American Government Exam (Dr. Richard/Mercyhurst)

In the United States, the primary responsibility for registration of the individual voter rests with the

*Will add later*

Explain what the imminent lawless action test is. What does it give Americans the freedom to do?

- An imposing barrier to any gov attempt to restrict speech - Freedom to express nearly any political opinion including hate speech. - 2-part test: speech - Individuals freedom of speech protected from government action.

One example of a policy that aimed chiefly to overcome de facto discrimination is

Busing to achieve racial integration in the schools.

.The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was aimed at eliminating discrimination

By private individuals in their employment practices and in their operation of public accommodations (e.g., hotels, restaurants).

A blending of state and national authority is associated with ________ federalism, while a separation of national and state authority is associated with ________ federalism.

Cooperative; Dual

In comparison with today's newspapers, early American newspapers

Could not have survived without political party support

What is affirmative action? What is the Supreme Court's general position on affirmative action today?

Affirmative action are deliberate efforts to provide full and equal opportunities in employment, education, and other areas for members of traditionally disadvantaged groups

Political parties serve to

All of these answers are correct. link the public with its elected leaders. enable people with different backgrounds and opinions to act together. offer the public a choice between policies and leaders. provide potential leaders an opportunity to attain public office.

A basic reason for the existence of so many interest groups in the United States is

All of these answers are correct: - The American tradition of free association. - America's federal system of government. -the separation of powers in American government. -The extent of diverse interests in American society.

The establishment clause prohibits government from

Favoring one religion over another or supporting religion over no religion.

In Federalist No. 10, James Madison argued that

Government is most dangerous when a single group is powerful enough to gain full political control

Why are people of higher income and education levels more likely to be politically active?

Higher income Americans have financial resources and communication skills to be politically active. Low SES individuals are also less familiar with registration locations and requirements. They also have never been represented by a labor party in the US.

9) In its 1969 Brandenburg v. Ohio ruling, the Supreme Court established the ________ test.

Imminent Lawless Action

In its 1969 Brandenburg v. Ohio ruling, the Supreme Court established the ________ test.

Imminent Lawless Action

Like all other rights, the right of free expression is

Not absolute

In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that state bans on same-sex marriage violated the Fourteenth Amendment in which case?

Obergefell v. Hodges

Under the New Jersey Plan, each state would have ____ vote(s) in Congress.

One Under the New Jersey Plan, each state would have one vote(s) in Congress.

Any law that attempts a racial or ethnic classification is subject to the

Strict scrutiny test.

Which of the following is a concurrent power held by both the national government and state governments?

Taxation

The freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and petition are found in

The First Amendment.

The news media's common-carrier role is based on the idea that

The press should provide a channel through which political leaders can communicate their views to the public.

National authority has greatly expanded in the twentieth century in large part because ________.

The states and the federal government have become increasingly interdependent

An interest group that focuses on policy benefits for senior citizens would be an example of

a single-issue group.

How does the news media differ from political parties and interest groups as a mediating institution? Does the media have an obligation to report the news in a responsible way, even if it hurts their ratings?

While political parties and interest groups seek influence to promote particular leaders or policies, the news media's basic goal is to inform the public about politics and government. The media does not have an obligation because they are not regulated to and they are driven by getting an audience and profit.

List and explain at least 3 reasons why some Americans vote regularly while others do not.

Young adults voting is less likely than older adults because younger adults must apply for an absentee ballot or reregister because they move a lot. Some don't have an interest in politics (apathy) or feel alienated and like the government will ignore their interests. Others have a strong sense of civic duty. Apathy and strong sense of civic duty comes from parents. Those identified with a party will vote because they are more familiar with policy differences which implicates the consequences of an election. Independents are much less likely to vote because of lack of knowledge of who to vote for.

A general belief about the role and purpose of government is called

an ideology.

Libertarians are opposed to governmental intervention

in both the economic and social spheres.

When the nation was founded, who was eligible to vote?

only white males who owned property

Objective journalism is based on the idea that the reporter's job is to

report the facts and cover alternative sides of a partisan debate.

The MOST obvious sign of the party realignment of recent decades has been the strong tendency of

the South to vote Republican.

The Lemon test is designed to

the secular nature of a government action.

Citizens' interest groups are distinguished from economic interest groups by the fact that

their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the group's goals.

Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups because

they have greater access to financial resources.

