Term
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Definition
- acting on your own
- voting
- contacting
- volunteer
- running/serving
- information gathering
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| both individual and collective participation |
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Definition
- money or contributions to a candidate
- bribery or blackmail
- litigation (lawsuits)
- violence (boming, assassinations, riots, etc.)
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Term
people are more likely to use a form of participation if it is ________, and they are more likely to participate if they are ________.
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| easy, financially better off |
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Term
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| collection of individual opinions toward issues of objects of general interest |
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| public opinion: direction |
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Definition
asking for or against something ex: polling citizens if the country is going in te right direction or not, asking if a public official is doing a good job or not |
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public opinion: intensity
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the degree to which you hold your views >strongly for, for, neutral, against, strongly against |
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public opinion: stability
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how well the patterns hold up over time ex: seeing how the attitudes of citizens shift over time for the importance or relevance of certain issues |
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public opinion: relevance / salience
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getting a sense of how important a certain issue is to a person. ex: exit polls ask the voter what the issue was that led them to vote for a specific candidate |
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| divisive pattern of public opinion |
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Definition
| when the country is nearly equally divided on an issue, the pattern would be considered divisive |
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| What does a normal curve (bell shape) on an issue poll indicate? |
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Definition
much of the public is neutral on an issue |
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process of learning about politics though: -family -schools -higher education -religion -peers -media -events |
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| family impact on socialization |
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Definition
| generally, a person's party identification comes directly from their parents |
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| school impact on socialization |
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Definition
-the school's certain curriculum may or may not influence an individual politically -obedience, loyalty, patriotism, etc is learned in the school system at an early age and can alter a person's viewpoint or attitude later in life -ex: reciting the pledge of allegiance |
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| higher education/college impact on socialization |
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Definition
-more educated about politics -more tendencies to participate or become pollitically active -more tolerant and supportive of democracy |
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| religion impact on socialization |
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Definition
-people in certain denominations tend to be more conservative or liberal -ex: evangelists tend to be more conservatice in their views |
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| peers impact on socialization |
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Definition
-difficult to indicate how peers shape values because, unlike your family, you choose your peer group. -children are more likely to agree with their peers over their parents on issues that are age specific (such as drinking age) |
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| media impact on socialization |
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Definition
-reinforces ideas one may already have -MAJOR IMPACT it can play occurs when the public doesn't have much info on a subject or doesn't already have intense viewpoints -broadcast media doesn't endorse candidates, however, print media does -print media plays a larger role when a voter is deciding about a lower level candidate |
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| People's attitudes become more _______ over time |
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Definition
sophisticated ex: a preschooler may notice symbols such as the american flag, but over time, feelings such as patriotism are associated with that flag. then eventually as you mature you develop opinions about that flag |
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| general patterns of the public's attitudes |
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Definition
-ignorance -indifference: day to day regular citizens aren't concerned w/ politics, but are more focused on the wll being of their families -inconsistency: on certain surveys, public opinion can be inconsistent. ex: some may want to balance the budget, provide more funding for a group, and reduce taxes. clearly all of these things cannot coexist |
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| trends in the public's attitudes |
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Definition
-increased tolerance to certain political groups. ex:attitudes on race and gender have become more accepting -growing distrust of institutions since 1960's -shifts in party identification : people are less strongly tied to political parties now then they were in the 1950's |
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Definition
-whites, asian americans -white evangelicals, regular church attenders -southern citizens -wealthy -men |
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-blacks, europeans -less church attendance -northeast and west coast voters -people at lower end of economic spectrum -women |
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Term
| political parties are interested in _______, and interest groups are interested in _________. |
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Definition
-winning elections and gaining control of the govt -favorable policy |
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Term
