Ch. 8-10
Which of the following do interest groups use to show how two candidates compare in their support for issues that matter to the group?
"Candidate scorecards" show how two candidates compare in their support for issues that matter to the interest group.
What is "grassroots mobilization"?
"Grassroots mobilization" is the use of strategic efforts, often on the part of an interest group, to organize political actions by ordinary citizens.
"Pappy" O'Daniel, the governor of Texas from 1941 to 1949, helped make what practice common?
"Pappy" O'Daniel, the governor of Texas from 1941 to 1949, helped to popularize the practice of using radio addresses to connect with voters.
Why might a group prefer a public demonstration to letter writing or petitions?
A group might prefer a public demonstration to letter writing or petitioning because letters and petitions are comparatively discrete, while demonstrations may call broader public attention to an issue.
How does one become an election judge for a general election?
A presiding election judge and an alternate judge are selected by the county commissioner's court for the general election.
A shift in the makeup and power of political parties, often marked by a critical election, is called what?
A shift in the makeup and power of political parties is called a political realignment.
Which of the following individuals would be MOST likely to vote, according to statistical trends on demographic data and voter turnout?
According to Census Bureau data, increased voter turnout correlates strongly with increases in age and level of education.
According to the New York Times, what is one of the most valuable tools of campaigns and political action committees?
According to the New York Times, 30-second TV commercials are one of the most valuable tools of campaigns and political action committees.
Which of the following statements BEST describes the nature of party system transformation?
Although realignments do shift the makeup and power of political parties, party system transformation is usually a long-term process that occurs slowly over a series of elections.
Which of the following is an example of "earned media coverage"?
An example of earned media coverage includes interest group efforts to draw media attention to an issue by using events or by providing assistance with a story, including identifying sources or supplying photos.
Which of the following is true of an open primary?
An open primary does not require voters to declare their party affiliation before voting, while a closed primary does.
Why are state and local campaigns still relying on older methods of campaigning such as door hangers, direct mail, and mass emails?
At the state and local levels, campaigns still frequently rely on older methods of campaigning due to the small scale of these races and the historically high costs of developing and executing analytics-driven targeting.
Why was voter participation higher in the Democratic primaries than in the general elections during the 1950s?
Because Republican candidates couldn't realistically challenge any Democratic candidate in a general election in Texas, Democratic primaries usually decided who would end up winning office. As a result, most Texas voters in the 1950s focused their attentions on the Democratic primary rather than the general election.
How do campaigns typically use successful poll results?
Campaigns use successful poll results to establish their candidate's credibility or increase the impression of their candidate's inevitability.
Which of the following groups works within a party at the government level to set priorities and develop a legislative strategy?
Caucuses are meetings of party members within the legislature to select priorities and coordinate a strategy for developing and passing legislation.
Which of the following describes classical liberalism?
Classical liberalism is a political philosophy that places a high value on the liberty of individuals to exercise their freedoms, so long as their freedoms do not restrict the liberties of others.
How does the "the lobby" in Texas compare to that of many other states?
Compared to many other states, interest groups in Texas have relatively strong political power and influence.
A communications director who works for the Republican National Committee would represent which semi-distinct group within the Republican Party?
Correct. A paid employee of the RNC would represent the party organization.
What do critics claim interest groups are essentially doing by seeking to influence policy through appointments to relatively small components of state and local government?
Critics claim that interest groups are essentially organizing sub-governments in their efforts to influence policy through appointments to relatively small components of state and local government.
What is data mining?
Data mining is the collection and analysis of massive amounts of data, used as a means of discovering patterns and associations in voter habits that are not readily apparent. In campaigns, data mining is used to identify the types of voters who spend, vote, or volunteer.
"what is the campaign practice of collecting and analyzing massive amount
Data missing is used to discover patterns and associations in voter habits
Which of the following policy ideas do Democrats in Texas support the MOST?
Democrats in Texas have generally supported restoring or increasing funding to education and human services.
Which of the following has been a factor in the increasing party competition that has inflated the costs of campaigning in Texas?
Demographic shifts in Texas, which have raised the possibility of a Democratic resurgence, have been a factor in the rise in party competition.
While the Democratic Party was dominant within Texas, the Republican Party dominated national politics. Which president brought the Democratic Party to national dominance?
First elected to the U.S. presidency in 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt brought the Democratic Party to national dominance.
