American Gov't Test #2 Ch. 6-10 Flashcards
Definition of Public Opinion
used to denote values/attitudes people have about issues, events, and personalities
Definition of values?
Person’s basic orientations to politics; under-lying deep-rooted goals, aspirations, ideals that shape an individual’s perceptions of political issues
What are some basic American values?
- Liberty
- Equality of opportunity
- Democracy
- Ability to seek personal/material success
- Principle of gov’t interfering as little as possible
- Success being linked to personal effort/ability rather than familial ties/special privelege
Def. of Political Ideology
Complex set of beliefs/values that as a whole form a general philosophy about government
Define attitude (in political sense)
Specific view about a particular issue, personality, or event
What is political socialization?
Processes through which underlying political beliefs and values are formed
What are the 4 most important agencies of political socialization?
- Family
- Membership in social groups
- Education
- Prevailing political conditions
How does family impact political socialization?
-Where most people acquire initial orientation to politics; kids absorb views of parents; being raised liberally or conservatively will shape political views
Types of involuntary social groups?
National, religious, gender, racial groups
Types of voluntary social groups?
Political parties, labor unions, educational/occupational groups
Example of black vs. white in how social groups interact with political views?
- Blacks are the minority and have been victims of persecution for many years, thus have had less educational/occupational opportunities overall
- 47% of white people thought racism was fairly common today vs. 86% of black people
Example of differences between men and women with political views?
- Women tend to be less militaristic on issues of war/peace, more likely to favor measures to protect the environment, more supportive of government social/health care programs
- Women more likely to vote Democratic
- Gender gap between men and women
How does education impact political socialization?
- Those who attend college are exposed to philosophies and models of thought that distinguish from those who don’t
- Conservatives charge that liberal college professors indoctrinate their students w/liberal ideals
- College grads are more likely to vote, write letters to the editor, join campaigns, take part in protests, etc
Other factors in political socialization?
Mass media, peers, political institutions, churches
What do politicians do in “swing states”?
Appeal to a very narrow slice of the electorate; auto workers in MI, Jews in South FL, etc
What are “blank states”?
States so absorbed in own affairs they don’t care about politics at all.
Ex: poor tend to be preoccupied and don’t vote
What is “American Exceptionalism”?
- The immigrant experience
- The African American experience
- The Native American experience
American ideological thinking?
- Gov’t that governs best governs least
- Democracy as only form of legitimate gov’t
- Belief in equality of opportunity
Types of group thinking?
- Religion= Evangelicals, Orthodox Jews, Orthodox Muslims are often Conservative thinkers
- Class= middle-class politics
- Region= the South vs. North
- Race/Ethnicity=African American political philosophy, for ex
- Gender
- Age
- Cross-cutting cleavages
Type of sampling with public opinion polls?
Scientific Sampling-weighting the sample
ex. telephone surveys and man on the street interviews
prob: random sample, probably still biased
Problems with polling?
- Timing (significant events); tracking polls
- Sampling errors: internet surveys
- People who systematically lie
- ex. Kinsey on sex; the Tom Bradley Effect
What is political participation?
Refers to a wide range of activities designed to influence gov’t
What was the 1st significant increase in voting in recent years?
- in 2004, 60% voter turnout
- in 2008, 62% voter turnout
What is rioting?
Spontaneous/natural form of popular political participation
- Urban riots and rural uprising were both common in Europe/US prior to 19th century
- Urban riots played important role in US politics in 60s-70s
Other forms of political participation?
Contact political officials, sign petitions, attend public meetings, join organizations, give $ to campaigns, volunteer in campaigns, write to the editor
What is formal participation?
Participation that goes through the formal institutions of politics
ex. voting, contacting congressmen, running for office, giving $ to campaign
What is informal participation?
Takes place outside of formal institutions (oftentimes illegal or disruptive)
ex. boycotts, demonstrations, riots, revolutions, assassinations, etc
Why care about voting rights?