| functions of political parties |
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Definition
- -promote accountability
- blame generally rests on the party
- -nominate candidates
- control the process of choosing presidential nominees
- -inform and mobilize the public:
- -coordinate actions of govt officials:
- ex: the prez has people on his staff that try to promote a legislative agenda and choosing nominees for judgeships
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Party System from 1968-present Democrats vs. Republicans (dealignment and parity) |
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Definition
-dealignment = people are not longer tied to either party -people during this time period tend to be more Independent. -results in split ticket voting |
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| Why are there only two parties in the US party system? |
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Definition
-first past the post, winner take all ideology states that no matter the percentage won in an election, all of the representatives go to the party that recieved the highest percentage of votes -proportional representation occurs when seats are determined due to the percentage of votes |
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Components of US Parties: how is a political party like an organization? |
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Definition
-permanent bureaucratic entity. each has a national headquarters with staff to help run the party -during the primary, the party chooses delegates to go to the conventions - background research, finding and training candidates, training campaign staff, and voter polls all provide support for candidates -advertise and do promotional work -multiple kinds of party committees that help raise money |
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party in electorate how do we get a sense of who may be affiliated with which party in the US? |
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Definition
-citizens -in other countries, to be a party member you have to pay dues to participate like any other organization. -in america, party membership is thought of in terms of public opinion polls and surveys that designate which party you affiliate with |
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Term
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Definition
-officeholders and candidates -with officeholders in particular, the focus is on how the party makes a difference by supporting particular bills, who gets appointed to judgeships, etc. -a person's affiliation alone with a certain party can get them a certain position |
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| Republican internal disputes |
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Definition
-debate between being economically or morally conservative -some members within the party are more of less extreme on issues such as these |
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| Democratic internal disputes |
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Definition
-divisions based on race and ethnicity within the party, which over time have become less and less appealing to mainly white men -internal disagreements over the War in Iraq -differences can sometimes lose a candidate the support of a fellow party member who may view the issue much differently |
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| Why is there competition/conflicts between political parties and interest groups? |
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Definition
much of the time, what a certain party or candidate does stems from interest groups who pressure the party or candidate by giving $$$ to their campaigns. this creates conflicts such as problems with earmarks and other strains between elected officials and those who give them $ |
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Term
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Definition
| shared concerns or values for your advantage within a group |
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| means of acting collectively (besides interest groups) |
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Definition
- political parties
- social movements
- political outsiders trying to promote a certain agenda (ex. civil rights movement)
- political action committee (PAC)
- a way to deal with federal law on campaign financing b/c companies and unions can't give $ directly to candidates, so they form PAC's
- fairly narrom way of funding the political process
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Term
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Definition
-for business, labor, and professions -ex: the US Chamber of Commerce, the National Association for Managers, etc -the American Medical Association and the American Bar Association both get involved directly to aid members of their profession |
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Definition
-based on idividual and group characteristics -people of a common background joining together as a group -ex: race, religion, gender, age (AARP) |
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| Ideological and religious interest groups |
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Definition
| groups that form b/c they place emphasis on certain values |
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Definition
groups that are formed to promote interest in common causes ex: the environmental groups, the American Civil Liberties Union, etc |
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| foreign policy interest group |
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Definition
groups that flock together for certain goals relating to foreign policy issues such as trade, immigration, etc ex: AIPAC is a PAC on behalf of israelis' rights |
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| single-issue interest group |
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Definition
groups that are devoted to just one issue ex: groups who feel strongly for or againsty abortion |
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| governments interest group |
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Definition
groups that represent certain governments ex: the group that represents Georgia's cities. this group ensures that cities are allotted enought money in the budget, etc |
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Term
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Definition
-aka rental lobbyists -generally law firms, public relations firms, etc that can be rented since they are well connected based on their previous occupation -usually these are passed congressmen |
