Campaigns & Elections Exam 2

"Front loaded" primaries

*The "front-loaded" primary system is the move by states to move up their primaries and caucuses to gain national attention and have their states make an impact on the presidential selection process

How has the way in which we select our party nominees changed since 1968? What role did the 1968 Democratic convention play in bringing about these changes? Discuss the specific rules changes that were adopted by the Democrats, and the Republicans. How has the system become more "democratized." Assess the impact of these changes for political parties and candidate strategies, and democracy. Be sure to explain your answer.

- No longer decided by "party bosses." Candidates now run in primaries in every state to get a majority of delegates to become the nominee. The people have a lot more power over who gets the nomination. - The '68 convention was the root of the changes because Daley pushed through Hubert Humphrey's nomination, despite him never having run in a primary. Humphrey's pro-war beliefs angered young people, who protested his nomination at the convention. Led to a massive police riot. - The anger over Humphrey's nomination led to the McGovern-Fraser reforms, which led to the adoption of the primary system. Placed the power in the people to choose the party's candidate for President. Also placed quotas on females and minority involvement and made the delegate selection process transparent. The number of primaries has been steadily rising, and now all 50 states have one.

Turnout in he 2020 campaign was the highest in 120 years (67%). Why? Discuss the role of the pandemic, the economy, president Trump and the widespread adoption of early and mail voting spurring people to vote. Has this been good or bad for democracy? Be sure to explain your answer.

- The main thing that ties all of this together is Donald Trump. He is someone who inspires strong feelings one way or the other. People tend to love him or hate him, and a lot of his decisions have fueled the turnout. - His bungling of the pandemic inflamed the country, with democrats saying he, well, bungled it, while his base staunchly defended him. Now, people desperately want the pandemic to end, and Trump's constant mismanagement of it, which led to him contracting the virus himself, proves that he is completely unprepared for the current moment and inspired people to vote him out, or vote for him to stay, depending on your party affiliation. - Trump's main calling card for his first three years was the economy. The stock market was constantly reaching new highs. But when COVID hit, the stock market tanked, depriving him of his lone undisputed bright spot. This likely siphoned voters away from him as the country creeps closer and closer to a recession and more and more people are laid off every day. - Finally, voting was more accessible than it had ever been this election, with states like California mailing a ballot to every citizen registered to vote, meaning people only had to put their ballot in the mail instead of go and wait in line for hours to do so. Early in person voted was also available, giving people a chance to vote that way. - This is undeniably a good thing for democracy. Democracy is guided by the people. So, when the people show up in overwhelming numbers, it strengthens the national consensus and thus, democracy.

Mitt Romney

2012 Republican Nominee for President

Super Tuesday

A Tuesday in early March in which many presidential primaries, are held, often deciding the winner of the primaries

Pivot

A comprehensive change in campaign strategy, as well as the practice of ducking uncomfortable issues or questions by emphasizing something favorable. To appeal to more citizens.

Gender Gap

A term that refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates. Women tend to be significantly less conservative than men and are more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending. In 2020 a majority of women are voting for Biden because of the fear that the Trump administration could take away reproductive rights

"Daisy Commercial"

Aired on TV only one time. Showed little girl picking flower and then went into countdown to nuclear war and was a major factor in President Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide victory over Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election and an important turning point in political and advertising history.

Gennifer Flowers

Allegedly had an affair with Bill clinton

What was the Citizens United Supreme Court decision? Explain how it up-ends efforts to limit the influence of Big Money in politics? Has this decision helped or hurt democracy? How so? How do efforts to reform the role of money in politics butt up against concerns about freedom of speech and people having an equal voice in the political process ? Be sure to cite Wayne in your response.

Basically legalized Dark Money. Hurt Democracy because of it. I will not answer this one because I am dumb.

2020 Presidential Election

Biden v Trump. Biden won by flipping the blue wall, Georgia, and Arizona thanks to massive turnout and an overwhelming majority of the African-American vote.

Candidate Centered Teams (CCT)

Campaign teams that work for and are centered around the candidate, not the party. Less focus on policy and more focus on wedge issues and personality. Can run and win in the primaries then take over the party

Citizens United

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission was a 2010 Supreme Court case that granted corporations and unions the right to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. Created the 2008 documentary about Hillary Clinton

James Carville

Clinton's campaign manager in 1992. Pushed the economy as the main selling point in the campaign

George Stephanopoulos

Communications directors for Clintons 1992 campaign

Katy Tur's Parents

Covered in Chapter 6 of Unbelievable. Founders of Los Angeles News Service. Got live helicopter footage of OJ Simpson's Bronco chase, the LA riots, and more. Inspired Katy to get into news. Still kind of floored by that chapter honestly.

George McGovern

Created the McGovern-Fraser primary reforms in 1972 which took the power away from the party bosses and allowed the people to pick the nominee through the primaries. Ran against Nixon in 72, and was anti-Vietnam, Pro ERA, pro universal basic income.

