Exam #3 Flashcards
What is Party Identification?
- The loyalty someone has to a specific party (D/R)
- Long-Term
- Shapes voting behavior & political views
- Shaped by early socialization & adult experiences
How can Party Identification be measured?
The 7-Point Scale
1(Dem)<——-4(Mod)——->7(Rep)
Three Types of Moderate Positions
- Downsian (Genuine Moderate),
- Conversian (Unconstrained Extremists),
- Inattentive Moderate
Three Types of Moderate Positions: Downsian (Genuine Moderate)
- Little to no extreme positions
- Willing to compromise
Three Types of Moderate Positions: Conversian (Unconstrained Extremists)
- They have strong views on many issues, so they don’t exactly align with one party or the other
Three Types of Moderate Positions: Inattentive
- These people don’t pay attention to politics, so they don’t have strong opinions
Theories of Party Identification Formation
- Early Socialization = grown through early exposure (Church, family, conversations, lifestyle, etc.)
*typically stays the same - Running Tally (Macropartisanship) = can shift party ID over time
*depends on party performance, state of economy, & president approval
What is Party Polarization?
Ideological division between the parties
* Kills compromise
(<—D | R—>)
Party Polarization: Mass Polarization
- electorate and voting public are becoming more divided
Party Polarization: Elite Polarization
- Elites and political figures are becoming more divided
Party Polarization: No Polarization
- the voting public are not becoming more divided, matter of fact, majority are in the center
Party Polarization: Sorting
- Voters will align with the party that most closely matches their views depending on if the party is polarized
- double bell curve graph
Changing Lines of Cleavage
As a new issue is introduced, voters will become more polarized than they were with the old issue because they care more about the new issue now (graph he drew in office hours - economic issue v. social issue such as abortion)
Affective Polarization
- Emotional political division
- members not only disagree with the other party but actively dislike or even hate them
How do you measure affective polarization?
- Feeling thermometers
- Social Distance
- Trait Reading
- Implicit Association Test
- Economic Games
- Resume Evaluations
What are the impacts of affective polarization?
- Kills compromise
- Harms personal relationships
- No respect for opposing views
- Lowers trust in gov officials
Affective Polarization: Ways to Mitigate?
- Address faulty perceptions
- Alter social media platforms
- Create incentives for politicians & other elites to reduce sectarianizing (divi behaviors
Party Branding: Two Types
- Party Valence
- Party Policy
Party Branding: Valence
The overall perception of the party’s ability to govern
Party Branding: Policy
Informational shortcut that voters use to make inferences about candidates and their ideological standpoint
Collective Action Problems in Congress
An attempt to get all members of a party to work together
* each have different motivations
* self-interested
Conditional Party Government
- formed when a party is ideologically cohesive
- makes it easier for the party to agree on a unified position for legislation
- members can better trust their leaders b/c they can share/promote policy concerns and protect reelection interests
- With more trust in party leaders, leaders will work harder to promote the parties’ policies and brand to get more candidates elected
What purpose do conformity and transactional costs serve?
To solve collective action problems
Conformity Costs
refers to the sacrifices individuals make when they go along with a group decision, such as voting for a bill they don’t fully support.
Transactional Costs
the time, effort, and resources needed to make decisions and build unity in Congress.
Carrot and Sticks
Carrot: A reward
EX: campaign money, endorsements, committee positions, district projects
Sticks: A Punishment
EX: revoke support, reassigning committee memberships
The Effects of Presidential Action on Parties: Voters + Other Members of Congress
- Voters = campaign events will mobilize members of the party & counter-mobilize members of the opposing party
- Other Members of Congress = when a president takes a public stance on an issue, members in that party will repeat the rhetoric and support the president. Then, members of the opposing party will go against the president.
