Exam 3 Flashcards
agents of political socialization
childhood-family,friends,peers, school adulthood- media, opinion leaders,major life events, churches/religious places, economic status
political socialization
the learning process through which most people acquire their attitudes,opinions, and beliefs of government.
Why is participation so important?
So people can be heard. They need to know what the public wants and the only way to know is if people go out and vote.
How do people participate? What is done the most? What is done the least?
people participate so they are heard. lobbying,
• Voting, writing letters/emails to officials, attending party events, joining an interest group, running for office, helping campaign, donate to campaign, promote thru social media
• Voting is done the most
• Running for office is done the least
How does political socialization affect participation?
because if people around you do not vote you are more likely to not vote and be involved as well.
What is political efficacy?
the more you believe you have an effect the better you’ll do in office.
How does political efficacy affect participation?
because if you don’t believe in what you’re talking about it wont sound realistic.
Why do those who are wealthier participate more?
Already have been successful in society
Why do those with more education participate more?
the more education you have the more knowledge you may have about politics and certainly the more capable you are to obtain knowledge you need to participate. Skills useful in participation are also improved as your education level increase.
Why do older people participate more?
older voters want no change but will promote their own interests first as do most of us.
Why does it matter that older Americans vote much more often than younger Americans?
elected officials will pay much more attention to demands of older Americans than to younger ones.
What is an interest group?
Organized groups of people sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence policy makers.
Why do interest groups form?
to have power, protect status quo, change something, represent ideology, represents group, demography, business and industry, professional and trade, labor unions, ideological, single issue, government
What is a public interest group?
advocate for policies that favor general public as much or more than members of the interest group
Who is represented by the most interest groups?
Businesses are represented the most. Much, much more representation for them than unions
Who is the least represented by interest groups?
Least represented are those at the bottom of the income scale.
Who joins interest groups? (think about who participates more)
People who want to make a change
Strong republicans strong democrats
What are solidary, material and purposive benefits? How connected to joining an interest group?
Soildary- pleasure in associating with like minded people. (stay around)
Material- practical benefits such as discounts, subscripitions, or group insurance
Purposive- satisfaction resulting from working for a cause in which they believe in. (stay around)
What characteristics enhance the chances of success for an interest group?
strong membership- activism not just size, unified membership- work together,
adequate resources to act- conventions, lobbist, money to hire a lobbist
quality ownership- no scandals
economic importance- how it appeals to the world
political track record- will the members vote based on issues.
Why is AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) a powerful lobby?
because it has a lot of members and they get things done.
How do interest groups’ lobbyists try to influence members of Congress?
Interest groups spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year to lobby members of Congress on a range of issues. These groups try to affect the legislation being generated in Congress. Sometimes lobbyist speak with congresspeople directly, but lobbyists also testify at congressional hearings.
How can interest groups’ lobbyists try to influence the President?
go through advisors of the president
Why do interest groups lobby departments and agencies in the Executive Branch?
which have the ability to set policy affecting commerce and trade throughout the country. Some scholars have claimed that lobbying of regulatory agencies has resulted in agency capture, effectively handing control of the agency over to the industries it was intended to regulate.
What are the lobbying techniques identified in the textbook and in class?
class: make relationships, provide research, offer testimony, provide legal advice, follow upon legislation
Book- personal contacts with key legislators, provide expertise and research results for legislators, offering testimony before congressional committees, provide legal advice to legislators, following up
How are these lobbying techniques connected to the need for quality information?
because the lobbists are the ones who get the information and share it with their groups
Why do interest groups form Political Action Committees (PACs)?
created to raise funds and make contributions to campaigns
What do campaign donations from their PAC get the interest group?
money, support
What is a SuperPAC?
allowed to accept unlimited amount of funds, only former governors and senators. once candiate declares running they have to discountiue all ties from the superpacs
How are SuperPACs connected to independent expenditures in elections?
independent means they are not republican nor democrat. there may be a connection and then there may not be a connection.
What is “dark money?”
politically active non profits which are IRS designations.
