POLS1101 Final Exam

How do "insider" and "outsider" lobbying tactics differ? What situations favor the use of each? When might an interest group choose to enlist litigation as it tries to influence policy?

Insider lobbying is used by people who have direct access to politicians. They directly lobby Congress members to modify/pass laws, lobby bureaucrats to change the enforcement of a law, and finance litigation (test cases) to test the boundaries of the court and can rest their claims on constitutional rights that do not have the political clout to influence elected politicians. Outsider lobbying tactics are used by those who do not have access to politicians. They run issue-awareness campaigns, contact voters, participate in demonstrations and rallies, and circulate petitions. Insider lobbyists usually offer electoral help, while outsiders more commonly threaten electoral harm.

Discuss the concept of sampling. What is random sampling? Why does random sampling produce representative samples?

In random sampling, you randomly select people from the population with no individual selection bias-- everyone has an equal chance of being selected. A truly random sample of any large population is rarely feasible because there is no single directory where everyone is continently listed and so can be given an equal chance of being selected, which is what strict random sampling requires. This gives more accurate results!

Explain the free rider problem interest groups face.

Inattentive publics often free ride off the efforts of interest groups, benefitting from the policy that the groups push to produce without having contributing to any of it (monetary or time-wise). There is a strong incentive to free ride and rely on the groups to provide benefits, because if there's a policy change, it applies to everyone, even if only a certain few spent their time/money/resources to make the change.

Infotainment

Increasingly popular, nontraditional source of political information that combines news and entertainment. Examples include talk shows and political comedy programs

Outsider Lobbying Tactics

Interest group activities designed to influence elected officials by threatening to impose political costs on them if they do not respond. Tactics include marches, demonstrations, campaign contributions to opponents, and electoral mobilization

Insider Lobbying Tactics

Interest group activity that includes normal lobbying in Capitol Hill, working closely with members of Congress, and contributing money to incumbents' campaigns. Contrasts with outsider tactics. -cultivating relationships with existing government officials

How is the U.S.'s voter turnout compared to other industrialized nations?

The U.S's voter turnout Is much lower than that of other industrialized nations due to institutional barriers, voter registration, socioeconomic status, regulations and laws, voter ID laws. China has a voter turnout of 99.2% even with a fake democracy!!! The US trails most developed countries in voter turnout by as much as forty percent.

What benefits do people get from voting? Which of these benefits do they still receive if they personally do not vote?

The benefits of elections are collective benefits. People get to enjoy the payoffs even if they did not help produce them by voting. By voting, people get to exert an influence over the leaders, forcing them to care about people's interests, opinions, and values. People frequently free ride in elections, counting on others to elect the candidate of their choice because individual votes count for nearly nothing.

Political Machine

a political group in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses (usually campaign workers), who receive rewards for their efforts.

Policy Gridlock

a situation when there is difficulty passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people. A government is gridlocked when the ratio between bills passed and the agenda of the legislature decreases.

Social Movements

a type of group action; there is no single consensus definition. They are large, sometimes informal, groupings of individuals or organizations which focus on specific political or social issues.

Franchise

a type of license that a party (franchisee) acquires to allow them to have access to a business's (franchisor) proprietary knowledge, processes, and trademarks in order to allow the party to sell a product or provide a service under the business's name

Random Sampling

a way of selecting a sample of observations from a population in order to make inferences about the population. For example, exit polls from from voters that aim to predict the likely results of an election.

Straw Poll

an ad-hoc (when necessary/needed) or unofficial vote. It is used to show the popular opinion on a certain matter, and can be used to help politicians know the majority opinion and help them decide what to say in order to gain votes.

Grassroots Lobbying

an approach that separates itself from direct lobbying through the act of asking the general public to contact legislators and government officials concerning the issue at hand, as opposed to conveying the message to the legislators directly.

Party Identification

an individual's enduring affective or instrumental attachment to one of the political parties; the most accurate single predictor of voting behavior

Political Attitude

an organized and consistent manner of thinking, feeling, and reacting with regard to people, groups, social issues, or, more generally, any event in one's environment.

Superdelegates

an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These (who make up slightly under 15% of all convention delegates) include elected officials and party activists and officials.

Performance Voting

basing votes for a candidate or party on how successfully the candidate or party performed while in office

Conventional Participation

includes voting, volunteering for a political campaign, making a campaign donation, belonging to activist groups, and serving in public office

Selective Exposure

individuals' tendency to favor information which reinforces their pre-existing views while avoiding contradictory information.

