Exam 2 Flashcards
Agents of Socialization
Family, Media, Social Groups, Education, Political Conditions
Political Apathy
No interest in / care for politics
Political Efficacy
Belief in your ability to influence government
Political Ideology
Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian
Political (party) Identification
Republican, Democrat, Libertarian
Party Realignment
A vast amount of the population switches political parties
Three types of media
- Broadcast Media- Radio & Television
– Mostly soundbites (Brief quotes and short characterizations of events)
- Print media- Newspapers, journals, magazines
- Internet
Major Media Corporations
Paramount Global, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Comcast, Sony, Amazon
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
-Created in 1934 - oversees non-private print and broadcast media
-FCC - all coverage of controversial issues over the public airwaves are
balanced & fair.
- Issues for the FCC
a. The Reagan Administration (President Ronald Reagan 1981-1989) and Congress deregulated the media —> FCC ending the Fairness Doctrine
b. The rise of private cable companies during the 1980s influenced deregulation
What the FCC Enforces
FCC penalizes:
a. Obscenity and Sexual References
b. Fairness Doctrine: Opposing viewpoints on controversial issues must be allowed
& given equal time by broadcasters
c. Equal Time Rule: Political candidates running for office must be given equal
opportunities by broadcasters to communicate to the public
d. Right of Rebuttal: Political candidates must be allowed to by broadcasters to
respond to personal attacks
Rules for Political Candidates
Presidential Candidates: 35 years old, natural born citizen and residents of
the US for 14 years
Senate Candidates: 30 years old, US citizens for 9 years and residents of the
state they represent
House Candidates: 25 years old, US citizens for 7 years and residents of the
state they represent`
Prospective Voting
Voting based on what candidate says he or she will do in the future if elected
Retrospective Voting
Voting for candidate based on what happened in past
What makes up the Republican Party?
People who believe in:
–Economic and Social Conservativism
–Less government spending and taxation
–Less government economic regulation
–Traditional values
People who are:
Poor, white, non-costal
(Utah, Texas)
What makes up the Democrat Party?
People who believe in:
–More social welfare and education spending
–More government regulation.
–Higher taxing to pay for education, social needs
and welfare for the poor.
People who are:
–City, Working class, Minorities, Upper-middle class intellectuals and
professionals
(NY, Washington)
What is the Electoral College
Founding Fathers Assumption: People cannot be trusted to make decisions wisely and
choose candidates directly. Election of President should not be based solely on direct popular vote
a. The electoral college is a form of indirect voting (popular vote is direct voting)
How does the Electoral College work
*Presidents are elected by popular vote & electoral vote
a. Each state has electors
* State legislators choose electors, but the general population does not know who electors are
* States have as many electors as they have representatives and senators
b. In the majority of states, electors cast their vote based on the popular vote….. Except for Nebraska and
Maine → the winner of the popular vote in each district gets the electoral vote from that district.
- Maine (and Nebraska) has state laws which allowed one elector district won by Trump in 2024
to go for Trump. However, Trump received no elector votes from districts he lost.
Hard (Regulated) Money
This money is used to support a specific candidate (by the candidate for themself)
*Contributions and donations are regulated by Congressional legislation (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act BCRA,
etc) and overseen by the Federal Election Commission (FEC)
The Rules of Hard Money
* Political Action Committees (PAC) are limited by legislation and the FEC to
$10,000.00
* A PAC may only contribute up to $10,000.00 per candidate
* Hard money can be spent by candidates on their campaign
Soft (Unregulated) Money
*This money cannot be used to support a specific candidate by donating directly to their campaign – but can be used
in paying for ads, campaign events or giving to the candidates party
*Soft money is largely contributions and donations to a political party from SuperPACS, PACs, citizens, interest
groups, corporations, unions, etc
*This is very ambiguous as money is used to be used for Party and Interest Building Activities, which has never been
defined by legislation and the FEC
Four Theories of Power
Majoritarianism: Government is run by interest groups who represent the majority. The amber alert system was the result of a popular citizens interest group
Pluralism: Government is run by competing interest group representing all
citizens equally
Elitism: Government is run by interest groups representing the wealthy. These interest groups compete with each other
Bureaucratic Rule: Government is run by stifling bureaucracy. Presidents come and go, Congresses change, but the majority of our nearly 4 million civil servants stay the same
How do Interest Groups Gain Power?
