Elections And Participation In Democracy Flashcards
What is the FEC?
The federal elections Committee.
The Committee that decides what is and isn’t lawful practice in election campaigns. They regulate pacs and super pacs.
What is a super Pac.
A fund for a political campaign of which anyone can donate unlimited amounts to.
It can only be used to finance media campaigns and nothing else, eg: TV ads, appearances, printed media, and staff connected to this area of campaigning.
What is a pac
A donation fund independent from institution’s like unions and businesses funding. Individuals can fund a maximum of $5,000 and this has to be used in the campaign.
Pacs can donate to other pacs, allocating money across campaigns strategically.
What is the case of ‘Citizens united’ vs The FEC? (Supreme court)
Talk about it.
The Republican friendly group Citizens United produced a film called ‘Hillary the movie’ an intended expose documentary set to release right before the start of the Republican primaries.
The FEC stopped it under the cause of it being a strategic sabotage.
The court (Roberts) voted in favour of citizens united’s invoking of the 1st ammendment.
This is how Super Pacs came to be, the setting up of an unlimited funded pac for media specifically, in order for the ruling of by the Bipartizan campaign reform act of 2002 to not encroach on freedom of speech whole upholding the mitigation of money on democracy.
What party does the NRA mostly side with?
How much money in 2022 went to them through a super pac?
The Republicans,
2022: over 18 million dollars!
The American farm bureau association is a ________ group (kind of pressure group).
It’s rural membership means it typically aligns more with the …
. Interest group
. Republicans
The National association for the advancement of coloured people is a i________ group.
Interest group
Mothers against drinking is an example of a very specific kind of p____________ group.
Promotional group.
What is an iron triangle?
A strong bond between 3 groups,
- Pressure groups
- Bureaucrats
- Elected officials.
The idea is its a flow of money, favors, and supportive/endorsing design that all parties benefit from.
In an iron triangle, what’s the relationship between pressure groups and Bureaucrats?
The pressure group lobbies for the congress officials the bureaucracy likes and who serves them.
The Bureacuracy in turn develops and or accepts friendly legislation.
In an iron triangle, what’s the relationship between pressure groups and elected Congress officials?
- The pressure group finances the campaign efforts of the candidates trying to take or keep a seat.
- The elected officials design and propose legislation favorable to the pressure groups.
In an iron triangle, what’s the relationship between elected congressional officials and the Bureacracy?
- The officials promotes and keep in the party line, vote with the party and attack their enemies.
- The Bureacracy of the party, if they like a candidate, seeing them as an asset, will find their campaigns for keeping their seat which may mean funding for their state’s districts.
Whats the difference between a primary and caucus?
Primaries are elections of candidates that the public can participate in through direct democracy.
They can be…
- open
- closed
- semi open
Caucuses are made up of only the membership of the party and a small district council of party affiliated officials that decide the candidate that is most likely to succeed there.
What styles of primaries and caucuses do the Republicans and Democrats have that’s different?
Republican: Winner takes all.
Democrat: Proportional.
