Term
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Definition
| the induction of individuals into the political culture: learning the underlying beliefs and values upon which the political system is based |
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Term
| influences on political opinion |
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Definition
the family - first influence usually - differences in background produce different political outlooks
children raised in households in which primary caregivers are Dems/Repubs tend to become that themselves
education - schooling = great equalizer - governments use public education to try to teach all children a common set of civic values
social groups = both involuntary (race, gender, etc) and voluntary (political parties, labor unions, religious orgs) |
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Term
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Definition
| a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between men and women |
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Term
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Definition
| a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between men and women |
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Term
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Definition
4th set of factors that shape political orientations/values are the conditions under which individuals and groups are recruited into and involved in politica life
ex. people who came of political age during Great Depression/WWII --> intense loyalty to President FDR and therefore Dem Party |
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Term
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Definition
| today = generally supports political/social reform; extensive governmental intervention in the economy; the expansion of federal social servies; more vigorous efforts on behalf of the poor, minorities and women; and greater concern for consumers and the environment |
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Term
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Definition
| today = generally supports social and economic status quo and is suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulae and economic arrangements. Conservatives believe that a large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens' freedom |
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Term
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Definition
| the requirement that broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office an equal opportunity to communicate their messages to the public |
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Term
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Definition
| an FCC regulation giving individuals the right to have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks made on a radio or TV broadcast |
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Term
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Definition
| an FCC requirement that broadcasters who air programs on controversial issues provide time for opposing views |
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Term
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Definition
| an effort by a government agency to block the publication of material it deems libelous or harmful in some other way; censorship. in the Us, the courts forbid prior restraint except under the most extraordinary circumstances |
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Term
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Definition
| the power to bring attention to particular issues and problems |
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Term
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Definition
| a process of preparing the public to take a particular view of an event or a political actor |
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Term
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Definition
| the power of the media to influence how events and issues are interpreted |
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Term
| 2 basic approaches to the principal-agent relationship |
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Definition
the consent approach: emphasizes the historical reality that the right of the citizen to participate in his or her own governance mainly through the act of voting or other forms of consent arises from the existing governmental order aimed at making it easier for the governors to govern by legitimating their rule. By giving their consent, citizens provide this legitimation
the agency approach: treat the typical citizen as someone who would much rather devote their scarce time and effort ro his or who own private affairs than spend that time and effort on the governance. He/she therefore chooses to delegate governance to agents (politicians) who are controlled through elections. control of agents = emphasized |
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Term
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Definition
| an electoral format that presents the names of all the candidates for any given office on the same ballot. Introduced at the end of the 19th century the Australian ballot replaced the partisan ballot and facilitated split-ticket voting |
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Term
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Definition
| an electorate that is allowed to elect only one representative from each district; the normal method of representation in the US |
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Term
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Definition
| the presidential electors from each state who meet in their respective state capitals after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president |
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Term
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Definition
| the apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one political party |
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Term
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Definition
| a type of electoral system in which victory goes to the individual who gets the most votes in the election, but not necessarily a majority of votes cast |
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Term
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Definition
| a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in a presentative body, a candidate must receive a majority (50% + 1) of all votes cast in the relevant district |
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Term
| proportional representation |
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Definition
| a multiple-member district system that awards seats based on the percentage of the vote won |
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Term
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Definition
| a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection |
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Term
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Definition
| a process by which citizens may petition to place a policy proposal on he ballot for public vote |
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Term
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Definition
| the removal of a public official by popular vote |
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Term
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Definition
| an individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another |
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Term
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Definition
| an individual's propensity to select candidates or parties based on the extent to which the individual agrees with one candidate more than others on specific issues |
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Term
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Definition
| voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate |
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Term
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Definition
| voting based on the past performance of a candidate |
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Term
| political action committee (PAC) |
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Definition
| a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns |
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Term
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Definition
| an organized group that attempts to influence the government by electing its members to important government offices |
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Term
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Definition
| the process by which political parties select their candidate for election to public office |
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Term
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Definition
| a primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to primary day |
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Term