Party Label

label carrying the party's "brand name" incorporating the policy positions and past performance voters attribute to it

Single-issue voters

people who base their votes on candidates or parties positions on one particular issue of public policy, regardless of the candidates or parties positions on other issues

Honeymoon Period

period at the beginning of the new president's term during which the president enjoys generally positive relations with the press and Congress, usually lasting about 6 months

Institutional Barrier

policies, procedures, or situations that systematically disadvantage certain groups of people. These exist in any majority-minority group situation

Framing

providing a context that affects the criteria citizens use to evaluate candidates, campaigns, and political issues

Party Identification

refers to the political party with which an individual identifies. It is an affiliation with a political party. This is typically determined by the political party that an individual most commonly supports (by voting or other means)

Unconventional Participation

relatively uncommon political behavior that challenges or defies established institutions and dominant norms; activities that are legal but often considered inappropriate. (boycotting, protesting)

The Hamster Wheel

repeating the same news story over and over without any new information; describes the concept of running in circles but making no progress. Doing things the same way, repeating the same mistakes, guided by a sense that motion is the most important thing

Leak

the unsanctioned release of confidential information to news media. It can also be the premature publication of information by a news outlet, of information that it has agreed not to release before a specified time, in violation of a news embargo.

Issue Voting

voting for candidates based on their positions on specific issues, as opposed to their party or personal characteristics

Public Interest Group

work on issues that impact the general public, rather than a small group of members

What resources do politicians have that allow them to circumvent the press?

"Going public", speeches, and town hall meetings are all generally successful to communicate with the public successfully; the President is most likely to use these.

Aggregate Partisanship

In a democracy, the distribution or percentage of the electorate that identifies with each of the political parties

Opinion Leader

A citizen who is highly attentive to and involved in politics or some related area and to whom other citizens turn for political information and cues

Sound Bite

A catchy phrase or slogan that encapsulates a politician's message, broadcast especially on television news programs.

What are critical elections? How do they differ from secular realignments?

A critical election, also called a realigning election, describes a dramatic change in the political system. They usually represent the coming to power of a new political coalition, replacing the dominance of a previous coalition. (If it stays it is called a realigning election) Critical elections bring broad shifts in the constituency or leadership of political coalitions that bring about a new status quo. They are opposite to secular alignments, where constituencies gradually change due to slow factors like demographic change. Critical elections are when party coalition swaps are temporary--maybe a bad candidate, bad rap sheet, etc. Secular realignments are a gradual realignment of a party, based more on the changing demographics and less on one-time changes/shocks in the political system.

Gender Gap

A distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men concerning a variety of public and private issues, including political candidates, parties, or programs

Political Action Committee (PAC)

A federally registered fundraising group that pools money from individuals to give to political candidates and parties.

Prior Restraint

A government agency's act to prohibit the publication of material or speech before the fact. The courts forbid prior restraint except under extraordinary conditions.

Political Party

A group of people of the electorate who have a shared belief of how they believe government should operate; they seek to influence policies by electing their members. Not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, they make mass democracy possible by coordinating group activities necessary to translate public preferences into public policy and implement the party's agenda.

What role do issue publics play in the creation of party coalitions?

A group of people who care about a certain issue; people in issues publics will often form together to address that issue, they choose an opinion leader to represent their issue public. Since they care about and hold a vested interest in that issue politicians care more about their opinions than the mass opinion. People within a party who care about the same issues will group together to form coalitions Political parties tend to round up many different issue publics under one big tent to rally their cause, thereby gaining their vote. They also engage political leaders and the media in these issues and show interest in the creation of party coalitions on behalf of their cause.

Public Interest Lobby

A group that promotes some conception of the public interest rather than the narrowly defined economic or other special interests of its members

What exactly is a lobbyist and what is lobbying?

A lobbyist is a professional who works to influence public policy in favor of their clients' interests. Lobbying is activities through which individuals, interest groups, and other institutions seek to influence public policy by persuading government officials to support their groups' positions. Lobbying is now the most costly route through which interest groups attempt to influence government because it is typically through the use of bribes in the form of "donations"

Focus Group

A market research method that brings together 6-10 people in a room to provide feedback regarding a product, service, concept, or marketing campaign

Pack Journalism

A method of news gathering in which news reporters all follow the same story in the same way because they read each other's copy for validation of their own.

Candidate

A person who applies for a job or is nominated for election

What is/are the primary differences between political parties and interest groups?

A political party is a group of people who organize to win elections, operate the government and determine public policy, whereas an interest group is a group of people who share common goals and who actively try to influence policy makers. Interest groups don't want to operate government and don't put forth political candidates, they just support candidates who will promote their interests if elected. Political parties may blur their opinion on an issue to get as many votes as possible but interest groups tend to sharpen issues in an attempt to promote a specific position. So basically political parties consist of a multitude of different beliefs, morals, virtues, political ideologies, etc all grouped into one title (democrat, republican, green party, libertarian, etc) and interest groups revolve around a specific policy/belief (one can belong to multiple interest groups) A political party is a group with common beliefs/goals that organize to win elections, operate the government, and make public policy. An interest group is a group of people who share common policy interests who interact with governing branches to persuade government actors to find legislation in their favor

Open Primary

A primary election where you don't have to be a registered party member to vote. This increases voter turnout, gives independents and those not registered with a party a chance to participate in the primaries. They can also declare their affiliation with a party at the polls on the day of the primary even if the voter was previously affiliated with a different party.

