Final Exam Flashcards
- What is party ID and who developed the concept?
- Where does it come from?
- Why does it change?
- What does it predict?
What: An Attachment to a political party.
Who: Term tales off with Michigan school (Campbell, Converse, Miller, Stokes) research.
- Research done across 1950s: ask people about their party attachment at regular intervals
- Party ID is the most stable of attitudes, they found
What do surveys say about Party ID
- Gallup, October 12: 31 %% Republican
• 28 %% Democrat - 41 %% independent
- As of late, often around a 30-30-40 world (give or take a few percent)
When do Third Parties succeed/fail (and who is to blame)
Why Succeed:
- Pre-existing name recognition
- Coherent message/movement
- Money to spend
Why fail:
- Public attachment and record of voting for 1 of 2 parties
- Voters must see third party as a credible alternative (and not just a spoiler)
- Ballot access laws drain time, money What would the message be (beyond the existing parties woes)?
- New party is a start-up (needs candidate, organization, and tons of money)
- Media don’t take them seriously
- Co-potation of their ideas by existing parties
Who is to blame:
- Too extreme?
- Too purist?
- Too focused on message/ not enough on organization building?
- As Sabato says, third parties are akin to shooting stars that may appear briefly and brilliantly.
Why do Americans Dislike Congress So Much?
Hibbing and Theiss-Morse:
“Congress as Public Enemy”
- Hibbing and Theiss-Morse
- The least liked branch (clearly so)
- The concept of Congress: well liked (this is what we call diffuse support )
- The reality of Congress (the people, the processes): strongly disliked (this is what we call specific support )
Common Complaints:
- Unable to represent diverse interests
- Unable to solve big problems
Inefficient
- Too removed from ordinary people
- Too heavily influenced by interest groups
- Too focused on Washington
Mann and Ornstein’s “Broken
Branch”
- Congress appears broken
- Many problems: partisanship-centered
- Hurts the ability to work together formally
- Hurts the ability to get along in general
- Hurts the speed and reception of outcomes
- Congress blind to the need for reform
- Decrease in oversight
- Decline in deliberation
What is Fennos Paradox
- Surveys show: we hate Congress
- Despite that: 90+ percent of members who run for re-election get re-elected (in most years)
- Answer: members looking out for themselves
According to Mayhew, What 3 activities do members of Congress undertake to get re-elected?
Members of Congress focus 3 activities to get re-elected
• 1: Advertising (who I am)
• 2: Credit claiming (what l’ve delivered)
• 3: Position taking (where | stand)
What do we know about Congress’s media coverage?
- Stories about Congress: fewer, shorter, less prominent
- President: figurehead of his branch (by a massive margin), well known,
- communications effort in support of him
• Congress: everyone has their own stories, angles, motivations
• Also: not always interesting (the how of legislating can be boring) - Also: so much happening at once (how can media prioritize easily?)
What is Home Style? And Why do members of Congress Develop One?
• The unique relationship Members build with their constituents
• Must recognize all constituencies are different
- Home Style is revealed through actual interactions with constituents and groups
- Home Style considers resource allocation (time, money, offices, residence)
What are the concentric circles (and how do they matter)
• Geographical: The district itself
• Re-Election: The Supporters
• Primary: The Strongest
Supporters
• Personal: The Intimates
Cultivating Constituencies: (Why
Matter)
• Know Who Is In Each Circle
• Move People Inward, Keep People Locked In
-Allocate Resources To Do So Be Sure You Are -Fair To All
What information do members of Congress convey to constituents? (either about themselves or Washington) ?
Washington :
- Description (what’s happening?)
- Interpretation (why is it happening this way?)
- Justification (why am I doing
what I’m doing)
About Themselves:
- Qualification (I can do the job)
- Identification (I am one of you)
- Empathy (I understand you)
Why does the Congressional agenda matter to the President?
Bond and Fleisher’s “President In the Legislative Arena”
• A competent and skillful leader can overcome Congress…or are these just myths we build?
• Reality: some things are in president’s hands
• Some variables are out of his control
• How the President looks at Congress
What 4 groups might presidents place members of Congress into?
Bond and Fleisher’s “President In the Legislative Arena”
• How the President looks at congress:
• 1: Base
- 2: Cross-pressured partisans
• 3: Cross-pressured opposition
• 4: Opposition base
- Historically: President with majority in Congress: hold onto group 2
• Historically: President with minority in
Congress: peel off of group 3
• The modern twist: will the base rebel?
What 4 paths do presidents pursue to accomplish goals within Congress ( and what determines success or failure )?
1: Treat Successful Elections as Mandates:
authority granted by voters to act
• Presidents: portray election outcomes as messages
• The message: voters want what winner proposed
• Directive: enact the winners ideas
2: Leading the Party
• Co-partisans often reluctant to embarrass president
• We say president has strategic position as party leader
• Constantly reinforce shared policy goals
• Deputize leaders in Congress to keep party members in line
• 3: Using Personal Support As Leverage:
- Congress might respond when they fear public backlash
• Popular presidents may get a small boost in success rates
• Success: at the margins according to George
Edwards
• Every 10 points of approval = 2 percent of legislative success
• 4: Building Coalitions Through Elections
• Go public to mobilize voters
• Help get people into office at the start of your presidency
- Make big efforts at the midterm
What are the origins of presidential media strategy and how has it
evolved?
Origins:
• Presidential speaking: regularly a focus of the media (the president gets attention)
- We are accustomed to daily reports on presidential activity
- White House: media savy for over a century
- The McKinley White House (1897-1901)
• Notices media and public interest in the Cleveland
WH (political and personal)
• Develop sta to work with reporters
• Control and centralize info for policies (how/when will policy be rolled out, what will be said, who will say it)
• Generate constant supply of informtion
Read its own coverage (and react)
Evolved:
- Roosevelt: use media to get out anti-interests message
- Wilson: oral State of the Union, WW1 promos/campaigns
- Hoover: 1st press secretary (speak on behalf of President)
• FDR: 1st to give press secretary title, real power
- Also: builds ties with new media (in 1930s sense) with Fireside Chats
- Coincides with period where we see a professionalized press
What are some common forms of presidential communication?
• Press releases
• Daily briefings
• Presidential news conferences/informal question and answer
• Backgrounders (informal)
• Leaks/off the record interviews
• Social media
- “Going public”