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Definition
| a primary election in which voters can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidate for the general election |
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Term
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Definition
| the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or Senate |
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Term
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Definition
| a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy or make decisions regarding legislative matters |
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Term
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Definition
| the theory that all interests are an should be free to compete for influence in the government. THe outcome of this competition is balance and compromise |
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Term
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Definition
| an organized group of individuals or organizations that makes policy-related appeals to government |
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Term
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Definition
| one who enjoys the benefits of collective goods but did not participate in acquiring them |
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Term
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Definition
| special newsletters, periodicals, training programs, conferences and other information provided to members of groups to entice others to join |
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Term
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Definition
| special goods, services or money provided to members of groups to entice others to join |
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Term
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Definition
| selective benefits of a group membership that emphasize friendship, networking and consciousness raising |
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Term
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Definition
| selective benefits of group membership that emphasizes the purpose and acommplishmets of the group |
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Term
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Definition
| an attempt by a group to influence the policy process through persuasion of government officials |
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Term
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Definition
| the act of launching a media campaign to build popular support |
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Term
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Definition
| a lobbying campaign in which a group mobilizes its membership to contact government officials in support of the group's position |
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Term
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Definition
| during the Vietnam War – big military push during the point in the war where there was a lot of American dissent – made the American government more pessimistic about the war and trust the government even less – foreign policy had dramatic effect on issue of trust between people & gov. |
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Term
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Definition
| society with a small government – idea is that the problems people have is not going to be solved better by making a government with people because same problems – libertarian would not mandate gay marriage but take institution of marriage away from government realm at all – more freedom/individual opinion |
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Term
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Definition
| swap during civil rights movement – vs. Liberals |
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Term
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Definition
| people saying something because its what they think is socially acceptable/morally right |
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Term
| Kennedy vs. Nixon election |
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Definition
| first televised debate and Nixon looked old/sweaty/nervous and Kennedy looked young/dynamic and this marked a huge change especially in terms of media’s effect on elections because previously to that Nixon was way ahead for a long time |
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Term
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Definition
| NY Times printed an article that defamed commissioner in Alabama (Sullivan) who said that the article was libel and they should retract article about Civil Rights – Sullivan was a public official and the NY Times bashed on him in terms of role in the Civil Rights movement – didn’t like how the media had effect on public opinion |
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Term
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Definition
| random person found government papers about what was going on in Vietnam and the government did not want it printed but they printed it in NY Times. Important quote: “Grave and irreparable danger” ← the only way that something can be excluded from the media like if it will really affect foreign policy/safety of the American people/etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| transformation in government – Dems vs. Repubs – confederacy – New Deal Coalition – look in chapter 11 |
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Term
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Definition
| blocks that supported New Deal – Helped Democrats win from 1932 - early 1960s → really powerful group clearly |
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Term
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Definition
| big deal – 5 senators accused of corruption – 1989 intervening with big bang investigation – affected public opinion – know that John McCain was part of this (one of the 5) |
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Term
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Definition
only a certain amount of $ you can get yourself in elections without pacs – pacs = political action committees – have to raise money toward something not specifically related to one candidate and super pacs are similar but have much less regulations – difference = super pacs have no limit on what they can give to campaign
a. video against Hillary Clinton 4 years ago was created by a super pac - they can pretty much do whatever they want |
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Term
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Definition
o 2008: Citizens United (a non-profit org.0 made critical movie about Hillary Clinton
o Federal Election Commission restricted use
o Lower courts uphold FEC, appealed
o US Supreme Court
• Unusual September session to hear case (9/9/09)
• 1st amendment v corruption of elections
o Court rules 5-4 in favor of Citizens United
• G cannot ban corporate/union spending
• IG can form super-pacs that can raise and spend unlimited amounts if no direct coordination with candidates
• Results
o Some expenditures in 2010 elections
o Growing controversy
o Large presence in 2012 |
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Term
| Popular Vote vs. Electoral Colleges |
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Definition
do not win President by just winning US popular vote – must win majority of electoral votes – the popular votes go toward the electoral college and the electors are supposed to vote for who their district voted for but do not necessarily have to – doesn’t always happen though they are not bound to do that – if you win larger district you automatically get 2 electoral votes and then it’s 1-1 so if Obama wins larger and Romney wins smaller then its 3:1 Obama: Romney → Congressional District Model – Proportional Representation – winner does not take all
a. 538 people in electoral college – 100 senators – 435 HOR – 3 for DC |
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Term
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Definition
| required people to have all types of ID before voting to ensure that people cannot vote more than once |
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Term
| public opinion in am pol: why care? |
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Definition
• Affects political behavior and policies
• Example: impact of public opinion on civil rights (mid-1960s)
• Example: Vietnam War
o Increasing US involvement in 1950s
o Why? Fear of spread of communism
o Troop escalation through 1960s
o January 1968: Tet Offensive
o March 1968: Americans begin to seek settlement |
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Term
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Definition
• Distinguish from political culture
o Core, broad ideals
o Democratic process, liberty, equality
• Distinguish from ideologies
o Coherent framework for role of government
o Liberals
o Moderates
o Conservatives
o Often measured within a 7-point scale
o But is one dimension enough?