News Outlet

A publication or broadcast program that provides news and feature stories to the public through various distribution channels. Media outlets include newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet.

Beat

A regularly assigned venue that a news reporter covers on an ongoing basis.

Closed Primary

A type of direct primary limited to registered party members, who must declare their party affiliation in order to participate in the vote. This serves to encourage party unity and prevent members of other parties from infiltrating and voting to nominate weak candidates

Mobilization

AKA "getting out the vote". This occurs when activists working for parties, candidates, or interest groups ask members of the electorate to vote

Negative Campaigning

AKA mudslinging; the deliberate spreading of negative information about someone or something to worsen the public image of said person

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of a two party system.

Advantages: don't have to focus on every single issue, they can pick a side; two party systems are often more stable, Keeps decision simple for voters, ensures a clear winner, less choices so less gridlock Disadvantages: reduces peoples efficacy; challenging for a third party to arise and gain support, restricts voter choice, leads to polarized politics, slow to change

What do candidates spend most of their money on? Is money enough to win? Does it help all candidates equally? What type of candidate benefits the most from increased spending?

Advertising (television and radio) is the largest expense, mainly because a fundamental goal of every campaign is to reach voters with the candidate's message. Money is certainly not enough to win--candidates must be qualified for office (or they must be perceived by the public to be qualified) and have a powerful message. Campaign money does not help all candidates equally--as long as they spread their message adequately, they can get votes (but that requires money). Campaign money matters greatly in presidential primaries, in which voters can't rely on a party label as a cue. Campaign money is most important to challengers and other obscure candidates--as challenger spending increases, so does the likelihood of winning.

Compare and contrast the concepts of agenda setting, priming and framing (and give examples of each)

Agenda Setting: Media reporting something so that the public finds it important with hopes they will influence politicians to address an issue -WHAT issues to think about ex: a news outlet choosing to report x story so people think it's important Priming: When a media outlet attempts to influence their viewers opinion on a topic based on what they are thinking about when hearing a story. -What to think about when evaluating an issue ex: media coverage of the public health care reform increases in 2009 so the issue was still fresh on American's minds as they considered political issues like Obama's performance as President. Framing: when the media attempts to influence your opinion on a subject based on how they report it. -HOW to think about issues ex: During the coverage of Hurricane Katrina, the words used to discuss the event were an influential part in telling the story. Where agenda setting and priming only influence what viewers think about, framing influences how they think.

Discuss how the public influences the government and why the government would/should listen to public opinion.

Basic constitutional guarantees (regular elections, freedom of speech and press, freedom to form and join political organizations) allows citizens to express their views freely and compel government leaders to take the public's opinions into account if they want to keep their jobs. The government often listens to the public because candidates want to appeal to the public opinion in order to get votes. However, due to low voter turnout in the U.S., the actions of the Gov't are often off from the true public opinion. Because politicians are only apt to address the issues of those who care enough to participate.

What is an "iron triangle"? Why might such an arrangement be problematic for American democracy? What are issue networks and how do they differ from Iron Triangles?

An iron triangle is a stable, mutually beneficial political relationship among a congressional committee, an administrative agency, and an interest group. Iron triangles do not enforce the common good and attempt to advance narrow and specific interests. Issue networks are loose, informal, and highly variable relationships among representatives of various interests who are involved in a particular area of public policy.

Who are opinion leaders? Why might typical individuals rely on the statements or position of these opinion leaders in forming their own opinions? What are the limits on how much these opinion leaders can control public opinion?

An opinion leader is a well-known individual or organization that has the ability to influence public opinion on the subject matter for which the opinion leader is known. Opinion leaders can be politicians, business leaders, community leaders, journalists, educators, celebrities, and sports stars.

Attitude

An organized and consistent manner of thinking and feeling about people, groups, social issues, or more generally, any event in one's environment.

How do market forces shape the frequency, tone, and reliability of news in the digital age?

Because of the internet age, the news media is able to be accessed easily. But the validity of the stories have proven to be not so reliable because anyone can publish anything they want. There is also so much click bait and headlines that attract viewers with celebrities and scandals. The tone of the news will vary based on topic due to media biases In the digital age, consumers expect a nonstop news cycle, forcing news outlets to want to be the first to report on breaking news. However, this speed often ends up causing them to run headlines that have incorrect facts or are entirely wrong. Editors package the news in more sensational ways with bigger, bolder, and more salacious headlines. Political bias comes out in the selection of which news is reported on and how it is reported on.

What are the potential problems with delegating authority to representative in government? How do elections help reduce these risks?

