GOV AP Test Book: Political Parties(ch 9)

Question 0

The aim of a political party is to…

Answer 0

influence public policy, in order to succeed, parties must draw enough of the electorate into their organization and get enough votes to elect candidates or public office

Question 1

Divided government

Answer 1

where one party controls the executive branch, while the opposition party controls one or both houses of Congress
Ex. 2010 midterm election, when Reps regained control of HOR, they brought back divided gov, Dems use to control both presidency and congress

Question 2

3 ways to view a political party:

Answer 2

the party as an organization
the party’s relationship with the electorate
the party’s role in government

Question 3

common functions for political parties to reach goals

Answer 3

nominate candidates who can develop public policy
develop positive image
raising money
articulating these issues during campaign so electorate will identify
w/ a particular party or candidate
coordinating in the governing process the implementation (execution)
the policies they supported

Question 4

Party realignment and Party dealignment

Answer 4

the displacement of the majority party by the minority party during a CRITICAL election period (shift from one party to another)
the gradual disengagement of ppl from the major political parties w/ a shift toward registering as an Independent (shift away from both parties)

Question 5

3rd political parties

Answer 5

ideological, single-issues oriented, economically motivated, and personally driven
have an effort to influence the outcome and direction of an election
their popular/favorable policies are adopted by the major political parties (reps & dems)

Question 6

ideology

Answer 6

A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government
-ideological party: values principled stands above all else, have a radically different view of American security and gov from the the est. parties

Question 7

Liberals

Answer 7

favor defense cuts
freedom of choice for abortions
opposed to school prayer of any kind
view gov as a means of dealing w/ the problems facing society
more sympathetic to the rights of the accused

Question 8

Conservatives

Answer 8

favor gov spending on defense over social welfare programs
favor right to life
favor moments of silent prayer
favor a more laissez-faire position
more critical of many of the Warren Ct decisions

Question 9

The Tea Party

Answer 9

defying liberals and conservatives, combination of grassroots Americans and former Republican Party leaders
-endorsed rep gubernatorial and congressional candidates

Question 10

political parties exist on national and local levels…

Answer 10

organization of nat pol. parties helps maintain party discipline, yet local party organizations & their political machines have a moaner infielder on the outcome of elections

Question 11

political machine exists…

Answer 11

on the local levels and uses patronage (rewarding loyal party members w/ jobs) as the means to feel the party members in line

Question 12

the nominating process (drives the organization of the nat. political party)

Answer 12

event though the nat. convention still elects the presidential candidates , the role of the party caucuses and party primaries has grown in importance

Question 13

Caucus and Primaries

Answer 13

a meeting of members to select delegates who, in turn, will nominate candidates to political offices
an election to choose candidates for office

Question 14

Conventions became more democratic by…

Answer 14

delegates procedures being aimed to include more minority representation

Question 15

superdelegates

Answer 15

party leaders and elected party official who become delegates to the nat. convention w/o having to run in primaries or caucuses

Question 16

the national committee

Answer 16

a combination of state and national party leaders, the governing body of the political party

Question 17

the real leader of the party in power

Answer 17

the President

Question 18

political participation

Answer 18

registering to vote
joining a specific political party 
attending political meetings 
voting in elections 
-yet less than half of those who are eligible actually vote in elections

Question 19

unconventional participation

Answer 19

protest and civil disobedience

Question 20

Future is not bright for traditional political parties

Answer 20

decline in enrollment and an increase in independents

• more ticket splitting (where votes cast their ballots upon each individual candidate running for a certain office, not the whole party itself)
• impact of media weakens ability for the party to get its message out
• impact of special-interest groups and PACs has reduced the need for the elected official to use traditional party resources

Question 21

political party

Answer 21

a team of men & women banding together seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election

Question 22

Characteristics of politics

Answer 22

individuals w/ similar ideas uniting to form pol. parties
the means by which ppl and groups get involved
who gets what, when, how, and why
the interrelationship of ppl and groups

Question 23

relationships that exist in political parties

Answer 23

b/w the party and courts, an external relationship that goes beyond the organizational characteristics of pol. parties

Question 24

what translates inputs from the public into outputs from her policymakers?

Answer 24

linkage institutions (channels through which ppl’s concerns become political issues on the gov’s policy agenda) ex. elections, pol. parties, interest groups, media)

Question 25

what philosophies is reflected by the majority of the American electorate?

Answer 25

A middle-of-the-road philosophy

Question 26

successful parties rarely stray from

Answer 26

the midpoint of public opinion

Question 27

Which of the following results after a CRITICAL election occurs?

Answer 27

party realignment

Question 28

When ppl move away from both parties

Answer 28

dealignment

Question 29

What molds the values a person develops?

Answer 29

political socialization (process by which ppl acquire their political orientation)
-pol. socialization molds a person's ideology and party identification

Question 30

who determines the party platform?

Answer 30

the delegates to the national convention vote on the party platform

Question 31

which of the following time periods reflects a change from the dominance of the Reps as the nations majority party?

Answer 31

the Great Depression (public fed up w/ trickle down economics theories of H Hoover, turn to New Deal of FDR) rep-> dem

Question 32

the reps have constantly been the minority party from 1968-1994 in which institution?

Answer 32

HOR

Question 33

National Conventions

Answer 33

places where delegates come together to RATIFY choices ALREADY made by party activist and primary voters