o Libertarians
• Public opinion (PO) IS the sum of individuals attitudes about some issue
• Origins
o Political socialization (family, schools, peers, television)
o Demographics: income, race, ethnicity, religion, region, gender, age
o Experiences |
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Term
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Definition
• Ask the right people → random sample of pop
o Completely accurate view = ask everyone → but that’s a referendum
o In PO poll – each member has equal chance of participating
• Report the margin of error
o Larger the random sample, the better
• Ask good questions
o Good: wording is fair and consistent
o If wording changes, can’t conclude opinion has changed
• Be aware of question order
o Why? Survey response model
o People influenced by what they’ve just heard
o Triggering mechanisms |
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Term
| Why is it so elusive? Inevitable problems |
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Definition
• Changing technology
o Eg. > 20% use just cell phones
o Not included in random dialing
• Level of feelings hard to measure
o Intensity
o Salience
• Low levels of knowledge
o Monetary Control Bill of 1983 – 21% favor, 25% oppose
o No such bill! Did not exist
o Must include a don’t know category
• Insincere responses
o Halo effect: overstate socially respectable answer
==> eg. Turnout – people say they voted even if they didn’t
o Bradley effect: understate attitudes toward race
==> LA Mayor Tom Bradley in 1982 – African American man – still won but by a lesser margin than polls show |
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Term
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Definition
declining trust in G since late 1960s
increased skepticism
WHY?
Vietnam, Watergate, scandals
greater media scrutiny of flaws/scandals |
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Term
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Definition
• Lack of public confidence in media
o Lower than recent years & declining
• Do they have input?
o Newspaper readership down
o Newspaper revenues down
o Network news viewership down
• Yes, but different from past
o Variety of outlets (cable, talk radio, online)
o Multiple sources (92%)
o Average time with news: 70 minutes
• Impact in process
o Front-loading of campaigns
o Exaggerated importance of NH and Iowa
o Conventions – bump in public opinion polls (Obama)
• Impact on selection of candidates
• Impact on outcomes – debate
o 1960: Kennedy vs. Nixon – radio audience thought Nixon did a better job but people watching on tv thought Kennedy won overwhelmingly
o Nixon later said debates can affect the result, but only by two or three points” – won by less – does really impact political process |
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Term
| is the media unrestricted? |
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Definition
freedom of press = in 1st amendment of Constitution - expanded by legal doctrine
minimal liability: libel (written) and slander (spoken) are potential constraints |
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Term
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Definition
1964
o NYT printed ad criticizing Alabama officials in behavior in desegregation protests – physically abused protestors
o Supreme Court: illegal if media shows
• “Reckless disregard” for truth
• “Malicious intent”
o thus, absent proof of malice → immense freedom |
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Term
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Definition
• No prior restraint
o 1971 case of Daniel Ellsberg
o Released classified Pentagon Papers
o Revealed concerns about Vietnam in 1960s
o 6/1971: NYT punished excerpts
o G sought prior restraint – not used/issued in a long time
o Supreme Court ruled in favor of the NY Times |
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Term
| Recent illustration of no prior restraint |
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Definition
Wikileaks
o 2010 release of classified material
o Not prevented by American government |
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Term
| media bias - how can media provide a slant? |
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Definition
o Selection of stories
o Content of stories
o Critical comments of participants |
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Term
| seminal case of accusation of liberal bias |
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Definition
o 1/25/1988: George Bush vs. Dan Rather (of CBS) before Iowa caucus
o Bush “zinged’ Rather → not a wimp – boost from conservatives
o Positive impact for both Bush and CBS
o Rather vs. Bush Dr. not isolated incident
o Eg. Rather vs. Bush Jr. in 2004 election
• 60 Minutes story on military service
• Used forged memos to try and bash Bush
o Surveys show most reporters are Dems
• Counter argument
o Media not monolithic
o Conservative bias from some outlets
o Studios often run by conservatives
• Always be wary about the media |
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Term
| are media inappropriately aggressive? |
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Definition
• Traditionally deferential
o At least in personal lives
o Examples: marital indiscretion
• Change of attitudes in 1970s
o Vietnam and Watergate
o Launched era of investigative journalism
• Media often not aggressive enough?