By choosing someone to act on our behalf, we face the risk that they will put their interests ahead of ours. It is very difficult to discern if they are faithful agents. Elections give ordinary citizens a say in who represents them, future elections give officeholders a motive to be responsible agents, and they give incentives for the small set of citizens who seek to replace current officeholders and keep a close eye on the representatives.

Which parties are dominant in the US? What are the origins of our current parties? How and why have parties in the US changed over time?

Democratic and Republican are dominant parties. Origins: Democrats came about in 1790's in response to Federalists; Republicans formed in 1854 in response to the expansion of slavery drew followers from earlier anti-slavery parties 1790; Federalists and Democratic-Republican parties form divided over issue of strong national government. 1860's civil war alignment based on views of slavery. Republican Party forms as the Anti-slavery party. 1896; Democrats adopt populist platform, gain agrarian support, Republicans support business and industrial interests gaining urban support and clear national majority. 1932; Great Depression hurts republicans, FDR forms New Deal coalition which united democrats of all backgrounds. Focused on progressive reform and fighting the depression Republican held support from upper-income protestants and business people, focused in small towns and cities across the Northeast and Midwest. Members were united by their opposition to the New Deal and enlarged federal bureaucracies. 1964; changed our politics from issue based to ideology based. Civil Rights movement polarized black republicans switched to democratic vote. White southerners switched to Republican vote

What resources do politicians have that might allow them to "go around" the press and communicate with the public directly? In general, how successful are these attempts?

Different forms of social media; it doesn't seem that successful when Trump tweet rants so idk

Bias is more than just ideological, what are the other (formatting) biases in the media and how do they influence the public?

Dramatization: Tendency of the news to focus on violent, happening-right-now news (like traffic, weather, and crime). It is often highly sensationalized with high levels of focus. Authority-Disorder Bias: Media acts as a watchdog, focusing on scandal and disasters in politics Personalization: Ways in which the news is presented and the stories that are focused on. This causes little variation in what is reported--the same stories are retold. This type of bias also focuses on individuals embedded in a story and not the process as a whole. Fragmentation: Because the news is constantly cycling, a lot of people that only tune in occasionally often feel disconnected "Horse Race" Campaign Coverage: Coverage of a campaign that focuses on polling data, public perception of candidates instead of the candidates themselves, and exclusive reporting on candidate differences as opposed to candidate similarities.

How did the founding fathers feel about political parties? What does the Constitution say about them?

During the nation's founding, parties were widely considered to be dangerous to good government and public order. They believed no self-respecting leader would openly set out to organize a political party. The Constitution doesn't mention political parties at all. The founders wanted the country to be united rather than to find enemies within their own borders.

Identify other factors that affect the likelihood of voting and for whom someone will vote.

Factors that increase the likelihood of voting: Strong partisan views and electoral preferences Those who live in areas with active parties and competitive campaigns Where legal barriers to registration are lower Factors: •Socioeconomic Status- higher income= more time to vote, can cover the costs of traveling/missing work to vote; higher income more likely republican; lower income more likely democrat •Education- higher educated more likely to vote. •Gender- Women more likely •Age- younger are less likely to vote •Ethnicity- Minorities are less likely to vote; but more likely to be democrat •Location- South typically has lower voter turnout, however people with deep roots in communities are more likely to vote and care about issues than those who move around •Efficacy- higher efficacy more likely to vote Internal Efficacy- an individual's confidence and sense of duty in their ability to understand and engage in politics External Efficacy- an individual's belief in their ability to influence the decisions of gov't Electoral competitiveness, election type, voting laws, demographics (race, age, gender, socioeconomic status). One can vote in their best interest, or they can vote for the better of a community as a whole.

What are some examples of institutional barriers to the franchise commonly employed in the US? In what ways did the 15th, 19th, and 26th amendment eliminate certain institutional barriers?

Franchise- the right to vote in an election Institutional barriers to voting: voter ID laws, scarcity of voting locations, lack of same day registration, felon bans, lack of absentee voting Also ballot complexity - how ridiculous the wording (framing) is on certain propositions would put those who aren't familiar with the legislature at a disadvantage. The 15th amendment gave African Americans the right to vote, the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote, and the 26th amendment lowered the voting age to 18. These 3 amendments expanded suffrage to previously disenfranchised groups.

Know how the media in the US differs from the media in other countries.

It is purely commercial; only country in the world like that. In the United States, the media is purely profit driven. They ignore public services and promote the production of entertainment media. Areas like Eastern Asia and Cuba have state-run media that are hired by the government to spread propaganda. Countries like Russia, India, and places like East Europe are forced to report on every bit of 'news'--attention grabbing or not.

Muckraking

Journalistic investigation and exposure of scandals, corruption, and injustices, pioneered during the late-nineteenth-century Progressive Era

How has the internet changed the production of news? What is the difference between legacy media, digital-only media, and social media?