Conventional forms of political participation include all of the following EXCEPT

violent protests

Proportional representation systems encourage the formation of smaller parties by enabling parties to

win legislative seats even though they do not receive a majority of votes in elections.

Voter turnout is LOWEST in which age group?

young adults

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 addressed

housing

Which of the following is NOT one of the core values of American political culture?

Cooperation

What is devolution? What is nationalization? What are pros and cons of each? Which do you think is better and why?

- Devolution: The idea that American federalism can be strengthened by partial shift in power from federal to state and local government. Rests on the belief that federal authority intruded too far into state areas. - Pro: Has a strong backing with the public - Con: bias because more popular with republicans than more evenly among the public as a whole Nationalization: A gradual shift in power from the states to the national government. Constitution - has enabled the national government to introduce on policy areas initially reserved to the states. - Pro: (go to worksheet) - Con: (go to worksheet Currently I do not see if one is better than the other since both have their strengths and weaknesses

Compare and contrast dual federalism and cooperative federalism. Find one example of a policy program that illustrates cooperative federalism.

- Dual Federalism: separation of national and state authority - Cooperative Federalism: Interdependency between the federal government and state. It is based on more shared policy responsibilities rather than sharply divided ones. Ex: Medicaid

What are enumerated (expressed) powers? What are implied powers? What are reserved powers? What are concurrent powers?

- Expressed Powers: 17 listed in Article 1 of the Constitution. Were to establish a government strong enough to forge a union that was secure in its defense and stable in its economy. Congress's power to regulate commerce among states, create national currency etc. - Implied Powers: Powers not listed in the Constitution but were related to the exercise of powers that were listed. - Reserved Powers: The powers left for the States under the Constitution - Concurrent Powers: Powers that are shared by both the federal and state governments. Ex: Lending and borrowing money, taxing, transportation, law enforcement, charter banks

What are the differences between a federal system, a unitary system, and a confederacy? Find at least one example of each type of system.

- Federal System: Congress's authority is divided among national and state government Ex: United States - Unitary System: Sovereignty is only in the national government Ex: England and United States local Gov - Confederacy System: States hold all sovereignty Ex: Ancient Greek city-states

Explain the concept of prior restraint of the press. Include one example of how the Supreme Court has ruled on this issue.

- Gov prohibition of speech or publication before it occurs - New York Times vs. Sullivan (1964) - Supreme Court ruled libel of public official requires proof of actual malice.

According to the original Constitution how were the following national officeholders selected? Are they selected the same way or a different way today? Members of the House of Representatives?

- House of Representatives are elected by a direct popular election and serve for 2 years. They are selected the same way today. - Senators are appointed by legislatures of the state they represent. They are indirectly elected to serve 6 years. They are selected the same way today. - The president is elected through an electoral college. It is selected the same way today. Federal judges and justices are nominated by the president and confirmed through the approval of the Senate.

List and explain what the book identifies as America's core political ideals.

- Liberty is the freedom to act and think as you wish - Individualism is mostly characterized by economic independency. - Equality is described as all persons equal in chances. - Self-government is when people have a voice in their government.

What does James Madison argue in Federalist No. 10? How did this lead to the framers' special contribution to the doctrine of the separation of powers?

- Madison argued that factions, or groups that have the same interests, are good unless one becomes all powerful as they could use the government to get what they want and leave the other groups out - This led the framers contributing to the doctrine of separation of powers by creating separate branches that are interlocked in an elaborate system of checks and balances. They separated but overlapped the powers as total separation would have made it easier for one faction to take over.

What is political culture? Why is the political culture in the United States different from other countries?

- Political culture is the widely shared and deep-seated beliefs of a country's people about politics. - Other countries' political culture is based on linked ancestry while the United States' political culture is based on a set of ideal values from a variety of individuals from different cultures.

What were the differences between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan? What was the Great Compromise and what did it lead to?

- The Virginia Plan was deemed the large state plan. It included separate judicial and executive branches and a two chamber Congress that would have authority over defense and commerce (trading). The lower chamber would be elected by voters and the upper chamber chosen by the lower chamber. The heavily populated states would have the most representatives. - The New Jersey plan was called the small state plan. This called for a stronger government that would have the power to tax and regulate commerce. Congress would have one chamber where each state regardless of size would have one vote. - The Great Compromise was the agreement between the two plans. It provided a two chamber Congress, which composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The representatives in the House would be portioned based on population of the state while the Senate would contain two senators for each state regardless of size. This led to a two chamber Congress.

