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American Government > Exam 2 > Flashcards

Exam 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What is the biggest influence on political views?

A

family

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2
Q

_______ are more likely to vote than any other religious group

A

Jews

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3
Q

Which sex is more likely to vote?

A

female

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4
Q

Which race(s) is most likely to be conservative?

A

white

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5
Q

Which race(s) is most likely to be liberal?

A

minority

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6
Q

What is the dominant political party in the U.S.?

A

democrat

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7
Q

Open primary

A

don’t have to be registered as a member of the party to vote

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8
Q

Closed primary

A

must be registered as a member of the party to vote for a candidate

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9
Q

What is the purpose of a primary election?

A

to select party candidates

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10
Q

Blanket primary

A

whichever candidate gets the most votes wins

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11
Q

The blanket primary is exclusive to which state?

A

Louisiana

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12
Q

What is the purpose of a nonpartisan primary?

A

voting for judges

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13
Q

What is a referendum?

A

voting centered around an issue rather than a candidate

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14
Q

What are the three types of referenda?

A

Citizens Initiative, State Constitutional Amendment, and Recall

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15
Q

Citizens Initiative

A

when enough people share views on an issue, it will appear on the ballot and if it passes, it becomes law

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16
Q

State Constitutional Amendment

A

changes in state amendment

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17
Q

Recall

A

remove officeholder

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18
Q

When are elections held?

A

every Tuesday that follows a Monday in November every fourth year

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19
Q

What is the purpose of the National Convention?

A

to choose the presidential nominee

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20
Q

Party platform

A

a statement from each party on almost every issue

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21
Q

Incumbent

A

someone who currently holds office and is running for re-election

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22
Q

Loss of the “fairness doctrine” in the 1980s led to what?

A

loss of public trust in the media

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23
Q

As survey response rates go down, what happens?

A

sample sizes become more skewed

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24
Q

Why are political parties better for democracy?

A

interest groups slow down government

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25
Q

What is a candidate-oriented strategy?

A

a voting strategy to get a certain candidate elected

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26
Q

Who is the Democratic party leader?

A

Joe Biden

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27
Q

Who is the Republican party leader?

A

Mitch McConnell

28
Q

Incumbent advantage

A

advantages that current politicians in office have

29
Q

What is the major difference between political speech and free speech?

A

political speech cannot be infringed upon

30
Q

What was the outcome of McCutcheon v FEC (2014)?

A

it struck down all limits on contributions except those directly to candidates

31
Q

What was the outcome of Citizens United v FEC (2010)?

A

struck down spending limits as violations of free speech/rise of the super PACs/bundling

32
Q

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

A

limited donations to parties to $10,000 per year

33
Q

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)

A

created after Nixon, determining how the president could use and spend money

34
Q

What is public opinion?

A

the collective attitude of the citizens on a given issue or question

35
Q

Opinion polling

A

interviewing a sample of citizens to estimate public opinion as a whole

36
Q

What is the majoritarian view of public opinion?

A

a majority of the people holds clear, consistent opinions on government policy

37
Q

What is the pluralist view of public opinion?

A

the public is often uninformed and ambivalent about specific issues

38
Q

Political socialization

A

the complex process by which people acquire their political values

39
Q

Transmission model

A

the theory that parents transmit their partisan identification to their children

40
Q

Socioeconomic status

A

Position in society based on a combination of education, occupational status, and income

41
Q

Symbolic ideology

A

The ideological label that people use to describe them-selves.

42
Q

Operational ideology

A

The ideological label that appropriately describes one’s policy positions.

43
Q

What are the two themes people often use to distinguish liberals and conservatives?

A

1) Liberties: associating liberals with change and conservatives with tradition

2) Equality: liberals support intervention to promote economic equality and conservatives favor less government intervention and more individual freedom in economic activities

44
Q

Sociotropic responses

A

Opinions about how the country as a whole is doing affect political preferences more strongly than one’s own personal circumstance.

45
Q

Issue framing

A

The way that politicians or interest group leaders define an issue when presenting it to others.

46
Q

Mass media

A

The means employed in mass communication; traditionally divided into print media and broadcast media but now includes the internet and social media

47
Q

Attentive policy elites

A

People who follow news in specific policy areas and are highly politically engaged.

48
Q

Two-step flow of communication

A

The process in which a few policy elites gather information and then inform their more numerous followers, mobilizing them to apply pressure to government.

49
Q

Newsworthiness

A

The degree to which a news story is important enough to be covered in the mass media

50
Q

Market-driven journalism

A

reporting news and running commercials geared to a target audience

51
Q

Infotainment

A

The degree to which a news story is important enough to be covered in the mass media

52
Q

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

A

An independent federal agency that regulates interstate and international communication by radio, television, telephone, telegraph, cable, and satellite

53
Q

Net neutrality

A

The view that information online is essential for modern democratic life and should not be restricted by internet service providers.

54
Q

Which Amendment prohibits Congress from abridging the freedom of the press?

A

the first

55
Q

Gatekeepers

A

Media executives, news editors, and prominent reporters who direct the flow of news.

56
Q

Horse race journalism

A

Election coverage by the mass media that focuses on which candidate is ahead rather than on national issues.

57
Q

Media events

A

A situation that is so “newsworthy” that the mass media are compelled to cover it. Candi-dates in elections often create such situations to garner media attention.

58
Q

Television hypothesis

A

The belief that television is to blame for the low level of citizens’ knowledge about public affairs.

59
Q

Soft news

A

General entertainment programming that often includes discussions of political affairs.

60
Q

Political agenda

A

a list of issues that need government attention

61
Q

Going public

A

A strategy whereby a president seeks to influence policy elites and media coverage by appealing directly to the American people.

62
Q

Watchdog journalism

A

Journalism that scrutinizes public and business institutions and publicizes perceived misconduct

63
Q

What are super delegates?

A

freewheeling big shots not tied to the candidacy by caucuses or primaries

64
Q

Steps to become president, in order

A

exploratory committee, debates, presidential primaries/caucuses, Super Tuesday(primary), delegates/super delegates, National Convention, Election, casting of votes, Congress, January Inauguration

65
Q

What happens if a candidate drops out?

A

they may endorse the remaining candidate

66
Q

What happens at the National Convention?

A

party nominee is chosen, party platform, VIP nominee

67
Q

What must a candidate do after the National Convention?

A

they must appeal to the general electorate

American Government (3 decks)

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