Politics Flashcards
What does ideology mean?
One’s beliefs, opinions, or convictions
What does conservative mean?
Belief that protection of freedom is most important
Smaller gov bigger military
What does liberal mean?
Belief that equality is universal and it’s the government’s job to protect it
What does public opinion mean?
Combination of many individuals’ expressed feelings about government and political issues
What is a policy?
A government action or regularion
Define politics
Concerned with influencing or guiding government policy
What is a political party?
An organization made up of people who share similar ideas about the way a country should be governed
What is a candidate?
Person seeking elected office as a government leader
What is a one-party system?
All elected officials are from the same party
What is a two-party system?
Most elected officials are from either party and elected by majority vote
What is a multi-party system?
Three or more parties compete for control of government
Typically elected through plurality not majority
Results in coalition between parties
Define campaign organizations
Groups that help get candidates elected
Typically volunteers or low-paid
Non-government staff workers
Margins of error that are higher than +/- 5% are…
Unscientific/straw
Margins of error that are less than +/- 5% are…
Statistically significant
Which amendment prohibits denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizens race, color or previous condition of servitude?
15th amendment
Which amendment granted women’s suffrage?
19th amendment
Which amendment changed the voting age from 21 to 18 during the Vietnam conflict?
26th amendment
Define campaign propaganda
Techniques used to promote a candidate by appealing to voters in varying ways
What is a challenger?
Individual running against incumbent in an election
What is a contested election?
A special election initiated when the legality or validity of the result of a previous election is challenged by the losing candidate
What are democrats?
Major political party that tends to be moderately liberal
What is the electoral college?
System of electing the POTUS called for by the Constitution
Winner-take-all system
What is a general election?
Election that takes place on the first tuesday after the first monday in november
What is the incumbent?
Individual seeking re-election
What is media bias?
News reporting that is skewed towards one political philosophy
What is a moderate?
Individual who doesn’t hold extreme views on any political issue
Define nomination
Act or system of suggesting a person to run for office
What are the forms of nomination?
Self-nomination
Petition
Primary
Caucus
Convention
What is an opinion poll?
Survey of the public to find out what they’re thinking about key issues or which candidate they’re going to vote for
What is a plank?
One issue that a political party stands for
What is a platform?
The main issues and ideas that a political party cares most about (collection of planks)
What is a political caucus?
Formal meeting of members/officials of a political party to deal with party business
What is a political compass?
4-square chart used to show balance between political control and economic control
What are political interest groups?
Organizations that work to influence political parties and politicians in favor of the issue or companies they represent
What is a political primary?
An election where members of one political party are running against each other to be selected to represent that particular party
Anyone can vote in an…
Open political primary
Only people who are members of a political party can vote in a…
Closed political primary
What is the political spectrum?
Scale used to generally illustrate or categorize the role of government
What is a radical?
Someone far left; in favor of drastically increasing the role of government
Whaat is a reactionary?
Someone far right; in favor of returning to a previous way of doing things (little government)
What is a recall election?
Special election where voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his term has ended
When are recall elections typically initiated?
When sufficient voters sign a petition
What are republicans?
Members of the G.O.P
Favor traditional values and small government
What is a run-off election?
A special election which allows a selection between choices receiving the largest and second largest number of votes cast in the original balloting where the results may have been too close to call or tie
What is split ticket voting?
Voting for candidates from more than one political party
Define statistically significant
The likelihood that a result or relationship is caused by something other than mere random chance
What is straight ticket voting?
Voting only for candidates from one political party
What are third/minor parties?
Smaller parties
Narrower focus
Rarely win elections
Bring new ideas
What are the voter qualifications?
1) US citizen
2) 18 years old
3) Official resident of the state you are voting in and register
Define glittering generalities
Simple, clever slogans that shed positive light and appeal to peoples’ emotions but provide no information
Define card stacking
Use facts and figures to one side as positive and the other side as negative
Define plain folks
Send the message that a product or person is just like you
Define transfer technique
Uses feelings about one thing to get you to feel the same about something else
Define testimonials
Celebrities or other respected people endorsing or officially supporting a product or idea
Define bandwagon technique
Creates impression that there is widespread support for something and peer pressure someone to be on the winning team
Define name-calling
Using negative words and bad names to create fear and dislike for people, ideas, or institutions
Verbal or visual
What are types of ads that use name-calling technique?
Attack ads and mud-slinging add
What is the purpose of political parties?
To elect people to office
What groups tend to vote Democratic?
Non-white
Women
Catholic
Less-affluent
Young
Least and most educated
What groups tend to vote Republican?
White
Men
Protestant
More affluent
Old
College-educated
What age group is least likely to vote?
Young
What age group is most likely to vote?
Old
Third or minor parties are not…
Widely supported
All of the people entitled to vote in a given election are the…
Electorate
As a nominating device, a group like-minded people who meet to select the candidates they will support in an upcoming election is called a:
Caucus
How many electoral votes are there?
538 (100 in the Senate, 435 in the House, 3 in DC)
How many electoral votes are needed to win?
270 votes
What are some political socialization agents?
Family/parents
Friends/peers
Social media
Ethnicity/race
Age
Gender
Religion
Income level
What are some reasons why people don’t vote?
Waste of time
Busy
Complicated
Polling area not nearby
The political extension of special-interest groups which have a major stake in public policy is called a:
PACS and SuperPACS
Activities by which group pressures are brought to bear on legislators, the legislative process, and all aspects of the public policy making process is known as:
Lobbying
Name 3 special interest groups
NRA - 2nd amendment
AMA - Doctors
ABA - Lawyers
What do interest groups do?
Pressure congress to pass favorable legislation
When did political parties begin?
Under Washington
How did political parties begin?
Adams and Hamilton started them because they were in Washington’s cabinet
What 2010 Supreme Court case changed the rules for the use of private money for political campaigns?
Citizens United
What is super tuesday?
The day a lot of states have their primaries
Who are delegates?
Local party state representatives/officials
What do delegates do?
Go to convention and announce votes
Who are super delegates?
Top members of a party
What do super delegates do?
Represent the party to vote for who they think will win
Why are super delegates not important most of the time?
By the time of the convention, most have dropped out and the winner is clear
What are 2 reasons why the founding fathers make the electoral college system?
Didn’t think there would be a national winner
Didn’t trust democracy “mobocracy”
What are caucuses?
Public votes
People gather in groups and debate who to vote for
