Chapter 8 Vocab Flashcards
According to Anthony Downs, a "team of men [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election."
Political Party
The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. - they include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
Linkage Institutions
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.
Rational-choice theory
The voter’s perception of what the
Republicans or Democrats stand for,
such as conservatism or liberalism.
Party Image
A citizen’s self-proclaimed preference
for one party or the other.
Party Identification
Voting with one party for one office
and with another party for other
offices.
ticket splitting
A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.
Party machines
A ___ job, pro-
motion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.
-One of the key inducements used by party machines.
Patronage
Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party’s candidates
-encourages greater party loyalty.
Closed 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
Open Primaries
The meeting of party delegates every
four years to choose a presidential
ticket and write the party’s platform.
National Party Convention
One of the institutions that keeps the
party operating between conventions.
- composed of representatives from the states and
territories.
National Committee
The person responsible for the
day-to-day activities of the party.
National Chairperson
A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends.
Coalition
Often marked by a national crisis and in these elections new
issues emerge, new coalitions replace
old ones, and the majority party is
often displaced by the minority party.
Critical Election
The displacement of the majority
party by the minority party, usually
during a critical election period.
Party Realignment
A coalition forged by the Democrats,
who dominated American politics
from the 1930s to the 1960s.
New Deal Coalition
The gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification
Party Dealignment
Electoral contenders other than the
two major parties.
- not unusual in America, but they rarely
win elections.
Third parties
An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies.
Winner-take-all-system / Plurality
An electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election.
Proportional Representation
When two or more parties join
together to form a majority in a national legislature. This form of government is quite common in the multiparty systems of Europe.
Coalitional Government
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.
Responsible Party Model
Fiscally conservative Democrats who
are mostly from the South and/or
rural parts of the United States.
Blue Dog Democrats
