Parties & Interest Groups

Question 1

What are the functions of political parties?

Answer 1

-Parties function in government to help nominate candidates, educate the electorate about campaign issues, monitor the actions of officeholders and determine what the party stands for, function in the electorate as well as organizationally based

Question 2

Why do you we have a two-party system? (Why don’t third-parties have any chance to win, especially at the presidential level?) (TEST QUESTION)

Answer 2

-US succumbs to the implications of duvergers law which holds that plurality-rule elections tend to result in a two-party system
-Plurality system rather than proportional representation allows a candidate to receive the most votes not necessarily the majority to win (winner-takes all and first past the post) makes it very hard for third parties to win
-Rules governing parties, ballot issues, registration fees, petition requirements, debate rules, and fundraising harmful to 3rd parties

Question 3

How do we measure party identification? (TEST QUESTION)

Answer 3

-Strength of partisanship, where you lean
-Can be measured on 3 point or 7 point scale (Likert scale)
-Party identification is fairly stable and can be attributed to the psychological feeling of religion

Question 4

Political Parties

Answer 4

Coalitions of people who form a united front to win a control of government and implement policy

Question 5

Polarization

Answer 5

-Division between the two parties on policy and/or ideology
-Widening gap between D & R moving further right or left

Question 6

Ideological

Answer 6

Clear, consistent, fixed political attitudes and beliefs, especially about the role of government

Question 7

Why do we think we are polarized?

Answer 7

-Media
-Confusing positions with choices in the ballot box
-Political activists and primary voters are not typical American voters

Question 8

Party in Government (PIG)

Answer 8

• Elected officials who run for office and govern under the party name
• Includes national, state and local officials
• Created by members of congress to form majorities on major issues of the day

Question 9

Party Organization

Answer 9

• Decide what the party stands for
• Party conventions
• Fundraising
• Educate citizens
• Recruit candidates
  -Write party platforms

Question 10

3 Parts of Political Parties

Answer 10

1. Party organization
2. Party in government
3. Parties in the electorate

Question 11

Parties in the electorate

Answer 11

-Party identification
-Population
-Self-prescribed term
-7 point scale: SD, WD,ID,I (10%) ,IR,WR,SR

Question 12

How do parties form?

Answer 12

1. When societal conflict leads political elites and competing coalitions within government to mobilize popular support
2. When groups outside of government organize popular support to win control of government

Question 13

What is the distinct difference between political parties and interest groups?

Answer 13

Parties tend to concern themselves with the personnel of government while interest groups focus on the policies of government

Question 14

DNC & RNC

Answer 14

-Made of party elites
-Act as gatekeepers for respective parties
-Establish superPAC’s which are private groups that raise and distribute funds in election campaigns

Question 15

Retrospective voting

Answer 15

Voting based on past performance of a candidate or political party

Question 16

Interest group

Answer 16

Organized group of people or institutions that uses various forms of advocacy to influence public policy

Question 17

Types of interest groups

Answer 17

1. Corporate groups and trade associations ex. (BP)
   -Businesses (big)
2. Labor groups
   -Unions
3. Professional associations ex. (American bar association)
   -Made up of individuals like lawyers or accountants
4. Citizen groups ex. (Sierra club, NRA, AARP)

Question 18

Collective goods

Answer 18

Benefits sought by groups that are broadly available and not denied to non-members

Question 19

Free riders

Answer 19

Those who benefit from collective goods but didn’t participate in acquiring or providing them

Question 20

Benefits of interest group membership

Answer 20

1. Informational benefits
2. Material benefits
3. Solidary benefits
4. Purposive benefits

Question 21

Lobbying

Answer 21

Strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on governmental officials

Question 22

How interest groups make policy

Answer 22

1. Iron triangle
2. Issue networks
3. Using the courts

Question 23

2. Issue networks

Answer 23

Loose network of elected leaders, public officials, activists and interest groups drawn together by a specific policy issue

Question 24

1. Iron triangle

Answer 24

stable, cooperative relationship that often develops among a congressional committee, administrative strategy and one or more supportive interest groups

Question 25

3. Using the courts

Answer 25

- Bringing a suit directly on behalf of the group itself - Financing individual suits - Filing a companion brief

Question 26

Factors in interest group effectiveness

Answer 26

1. Money 2. Leaders 3. Staff 4. Resources

Question 27

Are Americans as polarized as the media wants us to think?

Answer 27

No