Legacy media: is "old media"--newspapers, radio broadcasting, and television. sometimes referred to as outdated. Digital-only media: digitized content that can be transmitted over the internet or computer networks. easier and cheaper than legacy media because of the internet. News is often more sensationalized to grab attention. Social media is networks that link people and allow the exchange of personal/professional information and common interests.

What sorts of benefits do politicians receive from lobbyists? If these groups are so beneficial, why do citizens view them with such suspicion?

Lobbyists focus politicians on what the well-funded people are asking for from their government. The power and resources possessed by lobbyists tend to reflect the power that the groups they represent have in society. The power of interest groups makes the public believe that "special interests" are winning above the "public interest". Many citizens believed that the powerful interest groups and lobbyists could "buy" public policy for their benefit.

How did the rise of newspaper chains affect the political influence of the press? What ultimately eroded the political power of these chains? How and why has the influence of newspapers continued to decline today?

Newspapers no longer relied on the money supplied by political parties with the emergence of newspaper chains. They were incredibly lucrative and thus did not require the money to keep them in business, therefore they did not have a party loyalty. Newspaper publishers discovered that this freedom from party control enabled them to influence public opinion and, in turn, national politics. Because of this, politicians frequently found themselves bowing to powerful editors and publishers. The rise of radio, then television, then the Internet has caused severe decline for the newspaper business over the years. With the loss of the monopoly on news, large publishers disappeared from the political landscape

What is polarization? Has it been increasing or decreasing in recent years according to your textbook.

Polarization is the increased difference between parties based on political ideologies and beliefs. Polarization has been increasing steadily over the years with both sides slowly radicalizing. The vocal minority are the ones that are more likely to participate in politics, choosing candidates in primary elections that are more polarized than the majority of the voter base. This polarization has increased the amount of independent and third party voters.

What do political action committees get in return for their donations to candidates? What evidence exists that such contributions are corruption our political system?

PACs receive access to legislators, a necessary condition for insider influence. Some believe that PACs contributions buy votes and policy. However, research suggests that PAC contributions are driven almost entirely by party, ideology, and state or district interests and exert, at most, only a modest effect on a legislator's decisions

Know how parties are organized. Are they centralized or decentralized?

Parties are decentralized; this limits the power of the national committee over the state and local communities. The two major parties are made up of decentralized, fragmented party coalitions that are maintained by professional politicians. The decentralized policy making system allows local parties to work together to elect national leaders while going their own way on matters close to home. They are centralized in the national committee though; this committee is made up of party leaders, elected officials, and chairs of state party organizations. Summarized, the government is centralized on a federal level and decentralized on a state level. The parties themselves are made up of decentralized, fragmented party coalitions that are maintained by professional politicians.

How do party activists differ from rank-and-file voters of their party? What consequences does this difference have for American politics?

Party activists follow politics much more closely than the average voter, particularly when it comes to issue areas that positively show their party. Activists are also much more ideological than rank and file voters, where party activists rarely miss an election while rank and file voters may skip the primary and only vote in the general. Lastly, party activists are extremely loyal to their party and are extremely unlikely to ever split-ticket vote, whereas rank and file voters may occasionally deviate and vote for figures on the other side. Consequences of these actions are listening to activists rather than rank and file voters lead to further polarization and the fact that activists make up the bulk of voters in the primaries puts moderates at a disadvantage and may force politicians to say things and take positions that help them in the primary but hurt them in the general election.

How does group identity influence a person's political opinions?

People learn about politics from the people around them, rely on others who "look like" them as a source of opinions, and candidates and consultants often formulate their campaigns in terms of groups. A lot of social influences affect political opinions. How you identify decides what issues you care about which will likely lead you towards a party. If you choose to identify with a group you will likely accept their other opinions as right. So, joining a group is a shortcut for establishing your own political opinions. Specific issues target a specific group differently, making them value that issue more and voting for whomever they believe will benefit them most.

What factors influence public opinion? (A big part of this: how does partisanship cloud people's ability to process political information logically?)

People often let their political identities (attitudes, perceptions, and viewpoints about government and politics) cloud their ability to think logically. Other things that affect public opinion include: political culture and socialization, limited political education, and how views are shaped by the government, and mass media. The practical experience of growing up and living in the social and political world. Environment, Media, Current Issues, Social influences So basically, political socialization (transmission of values, social networks, and environmental factors) and political cognition (knowledge, experience and emotion, reasoning); interest groups spread awareness of issues in an attempt to sway people's opinions

When are people most likely to vote or participate in politics? Why?

People with money, education, experience, free time, and self-confidence find it easier to meet the costs. People participate when they can meet the costs and appreciate the benefits. People are also more likely to show up for presidential elections rather than midterms. When larger elections occur, more people vote because of the bigger coverage. Generally, people who are wealthier and with higher education are more likely to vote. People from 30-60 are more likely to vote.