Typically, lower the voter rate, more class biased the political system
- Class bias=tendency in politics to favor rich over poor
ex. Problem with tax system
Effects of single-member districting?
- Most districts aren’t competitive
2. District structure reduces voter turnout by 15-20%
Political attitudes compared to other countries?
Score high:
- Efficacy=A sense that they can influence politics
- Interest=Americans simply express more interest in politics
Score low:
1. Trust that the gov’t will do the right thing
Effects of pre-registration requirement?
- Deadline almost never advertised as extensively as voting day, so many are disqualified on election day
- Americans move alot, so may not pre-register early enough after a move
- Young people, especially college students, are away from home alot and won’t vote
- Dampens voter turnout by 5-10%
- Motor voter laws have been successful at counteracting some of this
Other reasons Americans don’t vote?
- Two-party system is uninspiring (moderation in politics reduces benefit of voting if outcome is already in some sense predetermined)
- Vote suppression is easier/cheaper than gov’t
- Lots of Americans are in jail
- Lies and Stats- voter turnout as a statistical artifact
What is lobbying?
Strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature
What is public relations?
An attempt, usually through use of consultants, to establish a favorable relationship w/ the public and influence its political opinions
What is litigation?
A lawsuit or legal proceeding as a form of political participation in an attempt to seek relief in a court of law.
ex. Helps shape policy in areas such as: air/water quality, preservation of endangered species, civil rights, and rights for those w/disabilities
What is suffrage?
The right to vote; also called franchise.
- least well-off Americans=least likely to vote
- wealthiest=most likely
What are residency requirements?
Some states impose brief residency requirements, generally 15 days, for record-keeping purposes
-beyond this, states has little/no power in regulating suffrage
Who can vote?
All native-born or naturalized citizens over age of 18, with exception of those imprisoned for a felony
When did African Americans win right to vote?
1870 with passage of 15th Amendment
*Jim Crow Laws still inhibited voting for many years after this by imposing literacy tests and “poll taxes” in the south
When did women get the right to vote?
1920 with passage of 19th Amendment
When did voting age change?
1971 with passage of 26th Amendment; changed age from 21 to 18
Race/Gender in voting facts?
- Latinos tend to favor Democrats, but not as consistently or strongly as African Americans
- Republicans view Latinos a target group due to them being conservative socially
- In 2008, Obama has 67% of Latino vote
- Asian Pacific Americans (APA)- 33% live in California, strong potential for political presence, but typically low voter turnout. Increasing (2008-47% voted)
- APA’s generally more Democratic
Facts on women voters?
- No strong voting patterns emerged until 1980s (in Reagan/Carter, men voted primarily Reagan and women were split)
- Women tend to vote in higher numbers for Democratic candidates vs. men voting Republican
- Single women are the most likely to vote liberally
What is socioeconomic status and why is it important in political participation?
Socioeconomic status=based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige.
- Higher status=more participation
- Education level alone is strongest predictor of participation
- African Americans/Latinos less likely to votes than whites
- Young people less likely to vote
What are political parties?
- Organizations that seek to influence the government
- Parties seek to control gov by electing it’s members to office and control the gov’t personnel
- Are instruments through which citizens and gov’t attempt to influence one another
- Expand popular political participation, promote more effective choice, and smooth flow of public business in congress
What’s a two-party system?
Political system in which only 2 parties have a realistic change to compete effectively for control
- began early in history of New Republic with the Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans
- culminated into today’s Democrats and Republicans
How are 2-party systems formed?
- Internal mobilization- when political conflicts breakout and gov’t officials/competing factions seek to mobilize popular support
- External mobilization- takes place when a group of politicians outside gov’t organizes popular support to win gov’t power
- Republican party built by group of state politicians in 1850s who opposed slavery
What do American political parties typically compete for? Effect?
