Reenie's Campaigns and Nominations Test Quizlet

what did the FEC controversially rule in 2004?

527 groups are not subjected to contribution restrictions as long as their political messages did not explicitly endorse candidates ("Vote for" and "vote against")

what percentage of adult citizens vote in the presidential election?

60%

how many taxpayers check off the federal income tax return box?

7%

how big is the sophomore surge?

8-10%

chance of incumbents being reelected in congress

90%

in a typical presidential race, how much of the vote does the winner typically get?

<55%

primary

A ballot vote in which citizens select a party's nominee for the general election.

mcgovern-fraser commission

A commission formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.

political action committee (PAC)

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

caucus

A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform.

direct mail

A method of raising money for a political cause or candidate, in which information and requests for money are sent to people whose names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past.

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.

party platform

A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. The platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate's strength. It is the best formal statement of a party's beliefs.

most recent campaign finance act

BCRA(Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act)

hydraulic theory of money and politics

Money always finds a way around legal obstacles

what does success in the nomination game require?

Money, media attention, momentum

superdelegates

National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention.

where does the primary season begin?

New Hampshire

501(c) groups

Tax-exempt organizations that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to promote "social welfare." They may advocate for or against candidates, but political activities cannot become their primary purpose. They can keep their donors and names of members secret.

examples of soft money

distributing campaign material at the grassroots level, generic advertising to promote the party

campaign contributions

donations that are made directly to a candidate or a party and that must be reported to the FEC

what did the dc court of appeals rule in speechnow.org vs. FEC?

donations to a PAC that makes only independent expenditures could not be limited; made it possible for a PAC that just expresses its views to collect and spend unlimited money

Malapportionment

drawing the boundaries of legislative districts so that they are unequal in population

what did cohen and his coauthors argue?

during the invisible primary, key elected officials in a party often unite around a candidate that they find most acceptable and give a crucial boost to their candidates

effect of the invisible primary, according to cohen & co

elite of the party often set the agenda during the nomination

what is one of the first things a presidential candidate does?

establish a website

how often does a reapportionment occur?

every 10 years

what advantage did obama have in politics?

experience as a community organizer that give him insight into how to mobilize activists to attend a caucus

what did the study of media coverage in 2008 find?

far more stories dealt with the horse race and strategy than policy and candidates' public records

result of mccutheon vs. FEC (2014)

federal candidates and political parties can band together and raise money from the same individuals through joint fundraising committees

what did the 1974 federal election campaign act establish?

federal election committee (FEC)

only presidential candidate who applied for federal funds in 2016

former governor o'malley

advantages of an incumbent running again

franking privileges, trips home, know how to run a personal campaign using radio and TV, trips home

main problem with rising costs of campaigning

fundraising takes up so much time

effect of obama's victory in iowa

gave him the edge over clinton, shocked the political world, landed him on the covers of major weekly magazines, and led the top of all the news broadcasts

why are a research staff and policy advisers necessary?

give candidates information to keep them up to date

who do voters prefer as president?

governors or military leaders

why were party conventions once dramatic?

great speeches, dark-horse candidates, and candidates fought to win the nomination

why is caucus turnout lower than primaries?

greater time commitment

what can a good press secretary do?

help reporters make their deadlines with stories that the campaign would like to see reported

what did many states decide to do for the democratic delegate selection procedure?

hold a primary

what sells newspapers or interests television views?

human interest angle

Example of Malapportionment

if one single-member district has 10,000 voters and another has 100,000 voters, voters in the former district have ten times the influence, per person, over the governing body.

minor-party federal funding exception

if you are minor-party candidate and receive at least 5% of the vote during the last national election, you may receive federal funding in the next election

what do the justices believe about the citizens united decision?

in 100k pages of the record, there were no direct examples of votes for independent expenditures; independent expenditures do not lead to corruption and expenditures were protected under the constitution as free speech

examples of doctrine of sufficiency

in 1990, wellstone beat an incumbent senator; in 2016, trump won even though he was outspent by clinton

example of frontloading

in 2008, 2/3 of delegates were chosen within 6 weeks of the iowa caucus

example of late primaries' irrelevancy

in 2016, by the time california and new jersey voted, trump had already wrapped up his party's nomination

what was the ruling of mcconnell vs. federal election commission (2003)?