Don’t know who actually donated money, don’t see their name
independent expenditure
a group “independent” of any candiates campaign or any poltical party.
interest group
organized group of people sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence policy makers.
lobbyist
a person who handles a particular interest group’s lobbying efforts.
material incentive
practical benefits like discounts, subscriptions, or group insurance
purposive incentive
satisfaction resulting from working for a cause in which one believes.
public interest group
advocate for polices that favor general public as much or more than members of the group
solidary incentive
pleasure in associating with like minded people
Why has the U.S. consistently had two major parties who have dominated elections?
because people think the 3rd party wont win, small support system of the 3rd party.
What are the functions of political parties identified in class?
informing the public, balancing competing interests, policy making
What 3 factors influence who someone votes for?
party identification, issues, candiate’s image
What is party identification?
a psychological attachment to one party over any other party
What is a “strong Democrat” or “strong Republican?”
They only vote for issues of the party
They volunteer, run for office, give money, vote
What is an independent who leans Republican or an independent who leans Democratic?
an independent who leans one way is someone who is can vote independent on one thing but vote republican or democrat on the other
What do political scientists mean by a “pure” independent?
Not politically active, are not democratic or republic
What is party polarization?
ideological difference of the two parties. harder to compromise.
What is a closed primary?
voters must declare before the day of the primary. which party they are alligned with. usually done during registration
What is an open primary?
voters choose on election day which party’s primary to vote in
What is a top-two primary?
top two candidates face each other in general election. can be two candidates from same party.
Who is the most likely to vote in a primary and how can that affect who wins the primary?
strong supporters of the party. candiates move center during primaries
What do parties do as part of primary elections?
recuritument, endorsement, electability, US ideological preference
What is a candidate-centered campaign?
Candidates raise own money and choose own issue stances
What is the role of parties in candidate-centered elections?
Small role
Run ads against opponent, volunteer going door to door, person to person campaigning, can directly five money to candidate, help fundraise and have others write checks, have lots of information on voters to put out the public, GOTV
political party
a group of people who organize to win elections in order to operate the government and determine policy
primary
a preliminary election held for the purpose of choosing a party’s final candidate
third party
in the US any party other than the two major parties.
What do parties do to help candidates in the general election?
parties try to raise money for the candidates and have people Run ads against opponent, volunteering, person to person campaigning, can directly give money to candidate, help you fundraise, have a lot of information for voters, GOTV(Get out to Vote)
What is a candidate-centered campaign?
Candidates raise own money and choose own issue stances.
What is an incumbent?
Someone who gets reelected
What are the incumbent’s advantages and how do they help?
name recognition, media advantages, fundraising ability, office resources, and record/experience
Why do PACs give more money to incumbents?
They are likely to get reelected versus someone who is running against an incumbent
From where do candidates raise money?
The voters, pacs, super pacs
What is gerrymandering?
the drawing of a legislative district’s boundaries in such a way as to maximize the influence of a certain group or political party
Does gerrymandering automatically help all incumbents?
Yes. They have the power to gerrymander.
How do interest groups try to influence who voters choose?
by giving them information about the people running for that position
What is free media?
When a candidate goes to a certain spot and the media does coverage on it.
What is paid media?
Like an ad telling people to vote for them.
What is GOTV?
Get out the vote
What can lead to an incumbent losing an election?
If economy is bad and blames your party, gets caught doing something, scandals, on a issue they got on the wrong side
What news media matter in congressional elections?
Local news-TV, internet, newspaper, radio
Why does it matter who wins House and Senate elections?
because then the type of government may change, like republican instead of democrat. vise versa
What is the “invisible primary” in presidential campaigns?
time period when candidates attempt to enhance public image, gain support of party’s elected officials fun rasiers and other leaders. starts day after elections
How does a candidate win the presidential nomination as a Democrat or Republican?
must win the primiary to run
electoral college
the group of electors who are selected by the voters in each state to officially elect the president and vice president. the number of electors in each stat is equal to the number of the state’s representatives in both chambers of congress
winner-take-all system
a system in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins. in contrast proportional systems allocate votes to multiple winners
one person, one vote rule
a rule, or principle, requiring that congressional districts have equal populations so that one person’s vote counts as much as another’s vote.