What is Dark Money? How is Dark Money kept secret? Why is Dark Money dangerous? Does requiring disclosure violate the First Amendment? Be sure to cite the video, Dark Money, in your answer.

Dark money is funds given to politically active nonprofits that can receive unlimited donations from corporations, individuals, and unions but are not required to disclose their donors. It's dangerous because of that. Candidates do not know who is behind the organization's, which makes it impossible to respond to the attack. It also means they are not held accountable to anything or anyone. They can hide in anonymity and destroy a candidate and there's nothing they can do about it. What is the problem? How does it hurt democracy?

Popular selection of convention delegates vs SuperDelegates

Delegates are won in primaries, where the voters decide. Super Delegates are party officials that choose who they think is the best candidate irregardless of public opinion

The War Room

Documentary following Clintons 1992 presidential campaign team and the decisions they made on the trail

Iowa Caucus and Jimmy Carter

During the 1976 Iowa Democratic caucuses, a little known Southern Governor, Jimmy Carter, campaigned heavily and ended up capturing 27.7 percent of the vote, the highest among five candidates. Soon, an outpouring of media coverage on Carter emerged (Time and Newsweek covers, etc.)

Write brief histories of the Democratic and Republican Party since 1960. For the Republicans, be sure to discuss Barry Goldwater, Nelson Rockefeller, Richard Nixon and his Southern Strategy, and Ronald Reagan. For the Democrats, discuss the New Deal Coalition, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Broadly speaking, what does each party stand for? What groups and regions of the country do they count on for support? What are the major challenges each party faces?

For Republicans, it's all about the Southern Strategy. Appealing to Southern states by opposing Civil Rights. Nixon figured they could win the south by appealing to their racist instincts. They now control the solid south by advocating for looser gun laws, making abortion illegal, and using dog whistle politics. They don't have a platform really other than enhancing the wealth of the 1 percent and painting the left as criminal socialists. They're supported mostly by non-college educated whites. Under Lyndon Johnson, Democrats sought to bring African-Americans in by supporting Civil Rights. Democrats also advocate for fighting climate change, reproductive and same sex rights, and healthcare. They depend on California, New York, and the Blue Wall to be the bedrock of their electoral coalition, and expect groups like Black Lives Matter and Planned Parenthood to back them. Also, minorities, women, and college educated whites.

Paul Begala

Former advisor to Bill Clinton

Robert Kennedy

He was a Democrat who ran for president in 1968 promoting civil rights and other equality based ideals. He was ultimately assassinated in 1968, leaving Nixon to take the presidency but instilling hope in many Americans.

Hybrid, Open, Closed Primary

Hybrid expands vote by mail options and in person voting is available on a limited basis Open doesn't require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates. Voters may select on party's ballot and vote for the party's nomination. Close only allows party members to vote

New Hampshire Primary

In 1968, LBJ barely wins, with McCarthy getting 42% of the votes compared to his 48%. His strong showing played a part in LBJ not seeking a second term

Primary and Caucuses Differences

In presidential campaigns, a caucus is a system of local gatherings where voters decide which candidate to support and select delegates for nominating conventions. A primary is a statewide voting process in which voters cast secret ballots for their preferred candidates.

Southern Strategy

Nixon's attempt to attract the support of Southern conservative Democrats who were unhappy with federal desegregation policies and the liberal Supreme Court, primarily by opposing Civil Rights

What does Stephen Wayne mean when he says that most presidential campaigns follow a general strategy that includes designing a "distinctive leadership image and policy appeal" (chapter 5). After defining these terms, describe the distinctive leadership image and policy appeal fashioned by the Clinton and Trump campaign in 2016 and the Trump and Biden campaigns in 2020.

Nooooo clue. Distinctive image presumably what people think of them...?

Open and Brokered Conventions

Open means no candidate comes in with a majority of delegates to win the nomination. Delegates are pledged to vote for their candidate on the first ballot, and on the 2nd they are free to vote as they choose. Brokered is part of an open convention, because of "horse trading" that party bosses engage inside "smoke filled rooms"

Gene McCarthy

Opposed LBJ and the war. Won the New Hampshire primary, but the DNC chose Hubert Humphrey at the convention because McCarthy was too peaceful for the party.

Nelson Rockefeller, Barry Goldwater and 1964 Convention

Personified the split in the Republican Party, with Rockefeller as the more liberal candidate and Goldwater more conservative. Led to lots of Republican infighting, with Goldwaters extremism ultimately winning out

Groups that Support Democrats, Groups that support Republicans

Planned parenthood, every climate organization, march for our lives, black lives matter supports democrats, the NRA, oil companies and the KKK support Republicans

Ted Cruz and Donald Trump

Pond scum.

Barry Goldwater

Republican Nominee for President in 1964, who led the re-birth of the modern conservative movement. Had many of the same ideas as Trump does now. LBJ painted him as an extremist and won by a landslide.

