Exam 4 SG Flashcards
James Q Wilson’s 3 interest group categories
- soilidary - social
- material - economic
- purposive - ideological
Political Socialization
The process whereby people acquire their basic political values, attitudes, beliefs, and patterns of citizenship
Agents of socialization
- family
- education
- religion
- peers
- race / ethnicity
- sex (and gender gap)
- social class
- generational cohorts/key events
Family
The most important agent of political socialization
Types of media used to transmit political messages
- agenda setting
- priming
- framing
- sound bites
- spin/spin doctor
or
TV, radio, movies, music, print, media, Internet, etc.
Generational/age cohorts
A long lasting effect of the events of a particular time on the political opinions of those who came of political age at that time
Age and political interest
Older Americans tend to be somewhat more conservative than younger Americans
Women and American politics (holding office, voting)
Women holding office has continued to increase but many positions are still considered men’s club
Well educated suburban women form a growing part of the democratic coalition
Rural working class women are increasingly drawn to republicans
Gender gap
The difference between the percentage of women who vote for a particular candidate and the percentage of men who vote for the candidate
Race (genetics) vs ethnicity (nationality/culture)
Race is usually associated with genetics or physical characteristics (black white indigenous)
Ethnicity is usually associated with cultural factors (Hispanic)
Majority-minority state in California
Contemporary Demographics (~40 million ppl)
* 37% white (non-Hispanic)
* 39% Hispanic/Latino
* 15% Asian
* 6% black/African American
* 3% mixed/multi-racial
* 1% Native American/Pacific Islander
PAC
Political Action Committees
- financial wing of interest groups
Book Def: Committees set up by and representing a corporation, labor, union, or interest group. PACs raise campaign donations
Lobbying and Lobbyists
Lobbyists - agents of interest groups (try to convince lawmakers/government officials to make decision decisions that help the group they represent)
Lobbying - doing the act
- they are part of both iron triangles and issue networks
California state Senate
4yr terms (limited to two terms or 14 years total)
40 members
California State Assembly
2 yr terms (limit to three terms)
80 members
California state legislature
*bicameral- made up of two chambers (the state Senate and the state assembly)
* Senate is the upper house, assembly is the lower house
Plural executive and state government/constitutional officers
(4 year terms; limit to two terms)
* Governor - chief executive (veto vs line-item veto
* lieutenant governor - not elected on the same ticket as governor
* Attorney General - heir apparent to governor
* Secretary of State - elections, commissioner, chief administrator
* treasurer - chief investor for State; bond ratings
* controller - manages expenditure, sign pay stubs
* superintendent of education
* insurance commissioner
* state bureaucracy (highly decentralized)
CA State Supreme Court
- 12 yr appointment
- 7 justices
- retention vote based - a yes or no vote on whether a judge should be kept in office
Independent voting
Refers to voting by individuals who are not affiliated with any political party
* independent means non-partisan
* these type of voters usually make their choices based on candidates positions, policies, or other factors, rather than following a specific party
Straight-ticket voting
- voting exclusively for the candidates of one party
Partisan realignment vs. wave elections
Partisan realignment - (long-term shifts) when a large group of voters permanently switched their loyalty from one political party, usually over a long period of time
Wave elections - (large short term shifts) when one political party suddenly wins a lot of seats in one election, usually because voters are unhappy with the current government (it’s more like a temporary surge happening quickly in one election)
California Indian Nations
There are currently over 135+ (nations) federally recognized tribes in California
Yurok, Cherokee, Chumash, Pomo, Pequot, Miwok, Kumeyaay,
Spanish Missions, presidios, pueblos
These were all a result of the Spanish Invasion
* Missions - churches
* Presidios - military forts
* Pueblos - colonial towns
Secularization Act (during Mex Revolution)
*** government confiscated religious wealth
* also outlawed slavery
Institutional Discrimination in California
Act for the Government and Protection of Indians 1850 - legalized slavery ofnative Americans
- The California Constitution 1879 rewrite (institutionalized California’s version of Jim Crow, against migrants)
- “yellow peril”
- article 19 - barred hiring Chinese by corporations
- WWII Japanese concentration camps
Article 19 of the 1879 revision to the CA state constitution
- It barred hiring Chinese by corporations
- it was repealed by 1952
- disenfranchisement of Native Americans
Plurality
The largest number, but not necessarily a majority
Iron Triangles
- legislative committee (members of Congress, etc.)
- lobbyists
- agencies (Army, Navy, Air Force, etc.)