A Republican candidate running for office in Texas would be MOST likely to seek an endorsement from which of the following groups?
In "deep red" Texas, the support of the NRA is important for Republican candidates for many reasons, not least of which is that the NRA has become a stand-in for the cultural opposition to government regulation and the exercise of individual rights that owning a gun embodies.
How much total money was contributed to all Texas political candidates in 2010?
In 2010, a total of $234,518,490 was contributed to the combined races for all candidates for governor, house, senate, high court, and appellate court seats in Texas.
Which of the following patterns is characteristic of the succession of party systems in Texas?
In Texas's history, major events like the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the civil rights era have created the tendency for one party to dominate elections for a long time.
In order to be listed on the Republican or Democratic primary ballot in Texas, what must a candidate do?
In order to be listed on the Republican or Democratic primary ballot in Texas, a candidate must either collect signatures on a nominating petition or pay a filing fee.
What must an independent candidate do to be listed on the general election ballot?
In order to be listed on the general election ballot, an independent candidate must collect signatures on a nominating petition that add up to a certain percentage of the total number of votes cast in the previous general election.
Which of the following individuals would be allowed to vote in Texas
In order to vote in Texas, a person must be 18 or older, a U.S. citizen, a resident of Texas for at least 30 days, and registered to vote at least 30 days before the election.
Which of the following is a requirement to be able to vote in the state of Texas?
In order to vote in Texas, you must be a citizen who is at least 18 years of age by Election Day, and you must register to vote at least 30 days prior to the election.
What is the most important task for candidates to accomplish during a campaign?
In order to win an election, candidates and their campaigns must motivate voters to show up and vote.
What three types of lobbyists constitute "the lobby"?
In-house, contract, and public advocacy firm lobbyists are the three types of lobbyists that constitute "the lobby.
Which of the following activities are interest groups prohibited by law from engaging in?
Interest groups are prohibited by law from coordinating their campaign efforts on behalf of a candidate with that candidate's campaign.
How can interest groups be most effective at achieving their policy goals when attending public meetings?
Interest groups can be most effective at achieving their policy goals when attending public meetings by bringing a large number of their members and articulating a clear and persuasive message.
Why might public officials listen to interest groups?
Interest groups develop expertise on the policies they seek to influence and provide that expertise to public officials, thus reducing the information costs that public officials must incur when making policies.
How might interest groups be involved in campaigns?
Interest groups might be involved with campaigns by sponsoring or funding public events for a candidate.
If you wished to become involved in party politics by running for a party nomination, which of the following elective offices would be the BEST place to start?
It is typically easiest to win a nomination when running for a state-level office (such as senator or representative) from a smaller district.
Who benefitted the most from Jim Crow laws in Texas?
Jim Crow laws, which included things like whites-only primaries, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and poll taxes, primarily benefitted Texas Democrats by making it harder for African Americans—who generally supported the Republican Party at the time—to vote.
The reasoning behind the Citizens United v. FEC decision has to do with the way the United States understands the constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens and interests to free speech. Why does making political donations fall in this category?
Making donations is understood to be petitioning government and therefore falls under the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the First Amendment.
All registered lobbyists must divulge the interests they are registered to represent. What does this allow the state to do?
Making registered lobbyists divulge the interests they are registered to represent allows the state to prevent conflicts of interest arising for clients who employ contract lobbyists
Which of the following statements is true regarding voting during the civil rights era?
Many Southern Democrats voted for non-Democratic Party candidates for the first time in the 1968 presidential election. Many of these voters who switched parties never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate again.
How did microtargeting help the 2000 Bush campaign?
Microtargeting helped Republicans sort through the enormous pool of potential voters to identify which would definitely vote for Bush and which would definitely not, and then sort through the remainder to identify the best candidates to receive mail and phone calls making the case for Bush.
Major and minor parties are treated differently under Texas law. What is the difference between a major party and a minor party?
Minor parties are those parties that received less than 20 percent of the vote in the previous general election.
Which of the following is a common reason that voters may be disqualified from voting?
Not re-registering to vote after moving is a common reason voters are disqualified from voting.
What do observers agree that Texas Republicans need to do in order to draw more support from minority voters?
Observers agree that Texas Republicans need to embrace the idea that many outsiders are immigrating to Texas for economic opportunity. One way of accomplishing this, according to Republican strategists, might be "connecting better with the aspirations of Hispanics and bringing them into the fold."
