Organizations that nominate and seek to elect candidates to government office are known as...
Political parties
The strongest ideological party in U.S. history was the...
Populist Party
Rank the amount of media coverage of candidates from highest to lowest
Presidential candidates, Senate candidates, House candidates
What type of election does the US use to select party nominees?
Primary elections
News media (press)
Print, broadcast, cable, and Internet organizations that are in the news reporting business
The strongest reform party in U.S. history was the...
Progressive Party
Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson felt that newspapers should...
Promote partisan viewpoints on political matters
What is the primary goal of retail trade associations?
Protecting their trades from undesirable state regulation
One of the positive contributions that interest groups make is...
Providing a form of representation for organized groups
Which method of sampling gives everyone in a population an equal chance of being interviewed?
Random sampling
A permanent shift in party allegiances or electoral support is known as a party...
Realignment
Echo chambers
Refers to media outlets where audience members are exposed to messages that support what they already believe
Information commons
Refers to the period when Americans throughout the country were exposed through the media to a more or less common portrayal of national politics
Which type of third party arises from a belief that partisan politics needs large-scale change?
Reform parties
Nonmembership organizations
Represent a single company, organization, corporation, or individual; membership is not open to the general public
Government organizations
Represent the interests of local gov ernment as well as state and federal agencies
Which party benefited from the 1896 realignment, which was triggered by an economic depression following a banking crisis under President Grover Cleveland?
Republican Party
Third parties formed to promote a stance on a particular issue are known as...
Single-issue parties
Movement Against Gun Violence (2018 peak-)
Sought to pressure lawmakers at national, state, and local levels to enact tougher fun control measures
When casting a ..., citizens vote for candidates from different parties
Split ticket
Many voters cast a ..., where they only vote for candidates of one party
Straight ticket
Peak business organizations focus on which of the following goals?
Supporting legislation that would foster a "good business climate" in Texas
Occupy Wall Street/OWS Movement (2011)
Targeted the government's bailout of the financial industry and its failure to hold bankers accountable for their role in the financial crisis of 2008
What amendment gave African Americans the right to vote?
The 15th amendment
The Civil War triggered a party realignment. What were the two major parties following this realignment period?
The Democratic and Republican parties
Which is a reason that some scholars think we have moved into a new party alignment?
The Republican Party has become stronger in the South and the Democratic Party had become stronger in the Northeast
Watchdog function
The accepted responsibility of the media to protect the public from incompetent or corrupt officials by standing ready to expose any official who violates accepted legal, ethical, or performance standards
Civic duty
The belief of an individual that civic and political participation is a responsibility of citizenship
The in-party's chances of staying in power has historically depended primarily on...
The condition of the economy
Entertainment function
The efforts of media outlets to make their content pleasurable in order to attract the audience needed to make a profit and remain in business
What triggered the incredible increase in partisan talk radio shows in the late 1980s?
The elimination of the Fairness Doctrine
Money chase
The fact that U.S. campaigns are very expensive and candidates must spend a great amount of time raising funds in order to compete successfully
Single-member districts
The form of representation in which only the candidate who gets the most votes in a district wins office
Party coalition
The groups and interests that support a political party
Political interest
The level of interest that a citizen has in politics; political interest is a prime determinant of whether a citizen will pay attention to politics and participate through voting
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) involved which issue affecting interest groups?
The limit on corporate and union spending in federal elections
Common-carrier function
The media's function as an open channel through which political leaders can communicate with the public
News
The news media's version of reality, usually with an emphasis on timely, dramatic, and compelling events and developments
Political action committee (PAC)
The organization through which an interest group raises and distributes funds for election purposes. By law, the funds must be raised through voluntary contributions
State and local interest groups (SLIGs) represent...
The organization, not its individual members
When a realignment in the electorate occurs, which of the following happens?