in favor of the ban on unlimited contributions given to political parties, justified by the government's interest in preventing corruption

when did the cost of campaigning skyrocket?

in the early 1970s

justification for the citizens united v. FEC

independent expenditures do not lead to, or create the appearance of quid pro quo corruption, free speech

where do candidates spend more time in?

iowa (because it's the first-in-the-nation)

disproportionate attention to early contests

iowa and new hampshire play a key and disproportionate role in building momentum, even though they are not the most heavily populated states

wedge issues

issues that sharply divide the public.

what do critics of the FEC say?

it is often too locked up in partisan stalemate

importance of the new hampshire primary

it is traditionally first

what do critics of super PACs argue?

it represents a threat to limits on campaign contributions designed to minimize corruption in politics; the line between a candidate's campaign and super PAC has been blurred

when was the survey by the pew research center for the people & the press taken?

january 2016

when do individual state parties choose delegates?

january through june of the election year

who picked the 2004 democratic convention keynote speaker?

kerry

first highlight of a party convention

keynote speaker; a dynamic speaker outlines the party's basic principles and touts the nominee-to-be

why is a campaign counsel important?

legal assistance is essential to ensure compliance with federal regulation laws of campaign financing

problem with lack of formal coordination between a super PAC and a candidate's campaign

makes super PAC ads ineffectively

effect of 527 groups

many donors who had given big soft money contributions gave big donations to 527 groups

criticism of role of money in caucuses and primaries

many people think that money plays too large a role in american presidential elections

who was the first person to effectively run for president using the internet?

mccain (in 2000)

who wanted to remove large soft money campaign contributions?

mccain and feingold

what court case overturned the 1974 restriction on spending?

mccutheon v. FEC (2014)

where does the "free" attention from the news come from?

media events

during the invisible primary, who do candidates work with?

media, the political elite, and attentive portion of the public

allegedly who is the new kingmaker?

media; the press decides who has momentum at any given moment and labels candidates as winners or losers

who, other than the antiwar faction, wanted a more open process of convention delegate selection?

minorities, women, youth, and other groups that had not been properly represented

the big mo

momentum; a key in campaign success, especially if a candidate must beat predictions

what are primaries and caucuses considered?

more than just an endurance contest; proving grounds to do better than expected

exception to the lack of control of news coverage

most campaigns have press aides that feed news releases to reporters

what weakens campaigns' impact on voters?

most people pay little attention to campaigns, long-term factors influence voting behavior regardless of what happens in the campaign, and incumbents have an advantage because of name recognition and a track record

ideas for reforming the nomination process

national primary or a series of regional primaries

how much money was raised in 2000 through the 1979 loophole?

nearly half a billion

how long do most advanced industrialized countries' campaigns last?

no more than two months according to custom/law

two types of campaigns

nomination campaigns and election campaigns

Who was the 2004 democratic keynote speaker?

obama

formally nominating a candidate for president

one of each candidate's supporters gives a speech, string of seconding speeches, roll call of states, and the chair of each state's delegation announces their votes

when does a donation to a 501(c) group have to be reported?

only when a donor gives money SPECIFICALLY for a political ad

what did the 1998 study find?

out of 230,000 candidate ads, ones that emphasized policy outnumbered personal image by a 6-to-1 ratio

how much did perot spend on his 1992 campaign?

over $60 million

how much did trump spend on his 2016 campaign?

over $65 million

how many contributions via the internet did obama receive in 2008 and 2012?

over 1 million

how many email addresses were on the 2012 obama campaign?

over 13 million

how many people donated to sanders's 2016 campaign?

over 5 million

in a typical house race, how much of the vote does the incumbent typically get?

over 60%

how much of tv coverage has been devoted to the new hampshire primary?