In what way(s) have data and research taken over specific functions of campaigns?
One of the ways in which data and research have taken over specific functions of campaigns is in helping a candidate get to know individuals or groups.
What is one trend that occurs when one party is dominant in state or national politics?
One trend that occurs when one party is dominant in state or national politics is that divisions within the dominant party tend to become more important than divisions between the parties.
Which of the following parties enjoys the advantage of organizational strength in Texas?
Organizational strength is an important advantage for Republicans in Texas
What role do parties play in deciding which candidates will be nominated to represent the party?
Parties have very little direct control over nominations, though individual politicians and party leaders may or may not endorse particular candidates.
How do political parties link state governments to national governments?
Parties link state governments to national governments in many ways, including serving as a career network and allowing candidates and political professionals to progress from state-level to national-level politics.
How might a political party leverage public debate in its favor?
Parties may attempt to highlight particular features of an issue in order to influence voters and powerful individuals to approach the issue in a specific (and usually favorable) way.
Which of the following connects district- and state-level party organizations to their members?
Party members working at the precinct level connect district- and state-level party organizations to their members and individual members to each other.
How much power do party organizations generally have over candidates?
Party organizations have very little control over candidates, as they do not exercise centralized control over nominations or campaign funding.
What does polarization in politics mean?
Polarization means that two existing or conflicting principles, tendencies, or points of view exist on a topic, with the majority of opinions being at extremes.
Why should political parties ideally be "participatory vehicles"? Choose the BEST answer.
Political parties should ideally be participatory vehicles because they gain shape and potentially leadership by encouraging their members to get involved in politics.
Which type of organization supports candidates running for office under its own name?
Political parties support candidates running for office under their name.
What were the two major pieces of civil rights legislation signed into law under President Lyndon Johnson?
President Lyndon Johnson signed into law both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Which of the following is true regarding the relationship between public and private interest groups?
Public and private interest groups are not necessarily adversarial, as their goals may directly overlap in some cases.
What is a public interest group?
Public interest groups promote policies that produce widely distributed benefits that the general population can enjoy.
Which of the following is a way that interest groups commonly seek to put their members into office?
Representatives of organized interests and businesspeople who contribute to political campaigns frequently become appointees to boards overseeing areas of public policy related to their interests.
Have young candidates ever been successful at running for public office in the state of Texas?
Several young candidates with little experience have fared well in Texas elections.
At a basic level, what is the primary goal of most political advertising? Choose the BEST answer.
Simply getting the candidate's name before the public is a fundamental goal of political advertising, as name recognition is critical in politics.
Since voters might be exposed to the bandwagon effect, what do some argue that news stations ought to do?
Since voters might be exposed to the bandwagon effect, some argue that news stations should stick to reporting what is actually happening on Election Day rather than making projections.
Sit-ins and occupations were used widely during the 1950s and 1960s. Are there any legal ways in which these may occur in contemporary society?
Sit-ins and occupations may occur within the bounds of the law as long as participants do not damage property or injure others.
What are "Super-Republicans"?
Texas Republicans can be called "Super-Republicans" because they have carried Republican values, such as opposition to high tax rates, to the extreme.
Who has largely been against the policy proposal to require large businesses to offer insurance or pay a fine?
Texas Republicans have largely been against the policy proposal to require large businesses to offer insurance or pay a fine.
How does Texas's voter participation rate compare to the national average?
Texas's voter participation rate is lower than the national average.
Which of the following did the 1991 law creating the Texas Ethics Commission fail to do?
The 1991 law creating the Texas Ethics Commission failed to place a cap on campaign contributions.
What political event led to the Democratic Party regaining control in Texas?
The Compromise of 1877 led to the Democratic Party regaining control in Texas as Reconstruction ended.
How did the Democrats maintain their hold on power throughout Texas?
The Democrats maintained their hold on power throughout Texas by using racially motivated appeals to voters, patronage systems in which urban bosses directed the voting choices of mostly immigrant blocs, and outright suppression of black voters.
What party posed the most significant challenge to the post-Reconstruction Democratic Party?
The Farmer's Alliance, a third party that grew out of a group of farmer and rancher cooperatives, posed the most significant challenge to the post-Reconstruction Democratic Party.
Which two authorities regulate campaign financing for elections in Texas?