o Constraints of business
• Reporters have deadlines
• Reporters need access
• Must sell newspapers/get ratings to stay in business
o Consequence is: often cover soft news rather than hard news
• Thus miss important news stories |
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Term
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Definition
no constitutional mandate
feared by framers
no parliamentary system but right to assemble |
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Term
| role of parties - used to overcome collective action problems |
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Definition
a. Regulate access to office
b. Select candidates
c. Mobilize voters
d. Provide cues
e. Facilitate group behavior in office |
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Term
| role of parties: cultural factors |
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Definition
a. Wide agreement on broad ideals – democracy
b. No effective radical parties (socialists) |
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Term
| role of parties: Institutional factors |
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Definition
a. Single-member districts rather than proportional representation (Duegers Law)
b. Major parties already on ballots
c. Public funding available only for major |
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Term
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Definition
a. Voter’s preferences single-peaked
b. Array on left – right scale
c. Majority in middle |
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Term
| If so, always convergence? |
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Definition
a. Primaries don’t focus on center
b. Interest groups pull apart
c. Voters can abstain
d. Multiple issues
e. Some issues not single-peaked
f. 3rd parties? If major parties too close together then provide alternative |
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Term
| Shifting Coalitions: Republican Party |
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Definition
a. 1860: Antislavery & Commerce
b. Wall Street: small G but assist business
c. Main Street: small G but assist agriculture
d. Easy Street: small G but assist expansion
e. In common = prefer less fed G |
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Term
| Shifting Coalitions: Democratic Party |
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Definition
a. After Civil War: Solid South
b. Great Depression in 1920s and 1930s
c. FDR’s “new deal: (1932)
o Labor and urban poor
o Jewish, ethnic groups, minorities
d. In common = prefer active fed G… except for South (conservative opinions) |
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Term
| Shifting Coalitions: Sorting out |
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Definition
a. 1960s: Disagreement on civil rights
b. Democrats: endorse fed legislation in 1964 and 1965
c. Republicans: civil rights are state issues
d. Republicans: conservative social issues
e. New Wing in Republican Party (since 1960s):
f. Bourbon Street: small G and social morality |
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Term
| Republican coalition since 1960s |
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Definition
a. 1970s/80s: East St (Nixon, Reagan)
o Low taxes, mixed views on social issues
b. 1990s: Rise of Bourbon St (Bush, Gingrich)
o Low tax, strong views on social issues
c. 2010s: Rise of Tea Party and Libertarians
o Focus on small G but tensions within party – Romney behavior |
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Term
| Democratic coalition since 1960s |
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Definition
a. New Deal Democrats: Reid, Pelosi, Obama?
b. New Coalition Democrats (Clintons)
c. Angry Dems
d. Dissatisfaction within party |
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Term
| political parties situation today |
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Definition
a. Factions unite against common opponent?
