Political Parties Chapter 8 Quiz review

primary election

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

party identification (party ID)

A citizen's loyalty to a specific political party.

nominating convention

A meeting held by each party every four years at which states' delegates select the party's presidential and vice-presidential nominees and approve the party platform.

party platform

A set of objectives outlining the party's issue positions and priorities. Candidates are not required to support their party's platform.

527 organizations

A tax-exempt group formed primarily to influence elections through voter mobilization efforts and to issue ads that do not directly endorse or oppose a candidate. Unlike PACs, 527 organizations are not subject to contribution limits and spending caps

plurality voting

A voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic area wins the election, regardless of whether that candidate wins a majority (more than half) of the votes.

national committee

An American political party's principal organization, comprising party representatives from each state.

single-member district

An electoral system in which every elected official represents a geographically defined area, such as a state or congressional district, and each areas elects on representative.

political action committee (PAC)

An interest group or a division of an interest group that can raise money to campaigns or to spend on ads in support of candidates. The amount a PAC can receive from each of its donors and the amount it can spend on federal electioneering are strictly limited.

How well do parties operate? (summary)

Political parties do a number of things that are important to facilitate good democracy: they generally recruit good candidates, simplify voters' choices, encourage candidates to work together in office, and provide a mechanism for holding politicians accountable. Nonetheless, there are limits to the extent to which parties are able to achieve these goals, partially due to the fact that the people who make up the parties are primarily interested in their own careers.

The role of political parties in American politics (summary)

Political parties serve two major roles in the political system. First, they compete in elections by recruiting and nominating candidates and supporting candidate campaigns. Second, they facilitate cooperation in government by providing a framework for agenda-setting, coordination, and accountability among members of the same party. There are many different minor political parties, and while they rarely make a significant impact on the political stage, they do occasionally influence election outcomes. The two big issues facing minor parties are that their platforms do not appeal to a large portion of Americans and that the electoral system makes it hard for minor parties to win elections.

party in the electorate

The group of citizens who identify with a specific political party.

party coalitions

The groups that identify with a political party, usually described in demographic terms such as African-American Democrats or evangelical Republicans.

American political parties today (summary)

The modern party is composed of three parts. The party organization is a loosely defined group of individuals and organizations that are focused on supporting political candidates when they share the same policy goals. The party in government consists of elected officials who are the members of a particular party. The party in the electorate consists of citizens who identify with a particular political party.

caucus (congressional)

The organization of Democrats within the House and Senate that meets to discuss and debate the party's positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus and to assign leadership positions.

Conference

The organization of Republicans within the House and Senate that meets to discuss and debate the party's positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus and to assign leadership positions.

Duverger's Law

The principle that in a democracy with single-member districts and plurality voting, only two parties' candidates will have a realistic chance of winning political office, as in the United States.

issue ownership

The theory that voters associate certain issues or issue position with certain parties (like Democrats and support for government-provided health insurance).

realignment

a change in the size or composition of the party coalitions or in the nature of the issues that divide the parties. Realignments typically occur within an election cycle or two, but they can also occur gradually over the course of a decade or longer.

caucus (electoral)

a local meeting in which party members select a party's nominee for the general election

unified government

a situation in which one party holds a majority of seats in the House and Senate and the president is a member of that same party.

divided government

a situation in which the House, Senate, and presidency are not controlled by the same party-for example, when Democrats hold the majority of House and Senate seats and the president is a Republican.

Party Organization

a specific political party's leaders and workers at the national, state, and local levels.