Discuss the differences between the First Amendment's establishment and free exercise clauses. To which one does the Lemon test apply? What are the components of the Lemon test?

- The free exercise clause says Americans are free to hold religious beliefs of their choosing. - Establishment clause says gov cannot one religion or support religion over no religion - Lemon test applies to the establishment clause. - Policy must have a nonreligious purpose. - Primary effects must be that weather it prohibits or advances religion. - Policy must not foster excess gov entanglement with religion.

What powers did the national government have under the Articles of Confederation? What powers did Congress have under the Articles of Confederation?

- The national government did not have no judiciary and no independent executive. - Congress had very limited authority where each state had one vote.

Explain the ratification debate between the Anti-Federalists and the Federalists. What type of national government did the Anti-Federalists want? What type of national government did the Federalists want?

- The ratification debate consisted of the Anti-Federalists worried about a strong national government threatening the people's liberty while the Federalists argued the government would correct the defects of the Articles if it were strong. - The Anti-Federalists wanted a weaker or limited national government. - The Federalists wanted a stronger government.

What does it mean to "think politically"? What is the purpose of political thinking? According to Patterson, what is the major barrier to political thinking?

- To think politically is to use critical thinking to determine what can reasonably be believed and then making a political judgement based on the findings. - The purpose is to be responsible as a citizen and engage in how the government is set up as a participatory system. - The major barrier is unwillingness of citizens to make the effort of self-informing.

What is meant by selective incorporation? Discuss the history of this process and its importance to the protection of individual rights. Have all amendments contained within the Bill of Rights been "selectively incorporated"? If not, which of them have not?

- Use of the 14th Amendment to apply selected provisions of the Bill Of Rights to the states. By the judicial branch. - No, the 7th Amendment right to a jury trial in civil cases isn't required of states. - In the Mapp ruling by the court. It selectively integrated. The 4th Amendment gave protection against unreasonable search and seizure into the 14th amendment which protected it from infringement by states and localities.

Explain the concept of procedural due process and list several of the procedural rights protected by the Constitution. Do these rights apply to all levels of government, federal and state? Explain.

. a) Procedures authorities must follow before a person can be lawfully punished for offense. b) Protects from wrongful arrest, conviction, and punishment. 5th and 4th. No person can be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process. c) 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th a. Search and seizure, arrest, self-incrimination, double jeopardy, due process, counsel, prompt and reasonable processing, bail, cruel and unusual punishment. b. Yes, because they used selective incorporation

Define a PAC. What limitations do PACs face when contributing funds? Who are the primary recipients of PAC contributions, and why? In what significant ways does a PAC differ from a super PAC?

A PAC is a tool of interest groups and a political action committee (PAC). A group can solicit voluntary contributions from members/employees and then donate the money to the candidates since they cannot give organizational funds directly to a candidate. The limitations are $10,000 per candidate but $5,000 for the primary campaign and the other $5,000 for the general election campaign. The primary recipients are incumbents because since they are already in office, they are most likely to hold the power of the office. Super PACs are different legally to PACs. Campaign spending by super PACs are protected by free expression. They can also spend unlimited amounts and aren't required to report their expenditures until nearly two years later.

The great compromise produced

A bicameral congress

Define what is meant by a high-choice media system. How does it contribute to a less-informed public? How does it contribute to a more partisan public?

A high-choice media system is a system that people have a great number of places to go to for information. It contributes to a less-informed public by providing easier access to low SES individuals so they can be informed about politics as well. It contributes to a more partisan public by allowing people to choose sources that align most with their political views which contributes to polarization.

What is a political party? What is the purpose of political parties, in other words, what do parties do? Are political parties necessary or essential in a democratic society?

A political party is an ongoing coalition of interests joined together to get its candidates for public office elected under a common label. Political parties give a choice which allows people to influence the direction of government. Main purpose is to get someone elected. Political party roles are mobilizing voters, structuring choices for the mass electorate, providing accountability, organizing the government, and knitting together splintered interests. They are necessary because without parties, popular sovereignty amounts to nothing.

The term iron triangle refers to

A small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest.

All of the following are characteristic of a party realignment EXCEPT

A very close electoral result.

Which of the following was NOT provided for by the Articles of Confederation?