over a fifth

why is there no open disagreement on issues?

party leaders fear negative publicity

party bosses

party leaders, usually in an urban district, who exercised tight control over electioneering and patronage

prominent politicians find it difficult to take time out from their duties to run

rigors of running often force those who are already in public office to partially neglect their elected duties

example of current political duties being a hindrance

rubio missed many roll call votes in the senate

who set a new record in the primaries for democratic donations?

sanders

who chaired the committee of inquiry (two people)?

senator mcgovern and representative fraser

what does a campaign staff of volunteers do?

send out mail, ring doorbells, and other small tasks

what does running for president demand in terms of endurance?

sleep deprivation, plane rides, junk food, lack of regular exercise, and stress

what do critics of the citizens united decision argue?

special interest groups can corrupt the electoral process

what happens at a national convention?

state delegations cast their votes

what were the two methods that delegates could be selected in?

state-run primary election or an open meeting at the local level

effect of high media attention on early contests

states moved their primaries up in the calendar

what happened in buckley v. valeo (1976)?

struck down expenditure limits (candidate's own money on campaign)

what did hillygus and shields find?

substantial number of voters are persuadable because they disagree with their preferred candidate on at least one issue; demonstrate how politicians use wedge issues to draw supporters

what did bartels find?

substantive political appeal may overwhelm the impact of momentum

only remaining vestige of the old system

superdelegates

what can super PACs do?

support a campaign, buy TV commercials and other assets

what can congressional members do?

take credit for things (like new highways or federal funding for projects), deny that they're responsible for DC, ride on the coattails of a president

what was supported to help pay a substantial part of presidential campaigns?

taxpayer dollars

most prevalent means used by candidates to reach voters

television

major item in a campaign budget

television advertising

example of gerrymandering

texas

what did the supreme court rule in 1964?

the constitution requires that districts be drawn so that, as close as possible one person's vote would be worth as much as another's

Gerrymandering

the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent

vast majority of delegates from 1830s-1960s

the elite (elected officials and heads of the local party organizations)

campaign strategy

the master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign

what act raised the limit for individual contributions?

the mccain-feingold act (2002)

what did jacobson show?

the more incumbents spend, the worse they do; incumbents who face a tough opponent must raise more money

franking privileges

the privilege of sending mail without payment of postage. Congress gets this privilege

4 problems because of gerrymandering and malapportionment

the total size of the House, allocating seats, determining the size of congressional districts, determining the shape of districts

only restriction on 501(c) groups

they cannot spend more than half their funds on political activities

why did many donors donate to the obama campaign?

they received occasional email requests

effect of the mcgovern-fraser commission

they wrote new rules to make the democratic party conventions more representative

what is the purpose of the federal election commission?

to create a repository for campaign finance reports and enforce limits on campaign contributions

most important goal of any media campaign

to get attention

what did reformers want?

to let people vote for their preferred candidate and then bind delegates to vote for that candidate at the national convention

why are today's conventions scripted?

to present the party in its best light

goal of the nomination game

to win the support of a majority of delegates at the national party convention

what do strategies have to address?

tone, theme, timing, targeted voters (TTTTV)

what did patterson and mcclure find?

viewers learned a substantial amount about candidates' issue stances from watching their ads on tv

who pioneered the mass mailing list?

viguerie

why are primaries and caucuses not representative?

voters tend to be older and more affluent than average

what encouraged campaign finance reform?

watergate scandal and rising campaign costs

effect of the high media exposure on iowa caucuses

well-known campaigns collapse due to poor showings, while some candidates have received tremendous boosts

when did george h.w. bush say "the big mo"?

when he scored a surprise victory over reagan in iowa

what did party bosses control?

who went to the convention and how the state's delegates voted

who proposed a national primary and when?

wilson in 1913

how do you get "mo" going?

win a bigger percentage of the vote than expected

what did obama's campaign do in 2008?

win the majority of delegates in every caucus

when does primary season begin?

winter

where was feingold from?

wisconsin (D)

major component of the invisible primary

wooing of support from elected officials, top fundraisers, and skilled political aides

reasoning behind the buckley v. valeo ruling

you can't corrupt yourself

who are typically campaign volunteers, and why?

young people because they are more likely to have energy and freedom

how many people watched trump's 2016 republican convention speech?

