POLITICAL IDEOLOGY, PARTIES, AND INTEREST GROUPS

Political party

an organization to gain political power

Political culture

an overall set of values widely shared within a society

Interest group

(usually plural) a social group whose members control some field of activity and who have common aims

Functions of interest groups

1) Educate party about important policy issues. 2) Provide citizens with avenue of access to activism. 3) Mobilize citizens & get them to participate in civic & political affairs. 4) Perform important electoral functions. 5) Provide important info to policy makers. 6) Can protect common good. 7) Integral part of the governments system of checks & balances.

Political ideology (types)

A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose. It helps give meaning to political events, personalities, and policies.

Caucus

A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform.

Responsible party model

A model stating that parties should give clear choices to the voters, and once in office, should make good on their campaign promises

Sub-governments

A network of groups within the American political system that exercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas. Also known as iron triangles, they are composed of interest group leaders interested in a particular policy, the government agency in charge of administering that policy, and the members of congressional committees and subcommittees handling policy.

Two-party system (reasons in U.S.)

A number of factors help to explain why America has had and continues to have a two-party system. No one reason alone offers a wholly satisfactory explanation for the phenomenon. However, several reasons do add up to a quite persuasive answer. The Historical Basis: the two party system is rooted in the beginnings of the nation itself. The Force of Tradition: the very fact that the nation began with a two-party system has been a leading reason for the retention of a two-party system. Over time, it has become an increasingly important, self-reinforcing reason. The Electoral System: Several features of the American electoral system tend to promote the existence of but two major parties. Republican and Democratic The American Ideological Consensus: Americans are, on the whole, an ideologically homogeneous people. That is, over time, the American people have shared many of the same ideals, the same basic principles and the same patterns of belief.

Delegates

A person who is chosen or elected to represent a person or group

Political spectrum

A political spectrum is a way of visualizing different political positions. It does this by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolising political dimensions that it models as being independent of one another.

Party de-alignment

A shifting of party coalition groupings in the electorate that remains in place for several elections (usually due to a critical election)

Party machines

A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.

Winner-take-all system

An election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins

Party identification

An informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood.

Minor/Third parties (types, roles)

Electoral contenders other than 2 main parties; rarely win elections

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms. A corporation, union, or some other interest group can create a PAC and register it with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which will meticulously monitor the PAC's expenditures.

Methods employed by groups

Interest groups are any organization of people with policy goals who work within the political process to promote such goals. Groups attempt to influence policy in various ways including: * Lobbying government. Organized interests hire representatives to advocate on behalf of the group's interests. Lobbying activities include contacting members of Congress and the executive branch to disseminate information about the positive or adverse effects of proposed legislation. * Engaging in election activities. Interests may attempt to influence elections in order to help get people who support their issues elected or reelected. Electioneering techniques include giving money to candidates, endorsing candidates or issues, and conducting grassroots activities such as get-out-the-vote drives. * Educating various publics. Interest groups work hard to educate the public at large, government officials, their own members, and potential interest group members. * Mobilizing various publics. To influence policy-making, many groups rely on the efforts of people who are motivated to act on behalf of their issues and causes. So-called grassroots activities might include writing letters, making phone calls, contacting policy-makers, and demonstrating. Many interest groups in society are those focused on advancing their members' economic interests. Some have a large membership base, while others represent only a few members. Trade associations, for example, represent one segment of the economy (e.g., defense contractors, trial lawyers) but often take a stand on a variety of policy matters. Because their members have a direct economic incentive to support the group's actions, economic interest groups tend to be well funded and very professional. Economic interest groups often combine the services of professional lobbyists with other efforts to help their members. They may help write letters, place phone calls, meet with decision makers, and, in the case of large membership organizations such as unions, engage in demonstrations directed at decision makers. Citizen action groups, also known as public interest groups, are another type of enduring interest group. Some are generally concerned with a broad range of issues that affect the public at large, such as social or environmental issues. Examples include Common Cause or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Others, including the National Rifle Association (NRA) or the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) may be committed to one or a small cluster of issues. Those groups that focus on one issue are also known as single-issue groups. Most citizen action groups are relatively well funded, and many employ the same tactics (e.g., hiring lobbyists, electioneering, litigation, etc.) used by economic interest groups. But because they have large memberships, mobilizing their members to promote the group's causes is also an important tactic. Non-membership groups are a fast-growing segment of the organized interest universe. These groups include corporations that maintain offices in Washington and many state capitals. Other non-membership groups include universities and state and local governments. Non-membership groups may hire their own lobbyists or employ outside consultants to track and influence legislation. Even without large-scale permanent organizations, citizens often organize themselves into ad hoc associations aimed at influencing public policy decisions. These organizations are often directed at a single cause such as neighborhood beautification or school reform. Because of their narrower focus, they tend not to outlive the issue that originally spurred their creation. Lacking financial resources and organizations, these grassroots associations depend on membership mobilization through letters, phone calls, personal contacts, and demonstrations to pursue their causes. Because they lack permanency and economic motivation, size and members' unity may constitute the greatest strength of ad hoc associations. Many interest groups employ the services of former government officials (e.g., former Congress members, cabinet officials, and military officers) as lobbyists because these former officials are able to use their personal contacts and intimate knowledge of policy-making processes on behalf of the interests they represent. The interaction of mutual interests among Congress members, executive agencies, and organized interests during political struggles over policy-making is sometimes referred to as an iron triangle. While members of an iron triangle are expected to fight on behalf of their interests, constituents, or governmental department, they often seek policy outcomes that produce benefits for all members of the "triangle."