Why does political participation matter? Identify the key role that individuals play in the government.

Political Participation matters because it provides private individuals an opportunity to influence public decisions and to be a component of the democratic decision-making process. Voting matters because it ensures that politicians are elected by the people, rather than being assigned to their position of power by someone else It matters because it is our chance to exercise our influence over the government. Individuals play a key role because they contribute to the collective voice of the public which the gov't listens to. If we don't participate in our system doesn't work because politicians have no one they have to answer to. It allows the people to have a say in governmental matters that dictate and affect their lives. Individuals keep the government in check by voting leaders in and out of office.

Define political participation and give examples of different ways in which people can participate in the democratic process. Which kinds of participation are most common and why?

Political Participation- how population participates/ political engagement (voting, working for a campaign, protests) Conventional Participation- campaigning for other political parties, working within political institutions, interest groups Unconventional Participation- protests, strikes, demonstrations, not working within political institutions The types of participation that are most common are voting, jury duty, volunteering, and public consultations because it is an easy, convenient way to participate and most people are not extremely mobilized by a party or candidate enough to participate more.

Identify and define what a political party is and how they influence government.

Political Party- A group of people of the electorate who have a shared belief of how they believe government should operate; they seek to influence policies by electing their members. They influence the government by separating the public into ideological factions. They have become the basis for American politics, and many voters will vote based on party alone. Political parties influence government by coordinating the group activities necessary to translate public preferences into public policy. They recruit and train leaders, foster political participation, teach new citizens democratic habits and practices, and knit citizens and leaders together in electoral and policy coalitions and allow citizens to hold their elected agents collectively responsible for what the government does

How are political values shaped?

Political socialization(race, ethnicity, gender, religion, family, etc), the transmission of values, social networks, environmental factors, emotion, and experience.

How and why do politicians seek to manipulate the news? What strategies do they use to generate beneficial coverage?

Politicians have trouble getting their message to voters because they attract too little news coverage and direct communication is far too expensive. So, politicians want to generate favorable coverage. They often show up at the sites of disasters, hospital...

How is public opinion measured? When can polls be trusted (there are a few things here)?

Polls and surveys; Through polling the public. Accurate polls use random sampling and have a margin of error less than 3.5 points. Polls that have a sample size around 1,200-1,500 and it is truly random. You can't trust all polls due to convenience sampling or biased questions (extreme language, framing, priming) and measurement error (confidence interval)

Selective Incentives

Private goods or benefits that induce rational actors to participate in a collective effort to provide a collective good

Market-Driven Journalism

Producing journalism to appeal to a certain demographic to reach that market. I.e. Fox News both reporting news and running commercials geared to a target audience defined by demographic characteristics

Understand and discuss the concept of public opinion (how it is multi-dimensional and how people weight different dimensions differently based on their own values).

Public opinion varies depending on political socialization, media, and experiences. This is based on attitudes, ideologies, partisanship, information, framing, and changing opinions. Public opinion is NOT stable, has measurement errors, and is dependent on issues. It is a guide to government, encourages public participation, measures government performance, shapes government's image, gives government accountability, and educates the public. People can have differing opinions based on moral and selective incentives.

Know how Watergate affected the way the media covers issue.

Pushed journalists to focus more on investigative journalism. Employed more journalists to follow long investigations Investigative journalism became popular and set the standard for journalists questioning information, and setting policy. The press came to view its role as providing not just neutral coverage, but adversarial oversight. Some believe that the current strain on relationships between politicians and the press is tied to the widespread suspicion among reporters that presidents will lie to them whenever it serves their interests and they think they can get away with it. Watergate conditioned reporters to greet all White House claims with suspicion of duplicity

Know the differences/similarities between a referendum, an initiative, and a recall.

Referendum - proposed a change to the state's laws or constitution, which all the voters subsequently vote on. Initiative - Citizens petition to have an issue placed on the ballot so they can vote on it Recall - people vote or dismiss an elected official from state office before their term has expired. Similarities: All give citizens a chance to be active in government and influence policy

Yellow Journalism

Style of journalism born of intense competition and characterized by screaming headlines and sensational stories. Coined at the end of the nineteenth century, the term referred to the yellow ink which the New York World used.

What is an intra-party faction? Are they normal or unusual?

Sub-groups that form within political parties because their view on an issues differs somehow from the rest of the party. They are normal. An intra-party faction is a party within a party. These are normal because most people in a political party will differ on at least part of policy. They are very common and pretty powerful! A group of people within a political party united by a belief that differs from the rest of the members of that party. They are very significant within the parties, meaning that there are many intra-party factions. They are very common in the US political system. Some examples are the Blue Dog Democrats and liberal Republicans.

How will the Supreme Court's Citizens United v Federal Election Commission decision shape the role of interest groups in federal elections? Are there ways to reconcile the protection of the First Amendment rights of interest groups with concerns about the influence over elections and policy?

