Unit 3 AP gov vocab

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.

right-of-reply rule

A regulation by the FCC permitting a person the right to respond if attacked on a broadcast other than in a regular news program.

Fairness Doctrine

An FCC requirement that broadcasters who air programs on controversial issues provide time for opposing views

Which of the following is considered to be the most important resource a PAC & interest group can provide to candidates?

Campaign contributions

Political Action Committees (PACs) were created to circumvent restrictive campaign laws. PACs primary responsibility is to

Collect money and give it to candidates

Which of the following is a possible consequence of media consolodation of news networks?

Companies could decide to limit the flow of info & overplay certain stories

Which of the following federal executive agencies is given the task of regulating media?

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

More and more voting Americans consider themselves

Independents

Yellow Journalism

Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers

Media has changed dramatically. All of the following are examples of recent media changes EXCEPT

Less options and choices are available

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is responsible for regulating which of the following?

Media content on television, radio, and the Internet

Which Supreme Court case struck down the government's use of prior restraint with the publication of the "Pentagon Papers?

New York Times v. United States

Which of the following has been decreasing over the years?

Newspapers

Which of the following is most likely to effectively use the national media to set the policy agenda?

President

In American politics a free rider is someone who:

Receives a benefit from an interest groups without participating

linkage institutions

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Which of the following describes how the SCOTUS decision in NYT Co. v. US affected the interpretation of the 1st amend?

The decision limited the government's power to interfere with the press

equal time doctrine

The federal communications commission requirement that equal radio or television airtime be given to the candidates running for opposing office

Gatekeeper

The media can influence what subjects become national political issues and for how long.

watchdog

The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.

Scorekeeper

The role played by the national media in keeping track of and helping make political reputations.

Which of the following provides an important role played by third parties in American politics?

Third parties champion new issues

"Television stations all night broke into regular programming to alert viewers of an act of terrorism that took place in Paris. It was the headline in every newspaper the next morning."

Watchdog

Interest groups can affect litigation through

Writing amicus briefs

Political scientists agree that primary elections have weakened political parties. This is because primary elections:

b. Bypass party filters and let people vote directly on candidates

If political parties primarily want to win elections what do interest groups primarily want to do?

b. Influence public policy

All of the following would be considered a linkage institution EXCEPT:

congress

Interest groups create political action committees (PACs) to:

contribute money to candidates and political parties

Members of Congress and their staff are very reliant on lobbyists for:

information about specific issues

The Dept of Ed, the Am Fed of Teachers, & the House Comm on Ed & Labor work together to fix education. This is called a:

iron triangle

The act of influencing government is called

lobbying

The Iowa caucus is over nine months away but the mainstream media has reports every day who is most likely to win. Looks like the Vice President will be the winner."

scorekeeper

Narrowcasting

targeting media programming at specific populations within society

Muckraking

the action of searching out and publicizing scandalous information about famous people in an underhanded way.

The deepest bias in political journalists is

the desire to make content that will gain the highest viewership & ratings

National party conventions are important because they are where:

the party platform is adopted

Which of the following is most likely to vote for a Republican candidate

white males

Which of the following political party objectives is considered their primary goal?

win elections

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

1966 law that allows citizens to obtain copies of most public records

Which of the following best describes the political party system in the United States?

2 party system

Which of the following is the best definition of pluralism?

A multitude of groups compete for and share power at any given time

Which of the following best illustrates a critical election?

An election that reveals a lasting shift in voting bloc loyalties

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

An independent federal agency that regulates interstate and international communication by radio, television, telephone, telegraph, cable, and satellite.

Which of the following is a true statement about the role of the media in providing citizens with information?

Demand for instant news reports has led to growth of online media activity

All of the following constitutional provisions empower influence peddlers in the public policy process EXCEPT

Fourth Amendment's exclusionary rule

Which statement describes the role political parties within Congress play to promote their party's policy agenda?

The maj party selects committee chairs who promote the party's leg agenda

During campaigns before an election, the media is said to cover campaigns like a horse race. What explains this?

The press constantly compares poll numbers like positions in a horse race

Which statement best explains how midterm elections serve an important linkage function with the electorate?

They can alter the leg agenda if the maj party changes hands in Congress

Which of the following best explains how third parties affect the US political system?

They can shift attention to certain issues & impact outcomes of elections

Political scientists agree that information technology has weakened political parties. This is because information technology

a. Has enabled candidate-centered campaigns

A function of political parties is to

adopt a policy platform

All of the following are players within an "iron triangle" EXCEPT

b. Members of the media

The primary functions of the modern political party include all of the following EXCEPT:

b. Negotiate trade agreements

All of the following are valuable techniques used by interest groups EXCEPT

c. Negotiate with foreign governments

The media perform all the following functions EXCEPT

c. implementing public policy

Changes in media technology, such as social media, and campaign finance have led to an increase in:

candidate-centered campaigns

On occasion third parties gain attention by championing an issue that garners wide support. What typically is the outcome when this happens?

d. One of the two major parties adopts the issue

Voters in the South tend to be solid supporters of the

d. Republican Party

One tool that interest groups use to influence the creation of policy is:

educating lawmakers about policy that supports their interests

Days before an election, volunteers walk around & knock on doors to talk w/ potential voters. The party is most likely:

engaged in a voter mobilization campaign

A citizen's affinity for a pol party, which results in the citizen voting for candidates of that pol party, is known as:

party identification

During the course of the mid-twentieth century, White Southerners left the Dem Party and became Reps. This is called:

realignment

The U.S. government attempts to regulate interest groups by:

regulating the practice of lobbying

One benefit that political parties provide American political culture is that they

serve as linkage institutions between citizens and the policy process

What did James Madison say about factions in Federalist 10?

such activity was natural

Which type of media outlet is subject to the most controls and regulations by government?

television stations

joe Burrow wins a seat in the H of R even though a maj of voters wanted someone else to represent them. This is because

the plularity voting system (first past the post) in the U.S.

Tom resigned from the Senate after serving four consecutive terms. He was quickly hired by a large special interest group in Washington DC where he utilized his contacts to influence public policy. In political science terms Tom

went through a revolving door