interest groups and elections

Question 1

what protects interest group activity

Answer 1

the first amendment
to petition the government for a redress of grievances

Question 2

interest group poals

Answer 2

gain access to policymakers
influence public policy
support sympathetic policymakers

Question 3

policy making cycle

Answer 3

people
linkage institutions
policy agenda
policy making institutions
back to people

Question 4

policy making cycle - people

Answer 4

express interests, problems, concerns
political issues

Question 5

policy making cycle- linkage insitutions

Answer 5

political channels where people’s concerns become political issues

political parties
elections
media
interest groups

Question 6

policy making cycle - policy agenda

Answer 6

policy agenda
items at the top of the policy agenda are taken care of first

Question 7

policy making cycle - policy making institutions

Answer 7

branches of govt charged with taking action on political issues

legislative executive courts

Question 8

difference of interest groups from political parties

Answer 8

interest groups don’t run their own slate of candidates for office (only support) and are policy specialists (one area)
political parties push a candidate and are policy generalists (broad spectrum of policies)

Question 9

interest group strategies

Answer 9

litigation
electioneering
lobbying
appealing to the public

Question 10

lobbying

Answer 10

communication by someone other than a citizen acting on their own behalf, directed to a governmental decision maker to influence their decision
lobbyists are a source of information for political candidates and member

Question 11

revolving door

Answer 11

movement of individuals from government positions to jobs with interest groups or lobbying firms and vice versa

Question 12

olson’s law

Answer 12

small groups are easier to organize than large groups
large groups have a free rider problem

Question 13

selective benefits

Answer 13

solution for free rider problem
offer benefits to interest group members to boost moral and membership

Question 14

electioneering

Answer 14

helping candidates financially and getting group members out to support them
PACS

Question 15

PACS

Answer 15

political arms of interest groups
entitled to raise voluntary funds to contribute to favored candidates or parties
support incumbents

Question 16

incumbents

Answer 16

individual currently holding office

Question 17

litigation

Answer 17

interest groups file amicus curiae briefs to influence a court’s decisions
suing the courts

Question 18

amicus curiae

Answer 18

briefs submitted to raise additional points of view and present info not contained in briefs of formal parties in order to sway a decision
interest groups

Question 19

hyperpluralist critique

Answer 19

groups have become too powerful as govt tries to appease every interest
intereeest group liberalism is aggravated by numerous iron triangles

Question 20

iron triangles

Answer 20

alliance formed by congress bureacrats and interest groups to make public policy
congress receives campaign contributions, interest groups get favorable legislation and bureaucracies preserve their jobs and status

Question 21

insider strategy

Answer 21

lobbyists work closely with key members of congress and meet privately to exchange info for favors

Question 22

outsider strategy

Answer 22

changing public opinion via media

Question 23

running for presidency - nomination

Answer 23

official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party

requires momentum, money, and media attention

Question 24

competing for delegates

Answer 24

nomination games in primaries is an elimination game
goal is to win a majority of delegates’ support at national party convention

Question 25

caucus

Answer 25

meetings of all state party members for selecting delegates to the national convention

Question 26

new hampshire

Answer 26

first primary all about image front loading - capitalizing on media attention

Question 27

closed primaries

Answer 27

only people who registered with the party can vote for that party’s candidates

Question 28

open primaries

Answer 28

voters decide on election day must choose democrat or republican candidates

Question 29

blanket primaries

Answer 29

voters are presented with a list of all candidates

Question 30

mcgovern fraser commission

Answer 30

led to selection of delegates through primary elections

Question 31

criticisms of american marathon campaign

Answer 31

prominent politicians dont run requires money too much power to media

Question 32

referendum

Answer 32

state only direct vote in which electorate will accept or reject a proposal

Question 33

recall

Answer 33

state only removing a state or local official before the end of his or her term

Question 34

initiative petition

Answer 34

a means by which a petition signed by a minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote proposition

Question 35

guidelines for elections created by the constitution

Answer 35

house of reps re-elected every 2 years senate every 6 years creates the electoral college direct vote of senators (17th amendment)

Question 36

guidelines for elections by law

Answer 36

congress sets date for natural elections

Question 37

electoral college

Answer 37

elects the president states choose the electors winner-take all system gives bigger emphasis to more populated states

Question 38

winner take all method

Answer 38

candidate who wins the most votes in the state wins all of the state’s electors

Question 39

proportional vote method

Answer 39

legislative seats are given to parties in proportion to the # of votes they receive

Question 40

federal election campaign act 1974

Answer 40

created the FEC that administers campaign finance laws for federal elections sets limit for contributions to $1000 for individuals and 5000 for PACS

Question 41

buckley v. valeo

Answer 41

federal election campaign act was challenged in the amount individuals could contribute to their own campaign supreme court rules that this violated the right to free speech under the first amendment

Question 42

soft money

Answer 42

political contributions earmarked for party building expenses or for generic party advertising are allowed cant donate to a particular candidate

Question 43

bipartisan campaign reform act

Answer 43

banned soft money increased individual contributionf from 1000 to 2000 now 2900 barred interest groups from running issue ads

Question 44

citizens united v. fec

Answer 44

citizens united released a film about a candidate spending money is free speech as declared in buckley v. valeo corporations and unions can explicitly advocate for/against candidates in advertisements but can’t contribute directly to a federal candidate or party committee created super pac

Question 45

super pac

Answer 45

independent expenditure groups

Question 46

rational - choice voting

Answer 46

voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen’s individual interst

Question 47

retrospective voting

Answer 47

voting based on a candidate’s past actions look at the performance of a party to decide on vote

Question 48

prospective voting

Answer 48

voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future

Question 49

party-line voting

Answer 49

supporting a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices across the ballot