The court decision removed the restraint placed on PACs that required them to raise the funds for candidacies in small chunks, putting a functional limit on what they could raise and spend. SCOTUS ruled that independent spending by corporations and unions was speech protected by the first amendment and could not be limited/constrained. This meant a corporation or union could now use money directly from its treasury to fund political advertisements in support of or against candidates. Super PACs emerged.

What actions has the government taken to foster interest groups? How do governmental policies themselves create potential interest groups?

The growing scope of government activity has encouraged the proliferation of organizations in the nonprofit and public sectors. After the creation of public works by governmental policies, professional associations were created at the suggestion of public officials who realized the political value of organized constituents working to promote their program from outside the government. Many interest groups can qualify as nonprofits, exempting them and their donors from taxes. Groups that benefit from government programs also get organized after new programs that threaten older programs are in place.

Franking Privilege

The legal right of each member of Congress to send official mail postage-free under his or her signature.

Explain the role that media plays in informing the public about politics and government.

The media is the public's chief source to find out what is going on in politics and the gov't. Politicians will likely only report their successes to influence voters, the media serves as a watch dog to inform the people of what really goes on. The media is many people's primary way of receiving information about the current political climate. We expect the press to provide credible information and to give the public information that keeps them educated on political affairs and overseas the everyday workings of government. News media links the public and the government. They report on the events happening in government and can easily influence what viewers think about what's happening in government, encouraging them to hold elected officeholders accountable.

Explain the relationship between the media, the public, and the government.

The media reports the news to the public. The public's views about what is important are influenced by what they see on the media. The public voices what they think is important to their elected officials, influencing policy and other gov't action. The media often pulls the 'fire alarm' to alert the public and keep them informed about what is happening in the government. The media exposes the events occurring in the government, informs the public about said events, and shapes how we interpret and observe political information. The public are then responsible for the reaction to the news, but the media can present the information in a form of bias to frame the public's opinion in a particular way.

Moral Incentives

The personal satisfactions of active self-expression through contribution or other involvement to social causes

What is the most important aggregate statistic in predicting which party is likely to win a presidential election?

The president's approval rating is a strong predictor. Unpopular presidents like Carter and H.W. Bush tend to lose elections, while presidents whose approval rating is high basically always win. When the incumbent president is not up for reelection, their approval is also a good indicator of how their party's nominee will do.

Australian Ballot

The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous, forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote buying. The system is one means of achieving the goal of political privacy.

What is the most important personal characteristic for predicting a person's vote in a federal election?

The single best predictor of the vote is the voter's party identification.

Astro-turf Campaign

The term "grassroots movement" implies a broad based, deeply rooted sentiment and action among the populace. An ___________________, by comparison, is artificial - i.e., it may look like the real thing, but it is orchestrated and directed by a few well-placed interest groups. In a democratic system, grassroots support is an essential legitimizing force, so political and corporate economic campaigns often subsidize or even manufacture the appearance of grassroots activity to advance particular interests. Thus, the creation of the appearance of grassroots support has gained its own label

Know how and why third (minor) parties function in political systems such as the one we have in the US. Why do minor parties gain representation in most other countries, but not the US?

Third parties form when a coalition of people want to bring about issues not currently represented by either of the two major parties. They are rarely successful at winning elections, but they are important because they can bring issues to the attention of major politicians which they may have overlooked. Often, if a third party is relatively successful, one of the major parties will adopt issues from their platform and absorb the third party. Third parties highlight issues that are otherwise ignored by the large parties. Many third parties tend to be single-issue parties. Third parties can't win in the majoritarian, 2-party system of the United States because the 2 main candidates constantly fight over the middle-of-the-road voter (most voters align with this ideal), leaving the third parties nowhere to align themselves on the spectrum.

Party Organization

Typically seek to influence government policy by nominating candidates for office. Pyramidal organization. Although it is hierarchical, lower levels are not subordinate to higher levels. Issues work their way up. •National Nomination Convention- elects national party chair and ratifies states' selections to the party's national committee •The National Committee- at least 2 members from each state conduct's party affairs, large professional staff •State Committees and Chairs- oversee committees representing various districts and counties, usually controlled by elected officials i.e. Governor Local Committees- regular people participate, elect formal leaders. Can split into ideological and regional factions.

What trends do we observe concerning voter turnout? Is it on the rise or decline? Something in between? Which groups of people turnout at higher rates than others?

Voter turnout has been on a decline since 1952, but has been rising steadily since 2008. Non presidential elections have a much lower turnout. 50+ years old are the most dedicated voters. Recently, young people have been coming out to the polls at a higher rate. Since the 1980s women have voted as much or more than men. Asian and Latino Americans tend to have lower voter turnout rates.