b. Ideological divergence
o Polarization of party activists
o Wide differences on policies
c. Is there an untapped middle? |
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Term
| role in am pol: grounds for organization |
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Definition
o Constitutional rights: assemble and petition
o Interest Groups = groups of citizens making policy-related appeal to G
o Convey info and demands from society |
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Term
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Definition
• Maintenance: keep and attract members
o Provide benefits
o Build financial and organizational resources
o Attain results (at least perceived)
• Insider strategies (work inside system)
o Work through the courts (eg. NAACP, NOW)
o Lobbying
o Resources: issue and legal expertise
• Outsider strategies (work in public sphere)
o Unconventional participation
o Grass-roots campaigns |
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Term
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Definition
| direct pressure to influence legislation |
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Term
|
Definition
over 7,000 firms with > 40,000 lobbyists
o Registered with congress
o Often former members/staffers |
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Term
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Definition
o Meet with members/staffers/bureaucrats
o Provide info on issue
o Convey promise of support |
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Term
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Definition
o Violate rules on support/gifts
o Eg. Keating 5 in the Savings and Loan scandals od the 1980s (involved John McCain)
o Jack Abramoff in 2000s |
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Term
| regulations today lobbying |
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Definition
o Required to register
o Required to disclose spending
o Banned from many forms of spending |
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Term
| Campaign finance regulations |
|
Definition
$ in elections always an issue
o Since 1911: ban on direct corporate $
o Rarely enforced until 1970s – Watergate Scandal
o 1971, 1974: creates FEC and limits “hard money” (direct contributions to candidates)
o IG must use Political Action Committees
o Limits on PAC expenditures
• Exceptions to regulations
o Buckley v Valeo 1976: no limits on spending by candidate in own election
o “Soft money” loophole: people can make unlimited donations for party-building |
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Term
| 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act |
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Definition
o Senator McCain (R-AZ) and Feingold (D-WI)
o Banned unlimited soft money – close that loophole
o Restricted advertising by IG before elections |
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Term
| Citizens United v FEC (2010) |
|
Definition
o 2008: Citizens United (a non-profit org.0 made critical movie about Hillary Clinton
o Federal Election Commission restricted use
o Lower courts uphold FEC, appealed
o US Supreme Court
• Unusual September session to hear case (9/9/09)
• 1st amendment v corruption of elections
o Court rules 5-4 in favor of Citizens United
• G cannot ban corporate/union spending
• IG can form super-pacs that can raise and spend unlimited amounts if no direct coordination with candidates
• Results
o Some expenditures in 2010 elections
o Growing controversy
o Large presence in 2012 |
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Term
| Presidential Elections: When? |
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Definition
Every 4 years
o Primary to win nomination and general to win election
o Iowa caucuses and NH primaries first
o Florida rocks boat and moves their primary up to Jan. 1st
o Collective action problem in ordering
==> States want earlier input
==> Parties want discipline
==> Result is frontloading
o So what?
==> Longer campaigns
==> Polarized candidates
==> Predict nominees by “invisible primary”
o Possible reforms
==> Rotate States
==> National primary
==> Who doesn’t want this? People in Iowa and NH
o Primary season ends with party convention
==> Show of unity
==> VP nominee – balancer ticket: region, ideology, experience |
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Term
|
Definition
General campaign is national
o Electoral College
o Number of electors for each State = number of Reps and Senators
o 538 electors, candidate needs 270 votes
o Most states use winner-take-all with electoral votes
o =ME and NE use Congressional District Method |
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Term
| Reform: get rid of electoral college? |
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Definition
o Argument: not all votes are equal (individual’s votes in small states have more influence on outcome than more populous states)
o But would need Constitutional amendment to repeal |
|
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Term
| So what? Candidates target swing states |
|
Definition
o 2008: 82% of campaign stops in 11 states
o 31 states received no visits from candidates
o 2012: 9 states getting nearly all attention
o Especially Florida and Ohio |
|
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Term
|
Definition
o Public candidates can use public money
o Eligible if meet fundraising targets
o If accept, then limited to that amount
o Recent changes: 2007: McCain and Obama pact: public $
o 2008: McCain did but Obama did not accept
o 2012: neither candidate accepts public $ - spending a LOT of $$
o If use public money – split pot so that each spend equal amount
future public candidates are unlikely to accept |
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Term
| Congressional elections: When? |
|
Definition
every 2 years
all house members (435 since 1911)
about 1/3 of senate
many state races: all state legislatures affected, many governors, many ballot initiatives |
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Term
|
Definition
