Political Behavior Flashcards
political behavior
voting and the right to vote
political parties
mass media
interest groups and lobbying
voting and the right to vote
changes in the american electorate
- in 1789, electorate was only white male property owners
electorate
eligible voters
why give property owners the right to vote?
they had more power and money than others
they were the ones paying property taxes
were the ones who had something to loose if gov. fell
1820 /30
as new areas became states, they left out property requirement to vote
1850
55% eligible to vote/ all white men can vote
1870
all men can vote, regardless of race or color (15th amendment)
ratified 15th amendment, right to vote could not be denied by color/ salvery
jim crow laws, literacy tests, limiting rights to vote
1920
woman suffrage movement, 19th women vote was achieved for white women only
All genders can vote
1940
voting rights act of 1965
getting rid of things like literacy tests to make everything fair
1971
changed vote from 21 to 18 bc of war, couldn’t send people to war without voting rights
1870
all men can vote, regardless of race or color (15th amendment)
all people 18 and over can vote
1960
enfranchising african- americans and DC (voting rights act of 1965, 23 & 24 amendments)
qualifications to vote
legal US citizen resident of a state 18 years old registered to vote - some states are requiring residents to have a valid ID to vote: Federalism
Democrat voters
- Female
- middle class
- african americans
- liberal
- 18-29
- lower class
- east/west coast
- urban
republican voters
- men
- white
- 65+
- upper class
- conservative
- south/midwest
- rural
what is a political party?
a group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office
main purpose of political parties?/ other functions
win elections
- nominate candidates
- influence policy
- unite government
- create balance
- inform citizens
why do we have 2 parties
- historical basis tradition (more effective at winning elections)
- idealogical consensus
- electoral system
Historical basis and tradition
- started with the federalists and democratic- republicans
- 2 parties tended to be ‘middle of the road’ to unify the most people
- human institutions tend to be self-perpetuating
ideological consensus
- americans historically have had a general consensus
- conditions have not existed to produce several, divisive parties
- both parties are forced to be Big Tent Parties
consensus
general agreement by a variety of groups or people
big tent parties
cater to a wide variety of groups and intrests
electoral system
-single-member district elections: nearly all elections are for 1 position
= winner is a person with plurality: most votes, through not necessarily a majority
- most states are “winner-take-all” in electoral college
=makes it difficult for minor parties to win any votes
=house elects if no one “wins” the electoral college
summarize americas 2 party system, why
I think that our 2 party system is because of a historical basis and tradition. I believe this because the parties have been established for centuries, and are not likely to change all of a sudden. Since these 2 parties have the same general ideals, they encompass a large amount of voters, who vote similarly on topics.
why does the US have only 2 major political parties?
- it is rooted in our history, it has been this way since the beginning of our government
- our electoral college, believed to be set up so that only D and R will win.
= winner take all system in voting - big tent parties, if its an issue citizens care about, they will have a stance on it
how have political and economic crises impacted political parties in US history?
they’ve caused the major shift is our political party systems; civil war: ended an entire parties time in power, great depression did the same, vietnam led to more divided government.
why is the current era known as divided gov?
because power is split between R and D, in the House, senate and executive parties.
Minor Parties (4 main types)
- Ideological parties
- single issue parties
- economic protest party
- splinter parties
ideological parties
parties based on an entirely different ideology
ex: socialist, libertarian, etc
single issue parties
name says it all, focuses on raising attention to 1 issue
ex: free soil party (anti-slavery), American party (opposed immigration), rent is too damn high party
economic protest party
form during periods of unrest to protest economic policies
ex: occupy wall street
splinter parties
occurs when a group or politician breaks away from a major party
ex: bull moose party, american independent party
spoiler effect
minor parties can steal votes from a major party and hand the election to the opposition party
ex: bull moose in 1912, green party
innovators
minor parties can embrace controversial issues without the electoral repercussions
issues: abolition, prohibition, segregation, abortion, legalization
Caucus
group in congress
last major realignment
1950’s with nixon
what is the role of the media?
how we are informed
is the gatekeeper
- most american new outlets are ‘for profit’ companies
- goal is to make money, have exciting stories to captivate audiences
gatekeeper
controls what information is shared or talked about
biased
often favoring a certain point of view- media outlets
what is fox news?
conservative
what is MSNBC
liberal
Cnn
simple minded? good- bad, dumbing them down
what does media set/ act as?
the agenda for public discussion. Acts as the 4th estate, keeping government officials honest and looking for wrongdoings like abusing the democratic process
reasons access to info is essential for a democracy’s health?
- ensures citizens to make responsible, informed decisions
- this info serves as a “checking function”, ensuring that elected reps uphold their oaths in office
how does media shape public opinion?
Vietnam war, use of words “forced transfer of civilians” instead of “relocation”
what is the medias influence on politics
publics POV is changed by media. When their opinions is changed, then voting polls are likely to change. This elects different officials. The media is at the beginning of this chain, effecting any outcome
role of media in the primary season
goal is not to win, but win over expectations. importance of doing well in iowa and new hampshire
role of media in horserace coverage
not coverage of issues, only report of whos ahead and %’s of public opinion
sound bites
contribute to problem, expectation is to be brief, no time for content in a 10 second sound bite
what is the importance of a good white house press secretary?
this position represents the importance of maintaining a good relationship w/ people and the press.
- creates a positive image of the president
is there a decline of party influence in our current election
yes, more people care about candidates personality, rather than what they stand for
marketing imperative
Trumps personality is what makes him popular
postmodern campaign
mass media coverage is the most pivotal point to a campaign
- trump attracts media coverage on purpose: press conference, and talk show
3 types of media
old media:
-print
-electronic
New media: internet only
newspapers, magazines, etc
electronic
tv radio internet
internet only
blogs/ social media sites
what does new media have?
less of a filter, anyone can do it
what is wikileaks
a prime example of leaking sensitive government materials that old media sources wouldn’t have released
intrest groups
organizations that gather people with similar interests to influence public policies and opinions
- Don’t look to win elections, look to influence public policy, advocate the needs of the group
- pursuade legislators to support government actions that help their members and oppose actions that hurt them
- ex: NRA
methods of influence
- educate the public
- influence legislation through lobbying
- endorse or reject political candidates or parties
- conduct campaigns for certain issues
- create pressure on gov at local levels (grass roots campaign)
types of interest groups
- public interest groups
- Groups in economic sector
- Professional groups
- One issue groups
- Ideological Groups
public interest groups
ex: ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)
- step in, anytime a persons right are enfringed upon
groups in economic sector
ex: labor unions
- Ban minimum wage,
Professional groups
ex: American Medical Association (AMA)
- protect pensions, sallaries (for any type of job that the group is apart of)
One issue groups
ex: NRA or MADD
- lessen gun control laws
Ideological Groups
ex: christian conservative groups
lobbyist
a person who lobbies for interest groups
to lobby
stand in hallways of congress and approach its members
goal of lobbying
to get laws passed or rejected
-influence government action
how is lobbying able to exist?
it is a form of the “freedom of petition”
how many lobbyists are there in D.C.
35,000
what is a PAC
political action committee
-organize funding and campaigns for interest groups
when were super pacs created?/ what allowed
2010
- allowed to have unlimited donations/ expenditures
whats a super pac?
can spend unlimited amounts of money