The Federal Election Commission and the Texas Ethics Commission regulate campaign financing for elections in Texas.
Which of the following third parties has made little to no headway in Texas in recent years?
The Populists (or People's Party) had largely disbanded by the early 20th century.
Why has the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) faced severe criticism over its enforcement of campaign laws?
The TEC has faced severe criticism for not sufficiently investigating complaints of violations.
How much did the average amount spent on a winning campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives increase from 1986 to 2012?
The average amount spent on a winning campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives more than quadrupled between 1986 and 2012, rising from $360,000 to $1.6 million
How might voters exposed to poll results be influenced by the "bandwagon effect"?
The bandwagon effect is likely to cause undecided voters to cast their ballots for the candidate they think will be the probable winner, based on poll results.
Which of the following may be a constraint on interest groups looking to affect public policy through legal action?
The costs of legal action may be quite high, meaning that litigation is best suited to groups with substantial financial resources.
What is the distinction between people with common interests and an interest group?
The distinction between people with common interests and an interest group is that interest groups, unlike people with common interests, are politically active.
What is the effect of holding gubernatorial and other executive branch office elections in Texas in off-years?
The effect of holding gubernatorial and other executive branch office elections in Texas in off-years is to insulate the election of statewide offices from national politics.
In which of the following ways does the design of Texas government affect the role of interest groups in the political process?
The fact that the legislature convenes for only 140 days every other year means that interest groups with greater financial and organizational resources can exercise greater influence on the political process both during the legislative session and when policies are implemented between sessions.
Apart from internal divisions in the Democratic Party, what contributed to the growth of the Republican Party in Texas?
The growth of Texas suburbs and the migration of people in from other states contributed to the growth of the Republican Party.
The history of political parties can be thought of as which of the following?
The history of political parties can be thought of as a series of long, fairly stable periods that are interrupted by brief episodes of dramatic change.
Why did the majority of Americans judge John F. Kennedy the winner of the first televised presidential debate in 1960?
The majority of Americans watched the first televised debate on television, and felt that Kennedy won because he looked fresher and more vibrant than Nixon
When was the pre-party era in Texas?
The pre-party era occurred between 1836 and 1845, when Texas was an independent country.
What is the purpose of a primary?
The purpose of a primary is to allow party members to choose the party's nominees for an upcoming general election.
What are the political implications of recent demographic trends in Texas?
The rapid growth of the minority population in Texas means that the source of Democratic voters is booming, while the Anglo population that has anchored the Republican Party has remained unchanged.
What happens if no candidate wins a majority of votes in a Texas primary election?
The result of no candidate winning a majority of votes in a primary election is a runoff election between the two candidates with the most votes to decide who will run in the general election.
Where did the term "Yellow Dog Democrat" come from?
The term "Yellow Dog Democrat" came to be applied to Democratic voters who vowed that they would vote for a yellow dog before voting for a Republican.
"for campaigns, an endorsement by a celebrity serves a different purpose
They send signals to the media and political insiders
What did Republicans do in 2003 to address the disparity between Republicans' success in statewide races and their minority presence in the U.S. House of Representatives?
To address the disparity between Republicans' success in statewide races and their minority presence in the U.S. House of Representatives, Governor Rick Perry called a special session of the legislature to draft redistricting legislation that appeared to give Republicans the chance to gain many more House seats.
Which of the following lobbying activities is illegal?
Trading a vote on public policy for money or other benefits is a felony in Texas.
What was the effect of the Citizens United decision
Under the Citizens United decision, individuals, unions, and corporations can donate unlimited amounts anonymously to political action committees.
Which of the following is a benefit of using short web videos in campaigns?
Web videos cost significantly less than airtime on television.
What type of election is held when a legislative or congressional seat becomes vacant before the end of the current occupant's term?
When a legislative or congressional seat becomes vacant before the end of the current occupant's term, a special election is held to fill the seat.
Which of the following statements is true regarding Texas's early years in the Union?
While many Texans viewed slavery as essential to the state's economy, many others were also Unionists, who as a group both desired continued ties to the United States and in many cases favored abolition.
why might an interest group choose to attend public meeting held by gov committees or boards
all of the answers
which of the following is an example of historical campaign event that is still useful today
all of these options
Private interest groups are also known as what
special interest
what is the primary purpose of interest group
to provide the means for people with common interests to organize in collective action
