Chapter 11

Question 1

commission that brought significant representation changes to the party; it made future conventions more democratic by including more minority representation

Answer 1

McGovern-Frasier Commission

Question 2

the governing body of a political party made up of state and national party leaders

Answer 2

national committee

Question 3

the governing authority of the political party; they give direction to the national party chairperson, the spokesperson of the party, and the person who heads the national committee, the governing body of the party; they are also the forums where presidential candidates are given the official nod by their parties

Answer 3

national nominating conventions

Question 4

a term created by the Democratic Leadership Council in 1992, it denotes a more conservative, centrist Democrat

Answer 4

New Democrat

Question 5

a shift away from the major political parties to a more neutral, independent ideological view of party identification

Answer 5

party dealignment

Question 6

a time period characterized by national dominance by one political party; there have been four major party eras in American history: the era of good feelings, the Republican era following the Civil War, the Democratic era following the election of FDR, and the Republican era following Nixon’s election

Answer 6

party eras

Question 7

the party organization that exists on the local level and uses patronage as the means to keep the party members in line; Boss Tweet and Tammany Hall are examples

Answer 7

party machine

Question 8

voted on by the delegates attending the National Convention, they represent the ideological point of view of a political party

Answer 8

party platforms

Question 9

the signaling resulting from a national election or a major shift in the political spectrum and characterized by the start of a party era

Answer 9

party realignment

Question 10

the different ways an average citizen gets involved in the political process ranging from conventional means of influencing government to more radical unconventional tools that have influenced our elected official

Answer 10

political participation

Question 11

a group of people joined together by common philosophies and common approaches with the aim of getting candidates elected in order to develop and implement public policy; it is characterized by an organization that is responsible to the electorate and has a role in government

Answer 11

political party

Question 12

traditional Democratic middle-class voters turning to Ronald Reagan during the 1980s

Answer 12

Reagan Democrats

Question 13

an evangelical conglomeration of ultraconservative political activists, many of whom support the Republican party

Answer 13

religious right

Question 14

Democratic party leaders and elected party officials who automatically are selected as delegates to the National Convention

Answer 14

superdelegates

Question 15

political parties that can be described as ideological, single-issue oriented, economically motivated, and personality driven; examples: Free Soil Party, Know Nothings, Populist, and Bull Moose Parties

Answer 15

third political parties