• House members: single-member districts – each district elects one member to the house not proportional
o 435 since 1911 – *congress determines this NOT set in Constitution*
o Census every 10 years
o Total pop/# districts = # citizens in each
o State pop/citizens in each = # seats per state
• Shifts over time: need for redistricting
o Draws district lines for electoral purposes
o Traditionally drawn by state legislature
o Gerrymander: draw to benefit some interest
• For officeholders: incumbent gerrymander
• For majority party: partisan gerrymander
o For minority representation: racial gerrymander
• 1982 amendments
• Motivation: minorities under-represented
• (eg. NC was 20% black but had no black reps)
• 1995/1996: Supreme Court rulings struck down some
• Still case-by-case basis
• States now considering impartial panels to redistrict |
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Term
|
Definition
1. Rational if benefits exceed costs
2. Benefits include:
a. Satisfaction from doing civic duty
b. Sense of honoring sacrifices
c. Possibility of close election
i. (eg. 2000 election decided by <500 votes)
3. How many do bother (132 million in 2008) |
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Term
|
Definition
1. Low and declining
2. Conv. Wisdom: turnout in US low
a. Low compared to other nations
b. Trends depend on context
c. Upward trend in last few elections
3. Different ways to measure
a. VAP = % of Voting age population
b. VEP = % of Voting eligible population
c. Difference: prisoners, parolees, overseas
d. Most states don’t allow convicts to vote
e. Dozen states don’t allow ex-cons to vote – more controversial |
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Term
|
Definition
1. One possible answer is no, if…
• Non-voters have similar preferences to voters
• But which groups have lower turnout?
2. Poor
• Much less likely to vote than wealthy
3. Minorities
• Traditional white-black gap = 7%
• 2008: minimal gap between blacks and whites
• Asian and Latino turnout lower
4. Young (18-29)
• Lowest turnout of any age group
• Increased in 2008 but still lower than all others
5. Differences in policy preferences between high and low turnout groups |
|
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Term
|
Definition
1. Do what other countries do
• Compulsory voting – uninformed voting – pay fine if don’t vote
• Voting day is holiday – On a Tuesday in the US
• Proportional representation
2. Ease registration requirements
• Same day registration (ME, MN, WI)
i. Research shows 3-9% increase
• Motor Voter Law (1993)
i. Required states to allow registration when get Driver’s License
ii. Modest impact – 4% if active program
3. Ease voting costs
• Allow early voting or voting by mail
• About ½ state now allow vote-by-mail without excuse – trend of future
• 2/3 of states allow early voting – ~1/3 of votes were cast early in ‘08
4. Reduce cynicism about vote counting
• Problems in recent elections – electronic machines easy to hack
• Many states back to paper ballots |
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Term
|
Definition
1. Recent changes
• Since 2011: 31 states increase requirements
• 9 with strict photo ID
2. Arguments in favor:
• Prevent voter fraud
• Need photo ID to do many things
3. Arguments against:
• Little evidence of voter fraud in recent elections
• Bigger argument: will make voting tougher for some esp. minorities
4. Court cases in 2012
• Texas: most strict photo ID law in the country – if you don’t have a Driver’s License, $22 for card and have to travel to attain
• Fed district court rejected unanimously
• Pennsylvania: strict photo ID – tape of the Republican leader of state legislature saying “we took care of this – this should decide the election” – governor Romney would win basically what he is saying
• PA Supreme Court: law must be blocked unless no one affected in this election
• 10/3/12 – cannot guarantee that – law rejected… for now |
|
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Term
| Spending in this Presidential election |
|
Definition
| nearing $1 billion which is almost double what it was in '08 - due to ADVERTISING |
|
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Term
|
Definition
• Volume – both sides are doing it – with that much of an increase in $$ - more advertising – elections in Missouri and plenty of ads even without being a battleground state
• 80 days of nonstop viewing to see all 30 second ads on Ohio TV
• More money= more advertising
• Targeted at competitive areas |
|
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Term
| Style of advertising for this campaign |
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Definition
• Over 80% negative (critical of opponent)
• Both sides and all races
• Why? It’s effective
• Vicious Cycle – if one person says something negative, the other has to come back and be on both defensive and offensive to get ahead |
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Term
| Impact of negative advertising |
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Definition
• Potentially motivate debate (usually contain more evidence)
• Potentially decrease turnout
• Studies show they contribute to cynicism |
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Term
| Connections between President and Congress voting? |
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Definition
• Presidential coattails
o Popular P candidate leads to support for C candidates of same party
o Inevitable during 19th century with party ballots
o Much less likely with office ballots (vote for each individual office)
o Likely in some recent elections (eg. 1980)
• Split-ticket voting
o Vote for candidates of diff parties (one party for P and one for C)
o Why? Registered independents
o Why? Balancing: don’t trust/particularly like either party – divided government – one controlling Congress/one White House – less power for one party – more divided → balanced
o Why? Different expectations by level – foreign policy v. economy
• Evidence
o Split-tick between P and C
o 1950s: 15%
o 1970s: 30%
o 2000s: 17-18%
o Sometimes candidates need ticket-splitting to win – today in CT |
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Term