Lobbying – How do interest groups lobby Congress and the President?
a. Badgering: Must not turn into arm twisting
b. Providing Information: Provide political information to members of Congress and the President
c. Providing Group Support: Groups will influence their members to support member of Congress during election season or when a controversial piece of legislation arises
- Gaining Access to Decision Makers – Congress, President, the Courts. How?
a. Contributions
* Hard and Soft Money
b. Gifts
* Meals, Vacations, Parties, Homes, Yachts- buying access
c. Using the Courts
* Suing
* Influencing Judges
o Meals, Vacations, Parties, Homes, Yachts
- Mobilizing Public Opinion
a. Groups are constantly started for many varying reasons
b. Groups send out emails, letters, and advertisements to influence mass public
opinion at the grassroots level
House of Representatives
435 members-
*Based on population of each state.
*Each Representative has a responsibility
to their respective district (congressional
district) within their state.
*The people of the district (known as a
Constituency) are the voters who the
Representative serves.
**District = Constituency
*Representatives are more influenced by
voters than Senators -
Representatives run for office every 2
years. Serving only a two-year term makes
them more vulnerable to voter
dissatisfaction.
Senate
*100 members
*Two per-state
*The Constituency → Each Senator has a
responsibility to their Constituency which
makes up their entire state.
*Senators also have a national constituency
due to involvement in treaties, Presidential
appointment approvals, etc.
*Senators are more influenced by interest
groups than Representatives. Senators are
less influenced by voters than Representatives
*Senators run for office every 6 years.
Reapportionment
*As population changes (goes up in some states and goes down in others) Congress
reapportions seats.
*Reapportionment happens every ten years after the national census (population) count.
The Census of 2010 – Ohio lost two seats and Utah and Arizona each gained one.
*Each district has approximately 730,000 people in 2020
Redistricting
When a state loses or gains representatives, District boundaries are redrawn by state legislatures.
The majority party in the state legislature has more control over redrawing boundaries
Gerrymandering
-Drawing district boundaries in a strange fashion to favor a political party.
-Named for Governor Eldridge Gerry of North Carolina - 1812
How to win Election / Reelection to Congress
Casework
a. Service to Constituency
- Bring Home the Pork $$ (pork barrel projects)
a. Government funding and subsidies
* Highways construction provides construction jobs
* Subsidies for farmers and ranchers
* Earmarks – Place pet projects from own district and state into bills - Baby Kissing / Meet and Greet in District
a. City Hall Meetings, BBQs, Fairs, etc - Congressional post office
a. Used by incumbents to mail flyers during campaign season
b. This service is free, but not meant for this purpose - Incumbency
a. Incumbents have a track record and they are known by interest groups and
voters. This makes them hard to beat
b. What is an Incumbent?
* An Incumbent is a member of Congress who has already won a seat
* Once a seat is won, the ability to hold the seat is high –> Why?
▪ Incumbents have a proven track record
▪ Incumbents can raise more money due to their track record
▪ Incumbents can pass bills to benefit constituency
▪ Incumbents can use the congressional post office to their advantage
▪ Incumbents can use casework
o Before the 1990s, 90% of incumbents have won their seats in most
elections. Many incumbents lost seats in 1994, 2006, 2010, 2018, 2024
What can hurt Incumbents?
- Redistricting
*Loss or gain of a seat(s) - Disruptive Issue
*War, recession, increasing taxes, inflation, unemployment
*Scandal
*Committing electoral fraud by accepting bribes for services in Congress (Tom DeLay, Ben
Arrendondo, Duke Cunningham, William Jefferson)
*Soliciting prostitutes in airport restroom (Larry Craig)
*Sexual Harassment (Bob Packwood) - Midterm Election
*Most voters participate during Presidential election years, but not during the years in between
*Only 1/3 of voters who voted in Presidential election will vote in midterm election - Strong Challenger
*Challengers can use disruptive issues and scandals
*Millionaire challengers present the biggest threat to incumbents
Bill Process
House (SM)
to
Senate (SM / VP)
to
President President Signs
- What if President Veto’s
Senate can Override- Veto with 2/3 Vote