An independent federal executive

Identify the defining characteristics of an interest group. How do interest groups differ from political parties? What are there more interest groups in the US than in other Western democracies?

An interest group is any organizations with common goals that actively seeks to influence public policy. It is a linkage mechanism between citizens and the government. Different names for it are a faction, pressure group, and lobbying group. Interest groups differ from parties in a variety of ways. There are thousands of interest groups while only two political parties. Interest groups are also trying to influence public policy while parties are trying to get a candidate elected to office. Interest groups have very narrow set of issues while parties are composed of a broad range of issues. There are more interest groups in the US because we have the right to petition the government and a tradition of free association.

The term civil liberties refers to specific individual rights that

Are constitutionally protected from infringement by government.

Define citizens' groups (or noneconomic groups) interest groups. Identify one example of a sing-issue group.

Citizens' groups are people joined together because of a purpose incentive which is promoting a common cause. Single-issue groups make up most of citizens' groups. An example of a single-issue group is the National Rifle Association.

What is a candidate-centered campaign, and how does it differ from a party-centered one? Identify some advantages and disadvantages of candidate-centered campaigns.

Candidate-centered campaigns are controlled by the candidate. The candidate has a personal organization created for the campaign and disbanded once over. This kind requires a lot of money, political consultants (strategists), and voter contact. Party-centered campaigns on the other hand have a slow candidate recruitment process and the candidate works in the party so has the same outlook and isn't as open. Advantages to the candidate-centered campaign are it infuses new people into electoral politics, it is more open and lets newcomers gain office quick, and it encourages national office holders to be responsive to local interests. Disadvantages are it provides a lot of opportunities for powerful interest groups to shower money on the candidates and it weakens accountability by making it easier for office holders to deny personal responsibility for the government's actions.

Some groups pursue collective goods. A collective good is one that

Cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared.

Federal grants-in-aid used only for a designated activity are called ________.

Categorical grants

Which of the following would NOT be considered a secondary socializing agent?

Church

What is the difference between de jure discrimination and de facto discrimination? Provide historical examples of each. Provide modern day examples of each. Why is de facto discrimination more difficult to overcome?

De Jure discrimination is based on laws like requiring blacks and whites to attend different schools. De Facto discrimination is when historically disadvantaged groups have fewer opportunities and benefits because of prejudice and economic circumstances, like not being able to pay for college. De Facto is more difficult to overcome since it is more of a prejudice thing.

Judicial review is the power of the Supreme Court to

Declare a law unconstitutional

The FCC restriction requiring broadcasters to "afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of public importance" was known as the

Fairness Doctrine.

Define economic groups. Identify four types of economic interest groups and the constituencies they serve.

Economic groups are organizations that engage in political activity to promote and protect their economic interests. They have a material incentive of jobs, higher wages, and more. One type are the business groups which are the most numerous and are composed of businesses and corporations. A second type are the labor groups that want to benefit workers in general and union members. A third type are the farm groups that focus on agriculture and are a large economic lobby. The last type are the professional groups made of professionals like physicians and professors.

Why do economic groups substantially outnumber citizens' groups? In answering this question, define the following: private (individual) good, collective (public) good, and free-rider problem.

Economic groups outnumber citizens' groups because they have more access to abundant resources and use economic value to exchange for dues paid by members. Private goods are benefits given directly to particular individuals. They can be held back if a person unwilling to pay organizational dues. Private goods are provided by economic groups. Collective goods are goods that belong to all and cannot be granted or withheld on an individual basis. These are provided by citizens' groups. The free-rider problem occurs because of collective goods because people can obtain the good even if they did contribute to the group's effort.

The framers' most significant modification of the traditional doctrine of the separation of powers was to

Ensure that the powers of the separate branches overlap, so that each could better act as a check on the others

The federal government's power to tax, regulate commerce among the states, and declare war are all examples of ________ powers.

Enumerated

The Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas ruling (1954) held that racial segregation in schools violated the

Equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

What is the equal protection clause? Does it require the government to treat all groups or classes of people equally in all circumstances?

Equal protection clause requires the states to treat residents equally. It does require the government to treat all groups equally, however it was not interpreted that way at first and it still has bumps and challenges.

The enumerated powers in Article I of the Constitution were intended to

Establish a government strong enough to forge a union that was secure in its defense and stable in its economy.