It is a three-way alliance among these three things to make or preserve policies that benefit their respective interest
Issue Networks
- it is a more democratic way of iron triangle; includes more of the public)
- legislative Committees
- lobbyists
- agencies
- civil society/grassroots organizations
A group of individuals or organizations that support a particular policy position on a given issue
Madison’s Factions
Madison’s “politics of faction”
* social movements - broad based and cross cutting
* political parties - private organizations that have the goal of winning elections
* interest groups - single issue, narrow focus
Social Movements
Broad based and cross cutting
Political parties/third parties
Political parties - private organizations that have the goal of winning elections
Third parties - groups that exist outside the two dominant parties in a political system. While they may not have the same level of power or influence as the major parties, they can still play an important role in shaping political discourse, pushing forward new ideas, and affecting election outcomes
Public interest
The best interest of the overall community. Also, the national good, rather than the narrow interest of a particular group.
Divided government
A situation in which one major political party controls the presidency and the other controls one or more chambers of Congress, or in which one party controls a state governorship, and the other controls the state legislator
Patronage
When you get elected and hire all your friends
Book - rewarding the faithful by appointing them to government, or public, jobs
Chat: Patronage refers to the practice of giving political support or government positions in exchange for loyalty or services. It is a system where political leaders or parties reward their supporters, often with jobs, contracts, or other benefits, to maintain loyalty and ensure political control
Random Sample
A relatively small number of individuals who are interviewed for the purpose of estimating the opinions of an entire population
Margin of error
The margin of error is a statistic that expresses the amount of random sampling error in a survey or poll. It indicates the range within which the true value is likely to fall, based on the results of the sample.
Public Opinion
The aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs shared by some portion of the adult population
Opinion Polling
A method of systematically questioning a small selected sample of respondents who are deemed representative of a whole population
Sound bites
A brief, memorable comment that can easily be fit into news broadcast
Example - “I have a dream” “make America great again”
Political spin
An interpretation of political events that is favorable to a politician or party
Labor movement/working class interest/public employee unions
Labor movement - the economic and political expression of working class interests
Public employee unions - labor organizations that represent workers employed by government entities at the federal, state, or local level. These unions advocate for the rights, benefits, and working conditions of public sector employees, including teachers, police officers, firefighters, government clerks, healthcare workers, and other public servants
Free rider problem (for unions and other kinda of organizations)
The difficulty that interest groups face in recruiting members when the benefits they achieve can be gained without joining the group
Urban vs Rural Voting Behavior
Urban
* more liberal or progressive
* typically democratic
* more likely to prioritize issues like social justice, environmental protection, immigration reform, public transportation, and diversity and inclusion
Rural
* more conservative
* typically conservative
Term limits
Prevents concentration of power
Plural executive - 4yr terms : limit 2 terms
Senate - 4yr terms : limit 2 terms
Assembly - 2yr terms : limit 3 terms
Superior Courts - judges elected to 4yr terms
Supreme Court - 12 yr appointments
CA State Institutions ( executive, legislative , judiciary)
Plural Executive
* gov
* Lt gov
* attorney general
* secy state
* treasurer
* controller
* supt of ed
* insurance commissioner
* state bureaucracy
Legislature
* bicameral (senate and assembly)
Judiciary
* superior courts
* appellate courts
* Supreme Court
Media
Channels of mass communication
Agenda setting
Determining which public policy solutions will be debated or considered or prioritized
Priming
Using only certain facts to shape the public response to an issue
Framing
The technique of embedding an issue in particular examples or story lines to alter public perceptions of an issue
Spanish invasion
1769 military/religious invasion of California
* led by General Gaspar de Portola
Led to mission system being created
* first mission was created by Fr. Junipero Serra
Development of Californias Political Economy
- gold rush (49ers)
- railroads in political power
- oil industry expansion
- agriculture
- defense/aerospace
- tech boom
Main goal of political parties
Win elections
The best indication of a public opinion polls accuracy is …
- a random sample of at least 1000
- neutral worded questions
- a margin of error of plus or minus 3%
Fraternities and sororities or other service organizations are considered to be what kind of interest group?
Solidary
Mexican American Revolution
Natives and mestizos granted equal rights with Spaniards
Secularization Act 1833 — gov confiscated religious wealth* & outlaws slavery
Mexican American War
brief independence (about 3 weeks)
statehood granted 1850
An Act for the Government and Protection of Indians 1850
Legalized slavery
State Legislature
Bicameral
* senate and assembly
Judiciary
Superior courts
Appellate courts
Supreme court
