Chapter 8 + 9 Flashcards
Party polarization
The growing gap between the stands of the parties on policy issues. On the negative side, polarization makes compromise more difficult, whereas on the positive side, clear differences between the parties make politics easier to understand for voters.
Political party
In the words of economist Anthony Downs, a “team of [people seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.”
Linkage institutions
The channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
Rational choice theory
A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.
Party identification
A citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.
Ticket splitting
Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices.
Closed primaries
Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party’s candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty.
Open primaries
Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.
National convention
The meeting of party delegates every
four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party’s platform.
National committee
One of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions. It is composed from the states and territories
National chair person
The person responsible for running the ongoing activities of the national party organization
Critical election
An electoral “earthquake” where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party.
Party realignment
The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.
New deal coalition
A coalition forged by the Democrats, who dominated American politics from the 1930s to the 1960s. Its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.
Party dealignment
The gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.
Winner take all system
An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the
candidates who come in first in their constituencies.
Proportional representation US doesn’t have this
An electoral system used throughout
most of Europe that awards legislative
seats to political parties in proportion to
seats. The number of votes won in an election.
Responsible party model
A view about how parties should work, held by some political scientists.
According to the model, parties should offer clear choices to the voters and once in office, should carry out their campaign promises.
Nomination
The official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party. Generally, success in the nomination game requires momentum, money, and media attention.
Campaign strategy
The master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaigns.
National party
The supreme power within each of the parties. The convention meets every four years to nominate the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates and to write the party’s platform.
Superdelegates
National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the democratic party’s national convention and help select nomination
Single member district
A single-member district is an electoral district from which a single legislator is chosen, usually by a plurality vote. This system of representation is used in the U.S. House of Representatives and in most state legislatures.
Invisible primary
The period before any votes are cast when candidates compete to win early support from the elite of the party and to create a positive first impression of their leadership skills.
Caucus
a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on policy
Presidential primaries
Elections in which a state’s voters go to the polls to express their preference for a party’s nominee for president.
The vast majority of delegates to the national party conventions are chosen this way.
Front loading
The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.
Pros and cons of caucus
STRENGTH-Forces electorate to choose more viable candidate
WEAKNESS-Favour candidates who only appear popular
Party platform
A political party’s statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. The platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate’s strength. It is the best formal statement of a party’s beliefs.
Campaign contributions
Donations that are made directly to a candidate or a party and that must be reported to the FEC. As of 2020, individuals were allowed to donate up to $2,800 per election to a candidate and up to $35,500 to a political party.
Independent expenditures
Expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate’s campaign.
Federal election campaign act
A law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances. The act created the Federal Election Commission and provided for limits on and disclosure of campaign contributions.
Federal election commission
A six-member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign
Act of 1974. The Federal Election Commission administers and enforces campaign finance laws.
Hard money
Money contributed directly to a specific candidate
pac
a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates
Campaign reform act
decreased the role of soft money in political campaigns as the law places limits on the contributions by interest groups and national political parties
Soft money
Donated to party but not canidate