What is fiscal federalism? What are grants-in-aid? Categorical grants? Block grants?

Fiscal Federalism: Expenditure of federal funds on programs run in part of state and local government Grant-in-aid: Federal government aid through cash payments that must be spent in a way that is specified by congress. Categorical grant: State/local grants the most restrictive form of government aid and must be used for a designated activity. For example, school lunch programs. If it states it is for the school lunch program it can not be used for any other part of the school's funding. Block Grant: State/local grant less restrictive, the government gives a specified area the funds can go, for example education it can be used in any form of education but not outside of education funding

What steps did the government have to take to regulate broadcast media, and why were those steps necessary?

In 1934, Congress passed the Communications Act that regulated broadcasting and created the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to oversee process. Under it, broadcasters had to be licensed by the FCC, they had to be impartial in political coverage, and they couldn't give or sell time to a candidate without doing the same for the other candidates of the same office. This was passed because frequencies were limited at the time. In the 1950s, the Fairness Doctrine was passed because of an increase of TVs in homes. It required broadcasters to "afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of public importance." Under it, broadcasters were prohibited from using news coverage to promote one party or issue at the expense of another. In 1987, the FCC rescinded the Fairness Doctrine because the emergence of cable TV and expansion of the FM radio had alleviated the problem of scarce frequencies. These steps were necessary because a station would use the same or an adjacent frequency and the increase of TVs in homes in the 1950s and expansion of the FM radio eliminated the limited frequencies

The media perform the signaling role by

Informing the public of breaking events and new developments.

PACs tend to contribute the most money to

Incumbents.

A law that placed restrictions on courses girls could take in high school would be evaluated by the courts using the

Intermediate scrutiny test.

As described in the text, "political thinking"

Involves the careful gathering and sifting of information in the process of forming a knowledgeable view about a political issue

Describe what an iron triangle is, and the influence iron triangles have on policymaking. Why is it referred to as an iron triangle?

Iron triangles are small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who seek to develop policies beneficial to a particular interest. Their influence is only in certain policy areas dependent on who is in the triangle. They have power because the President and Congress defer to iron triangles because iron triangles have expertise. It is referred to as an iron triangle because it is iron clad which means it's mutually beneficial and an impenetrable relationship.

The policy of affirmative action arose when

It became apparent that disadvantaged Americans would not attain equal employment opportunities through lawsuits that benefited single individuals only.

How has the Internet affected the watchdog role of the media?

It has expanded the watchdog capacity of the media.

What is judicial review? Are there constitutional limits to the courts' powers? What are they?

Judicial review is the power of the judiciary to decide whether a government official or institution has acted within the limits of the Constitution. Congress can say the size of the federal court system, restrict the Court's appellate jurisdiction, impeach and remove federal judges, propose amendments to the Constitution, and rewrite legislation. The President can appoint federal judges with consent from Senate, can pardon persons convicted in the courts and executes court decisions.

Explain the differences between liberals, conservatives, populists, and libertarians on economic and cultural (social) issues.

Liberals according to economic issues believe the government should use their powers to help disadvantaged people. According to culture issues, liberals say lifestyle choices should be left to the individual. Conservatives according to economic issues believe the government should leave the distribution of wealth to the free market. According to culture issues, conservatives believe the government should be used to promote traditional values. Populists are economically liberal and culturally conservative. Libertarians are economically conservative and culturally liberal.

Why do congressional incumbents have such a high rate of reelection? What is gerrymandering and why does it provide an incumbency advantage for House members only?

Many congressional districts and some states are more Democratic or Republican so candidates of the stronger party within the area rarely lose. Also, incumbents can promote their reelection to their constituency, or the people living in their state or district. Gerrymandering is the redrawing of boundaries in a way that favors the candidates of a party. This provides an incumbency advantage to the House only because representatives are elected by popular vote from a district. If that district is redrawn to favor the representative, then the chances of them winning reelection are high.

Scholarly research has shown that, overall, the traditional media have

No substantial bias.

Which of the following is most closely related to the concept of implied powers?

Necessary and proper clause

Which of the following statements have been shown by scholarly research to be true?

Network journalists tend to be negative.

List and explain 3 reasons why Americans vote at a lower rate than Western Europeans.