Which were the first well-known parties in the United States? a. Federalists and Democratic-Republicans b. Democrats and Republicans c. Whigs and Federalists d. Democrats and Whigs e. Whigs and Republicans

a. Federalists and Democratic-Republicans

Which is not one of the ways political party organizations supporting candidates? a. by controlling who runs in House and Senate races b. by contributing money to campaign activities c. by offering advice on how to deal with the press d. by organizing get-out-the-vote activities e. by offering advice on which issues to emphasize

a. by controlling who runs in House and Senate races

The modern Congress is ____________; the distance between the parties has ________ over the past 60 years a. polarized; increased b.polarized; stay the same c. not polarized; decreased d. not polarized; stayed the same e. not polarized; increased

a. polarized; increased

The Democratic and Republican party organizations __________ hierarchical; they are ___________ to force state and local parties to share their positions on issues. a. are not; able b. are not; unable c. are; able d. are; unable e. are; sometimes able

b. are not; unable

Which statement best characterizes the American political parties? a. parties in the electorate pay dues to party organization; leaders in the part organization tell elected officials what to do. b.Candidates run as representatives of the party; leaders have no influence on how candidates campaign or govern. c. Candidates are generally autonomous of the party organization, although they do receive support from the party organization. d. Parties help candidates only after they are elected. e. Parties handle 90% of fund-raising for candidates.

c. Candidates are generally autonomous of the party organization, although they do receive support from the party organization.

The principle that single-member districts and plurality voting will support only two political parties is a. Condorcet's theorem b. Pascal's paradox c. Duverger's Law d. Fermat's theorem e. conditional party government

c. Duverger's Law

Which of the following is not a reason why members of a party in government might find it difficult to work together to enact new governments programs? a. Constituents from different districts might demand different policies. b. Members might disagree about the desirability of different policy changes. c. The party's national committee might fail to write an acceptable party platform. d. Enacting legislation might require votes from members of other party. e. Members might be focused on getting reelected.

c. The party's national committee might fail to write an acceptable party platform.

When the president, House, and Senate are controlled by the same party, this is called a. party in government b. responsible party government c. unified government d. divided government e. conditional party government

c. unified government

What has recent analysis of political Independents concluded? a. They are in the process of changing parties. b. More and more people regard parties as irrelevant. c. Americans are politically savvy and do not blindly follow party lines. d. The number of Independents has grown substantially in the past 20 years. e. Independents are not better informed on candidates, parties, or policy.

e. Independents are not better informed on candidates, parties, or policy.

Why do most candidates support their party platforms? a. because candidates are required to support the platforms b. because all candidates vote on the platforms that are written c. because candidates get kicked out of the party for not doing so d. because both major parties' platforms are essentially the same e. because most candidates and their constituents generally agree with the platform

e. because most candidates and their constituents generally agree with the platform

A group of elected officials of the same party who come together to organize and strategize is called a a. cabal b. conditional party government c. primary d. PAC e. caucus

e. caucus

The idea that a party is not just a group but an organization that exists apart from its candidate is called the a. party system b. spoils system c. conditional party government d. party ID e. party principle

e. party principle

Which feature of political parties is undermined by legislators who build a reputation with voters independent of the party label? a. the recruitment of good candidates b. the provision of ballot access c. the simplification of voter choices d. the encouragement of policy cooperation e. the provision of electoral accountability

e. the provision of electoral accountability

party system

periods in which the names of the major political parties, their supporters, and the issues dividing them have remained relatively stable.

What are political parties and where did today's parties come from? (Summary)

political parties are organizations that run candidates for political office and coordinate the actions of officials elected under the party banner. Here in the United States, parties are relatively decentralized, putting forth a loose configuration of candidates who share a party label don't necessarily work together. The parties are composed of three semi autonomous units: the party organization, the party in government, and the party in the electorate. Political parties are a central feature of American politics, although they look and act very differently today than they have in the past. Political scientists use the term "party system" to refer to a period of party stability; in all, there have been six different party systems in the country's history. Party systems are broken up by realignments, which occur when some of the defining factors of the party system are changed or specified and rifts in the group develop because of these changes.

party in government

the group of officeholders who belong to a specific political party and were elected as candidates of that party.

party principle

the idea that a political party exists as an organization distinct from its elected officials or party leaders.

spoils system

the practice of rewarding party supporters with benefits like federal government positions.