Gov't Ch. 6-9
Issue advocacy
(also known as interest advocacy ads or issue only ads) are communications intended to bring a problem to light. Groups that sponsor this form of communication are known by several names including: interest advocacy group, issue advocacy group,issue only group, or special interest group.
Economic interest groups
(most common) Business, agriculture, labor unions, government workers, and professionals
Avg. cost to run for Senate
5 mil
Political party
A group of political activists who organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine public policy
Caucus
A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform
Faithless Elector
A member of the United States Electoral College who does not vote for the presidential or vice presidential candidate for whom he or she had pledged to vote. They may vote for another candidate or not vote at all.
Direct techniques of interests groups
An interest group activity that involves interaction with government officials to further the group's goal
National Committee
Committee of a national political party established to direct and coordinate party activities between national party conventions
Economic v. social conservatism-
Economic conservatism- associated with higher incomes, involves defending market capitalism Social conservatism- commonly associated with lower-income groups, alter the structures of power and relationships
Types of interest groups -
Economic, Environmental, Public interest, Other
party organization
Formal structure and leadership of a political party, including election committees, local, state, and national executives, and paid professional staff
Types of opinion leaders
Informal and formal
Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)
Is a United States federal law designed to increase disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns.
Public interest groups
Nader organizations, Common Cause, rener national priorities toward the public
2 types of Australian ballots
Office Block and Party-column ballots
Divided Government
One party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of the United States Congress.
Party activist v party identifier -
Party Identifier- A person who identifies with a political party, vote for candidates who will be on the party ticket in the general election Party Activist- Someone who is aligned with a political, economic, or social party and who promotes that party's principles through a variety of means.
270
The minimum amount of electoral votes needed to become president.
Benefits of membership to Party-in-Government
The party has more control over the gov't, they can make the other party appear ineffective
'Front loading'
The practice of moving presidential primary elections to the early part of the campaign to maximize the impact of these primaries on the nomination
How a president is chosen if nobody gets a majority of Electoral votes
U.S. Senate decides
Third Party
a political party other than the two major political parties
Independents
a voter or candidate who does not identify with a political party
Religious Right
a voting block comprising religiously-motivated right-wing conservatives such as American conservative Christian voters or the Hindutva movement in India.
Foreign Government
engage lobbyists when when trade interests are concerned
consensus
general agreement among the public
Political Socialization
how we acquire political viewpoints
PACs may make unlimited expenditures......
independently of a candidate or political party
Other
interest groups can focus on just one issue, single interest groups
Rational ignorance
is refraining from acquiring knowledge when the cost of educating oneself on an issue exceeds the potential benefit that the knowledge would provide.
Party identification
linking oneself to a particular political party
divided opinion
public holds widely different views
Socioeconomic status
value assigned to a person due to occupation or income
Federal multi-candidate PACs may contribute to candidates as follows:
$5,000 to a candidate or candidate committee for each election (primary and general elections count as separate elections) $15,000 to a political party per year $5,000 to another PAC per year
Avg. cost to run for Representative
700,000
Ideological vs. Splinter Party (define and examples) -
A Splinter Party is a party that forms when a faction of one party splits from a major party usually due to distinct differences between the faction and the party Ideological party is a party with a specific goal in mind, committed to changing american way of life instead of winning that election
RNC
A U.S. political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy.
Blue Dog Caucus
A caucus of United States Congressional Representatives from the Democratic Party who identify themselves as conservative Democrats.
Political machine (define and examples)
A political machine is a political organization 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. Ex: Tammany hall
Two-party system
A political system in which only two parties have a reasonable chance of winning
Political realignment (define and examples)
A process in which a substantial group of voters switches party allegiance, producing a long-term change in the political landscape. EX: 1850's abraham lincoln's election, and the 1968 Richard Nixon election.
Indirect techniques of interest groups
A strategy employed by interest groups that use third parties to influence government officials Generating public pressure Using constituents as lobbyists Unconventional forms of pressure
Swing Voter
A swing voter or floating voter is a voter who may not be affiliated with a particular political party (Independent) or who will vote across party lines.
party-in-government
All of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party
Patronage
Also called spoils system; the practice of giving government jobs to friends and supporters
Tea Party movement
American political movement known for its conservative positions and its role in the Republican Party. Members of the movement have called for a reduction of the U.S. national debt and federal budget deficit by reducing government spending.
Nate Silver
An American statistician and writer who analyzes baseball and elections. Silver successfully called the outcomes in 49 of the 50 states in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election
Party Convention agenda (pg 303-304)
At the conventions for each party, credential committees determine which delegates may participate at the convention. Then the convention lasts 4 days. Every night of the convention there are featured speakers. On the third night, the vice presidential candidate is elected. On the fourth night, the presidential candidate gives an acceptance speech.