Do voters really think in terms of ideology? Are their attitudes consistent? If not, why are they inconsistent?

Voters typically do not think in terms of ideology, and they do not have consistent attitudes.

Voting, in effect, makes voters choose between a future governed by candidate A and one governed by candidate B. Most voters cannot predict the future. What tools allow voters to make these predictions of future performance?

Voters use cognitive shortcuts, rely heavily on the media, campaign advertising, opinion leaders, and their own political experience to inform their prediction. When voting, voters analyze past performance and incumbency status of a candidate (sometimes analyzing future policy options of each candidate), using the media and judging the candidate's personal characteristics, and identifying the candidate's party label. However, the single best predictor of the vote in federal elections is the party identification.

Under what conditions (source, message, audience) is persuasion most likely to occur?

When they have limited prior knowledge; when you have a speaker delivering a message to the right audience; who says what to whom. Communicator, message, and audience must align for persuasion to happen. Framing and priming are a large part of persuasion. Persuasion can be affected by source characteristics, audience characteristics, and message characteristics. Persuasion is most likely to occur when the recipient has favorable thoughts towards the message

What kinds of incentives do interest groups provide supporters, and prospective supports, for their contribution to the group or participation in its efforts? (Remember, contributions need not be monetary... being physically present at a public meeting is a significant contribution; ex visiting the state legislature, attending and speaking up at town and county government meetings, etc)

With contributions from members, interest groups can advocate for the members' best interests through policy that protects them or proliferates their interests. For example, people in certain industries pay dues for union workers to advocate for better wages, benefits, and regulations for their members. Private interest groups are mostly unions that represent workers and laborers.

Know the concepts of Yellow Journalism and Muckraking, and how the difference between them.

Yellow Journalism- Reporting sensationalized, often exaggerated, stories in an attempt to attract readers. Muckraking- Journalistic investigation and exposure of scandals, corruption, and injustices, pioneered during the late-nineteenth-century Progressive Era Both began around the time of the Progressive Era. -Yellow Journalism exaggerates the truth, where Muckraking exposes what politicians and corporate owners wanted to keep secret.

Political Ideology

a certain set of ethical ideals, principles, doctrines, myths or symbols of a social movement, institution, class or large group that explains how society should work and offers some political and cultural blueprint for a certain social order.

Sample

a group of people, objects, or items that are taken from a larger population for measurement

Margin of Error

a measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll; expresses the maximum expected difference between the true population parameter and a sample estimate of that parameter

Caucus

a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. -a meeting at which local members of a political party register their preference among candidates running for office or select delegates to attend a convention.

Cognitive Shortcut

a mental device allowing citizens to make complex decisions based on a small amount of information. Ex: a candidate's party label serves as a shortcut by telling voters much about his or her positions on issues.

Public Opinion

consists of "those opinions held by private persons which governments find it prudent to heed." Every government (democratic or otherwise), according to this def, has to pay attention to this in some fashion. -views prevalent among the general public.

Microtargeting

gathering detailed information on cross sections of the electorate to track potential supporters and tailor political messages for them; often used by political parties and election campaigns includes direct marketing data mining techniques that involve predictive market segmentation (aka cluster analysis)

Issue Publics

groups of citizens who are more attentive to particular areas of public policy than average citizens because such groups have some special stake in the issues.

Duverger's Law

states that plurality-rule elections in single member districts tend to favor a two-party system. Since the winning candidate gets all the votes rather than proportional representation, people will move towards having only two choices since it keeps the decision simple. In political science the double ballot majority system and proportional representation tend to favor multipartism

Socioeconomic Status

status in society based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige. It is often measured as a combination of education, income, and occupation. Examinations of this often reveal inequities in access to resources, plus issues related to privilege, power and control.

Agenda Setting

the ability of the media to influence the importance on the public agenda. If the media talks about an issue a lot this will make its viewers feel it is more important. If the viewers feel it is important this will transfer to politicians putting it on their agenda to address. As well, agenda-setting describes the way that media attempts to influence viewers, and establish a hierarchy of news prevalence.

Credibility Gap

the apparent difference between what is said or promised and what happens or is true

Rally-Around-the-Flag-effect

the increased short-run popular support given to the president in times of crisis (EX: 9/11)

Political Socialization

the lifelong process by which citizens acquire their political beliefs and values

Party Platform

the party's stance on the issue, the issue publics within the party will from the basis of the _____________. formal set of principle goals which are supported by a party or candidate, in order to appeal to the general public, for the purpose of garnering the general public's support and votes about complicated topics or issues.

Ambivalence

the state of mind produced when particular issues evoke attitudes and beliefs that contradict about something or someone

Patronage

the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another.

Split Ticket

this type of voting refers to when a voter in an election votes for candidates from different political parties when multiple offices are being decided by a single election, as opposed to straight-ticket voting, where a voter chooses candidates from the same political party for every office up for election.