Super-delegates

National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention

Political socialization (agents)

People are influenced politically by family members, the mass media (including the internet and TV) and schools

Party organization

The formal structure and leadership of a political party, including election committees local, state, and national executives and paid professional staff.

Forms of political participation

Voting, Campaign work, contacting public officials, Community work, and attendance at a political meeting. US is low on voting, yet high in the other categories which are more demanding.

Public opinion

a belief or sentiment shared by most people

Amicus curiae

a brief submitted by a "friend of the court"

Iron triangle / Issue network

a close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

McGovern-Fraser Commission

a commission formed at the 1968 democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation

Civil disobedience

a group's refusal to obey a law because they believe the law is immoral (as in protest against discrimination)

Census

a period count of the population

Interest groups distinguished from parties

a. Political parties aim to attain or maintain power, however interest groups do not have such an aim, instead they aim to influence decision making and the politicians. b. Second, parties blend various demands, not just support particular ones because they have to appeal to more people, however interest groups focus upon particular issues.

Party-in-government

all of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party

Single-member districts

an electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official (not voting for more than one person for any position)

Lobbying

direct contact made by an interest group representative in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors

Types of interest groups

economic, single issue, public interest, foreign policy, public sector, trade associations, labor unions, professional associations, economic, environmental, public interest, single interest, common characteristics, and foreign government

Critical elections

elections that disrupt party coalitions and create new ones in a party realignment

Primaries (types)

general election -- when voters choose between candidates from each party for office. In a primary, however, the voter casts his or her vote to determine who will go onto the general election. This is a primary in a nutshell. Although primaries are more straightforward than caucuses -- which also help choose a party's candidate for president -- the primary process as a whole is somewhat convoluted.closed primary. In this type, only registered voters affiliated with a given party have the chance to go to the polls to cast their vote for their chosen candidate within that party. In closed primaries, only Republicans can vote for Republicans and Democrats for Democrats. Independent voters -- those who have opted to choose neither party, but are registered voters -- aren't allowed to cast a ballot. A closed primary can be modified to allow independents to cast a vote for a candidate from one party or another. In open primaries, a voter can cast his or her ballot for either party. In most cases, the voter must choose a party to vote for by making a public statement at the polling station. In this circumstance, the voter will tell the election volunteer which party he or she chooses to vote for. He or she will then receive a ballot containing the candidates for that party. In some open primaries, voters may choose which party's candidate to vote for privately in the polling booth. A third type of primary -- the blanket primary -- allows voters to vote for whomever they please, without having to affiliate with one party or another, and without making any kind of declaration. California and Washington were both using blanket primaries at the end of the 20th century, but stopped after a 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled them unconstitutional.

Patronage

granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

Party eras

historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections.

Independent

of political bodies

Multi-party systems

party systems in which more than two parties could potentially win a national election and govern

Majoritarian politics

political activity in which both benefits and costs are widely distributed

Exit polls

polls based on interviews conducted on election day with randomly selected voters

Proportional representation

representation of all parties in proportion to their popular vote

Demography

scientific study of human populations

Party realignment

the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period

National convention

the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform.

Decline of parties (reasons)

the net result of the primaries was the removal of the party nominating process from the backroom-brokered party conventions. presidential campaigns are organized and run largely outside of the party. the party has been relegated to a supporting role to professional campaign managers. parties still perform important grass roots roles in bringing the campaign the voter's door and getting out the voters on election day.

Polling

the recording of votes of a body of people

Coalition

the union of diverse things into one body or form or group

Groups and democratic theory

the view that elected officials should represent the interests of all people in a democracy

Party-in-the-electorate

voters who consider themselves allied or associated with the party

Ticket-splitting

voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior.