Chapters 6/9/10 Test Flashcards
9/11 Opinion Poll
abnormal nearly universal opinion; most said it was an act of war that demanded an immediate response by force
public opinion
the distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues
public opinion characteristics
saliency (to what degree is an issue important to individual group), intensity, stability
demography
the science of population changes
census
a tool for understanding geographic changes; Constitution requires that the government conduct an “actual enumeration” of the population every 10 years
waves of immigration
1600s-mid 1800s (N.W. Europeans); late 1800s-early 1900s (S.W. Europeans) ; late 1900s-today (Hispanics, Asians, Middle Easterners)
melting pot (vs. salad bowl)
the mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation (blends vs. cultures stay separate )
minority majority
the emergence of a non-Caucasian majority, as compared with a White, generally Anglo-Saxon majority; by 2045 hispanics, blacks, and asians will outnumber whites
Simpson-Mazzoli Act
requires that employers document the citizenship of their employees; civil and criminal penalties can be assessed against employers who knowingly employ undocumented immigrants
reapportionment
process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census; created by Reapportionment Act of 1929 with 535 delegates
social security expense
1940: 42 workers per retiree
2040: two workers per retiree
pay as you go system will be under stress
political socialization
the process through which a young person acquires political orientations as they grow up
informal vs. formal learning
home/most vs. school classes
methods of political socialization
family, mass media, school
general public vs. issue public
issue public concerns smaller group
sample
relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole
random sampling
key technique used by sophisticated survey researchers, everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample
sampling error
level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll; more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results
question wording
of a sample; shouldn’t be suggestive
random-digit dialing
technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey
bandwagon effect
voters who support a candidate merely because they see that others are doing so
exit poll
public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision
political ideology
coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose; helps give meaning to political events, personalities, and policies
liberal vs. conservative
chart
gender gap
refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates
religiosity
the degree of religiousness; how religious one is
ideologues
people who think in ideological terms
group benefit voters
think of politics mainly in terms of the groups they like or dislike
nature of the times voters
handle on politics limited to whether the times were good or bad to them; might link party in control with country’s mis/fortune
no issue content voters
voters devoid of any ideological or issue content; voted routinely for a party or judged solely on personalities
political participation
all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue
conventional participation
widely accepted modes of influencing government (e.g. voting, petitions, running for office, etc.)
unconventional participation
dramatic activities (e.g. protesting, civil disobedience, violence, etc.)
protest
for of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics
civil disobedience
form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences
campaign strategy
master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign
caucus
a meeting of all state party leaders for selecting delegates to the national party convention; *usually organized as a pyramid *
party bosses
state party leaders who historically controlled who went to the convention and how the state’s delegates voted once they got there
patronage
key inducement used by party machine; job, promotion, or contract given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone
Iowa caucus
first one to happen; lots of media attention/campaigning there because sets momentum/etc. for candidates
primary election
presidential primary: elections in which voters in a state vote for a candidate (or delegates pledged to them)
open primary
not required to declare party affiliation
closed primary
primary limited to registered party members; encourages party loyalty
McGovern-Fraser Commission
formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation
super delegates
national party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention
New Hampshire primary
first one; similar to Iowa caucus; lots of campaigning/= important for candidates
frontloading
recent tendency of states to hold primaries early int he calendar in order to capitalize on media attention
criticism of primary/caucus system
low voter turnout, disproportionate attention goes to the early caucuses and primaries, prominent politicians find it difficult to taker time out of their duties to run, money plays too big a role, participation is low and unrepresentative, system gives too much power to the media
national primary
proposal by critics of the caucuses and presidential primaries, which would replace these electoral methods with a nationwide primary held early in the election year
national party convention
the supreme power within each of the parties; meets every four years to nominate the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates and to write the party’s platform
party platform
a political party’s statement of its goals and policies of rate next four years; drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate’s strength; best formal state of a party’s beliefs
direct mail
high-tech method of raising money for a political cause or candidate; involves sending info and requests for money to people whose names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past
Federal Election Campaign Act
1974 law passed for reforming campaign finances; created the Federal Election Commission, provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
six member-bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974; administers and enforces campaign finance laws
Presidential Election Campaign Fund
money from the $3 federal income tax check-off goes into this fund, which is then distributed to qualified candidates to subsidize their presidential campaigns
matching funds
contributions of up to $250 are matched from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to candidates for the presidential nomination who qualify and agree to meet various conditions such as limiting their overall spending
hard money
political contributions that are limited in amount and fully disclosed; antonym of soft money
Buckley v. Valeo
The Supreme Court struck down, as a violation of free speech, the portion of the Federal Election Campaign Act that had limited the amount individuals could contribute to their own campaigns
McCain-Feingold Act
major provision banned soft money contributions
soft money
political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grass-roots level or for generic party advertising; such party donations are not subject to contribution limits, unlike money that goes to the campaign of a particular candidate; banned by McCain-Feingold Act
527 groups
independent groups that seek to influence the political process but are not subject to contribution restrictions because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates
political action committees (PACs)
funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms; a corporation, union, or some other interest group can create a political action committee and register it with the Federal Election Commission ,which will meticulously monitor the PAC’s expenditures
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
Political spending is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment, and the government may not keep corporations or unions from spending money to support or denounce individual candidates in elections. While corporations or unions may not give money directly to campaigns, they may seek to persuade the voting public through other means, including ads, especially where these ads were not broadcast. (created super PACs)
super PACs
a type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.
selective perception
the phenomenon that people often pay the most attention to things they already grew with and interpret them according to their own predispositions
legitimacy
a characterization of elections by political scientists meaning that they are almost universally accepted as a fair and free method of selecting political leaders; when legitimacy is high, as in the United States, even the losers accept the results peacefully
referendum
a state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment
initiative petition
a process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on petitions calling for such a referendum
recall
a procedure that allows voters to call a special election for a specific official in an attempt to throw them out of office before the end of their term; recalls are only permitted in 17 stets, are seldom used because of their cost and disruptiveness, and are rarely successful
1800 Election
Adams v. Jefferson -> Jefferson v. Boar; first election transition of power
1896 Election
Bitter Fight over economic interest; McKinley v. Bryan; McKinley = gold standard/high tariffs
2008 election
election about change; McCain v. Obama
Amendments 15,23
15 = black men right to vote, 23 = D.C. can vote
Amendments 17, 19, 24
17 = citizens elect the Senate, 19 = women, 24 = poll taxes
political efficacy
the belief that one’s political participation really matters, that one’s vote can actually make a difference
civic duty
the belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote
voter registration
a system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day; a few states permit Election Day registration
Motor Voter Act
pass in 1993, went into effect for the 1996 election; requires states to permit people to register to vote at the same time they apply for their driver’s license
demographics of who votes
more educated individuals, older people, white people, women, married people, government workers
mandate theory of elections
the idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out their platforms and politics; politicians lie the theory better than political scientists do
major elements of voters’ decisions
voters’ party identification, voters’ evaluation of the candidates, the match between voters’ policy positions and those of the candidates and parties
policy voting
electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters’ policy preferences and on the basis of where the candidates stand on policy issues
winner-take-all system
an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies
Nebraska and Maine
the only states that do not have a winner-take-all system
retrospective voting
a theory of voting ins which voters essentially ask this simple question: “What have you done for me lately?”
consensus opinion vs. divisive opinion
agreement vs. polarized public opinions on issue
Newton’s First Law
unless external forces act upon an object, it will remain at rest or moving linearly with a uniform speed
Newton’s Third Law
every action has an equal and opposite reaction