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Term
| what are the reasons and costs for joining a group, and what are some benefits of membership? |
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Definition
-reasons: can be monetary or based on a certain pupose or issue -costs: sometimes $, somtimes a commitment of your time -benefits: satisfaction, discounts, free stuff, etc |
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Term
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Definition
-get the same benefits as members even if they aren't in the group ex: an employee can gain a higher wage w/o joining the labor union at work |
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Term
| the ______ the interest and the more _______ the benefit or loss is, the easier it is to organize a group |
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Definition
| the narrower the interest and the more immediate the benefit or loss is, the easier it is to organize a group |
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Term
| how do differences in group membership help influence politics? |
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Definition
- numbers- the more members there are, the easier it can be to contact public office
- demographics- can make a difference if members are affluent or educated
- expertise- can be translated into political clout
- occupation/unity-
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Term
| direct activities of interest groups |
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Definition
- lobbying
- emotional appeal w/ factual information
- contributions
- giving $ directly to a candidate
- other campaign assistance
- give other nonmonetary donations, such as office space, endorsements, etc
- litigation
- strategy to back certain cases that prove their point
- ex: NAACP backing Brown v. Board of Education
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Term
| indirect activities of interest groups |
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Definition
- mobilizing the grass roots
- trying to get members to phone, write, email, etc to support a certain candidate
- however, candidates want to make grass roots efforts personal rather than mass produced to appeal to the voters
- publicity→shaping public opinion
- ads to make a candidate look good
- producing a score(0-100) to rate a candidate on how well they vote on certain issues
- protest
- get visibility, intimidate opponents
- uses members rather than the paid for staff
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Term
| what are the concerns raised about interest groups? |
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Definition
- interest grps tend to be composed of those who have time and $ to get involved
- weak regulation: lobby spending is difficult to regulate and control
- unrepresentative nature of groups: members aren't representative of general public
- special position of business
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Term
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Definition
- procedures set by the states
- determine election dates, who is eligible to vote
- fixed terms: elections at specific dates with a candidate running for office for a specific period of time
- partisan ballot that identifies people by their political affiliation
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Term
| types of elections in the US |
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Definition
- general election
- primary
- closed- can only vote if you have declared a party
- open- any registered voter can participate
- blanket- (WA, AK) voters can move from party to party for each office (enjoyed by independents)
- runoff
- if no candidate has over 50%, the top 2 run-off
- big drop in voter turnout durring runoff
- referendum
- yes or no vote on an issue
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Term
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Definition
- % voters who voted / # total registered voters
- can also be defined among a particular age group
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- ex: # who actually voted / # registered voters in that age group
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Term
| what are the reasons why turnout has been generally declining since the 1960's? |
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Definition
- general decline as voters became more and more dissatisfied w/ government (pick up in 1992 election b/c the race was really close & voters felt their individual vote would make a difference)
- midterm turnout (off year elections) is consistently lower
- turnout for local issues and offices is even lower, which is ironic b/c it is the govt closest to the voters
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Term
| explanation for low voter turnout |
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Definition
- voters are asked to take time off from work and other duties in order to go cast their vote
- not many choices b/c there are only 2 parties and sometimes a candidate will run unopposed, makes your vote seem insignificant
- intense party affiliation can cause minority party members to feel their vote is insignificant
- ballots are too complicated
- individual parties are being less effective at mobilizing the party members than they used to be
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Term
| why is voter turnout lower for local elections than national elections? |
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Definition
there is not as much funding as national elections and they are not as well publicized |
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Term
| presidential campaign strategies for nomination |
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Definition
- the goal for each candidate is to gain the majority of convention delegates
- fundraise- sometimes years before campaign
- be the "front-loaded" candidate by doing well at the beginning of an election b/c the more a candidate comes in 2nd/3rd, the harder it becomes to gain supporters
- designating a runningmate can help or hurt the candidate
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Term
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Definition
most states operate under this system, in which the candidate that wins the state receives all of the electoral votes for that state |
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Term
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Definition
-important to the candidates b/c they are states that are neither predominantly Republican of Democratic states. -you will see a lot of campaigning from each party in these states |
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