Seek support of different groups of middle-class Americans; as a result:
- Concerns such as environment, health care, retirement benefits, and taxation are important issues on the agenda
- Issues concerning working class/poor receive short shrift from both parties
What was the first party system in America?
The Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans
-emerged in 1790s and pitted Feds against Republicans
What groups/issues were the (1790’s) Federalists in support of?
New England merchants
Supported protective tariffs to encourage manufacturing, assumption of the states Rev. War debt, formation of national bank, and resumption of communication and ties with Britain
What groups/issues were the (1790s) Jeffersonian Republicans in support of?
Southern farmers
Supported free trade, promotion of agricultural over commercial interests, and friendship with France
How/why did the Whig Party form?
During the 1930’s, those opposing President Jackson formed the Whig party.
What did the Whig Party do?
- Increased the # of eligible voters through eliminating property restrictions and other voting barriers
- Support for Whig party was stronger in NE than in South and West and stronger with merchants than farmers
- Interested heavily in campaign rallies and entertainment to win over voters
What happened to the Whig Party?
In 1856, it disintegrated under strain of slavery issue; many Whig politicians/voters and anti-slavery Democrats joined the new Republican party, which pledged to ban slavery from the Western territories
How did the Republican party form?
In 1850s as a coalition of anti-slavery and other forces. Parties nomination of Lincoln for presidency in 1860 convention sparked the secession of the South and the start of the Civil War
System of 1896?
Republicans and Democrats
- rapid social/economic changes
- variety of protest parties, including Populist party
- for next 36 years, Republicans were the nations’ majority party
What happened with the Populist Party?
Formed out of protest to Republican party.
- Won a lot of support in South and West
- Appealed mainly to small farmers and mining/interest urban workers
- Merged with Democrats in 1896
What was the New Deal system?
System soon after Hoover won election:
- economy collapsed
- Great Depression
- Angry with how things were, people elected FDR
What did the “New Deal” include?
- As long as the Southern Democrats supported the New Deal like social programs, Northern Democrats would turn a blind eye to civil rights in the South
- Made the Democrats the nation’s majority party for next 36 years
- New Deal was severely strained in 1960’s by conflicts over civil rights and the Vietnam War
What did Eisenhower do in favor of civil rights?
Deployed Army and nationalized the Arkansas National Guard to enforce Brown vs. Board of Eduction in Little Rock, Arkansas
What events caused for the making of the Voting Rights Act?
- Kennedy Assassination
- Democratic landslide in 1964
- Selma “police riot” in 1965
What did the Voting Rights Act do?
- Greatly increased black voter participation in the South
- Prohibited gerrymandering (for purpose of racial discrimination) and instructed Attorney General to challenge lit tests and other voting restrictions
- Multi-lingual ballots
National political consequences of Voting Rights Act
- Reconfiguration of Democratic and Republican parties
- Polaritization: entry of new black and white voters has polarized American politics by drawing the Dem Party to the left and Repub. to the right - Party Unity Scores=the % of party votes on which an individual member voted w/majority of his or her party
Modern Party System in US today?
- Democratic Party is now representative of the American left, or “liberal”.
- Republican Party is now representative of the American right, or “conservatives”.
- If president commands the majority, he must act like Prime Minister
- If president doesnt command majority=gridlock; problem for lame duck presidents
What is electoral realignment?
Point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominating political force. Tends to occur roughly every 30 years.
What is a divided government?
Condition in US government wherein the president is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls 1 or both houses of Congress.
What are Third Parties?
Represent social and economic interests that for some reason weren’t given voice by the 2 major parties.
- Green Party, Socialist Party, Prohibition Party, and several others nominated candidates for the 2008 election
- Libertarian party received 2% of overall vote in 15 states, and 11% in Wisconsin
What is a plurality system?
Electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of votes cast.
What is proportional representation?
Multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its % of total voters
What is party organization?
Formal structure of a political party including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff.
