politics exam 2
What tends to be the relationship with public opinion and government policy?
The public will have less influence on policy issues that are more complicated, such as taxation or foreign policy regarding trade and tariffs.
tracking and exit polls? What do they indicate
a poll taken (as by news media) of voters leaving the voting place that is usually used for predicting the winners
bandwagon effect
a shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner
Political parties are loose aggregations of state parties. What does that mean?
a whole formed by combining several disparate elements.
Major political parties hold _________ every four years, where they formally nominate their candidates, establish and communicate their vision in the form of their platform, and look for momentum as they head to the general election.
conventions
Unlike interest groups, political parties
are inclusive, in that they are broad in values.
Party realignments
are rare occurrences associated by catastrophic events. Party eras are defined as one party (dominated) era is replaced by another party (dominated) era.
Media must consider many factors whether to run a story or not; factors such as
familiarity, significant impact, timeliness, proximity, and generate interest.
greatest agent of socialization
family
How did James Madison in his famous Federalist 10 say about public opinion, socialization and behavior?
argued that conflict and disagreement in the political system were inevitable. The question of how central should public opinion be in policymaking is debated
olitical parties seek to involve new voters by media and marketing such as
as Rock the Vote campaigns
or some time Texas has remained a "Republican state" When is the last time a Democrat carried/won Texas?
Jimmy carter 1976
How many electoral college votes did President Trump win from Texas in 2020?
38
digital divide
The gap in access to the internet among demographic groups based on education, income, age, geographic location, race / ethnicity
What did Alexis De Tocqueville believe?
Democracy in America . Public opinion was the predominant authority in America, serving to make America a democracy
Who founded the Democratic and Republican Parties?
Democratic: Andrew Jackson Republican: Abraham Lincoln
Communications Decency Act
Designed to regulate the online transmission of obscene material. the United States Congress 's first notable attempt to regulate pornographic material on the Internet.
What is niche journalism?
news reporting targeted for a demographic of readers based on content or ideological presentation.
The three factors that influence voters have been historically
partisan loyalty, issues, and characteristics of candidates
sampling error
polling error that arises based on the small size of the sample
push polls
polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion.
Opinion polls
polls allow us to understand how Americans view different issues based on education, health, wealth ethnicity, where we live, age among others
the predominant news source in America
television with 95% of all Americans owing at least one television.
Priming
the process of making some criteria more important than others when evaluating a politician, problem, or issue.
Framing
the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgments. The power of the media to influence how events and issues are interpreted
Media has seen the rise of negative campaigning. What is the reason for this phenomenon?
they discourage voters from voting for candidates by portraying them as unfavorable people.
What is Micro targeting?
to send different campaign ads or messages to different demographic groups of voters and potential voters
Who were the first three men to take polling mainstream?
1) Elmo Roper, Archibald Crossley, George Gallup
What are the requirements to vote in Texas?
1. must be eighteen years of age 2. must be a U.S. citizen 3. must be a Texas resident for at least 30 days. 4. must be a resident of the county for at least 30 days.
Fairness Doctrine
An FCC requirement that broadcasters who air programs on controversial issues provide time for opposing views
Modern media has also brought the phenomena of investigative journalist.
Bernstein and Woodward as they exposed the Watergate scandal. It was issues of the 60s, such as The Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement and the 70s, with the Pentagon Papers as well as the aforementioned Watergate which was reported through the Washington Post
the fcc
Broadcast radio and tv( anything aired) is regulated by FCC (federal communications commissions) through regulations prohibiting obscenity, indecency, and profanity.
What is the importance of Buckley v Valeo?
Campaign finance: , limits on election expenditures are unconstitutional
What are the complications of independent bloggers?
Facts and temperament can be dicey. Part of niche journalism
father of modern polling?
George Gallup
trial balloons
Intentional news leaks(campaign) for the purpose of assessing the political reaction.
Though not mentioned, the Framers did discuss them openly. What were their concerns
Many of them saw parties—or "factions," as they called them—as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system that they wanted to discard in favor of a truly democratic government.
How Priming and Framing and how they can manipulate
Media can shape political events. It can alter how voters make choices. Agenda setting is about gatekeeping and what issues the media are covering. Priming and framing involve the media filtering and news providing cues to the public for how to interpret the issues.
who said If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost the America, and what did they mean
President Johnson. He wanted to sell the war to the American government, and felt the "Most trusted man in America", must be on board.
What is the social desirability effect?
Respondents report what they expect the interviewer wishes to hear rather than what they believe.
Rally Around the Flag polling
To show increased support or solidarity for one's government or country, especially during times of war or strife
What are the reasons 3rd. parties have an extraordinary difficult becoming relevant in the US?
Voters feel "wasted vote. No incentive to vote for candidates who cannot win because the point of view will not be represented. Can't raise the money needed Controversial State laws Winner take all systems
What are the many ways we participate in political participation?
Voting in elections. Attending campaign events, rallies, fundraisers, contributing money to campaigns, candidates, and parties, contacting elected officials, working at campaigns for candidates. Publicly expressing support or opposition to candidates or campaigns on social media.
What was the importance of the Motor Voter Act?
a legislation that required state governments to allow registration when a qualifying voter applied for or renewed their drivers license or applied for social services
sampling polling:
a method by pollsters to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal opportunity of being selected as a respondent.
Political parties are also organizations that try to gain control over government by
electing officials who will then carry their organizations label.
Retrospect voting
refers to voting made after taking into consideration factors like the performance of a political party, an officeholder, and/or the administration. It presumes that people are more concerned with policy outcomes than policy instruments.
A small group that pollsters select to reflect the entire population is called a
sample
As political parties have declined, Politicians must use
the need for media has increased to replace that source.