Exam 2 Flashcards
What is the biggest influence on political views?
family
_______ are more likely to vote than any other religious group
Jews
Which sex is more likely to vote?
female
Which race(s) is most likely to be conservative?
white
Which race(s) is most likely to be liberal?
minority
What is the dominant political party in the U.S.?
democrat
Open primary
don’t have to be registered as a member of the party to vote
Closed primary
must be registered as a member of the party to vote for a candidate
What is the purpose of a primary election?
to select party candidates
Blanket primary
whichever candidate gets the most votes wins
The blanket primary is exclusive to which state?
Louisiana
What is the purpose of a nonpartisan primary?
voting for judges
What is a referendum?
voting centered around an issue rather than a candidate
What are the three types of referenda?
Citizens Initiative, State Constitutional Amendment, and Recall
Citizens Initiative
when enough people share views on an issue, it will appear on the ballot and if it passes, it becomes law
State Constitutional Amendment
changes in state amendment
Recall
remove officeholder
When are elections held?
every Tuesday that follows a Monday in November every fourth year
What is the purpose of the National Convention?
to choose the presidential nominee
Party platform
a statement from each party on almost every issue
Incumbent
someone who currently holds office and is running for re-election
Loss of the “fairness doctrine” in the 1980s led to what?
loss of public trust in the media
As survey response rates go down, what happens?
sample sizes become more skewed
Why are political parties better for democracy?
interest groups slow down government
What is a candidate-oriented strategy?
a voting strategy to get a certain candidate elected
Who is the Democratic party leader?
Joe Biden
Who is the Republican party leader?
Mitch McConnell
Incumbent advantage
advantages that current politicians in office have
What is the major difference between political speech and free speech?
political speech cannot be infringed upon
What was the outcome of McCutcheon v FEC (2014)?
it struck down all limits on contributions except those directly to candidates
What was the outcome of Citizens United v FEC (2010)?
struck down spending limits as violations of free speech/rise of the super PACs/bundling
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)
limited donations to parties to $10,000 per year
Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)
created after Nixon, determining how the president could use and spend money
What is public opinion?
the collective attitude of the citizens on a given issue or question
Opinion polling
interviewing a sample of citizens to estimate public opinion as a whole
What is the majoritarian view of public opinion?
a majority of the people holds clear, consistent opinions on government policy
What is the pluralist view of public opinion?
the public is often uninformed and ambivalent about specific issues
Political socialization
the complex process by which people acquire their political values
Transmission model
the theory that parents transmit their partisan identification to their children
Socioeconomic status
Position in society based on a combination of education, occupational status, and income
Symbolic ideology
The ideological label that people use to describe them-selves.
Operational ideology
The ideological label that appropriately describes one’s policy positions.
What are the two themes people often use to distinguish liberals and conservatives?
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
Sociotropic responses
Opinions about how the country as a whole is doing affect political preferences more strongly than one’s own personal circumstance.
Issue framing
The way that politicians or interest group leaders define an issue when presenting it to others.
Mass media
The means employed in mass communication; traditionally divided into print media and broadcast media but now includes the internet and social media
Attentive policy elites
People who follow news in specific policy areas and are highly politically engaged.
Two-step flow of communication
The process in which a few policy elites gather information and then inform their more numerous followers, mobilizing them to apply pressure to government.
Newsworthiness
The degree to which a news story is important enough to be covered in the mass media
Market-driven journalism
reporting news and running commercials geared to a target audience
Infotainment
The degree to which a news story is important enough to be covered in the mass media
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
An independent federal agency that regulates interstate and international communication by radio, television, telephone, telegraph, cable, and satellite
Net neutrality
The view that information online is essential for modern democratic life and should not be restricted by internet service providers.
Which Amendment prohibits Congress from abridging the freedom of the press?
the first
Gatekeepers
Media executives, news editors, and prominent reporters who direct the flow of news.
Horse race journalism
Election coverage by the mass media that focuses on which candidate is ahead rather than on national issues.
Media events
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.
Television hypothesis
The belief that television is to blame for the low level of citizens’ knowledge about public affairs.
Soft news
General entertainment programming that often includes discussions of political affairs.
Political agenda
a list of issues that need government attention
Going public
A strategy whereby a president seeks to influence policy elites and media coverage by appealing directly to the American people.
Watchdog journalism
Journalism that scrutinizes public and business institutions and publicizes perceived misconduct
What are super delegates?
freewheeling big shots not tied to the candidacy by caucuses or primaries
Steps to become president, in order
exploratory committee, debates, presidential primaries/caucuses, Super Tuesday(primary), delegates/super delegates, National Convention, Election, casting of votes, Congress, January Inauguration
What happens if a candidate drops out?
they may endorse the remaining candidate
What happens at the National Convention?
party nominee is chosen, party platform, VIP nominee
What must a candidate do after the National Convention?
they must appeal to the general electorate