One reason would be registration requirements because the requirement of a voter ID card throws a barrier against lower SES individuals who may not have a license or passport. Another is education and income because the US has never had a socialist or labor party to represent this population. A third reason is the frequency of elections limits turnout rates because the US has 2-3 times more elections than Europe and most are on odd number years.

What is meant by the term partisan press? Why was it followed by an era of objective journalism and what does this mean?

Partisan press is newspaper and other media that tend to support a particular party and only report news that has to do with that party. Objective journalism is based on reporting facts rather than opinions. It is fair because reports look on both sides of the issue. It was followed by objective journalism because yellow journalism had sensationalized and largely inaccurate reports to increase profits, so some publishers devised was to report news more responsibly by separating the newspaper's advertising department and the news department and implemented objective journalism.

Americans' public opinion are shaped by several frames of reference. These frames of reference include: partisanship (party identification), political ideology, and group attachments. Explain what each of these are.

Partisanship is the person's sense of loyalty to a political party. It is more of an emotional attachment. Political ideology is the general belief about the role and purpose of government. There are two main categories named conservatives and liberals. Group attachment is when a person has an identity tied to a group and they respond accordingly when policies affect their group. These are like race and religion.

What is meant by a party realignment? What are the 3 basic elements of a party realignment? Explain the four realignments that have occurred since the 1850s. Discuss in particular why the last party realignment has been different from the first 3.

Party realignment is a period of extraordinary party change and are rare. The three basic elements are the emergence of unusually powerful and divisive issues, election contest(s) in which voters shift their partisan support, and enduring change in parties' policies and coalitions. One realignment was because of the Civil War and allows the Republicans to dominate the presidency and Congress. The second was the 1896 election because of a bank crisis during Cleveland's presidency that benefitted the Republicans and let them dominate the presidency and Congress. The third was in the 1930s during the Great Depression because Democrats had promising economic recovery programs which allowed Democrats to dominate. The fourth was in 1968 and continues to now with the Republicans dominating. The last realignment starting in 1968 was different because the Republicans did not gain as much power as parties in the past have from realignments.

Devolution is the ________.

Passing of authority from the national government to the state and local levels

Which of the following is NOT a primary socializing agent?

Peers

The winner-take-all system is also known as the ________ system

Plurality

What is political participation? Why is political participation important in a democratic society?

Political participation is involvement in activities intended to influence public policy and leadership. It is important because democracies are distinguished by their emphasis on citizen participation. It also would make a difference in how the country were governed if citizens couldn't participate.

The history of democratic government is virtually synonymous with the history of

Political parties

According to Patterson, what constitutes "the strongest force within Congress"? Where is most of the work in Congress conducted?

Political parties are the strongest force because they provide both unity and division. Standing committees do most of the work. They are permanent committees with responsibility for particular areas of public policy.

What is political socialization? What are primary agents of socialization? What are secondary agents of socialization?

Political socialization is the learning process by which people acquire their political opinions, beliefs, and values. Primary agents are family, school, and church. Secondary agents are peers, media, leaders, and events.

The process by which a society settles its conflicts and allocates the resulting benefits and costs is called

Politics

How does the book define politics? Is this a sufficient definition? Would your group add anything to this definition? If so, what?

Politics is the means by which society settles its conflicts and allocates the resulting benefits and costs.

A person who favors government intervention in both social and economic affairs is a(n)

Populists

Another name for an interest group is

Pressure group.

What are primary elections? Explain the difference between closed primaries and open primaries. What impact do primaries have on party organizations?

Primary elections give control of nominations to the voters. The candidate with the most votes gets nominated for general election. Closed primaries are limited to voters registered with the party where open primaries allow independents and sometimes voters of the other party to vote. Primaries impact party organizations by creating a barrier to creating strong party organization.

Explain the difference between proportional representation and single-member districts as methods of electing candidates to office. Why is the first method more likely than the second to foster a multiparty system?

Proportional representation elect candidates to office by allocating seats in legislature according to a party's share of the popular vote. Single-member districts elect candidates to office by winning a plurality of votes, referred to as the winner-takes-all system. Proportional representation method is more likely to foster a multiparty system because it allows smaller parties to compete.

According to the Supreme Court, which is true regarding freedom of assembly?

Public officials can regulate the time, place, and conditions of public assembly, provided the regulations are reasonable.

What is public opinion? Why is public opinion important in a democratic society?