32 million

how many votes are required for the FEC for any action?

4

how much does direct mail cost?

40 cents for every dollar raised

how big is the house?

435

"orchestra pit" theory

"If it bleeds, it leads" media mentality.

what did baby bush say about the republican convention in 2000?

"The convention system provides a system of rewards for hardworking, grass-roots people who end up being delegates. I view it as an opportunity for these people to go back home, energized to help me get elected."

what did obama say about conventions?

"a weeklong infomercial for the party and its nominee."

what did the mcgovern-fraser commission find?

"meaningful participation of Democratic voters in the choice of their presidential nominee was often difficult or costly, sometimes completely illusory, and, in not a few instances, impossible."

what did patterson stress about the media campaign?

"today's presidential campaign is essentially a mass media campaign."

what was the initial limit for individual contributions to candidates in an election?

$1k

what was the limit for individual contributions to presidential and congressional candidates in 2016?

$2.7k

what was the 2002 limit of contributions to political parties?

$25k, indexed to rise with inflation

how much did the democratic party raise in soft money in 2000?

$32 million

what was the limit on contributions to political parties in 2016?

$33.4k

what's the limit on interest group donations?

$5k

cost of the 2012 campaigns for presidency and congress

$6.3 billion

what percent of adult citizens participate in caucuses?

5%

what did the new rules from the mcgovern-fraser include?

1. party leaders could no longer handpick the convention delegates secretly 2. all delegate selection were required to be open 3. states were told that delegates had to be selected via a method that everyone could participate in

criticisms of the marathon campaign

1. Disproportionate attention goes to the early caucuses and primaries 2. prominent politicians find it difficult to take time out from their duties to run 3. money plays too big a role in the caucuses and primaries 4. participation in primaries and caucuses is low and unrepresentative 5. the system gives too much power to the media.

frontloading's two problems

1. SPEED: with so many delegates being chosen so quickly, there may be a rush to judgment before the public can learn about the candidates 2. IRRELEVANCY: states that have held late primaries have proved to be irrelevant given that one candidate had already secured the nomination

what are the two ways to contribute money to campaigns?

1. campaign contributions to specific candidates or parties 2.donations to independent expenditure groups

what must candidates do to organize their campaigns effectively?

1. get a campaign manager 2. get a fundraiser 3. get a campaign counsel 4. hire media and campaign consultants 5. assemble a campaign staff 6. plan the logistics 7. get a research staff and policy advisers 8. hire a pollster 9. get a good press secretary 10. establish a website

what determines media coverage (two factors)?

1. how candidates use their advertising budget 2. the "free" attention they get as news makers

what threshold do delegates to the platform committee disagree with the majority have to reach to do something?

20%

what did the people & press survey find?

20% of americans had learned about the campaign over the past week from the candidates' websites, apps, or emails; 52% learned something from facebook and 43% from twitter

example of position issue

2004 issue over social security: bush wanted private savings accounts, kerry did not

what percent of adult citizens vote in presidential primaries?

25%

how many seats are reserved for democrats and republicans on the FEC?

3 each

how many people watched the 2016 super bowl?

112 million

in 2016, how much of the democratic party convention was made up of superdelegates?

15%

when were political party conventions invented?

1830s

when did congress set the size of the house?

1911

last time a convention took more than one ballot to decide a nomination

1952

what inspired reform in the selection of convention delegates?

1968 Democratic convention

how long has the iowa caucus been the first caucus?

1972

when did congress pass the federal election campaign act?

1974

what limited interest group donations to campaigns?

1974 reforms via regulations on political action committees

last time there was doubt to who would win at a convention

1976: ford edged out reagan

what percentage of adult citizens vote in iowa's caucus?