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Definition
o Can affect policies
o Measurement: random sample, margin of error, fair question wording, fair question ordering
o Everyone in pop has equal chance of participation = random sample
o Public opinion polls these days → margin of error
o Communication Revolution – more and more people rely only on wireless phones (no landlines) – harder to do samples – polls all over the place – also because the electorate right now is so evenly split and people who can’t make up their minds say different things on different polls |
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Term
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Definition
o Significant influence on public opinion – and largely unrestricted
o Potential bias
o Court cases: NYT v Sullivan, NYT v US |
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Term
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Definition
o Two major parties, weak 3rd parties
o Median voter theorem v. divergence – doesn’t always happen so divergence
o Shifting coalitions of factions (wings) |
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Term
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Definition
o Consider strategies (esp. lobbying)
o Outsider strategies (esp. campaign finance)
o Buckley v Valeo – older court case – look up
o Citizens United v FEC – removed restrictions on labor unions contributing to campaigns |
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Term
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Definition
Presidential: front loading and Electoral College
Congressional: redistricting |
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Term
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Definition
o Turnout: measurement and trends
o Low turnout: poor, minorities, young
o Ways to increase turnout |
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Term
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Definition
| bad press for US government - turning point in american history in terms of a shift in public opinion from trust to distrust of government by american people -vietnam war |
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Term
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Definition
| business expansion - south west |
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Definition
| local initiative aka agriculture - midwest |
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Definition
| big business focus - north east |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
o NYT printed ad criticizing Alabama officials in behavior in desegregation protests – physically abused protestors
o Supreme Court: illegal if media shows
• “Reckless disregard” for truth
• “Malicious intent”
o thus, absent proof of malice → immense freedom
not harmful so no prior restraint |
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Term
| Pentagon Papers (NYT v United States Gov) |
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Definition
harmful so prior restraint - Supreme Court ruled for NYT because of the 1st amendment but this is where the idea of prior restraint was created
o 1971 case of Daniel Ellsberg
o Released classified Pentagon Papers
o Revealed concerns about Vietnam in 1960s
o 6/1971: NYT punished excerpts
o G sought prior restraint – not used/issued in a long time
o Supreme Court ruled in favor of the NY Times |
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Term
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Definition
| prepare people - present facts - FOX news |
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Term
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Definition
| power of media to influence how events are interpreted - ex. presidential televised debate |
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Term
| media multiple choice questions..... |
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Definition
| either priming or framing |
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Term
| strongest predictor of how a person will vote.... |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| like halo effect but specific to race - mayor bradley = black - more people say they will vote for him but dont because of race |
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Term
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Definition
| frame questions to make someone look a certain way - katie kouroc and sarah palin |
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Term
| bipartisan campaign reform act |
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Definition
o Senator McCain (R-AZ) and Feingold (D-WI)
o Banned unlimited soft money – close that loophole
o Restricted advertising by IG before elections
independent expenditures |
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Term
| if electoral college has a tie. |
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Definition
| goes to HOR for pres and senate for VP |
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Term
| if electoral college has a tie... |
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Definition
| goes to HOR for pres and senate for VP |
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Term
| Voter turnout in the US...... |
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Definition
| is low and declining! also lower than all other developed countries! we totally suck! |
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Term
| ideological distinctions between parties..... |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
banned in 2002 to contributions from individuals to.....
POLITICAL PARTIES |
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Term
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Definition
| satire in the media ex. hillary clinton moooovie |
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Term
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Definition
| only multi0member district states ALL others = single |
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