It has been argued that the party may be over for our political parties. How has the advent of "candidate centered teams" (consisting of campaign professionals such as those portrayed in the documentary The War Room) replaced many of the functions performed by political parties, including recruitment, fundraising, advertising, the gathering of political intelligence, and workers? What are the consequences of these changes for the quality of our political campaigns?

The CCT is absolutely loyal to the candidate, but the party is able to put the candidate in check and call them on their flaws, and vice versa. Led to the increase in attack ads. Party's are not bad things. They help average people navigate the political system. If they are weakened, democracy is weakened.

Hubert Humphrey

The democratic nominee for the presidency in the election of 1968. He was LBJ's vice president, and was supportive of his Vietnam policies. Never ran in a primary. His nomination was forced through by party bosses like Richard Daley, despite a large part of the public supporting Gene McCarthy. This support split the Democratic party, allowing Nixon to win the election for the Republicans.

Western Tradition Partnership

The group that overturned the Montana Corrupt Practices Act of 1912, which prohibited independent expenditures to influence political campaigns by corporations, allowing Dark Money to be spent in Montana

Richard Daley

The mayor of Chicago and DNC 'party boss' who forced through Hubert Humphrey's nomination to be the Democratic Presidential Candidate. Instructed the police in 1968 to reverse their badge numbers so protesters couldn't report them.

Until fairly recently (1972), political parties have used party insiders to select their candidates. What are the costs and benefits of citizens (via primaries) choosing the nominee? Should a party's nominee be chosen primarily by political party insiders, ordinary citizens through primaries, (or some combination of the two). What are the costs and benefits or "insiders" or average voters choosing the party nominee? Be sure to explain your answer.

The people decide, not the party bosses. Allows the public to feel like their voice matters and build a groundswell of support behind the candidate. the cost is that the public may not pick the candidate that the party wants.

"Blue Shift"

The wave of democratic votes that come in after election night that were vote by mail or early voting.

Rank and File

These voters are registered as a party member but only participate by voting in primary and general elections. Tend to vote straight-party ticket and follow the leads of local party officials.

Describe a minimum of three (3) anecdotes from the 2016 campaign that Katie Tur recounts in her book, Unbelievable. What was their significance?

Trump kissed her and then bragged about it on Morning Joe. Trump got mad after she said he abruptly left the stage. Trump insulted her at a rally and the supporters got so riled up the Secret Service had to walk her to her car. She talks to Trump supporters about the Muslim ban, assuming they'd all be against it, and instead is surprised to hear that they don't really have a problem with it.

Today, two opposing currents of thought on money in campaigns are streaming through America's political culture. The first is that unlimited and unregulated money in politics creates a robust democracy. The second is that letting the vast imbalance of wealth dominate the political sphere is a danger to democracy, which is premised upon the principle of equality. Which side do you prefer? Why? What reforms have and should be enacted? Be sure to cite Wayne in your response.

What's best for democracy? We have this money in our system, and we know it's not evenly distributed. Does money hurt politics? We know the people running for office need more and more money and that makes them depend on people who have it. So how do we regulate it? Is the balance of wealth a danger to democracy? We'd never allow corporations to vote. But after Citizens United, they get to contribute. He's looking for why this is a problem. Is regulating money regulating free speech when it comes to corporations? No, they're not citizens. They don't have the same first amendment rights as people, in my opinion. Putting money in politics takes away the opportunity for those in a lower class to become elected president.

Blue Wall States

Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Up until Trump those states were considered the bedrock of the Democratic Party's electoral strategy...and BIDEN FLIPPED THEM BACK AND WON THE PRESIDENCY HELL YEAH

Brokered Convention

a convention that requires lengthy balloting and an eventual settlement by bargaining and compromise

Delegates

a person designated to act for or represent another or others; deputy; representative, as in a political convention. Used to elect each parties nominee for President

Vote by Mail

a program in many states that allows voters to mail in their ballots rather than appearing in person at a polling place. Increased turnout in a huge way in 2020, and there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. It is simply not true.

Bandwagon Effect

a shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner

Super Delegates

an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. 15% of all convention delegates include elected officials and party activists and officials. Free to support any candidate for the presidential nomination

Dark Money

funds given to politically active nonprofits that can receive unlimited donations from corporations, individuals, and unions but are not required to disclose their donors.

Republican National Committee (RNC)

is 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.

McGovern-Fraser Reforms

limited ability of state party leaders to choose delegates, required women, young voters, and minorities to be represented in state delegations in proportion to their populations

Liberals, Conservatives, Libertarians, and Communitarians

the 4 main political ideologies in American politics. Liberals and Conservatives are pretty straightforward. Libertarians value personal freedom and less government intervention over everything, while communitarians believe that government should be more involved in helping citizens

Chicago, 1968 Democratic Convention

thousands of students marched, protesting war in Vietnam. police used force against protestors and media broadcasted the bloody fighting. critics say TV cameras incited violence and distracted from the convention

Canvassing

when candidates or campaign workers travel through neighborhoods asking for votes or taking public opinion polls