Why is the news media important in American politics and protected in the 1st Amendment?
because the media breaks stories about candidates, and they can make up stories about people even if they aren’t true because they are in the public eye.
Where do most people get their news?
The internet
How has the Internet changed how people get news?
Because the internet is geared towards what people see and what they want to see. #2 source of news, people can click on what they are interested in
What are “news grazers?”
individuals who watch television news with remote control in hand and switch to another channel when an uninteresting topic comes up.
How is the term news grazers related to media sources provided through the Internet?
because internet is geared toward the person
How does private ownership influence what is covered by news organizations in the U.S.?
they show you what they think is right and what they believe in.
What is market-driven journalism?
both reporting news and running commercials geared toward a target audience defined by demographic characteristics
Who in government gets the most coverage?
The president
higher rank= more coverage
Which part of the national government gets the least coverage?
bureaucracy agents
Why does the president generally get more positive coverage than Congress?
because we see what the president wants us to see. where in the congress that is public knowledge.
What is the focus of coverage on Congress?
conflict
Who is the focus of coverage of federal courts?
criminal cases, interesting cases
When does the bureaucracy (a part of the executive branch) get covered?
only if something is wrong
What does it mean that news organizations and government officials have a symbiotic relationship?
any independent or mutually beneficial relationship between two persons or group
press and gov relationship = ratings
How can media attention affect an issue seeking attention (agenda setting) from government officials?
makes things relevant or irrelevant. they can blow things out of proportion.
What is priming?
media outlets promotes specific facts or ideas that may affect the publics thinking on topics.
What is framing?
establishes the context of a media report. looks at it from a different point of view.
How do both of the above effect how the news can influence agenda setting?
priming is focusing on crimes, framing is focusing on health issues not crimes
What is selective exposure?
we each choose which news media we read/watch/listen to and trust
What is selective perception?
we each interpret the news we follow. our beliefs, knowledge, etc can influence our interpretation
How do selective exposure and selective perception limit the influence of the news media on its readers/listeners/viewers?
Once people realize that the news media does this, people can take the news in their own way. They can research more to find out and come up with conclusions of the news.
To whom (which voters) must candidates appeal during presidential primaries?
Strong Republicans or Strong Democrats
What is the main purpose of the parties’ national conventions?
rubber stamp choice for president set by primaries and presidental candidates, approves a platform that noone cares about and no canidate has to follow.
What is required to win a presidential election?
debates, need 270 votes
Money, media coverage, stance on issues and events
What makes a state a battleground state in a presidential election during the general election?
The states that could vote either way
Why do presidential campaigns, parties and SuperPACs all focus so much on battleground states and spend most of their money in those states?
They can influence them in either direction and get those votes to get 270 electoral votes needed
What is meant by horserace news coverage of a campaign?
Get polls everyday, track the numbers-makes good stories
How are public opinion polls connected to horserace coverage?
It is showed on the news too, makes good stories
How are SuperPACs used in the presidential campaign?
Take roles in interest groups and parties, can influence people to vote a certain way, GOTV
What issue has the most consistent impact on presidential elections?
How the economy is doing, is an incumbent running, and how long has the same party held the White House
How do candidates use the Internet in campaigns?
Fundraising, Ads, communications with supporters and volunteers, battles with opponents and news media-counting negative information, spreading positive information on candidate and negative information on opponent
Why do presidential campaigns spend money on GOTV?
Determines who wins, who goes out to vote will have a influence
What factors do political scientists focus on as affecting the outcome of presidential elections?
How the economy is doing, is an incumbent running and what are his rating in the presidential approval polls, and how long has the same party held the White House?
How does more partisan media, especially on the Internet, influence people’s views on candidates, issues and events?
They easily skew to beliefs and ideologies of the people. They can make stories go out of control on the internet with people posting their own ideas and people making conflict.
