Chapter 11

Question 0

Political machine

Answer 0

A party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity

Question 1

Political party

Answer 1

An organized group with shared goals and ideals that joins together to run candidates for office and exercise political and electoral power

Question 2

Candidate-centered politics

Answer 2

Politics that focus on the candidates, their particular issues and character rather than party affiliation

Question 3

Party realignment

Answer 3

Dramatic shifts in partisan preferences that drastically alter the political landscape

Question 4

Critical election

Answer 4

An election that signals a party realignment through voter polarization around new issues and personalities

Question 5

Secular realignment

Answer 5

The gradual rearrangement of party coalitions based more on demographic shifts then on shocks to the political system

Question 6

National convention

Answer 6

A party meeting held in the presidential election year for the purposes of nominating a presidential and vice presidential ticket and adopting a platform

Question 7

Delegate

Answer 7

Representative to the party convention

Question 8

Superdelegate

Answer 8

Delegate to the Democratic Party’s national convention that is reserved for a party official and who’s vote at the convention is unpledged to a candidate

Question 9

Think tank

Answer 9

Institutional collection of policy oriented researchers and academics who are sources of policy ideas

Question 10

National party platform

Answer 10

A statement of the general and specific philosophy and policy goals and a political party usually promulgated at the national convention

Question 11

Party identification

Answer 11

A citizens personal affinity for a political party, usually expressed by a tendency to vote for the candidates of that party

Question 12

Proportional representation

Answer 12

A voting system that apportions legislative seats according to the percentage of the vote won by a particular political party

Question 13

Winner take all system

Answer 13

Electoral system in which the party that receives at least one more vote then any other party wins the election

Question 14

Polarization

Answer 14

The presence of increasingly conflicting and divided viewpoints between the Democratic and Republican parties