The parties reorganize themselves
Party organizations
The party organizational units at national, state, and local levels; their influence has decreased over time because of many factors
Party identification
The personal sense of loyalty that an individual may feel toward a particular political party
Public Opinion
The politically relevant opinions held by ordinary citizens that they express openly; a powerful yet inexact force; has an important influence on government but ordinarily does not determine exactly what officials will do
Agenda setting
The power of the media through news coverage to focus the public's attention and concern on particular events, problems, issues, personalities, and so on
Registration
The practice of placing citizens' names on an official list of voters before they are eligible to exercise their right to vote
US voter turnout is highest in which election?
The presidential election
Framing
The process by which certain aspects of a situation are highlighted while other aspects are downplayed or ignored
Political socialization
The process by which individuals acquire their political opinions; begins during childhood with family and school
Lobbying
The process by which interest-group members and lobbyists attempt to influence public policy through contacts with public officials
Signaling (signaler) function
The responsibility of the media to alert the public to important developments as soon as possible after they happen or are discovered
Suffrage
The right to vote
Nomination
The selection of a particular individual to run as a political party's candidate (its "nominee") in the general election
Free-rider problem
The situation in which the benefits offered by a group to its members are also available to nonmembers. The incentive to join the group and to promote its cause is reduced because nonmembers (free riders) receive the benefits (for example, a cleaner environment) without having to pay any of the group's costs
Filter bubbles
The situation where algorithms filter content such that a social-media user only encounters information that aligns with the user's beliefs, thus trapping them in a self-defined bubble
Identity politics
The situation where people base their concerns on a group identity (such as race or religion) and align themselves with those who share that identity to the exclusion of other groups
What is the key to a poll's accuracy?
The size of the sample
Social capital
The sum of the face-to-face interactions among citizens in a society (Robert Putnam)
What was Madison's constitutional solution to the problem of factions?
The system of checks and balances
Gender gap
The tendency of women and men to differ in their political attitudes and voting preferences
Median voter theorem
The theory that parties in a two-party system can maximize their vote by locating themselves at the position of the median voter—the voter whose preferences are exactly in the middle
Priming
The way in which the context established by media messages affects how people will interpret the information they receive
In describing sources of news on the Web, what do analysts mean by the metaphor "the long tail"?
There are a few heavily visited websites on one end and thousands of lightly visited sites on the other
How has the interest group tactic of entertaining legislators changed over the years?
There is less provision of entertainment, but it is still a key part of the process
How are issue networks formed?
They are formed by individuals who have expertise regarding a particular policy issue as well as various views on it
What has happened to the New England states since the 1980s?
They have shifted toward the Democrats
Which of the following are true of grassroots parties?
They operate at the local level; they are open to all voters
What are distinct disadvantages of the rise of candidate-centered campaigns?
They provide opportunities for powerful interest groups to donate money to candidates and make it easier for officeholders to deny responsibility for government actions
How did many of the founders of the United States view political parties?
They viewed political parties with suspicion
Cultura/social conservatives
Those who believe government power should be used to uphold traditional values
Economic liberals
Those who believe government should do more to assist people who have difficulty meeting their economic needs on their own
Economic conservatives
Those who believe government tries to do too many things that should be left to private interests and economic markets
Cultural/social liberals
Those who believe it is not government's role to buttress traditional values at the expense of unconventional or new values
What was the goal of yellow journalism?
To lure in readers by any means
Primaries in which candidates of both parties are on the same ballot and the first and second finishers compete in the general election are called ... primaries
Top-two
The U.S. government functions as a(n) ... system
Two-party
Why is voter turnout low in the US compared to other Western democracies?
US election laws, particularly registration requirements and scheduling of elections
State parties are involved with which of the following activities?
Voter registration; fundraising
Examples of political participation
Voting, joining political groups, contacting elected officials, demonstrating for political causes, and giving money to political candidates
What is another name for the plurality system?
Winner-takes-all system
Agency capture
refers to the situation where regulatory agencies side with the industry they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public that they are supposed to protect