20%

soft money

Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.

effect of the federal election campaign act

Candidates reported... 1. who contributed money to their campaign 2. how the campaign funds have been spent Also... 3. limited campaign contributions

where was the 1968 democratic convention?

Chicago

How did Super PAC's come about?

DC court of appeals ruled that donations to a PAC that makes only independent expenditures cannot be limited

examples of 527 groups

DONT NEED TO KNOW

how many states left the presidential choice of conventional delegates to party elites through the 1960s?

DONT NEED TO KNOW

how much did at&t, american federation of state, county, and municipal employees give in 2000?

DONT NEED TO KNOW

what does congress want to change the restriction on 501(c) groups to?

DONT NEED TO KNOW

who donated $7 million and what did they do?

DONT NEED TO KNOW

how much money did hillary clinton's joint fundraising-committee receive from individual donations?

DONT NEED TO KNOW THIS

independent expenditures

Expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate's campaign.

who regulates 501(c) groups?

IRS

527 groups

Independent political groups that are not subject to contribution restrictions because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates. Section 527 of the tax code specifies that contributions to such groups must be reported to the IRS.

what was the federal election campaign act?

Placed legal limits on the amount someone could donate to a campaign fund. Prevents wealthy people from "buying" elections.

doctrine of sufficiency

Spend enough money to get a message across to compete effectively

position papers

developed for political candidates to identify their position on a large number of political topics

most basic complaint about money and politics

direct link between dollars spent and votes received

nomination

The official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party. Generally, success in the nomination game requires momentum, money, and media attention.

invisible primary

The period before any votes are cast when candidates compete to win early support from the elite of the party and to create a positive first impression of their leadership skills.

selective perception

The phenomenon that people's beliefs often guide what they pay the most attention to and how they interpret events.

examples of candidates bouncing back

bush bounced back to win big states in 2000 against mccain; clinton was able to bounce back in 2016 after losing new hampshire to sanders by 22%

what happened at the 1968 democratic party's convention?

demonstrators against the war in asia (*not just vietnam anymore*) fought daley's police in a "police riot" (they were beat up)

frontloading

The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.

how can money be collected for presidential candidates?

a $3 voluntary check-off box on federal income tax returns

what did viguerie create?

a computerized list of names and addresses of hundreds of thousands of individuals who contributed to conservative causes

who was viguerie?

a conservative fundraiser

what does campaign coverage seem to be?

a constant interplay between hard news about what candidates say/do and the human interest angle

what did the antiwar faction win?

a special committee to review the party's delegate selection procedures

what is an incumbent's strategy?

defend

how is the vice presidential candidate chosen?

delegates vote for whomever the presidential nominee recommends

how long does a presidential candidacy need to last before the election?

about a year and a half

how long were independent expenditures by 527 groups partially restricted?

about eight years

who are the policy advisers usually?

academics (NOT creative and driven @ Hanna)

effect of viguerie's invention

accumulation of mailing lists enables candidates to pick an issue and write to a list of people concerned about that issue, making targeted fundraising easier and more cost effective

who writes position papers?

advisors

where did 527 groups get its name?

after the section of the federal tax code that governs these political groups

how can a candidate access taxpayer funds?

agreeing with restrictions on overall spending

advance workers

aides who handle the complicated details of candidate scheduling and see to it that events are well publicized and attended

who came up with the "orchestra pit" theory of politics?

ailes, founder of fox news

what ends a party convention?

all party leaders come out to congratulate the ticket, raise their hands, and bid the delegates farewell

what created the 1979 loophole?

an amendment to the original act that made it easier for political parties to raise money for voter registration drives and party-building activities

sophomore surge

an increase in the votes congressional candidates usually get when they first run for reelection

position issue

an issue about which the public is divided and rival candidates or political parties adopt different policy positions

valence issue

an issue about which the public is united and rival candidates or political parties adopt similar positions in hopes that each will be thought to best represent those widely shared beliefs.

where was mccain from?

arizona (R)

how much does an american election cost per person?