Public opinion is politically relevant opinions held by ordinary citizens that they express openly. It is important in a democratic society because it has a general importance with what happens in government and democracy is about the people. It also helps communicate what the people think to officials so they can properly do their job representing the people. Also, our government is a participatory system so if no one has an opinion or if a select few do, the government will crumble or be toxic.

How is public opinion measured? What are some of the problems encountered when measuring public opinion?

Public opinion used to be measured through election returns, letters to editors, and sizes of crowds at demonstration, but now it is mostly measured by public opinion polls. Some problems are sampling error as some people may be uninformed or misinformed which will skew the results.

The inclusion of certain provisions of the Bill of Rights through the Fourteenth Amendment, so that these rights are protected from infringements by the state governments, is called

Selective incorporation.

What was politically significant about Geraldine Ferraro in 1984?

She became the first woman to run on the national ticket of a major political party.

Define and explain the four functions of the modern media.

Signaling function consists of alerting the public to important developments as soon as possible after they happen. This is performed largely by traditional media and gives the media the power to focus the public's attention. Common-carrier function consists of a conduit through which political leaders communicate with the public. The justification for this is that citizens can't support or oppose leaders' actions and plans if they don't know about them. Watchdog function consists of the press standing ready to expose officials who violate accepted legal, ethical, or performance standards. The media has assumed responsibility for exposing incompetent, hypocritical, and corrupt officials. Partisan function consists of being an advocate for a particular viewpoint or interest. The traditional media is generally neutral though has a bias to report on negative events. Talk shows are mostly conservative while the internet is mostly liberal.

In the Constitution, procedural due process is protected by the

Sixth Amendment, Fifth Amendment, Eighth Amendment, Fourth Amendment.

What are some unconventional forms of political participation?

Some forms are protests like the Boston Tea Party and political movements like Black Lives Matter. Boycotts are also an unconventional form.

What are some conventional forms of political participation other than voting?

Some other forms are joining political groups, demonstrating, writing to elected officials, donating money to political parties/campaigns, internet participation, and campaigning.

The elastic clause is related to which of the following concepts?

The 4 Powers: Enumerated powers, reserved powers, implied powers, concurrent powers

Describe the provisions and impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is when the 14th Amendment prohibits discrimination by government but not private parties. It entitles all people access to all public accomidations with this came the Black Civil Rights Movement as well as Women's rights and strikes. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 is when congress passed Civil Rights legislation prohibiting discrimination on housing. This lead, to Affirmative Action de jure, and de facto discrimination

Compared with past tines, there are now fewer conservative Democrats and fewer progressive Republicans in Congress. How has this development increased the importance of party and party leaders in Congress? How has it increased the chances of partisan deadlock on key legislative issues?

The development has created a more polarized Congress which can easily lead to a deadlock. Members are more stubborn and aren't following the framers' vision of compromise. Its also impossible to adjust to plarization.

Patterson presents scholarly evidence to suggest that the traditional media does not have a substantial and systematic liberal bias. Do you agree or disagree and why? Instead of a strong partisan bias, Patterson argues that there is a different kind of network bias that exists which explains why networks are perceived as biased. What is this bias? Do you agree or disagree and why?

The different kind of bias is a bias to report the negative events. This can come off as a partisan bias when stations critique political figures become some will see the criticism as valid and others as unjust depending if they support the political figure or not.

Which of the following represents the greatest blow to the organizational strength of U.S. parties?

The direct primary

The yellow journalism of the late nineteenth century was characterized by

The emphasis on sensationalism as a way of selling newspapers.

Where is the bill of rights found in the constitution?

The first ten amendments

The focus of civil liberties is the ________ and the focus of civil rights is the ________.

The focus of civil liberties is the (individual) and the focus of civil rights is the (group). Individual; group

What are the formal constitutional restrictions on who can be elected to Congress? What are the informal limits to being elected?

The formal constitutional restrictions differ for the House and Senate. The House requires a representative be 25 years old and a citizen for at least 7 years. The Senate requires the member to be 30 years old and be a citizen for at least 9 years. Both, however, require the person be a resident of the state from which they're elected. The informal restrictions are of employment, background, and gender or race. Lawyers make up ¼ of the House and more than ½ of the Senate and other professionals, such as business executives or educators, make up 90% of Congressional membership. Blue-collar workers, clerical employees, and homemakers are rarely elected to Congress, but farmers and ranchers fair better in representation. As for gender and race, the majority are males and white.