Eligibility requirements to run for: Representative
Citizen for 7 years, attained age of 25, resident of state from which elected
Eligibility requirements to run for: US Senator
Citizen for 9 years, attained the age 30 by time of taking office, resident of the state from which elected
Closed v. open primary-
Closed- a type of primary in which the voter is limited to choosing candidates of the party of which he or she is a member Open- a primary in which any registered voter can vote (but must vote for candidates of only one party)
PAC's law
Contributions from corporate or labor union treasuries are illegal, though they may sponsor a PAC and provide financial support for its administration and fundraising Union- affiliated PACs may only solicit contributions from members Independent PACs may solicit contributions from the general public and must pay their own costs from those funds.
Troubles/setbacks experienced by both Democrats and Republicans in the 2000's-
Democrats: Independents blamed them for persistent unemployment Not until 2010 did the economy actually begin to create more jobs than had been lost Independents also believed that the Democratic party was expanding the scope of the federal government to an unacceptable degree Republicans: People's positive image of the Republican party dropped into the 40 percent range
Why a Winner Take All systems results in Two Party system
Duverger's Law: Since there is only one vote, the two higher voted will get the position, leaving the third party behind always. Third parties usually will just throw their votes to the other bigger sides that are most likely to help them.
Obstacles in a presidential campaign p. 287
FUNDs Candidates had to raise funds to tour the nation, needed funds to create an organization to win primary votes, and funds to finance a presidential campaign
Fairness Doctrine
Federal Communications Commission's rule enforces between 1949 and 1987 that required radio and television to present controversial issues in a manner that was (in the commission's view) honest, equitable, and balanced
Ralph Nader
Founded the best-known and most effective public interest group. consumer-activist. champion of consumer interests. Ran for prez in 2000 on Green Party, and in 2004 and 2008 as an independent.
Interest groups
Group, however loosely or tightly organized, that is determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to be elected. (attempt to influence policy)
Lifestyle Effect vs. Generational Effect-
Lifestyle affect- certain attitudes occur at certain ages, Generational effect- impact of specific political events shape the political attitudes of an entire generation
Media and polarization
Media strongly influences public opinion. 'New Media' has taken over the media (no more newspapers) Cable news, talk radio, political blogs are blamed for the increased polarization of American Politics. Ex: Fox news promotes conservatives views and only strengthens the beliefs of those who are already conservative
party-in-the-electorate
Members of general public who identify with a political party or who express a preference for one party over another
Democratic Party
One of the two major American political parties evolving out of the Republican PArty of Thomas Jefferson
Republican Party
Other major political party, emerged in 1850s as antislavery party, consisted of former whigs and antislavery democrats
Effects of political polarization
Partisanship basically, also reason for why the parties have basically switched sides on a lot of issues.
Party Identification trends (figure 8-3)
Party identification trends from 1944 to present: Democrat- went from 40 to 32% Republican- went to 40 to 28% Independent- went from 20 to 39%
Lobbyist
Person hired to represent interest groups to the government/ attempts to influence legislative and administrative decisions of government
Era of Divided Government
Pg. 253. describes a situation in which one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of the United States Congress
Contrast a Primary Election vs. a general election
Primary election- An election in which party members choose the party's candidate for the general election General election- An election, normally held on the first Tuesday of November, that determines who will fill various elected positions. ie. President & Vice President
RINO
Republican In Name Only (RINO) is a pejorative term used by conservative members of the Republican Party of the United States to describe Republicans whose political views or actions they consider insufficiently conservative.
Southern Strategy
Republican way of getting the Southern vote. Basically reason the South is always Republican these days. Appealing to the racism found in the Southern States.
Buckley v. Valeo
Ruled that government could limit the amount of contributions in political campaigns. However, it invalidated laws that restricted a candidate from spending however much of his own money that he wanted to spend on his own election.
How polls can be misleading
Sampling errors, sample bias, false precision, poll questions could be asked to get the answer the pollers want (like Mr. Moddes' example in class), there can be unscientific or fraudulent polls, push polls.
Straight Ticket v. Split Ticket voting
Straight Ticket voting- voting exclusively for the candidates of one party
Public Opinion
The aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs shared by some portion of the adult population
Are political parties becoming too radical? (pg 264)
The extreme language used on media and in Congress showed the levels of radicalism.
National Convention
The meeting held every four years by each major party to select vice and presidential candidates
Most important principal of poll taking
The most important principle in sampling, or polling, is randomness. Every person should have a known chance, and an equal chance of being polled. a small sample should be representative of the whole group (both in demographics + opinions).
DNC
The principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day-to-day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support of Democratic Party candidates, and not on public policy.