as much as a movie purchase on iTunes or Amazon

how much of the total budget for a presidential or us senate campaign is allotted to campaign commercials?

at least half

what is a challenger's strategy?

attack

what did the mccain-feingold act do?

ban soft money contributions and set limits

how do voters differentiate candidates?

based off personal qualifications, characters, and intelligence

why is a campaign manager important?

bears the day-to-day responsibility for setting the tone of a campaign, keeps the candidate from getting bogged down in details

what did multiple-ballot contests used to involve?

behind-the-scenes manuevering and dealing-making

what can disagreeing delegates do?

bring an alternative minority plank to the convention floor for debate

what was the first loophole of the 1974 campaign reform act?

buckley v. valeo (1976)

how would a regional primary be organized?

by time zone

what is news coverage disproportionately devoted to?

campaign strategies, speculation about what's next, poll results, and other aspects of the campaign game

election campaigns

campaigns between the two nominees

nomination campaigns

campaigns for party nominations

Joint fundraising committees

can be created by two or more political entities to share the costs of fundraising, and split the proceeds; participants can't take any more more money from a donor than they could if the money was given directly, but now donors can write a very large check

what does the FEC do?

candidates and parties have to file regular detailed contribution reports with the commission, which it posts online

why are media and campaign consultants needed?

candidates don't have time to plan ad campaigns, contract for buttons and bumper stickers, and buy tv time and newspaper space

how did the opening of the presidential nomination process change politics?

candidates now have to compete for votes, delegates attained their ability now due to their preferred candidate's ability to pull in votes

effect of staying in office on policy making

candidates try to do as much as possible for people back home, serve on particular committees so states have better chances of getting new bridges and federal grants

what did boatright argue?

candidates who use the web to raise money can raise larger sums from small donors than traditionally the case in case in campaigns; they can give donors an idea of how their money will be used and more easily resolicit donors

what do campaign websites typically include?

candidates' stances, videos of speeches, schedules of upcoming events, donation links

who won iowa in 1976?

carter

why is money so controversial in campaigns?

concern that wealthy campaign contributors are buying special influence over public policy decisions

what do pollsters do?

conduct opinion research to tell candidates how the voters view them

ruling of citizens united v. FEC (2010)

corporations and unions can spend as much as they like to promote their political views, as long as they don't coordinate their message with any candidate's campaign

effect of superdelegates

could overturn people's verdict by giving the nomination to the candidate who received fewer popular votes

at early stages in a campaign, what is it about?

creating images for the rest of the country to see candidates as front-runners

in 2012, what did the democratic party do?

cut the convention to three days for the first time

what was obama's 2012 campaign the first-of-its-kind to do?

dedicate to high-tech work, such as setting up twitter feeds, facebook pages, and other internet applications

police riot

police beat people instead of arresting them

super PACs

political action committees established to make independent expenditures

what do critics of political ads say?

political ads tend to emphasize style over substance, image over information

greatest impact on the internet on campaigns

political fundraising

two kinds of campaign issues

position or valence issue

what did the mccain-feingold act increase individual contributions to (from 1k to 2k)?

presidential and congressional candidates

grand finale of a national convention

presidential candidate's acceptance speech

effect of mccain-feingold act on corporations and unions

prevented them from using their general treasury funds to pay for electioneering communications in the last 60 days of federal campaigns and the last 30 days of federal primaries

what determines party nominees?

primaries and caucuses

"one man, one vote"

principle meaning that election districts would have to be redrawn to provide equal representation for all of states citizens

what are political ads designed to do?

prompt people's thinking, heighten conflict and employ a hard-sell approach

what did bradley smith report?

proportion of the nation's GDP spent on political activity is .05%

solution to time-commitment of fundraising

public financing of federal campaigns

what should a campaign strategy do?

raise money, garner media attention, win supporters

who promoted the presidential primary early on?

reformers who wanted to take nominations out of the hands of party bosses

three effects that campaigns have on voters

reinforcement, activation, and conversion: campaigns can reinforce voters' preferences, activate voters, and convert voters