According to the Supreme Court, prior restraint on the press is only acceptable if

The government can clearly justify the restriction.

What has happened to the authority of the national government since the 1930s? What accounts for this trend?

The larger trend is a long-term expansion of Government authority. Interdependency government engages in operating in a verity of policy areas that were once reserved for the state and local government control. The federal government does not dominate these policies but oversees more closely than before.

Explain the three functions of Congress. How does the representation function conflict with the lawmaking function of Congress?

The lawmaking function is Congress's authority to make the laws necessary to carry out the powers granted to the nation government. Constitutional powers of Congress are the power to tax, spend, regulate commerce, and declare war. Whether Congress takes lead in making laws depends if the issue is broad or narrow. In broad issues, it becomes a deadlock because of partisanship. In narrow issues, it is easy because of standing committees' expertise. Representation function is Congress's responsibility of legislature to represent various interests in society. When it comes to broad issues, members tend to side with their party's views. Narrow issues are usually responded to base on the constituency, so the member won't upset them. Oversight function is Congress's responsibility for seeing that its laws are carried out properly by the executive branch. This function is carried out largely by standing committees. The representation and lawmaking functions conflict because sometimes Congress members don't know how to respond to laws. The members must choose whether to respond based on the nation's interests or their constituency's interests.

What is the median voter theorem? What is this theorem used to explain? How has polarization altered the applicability of this theorem?

The median voter theorem describes if there are 2 parties, they can maximize their vote only if they position themselves at the location of the median voter (preferences exactly in the middle). The theorem is used to explain the risk a party faces if it moves too far from the center which leaves it open to the other party. Polarization altered the applicability because voters have moved to the ends of the party spectrum, so the parties have had to accommodate.

The most recent party realignment had a realigning election in

The most recent party realignment had no single realigning election.

Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups because

They have greater access to financial resources.

What did E. E. Schattschneider mean when he wrote: "The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent"?

To evaluate this statement, an understanding of the pluralism theory is necessary. Pluralism is a theory of society's interests substantially and equally represented through activities of groups. Knowing this, his statement means that pluralism is not accurate or available in the US because economic groups have more power than citizens' groups.

Eighteen, nineteen, and twenty-year-old Americans were granted the right to vote by the passage of the __________ Amendment.

Twenty-Sixth

What does it mean when we say, "Congress is a fragmented institution"? How does this affect Congress's role in the making of policy on broad national issues, as compared with its role on narrow group-centered issues?

We say this because majority does not easily rule in Congress as the minority group can block actions. They also play on their partisanship and powerful factions to appease their constituency and possibly become reelected. This affects broad issues because the majority and minority will become deadlocked over issues because there are two chamber legislation must go through. Narrow issues are easy, though, because they are dealt with by standing committees that have expertise.

Explain the concept of procedural due process and list several of the procedural rights protected by the Constitution. Do these rights apply to all levels of government, federal and state? Explain.

a) Procedures authorities must follow before a person can be lawfully punished for offense. b) Protects from wrongful arrest, conviction, and punishment. 5th and 4th. No person can be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process. c) 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th a. Search and seizure, arrest, self-incrimination, double jeopardy, due process, counsel, prompt and reasonable processing, bail, cruel and unusual punishment. b. Yes, because they used selective incorporation

Describe the provisions and impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

a) The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is when the 14th Amendment prohibits discrimination by government but not private parties. It entitles all people access to all public accomidations with this came the Black Civil Rights Movement as well as Women's rights and strikes. b) The Civil Rights Act of 1968 is when congress passed Civil Rights legislation prohibiting discrimination on housing. This lead, to Affirmative Action de jure, and de facto discrimination

Explain the differences between the levels of scrutiny (the different tests) that the courts use in examining the constitutionality of discriminatory laws.

a) There are 3 types of scrutiny i) Strict scrutiny that refers to race and ethnicity. ii) Intermediate scrutiny refers to gender. iii) Reasonable basis refers to the other categories like age and income. (1) These are laws that are unconstitutional unless the government can provide compelling basis for it.

The most fully organized interests are those that have which of the following as their primary purpose?

economic activity

Change in party identification is uncommon and is almost always a consequence of

major upheaval.

The major reason for the persistence of the American two-party system is

the existence of single-member election districts.

A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that

the interest group system is unrepresentative, because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others.