State central committee
The principle organized structure of each political party within each state, responsible for carrying out policy decisions of the party's state convention
lobbying techniques
The ratings games Building alliances alliance with campaigns recent developments
Era of good feelings
The years when James Monroe was prez and there was, in effect, no political opposition
# of Electoral College Electors
There are 538 electors. Each state gets a minimum of 3 electors (2 electors for the senators and then 1 for each district).
Impact of Minor (3rd) Parties
These parties are parties that focus on one issue. They mainly just get publicity for the issue and then are absorbed into bigger parties. They also will take lots of voters from bigger parties this hurting their chances of winning
Nomination process
This is controlled by the state laws who favor the two major political parties. The people running for small offices petition to the local board. The people running for the 2 major parties has less trouble getting on the ballot than people who apply as independent.
Trends in labor union membership
Union membership has decreased.
Citizens United vs. FEC (2010)
United States supreme court ruled that corporations can spend as much as they want on a candidate, but they can't give directly to a candidate. Court decided it was a freedom of speech
Swing Voters
Voters who frequently swing their support from one party to another
split ticket voting
Voting for candidates of two or more parties for different offices such as voting for a republican presidential candidate and a democratic congressional candidate
Reverse income effect
Wealthier states favor democrats and less wealthy states favor republicans (reverses traditional patterns of support)
Describe the typical candidate (gender, heritage/race, profession)
White, Male, professional (lawyers etc.)
New Media
World Wide Web, talk radio, cable television
Absentee ballot
a ballot completed and typically mailed in advance of an election by a voter who is unable to be present at the polls
Soft money
a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations.
Dealignment
a decline in party loyalties that reduces long term party commitment
party platform
a document drawn up at each national convention outlining policies positions and principles of the party
Electoral College
a group of people, called electors, who are selected by the voters in each state. officially elects the president and vice president of the US
Party Platform
a list of the values and actions which are supported by a political party or individual candidate, in order to appeal to the general public, for the ultimate purpose of garnering the general public's support and votes about complicated topics or issues.
Splinter party
a new party formed by a dissident faction within a major political party/ They SPLIT off
Plurality
a number of votes cast for a candidate that is greater than the number of votes for any other candidate but not necessarily majority
Tipping
a phenomenon that occurs when a group that is becoming more popular over time grows large enough to change the political balance in a district state or country
Australian Ballot
a secret ballot prepared, distributed, and tabulated by government officials at public expense. Since 1888, all states have used this rather than open, public ballot.
Focus group
a small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues
Faction
a smaller group or bloc in legislature or political party that is trying to obtain power or benefits.
PAC's (definition)
a type of organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaign for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation.
Factors influencing who votes
age, education, educational attainment, minority status, income level, two-party competition
FEC
an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States.
Whig Party
big in the 19th century, anti- jackson, represented variety of regional interests
Party affiliation of various demographics (p 196-199)-
college education= republicans This has weakened^^ Individuals with more than a bachelor's vote democrat now Blacks= democratic Hispanics= democratic Women= democratic South, great plains, rocky mountain states= Republicans Northeast and west coast= democratic People in large cities= democratic and liberal People smaller towns= conservative and republican
influences of political socialization
culture, media, family and peers.
501 c(4)
named after tax code, social welfare group, can conceal donors
Eligibility requirements to run for: Vice Pres.
natural born citizen, attained age 35, and not be a resident of the same state as the candidate for president
Eligibility requirements to run for: President
natural born citizen, attained age of 35, resident of the country for 14 years by the time of inauguration
Lobbying Reforms
paid activity in which special interests hire well-connected professional advocates, often lawyers, to argue for specific legislation in decision-making bodies such as the United States Congress.
formal
president, lobbyists, congress, news commentators, religious leaders- try to sway you
Realignment
process by which a substantial group of voters switch party alliance, producing a long term change in the political landscape
informal
teachers friends parents- influence is not deliberate
National Chairperson
the chairman of the national committee of the political party who usually acts as the head of the party's permanent organization and has general direction of party strategy especially during election campaigns
Gender Gap
the difference between the percentage of women who vote for a candidate and the percentage of men who vote for the candidate
Sampling Error
the error caused by observing a sample instead of the whole population. The sampling error is the difference between a sample statistic used to estimate a population parameter and the actual but unknown value of the parameter
American voter turnout
the percentage of citizens taking part in the election process; the number of eligible voters that actually "turn out" on election day to cast their ballots (avgs, when it is higher/lower)
Socio Economic
the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes.
Coattail Effect
the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.
Straight-Ticket voting
voting exclusively for the candidate of one party
Split-Ticket Voting
voting for candidates of two or more parties for different offices
Environmental groups
work for things such as national parks
Classes of people denied the right to vote today pg. 313
you must be 18 or older, and a citizen/resident of area subject to voting
