Quiz 2 Flashcards
Core Beliefs (political)
individuals’ views about the fundamental nature of human beings, society, the economy, and the role of government; taken together, they comprise the political culture
Political attitudes
individuals’ views and preferences about public policies, political parties, candidates, government institutions, and public officials
public opinion
the aggregated political attitudes of ordinary people as revealed by surveys
simple survey
an interview study asking questions of a set of people whoa re chosen as representative of the whole population
random sampling
the selection of survey respondents by chance, with equal probability of being selected, to ensure their representatives of the whole population
political socialization
the process by which individuals come to have certain core beliefs and political attitudes
agents of socialization
those institutions and individuals that shape the core beliefs and attitudes of people
political ideology
a system of interrelated and coherently organized political beliefs and attitudes
collective public opinion
the political attitudes of the public as a whole, expressed as averages, percentages, or other summaries of many individuals’ opinions
rational public
the notion that collective public opinion is rational in the sense that it is generally stable and consistent and that when it changes it does so as an understandable response to events, to changing circumstances, and to new information
presidential job approval rating
a president’s standing with the public, indicated by the percentage of Americans who tell survey interviewers that they approve a president’s “handling of his job”.
economic conservatives
people who favor private enterprise and oppose government regulation on business
economic liberals
people who favor government regulation of business to protect the public from harm, and government spending for social programs
social (lifestyle) liberals
people who favor civil liberties, abortion rights, and alternative lifestyles
social (lifestyle) conservatives
people who favor traditional social values; they tend to support strong law-and-order measures and oppose abortion and gay rights
policy preferences
citizens’ ideas about what policies they want government to pursue
isolationism
the policy of avoiding undue involvement in the affairs of other countries and multilateral institutions
unilateralist
the stance toward foreign policy that suggests that the United States should “go it alone”, pursuing its national interests without seeking the cooperation of other nations or multilateral institutions
multilateralist
the stance toward foreign policy which suggests that the United States should seek the cooperation of other nations and multilateral institutions in pursuing its goals
watchdog
the role of the media in scrutinizing the actions of government officials
podcasts
digital audio and video files made readily available to interested people via computers and portable devices
wire services
organizations such as the Associated Press and Reuters that gather and disseminate news to other news organizations
media monopoly
term used to suggest that media corporations are so large, powerful, and interconnected that the less economically and politically powerful cannot have their views aired
infotainment
the merging of hard news and entertainment in news presentations
beat
the assigned location where a reporter regularly gathers news stories
leak
inside or secret information given to a journalist or media outlet by a government official
news management
the attempt by those in political power to put the presentation of news about them and their policies in a favorable light
spin
the attempt by public officials to have a story reported in terms that favor them and their policies; see news management
newsworthy
worth printing or broadcasting as news, according to editors’ judgments
objective journalism
news reported with no evaluative language and with opinions quoted or attributed to a specific source
pundits
somewhat derisive term for print, broadcast, and radio commentators on the political news
bias
deviation from ideal standards such as representativeness or objectivity
agenda setting
influencing people’s opinions about what is important
framing
providing a context for interpretation
interest groups
a private organization or voluntary association that seeks to influence public policy as a way to protect or advance its interests
factions
Madison’s term for groups or parties that try to advance their own interests at the expense of the public good
pluralism
the political science position that American democracy is best understood in terms of the interaction, conflict, and bargaining of groups
private interests
an interest group that seeks to protect or advance the material interests of its members
public interests
an interest group that works to gain protections or benefits for society at large
lobbying
effort by an interest or advocacy group to influence the behavior of a public official
advocacy group
an interest group organized to support a cause or ideology
lobbyists
a person who attempts to influence the behavior of public officials on behalf of an interest group
disturbance theory
a theory positing that interest groups originate with changes in the economic, social, or political environment that threaten the well-being of some segment of the population
earmaking
practice of appropriating money for specific pet projects of members of Congress, usually done at the behest of lobbyists, and added to bills at the last minute with little opportunity for deliberation
amicus curiae
Latin for “friend of the court”; a legal brief in which individuals not party to a suit may have their views heard in court
grassroots lobbying
the effort by interest groups to mobilize local constituencies, shape public opinion to support the group’s goals, and bring that pressure to bear on elected officials
political action committees (PACs)
an entity created by an interest group whose purpose is to collect money and make contributions to candidates in federal elections
iron triangles
an enduring alliance of common interest among an interest group , a congressional committee, and a bureaucratic agency
sub-governments
another name for an iron triangle
issue networks
broad coalitions of public and private interest groups, policy experts, and public officials that form around particular policy issues; said to be more visible to the public and more inclusive
revolving door
the common practice in which former government officials become lobbyists for interests with whom they formerly dealt in their official capacity
partisan
a committed supporter of a political party; also, seeing issues from the point of view of a single party
political party
an organization that tries to win control of government by electing people to office who carry the party label
party platform
a party’s statement of its positions on the issues of the day passed at the quadrennial national convention
two-party system
a political system in which two parties vie on relatively equal terms to win national elections and in which each party governs at one time or another
multiparty system
a political system in which three or more viable parties compete to lead the government; because a majority winner is not always possible, multiparty systems often have coalition governments where governing power is shared among two or more parties
proportional representation
the awarding of legislative seats to political parties to reflect the proportion of the popular vote each party receives
realignment
the process by which one party supplants another as the dominant party in a two-party political system
New Deal
the programs of the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
New Deal coalition
the informal electoral alliance of working-class ethnic groups, Catholics, Jews, urban dwellers, racial minorities, and the South that was the basis of the Democratic party dominance of American politics from the New Deal to the early 1970s
divided government
control of the executive and legislative branches by different political parties
dealignment
a gradual reduction in the dominance of one political party without another party supplanting it
party identification
the sense of belonging to on or another political party
liberal
the political position, combining both economic an social dimension, that holds that the federal government has a substantial role to play in providing economic justice and opportunity, regulating business in the public interest, overcoming racial discrimination, protecting abortion rights, and ensuring the equal treatment of gays and lesbians
conservative
the political position, combining both economic and social dimensions, that holds that the federal government ought to lay a very small role in economic regulation, social welfare, and overcoming racial inequality, that abortion should be illegal, and that family values and law and order should guide public policies
unified government
control of the executive and legislative branches by the same political party
gridlock
a situation in which things cannot get done in Washington, usually because of divided government
responsible party
the notion that a political party will take clear and distinct stands on the issues and enact them as policy once elected into government
prospective voting model
a theory of democratic elections in which voters decide what government will do in the near future by choosing one or another responsible party
electoral competition model
a form of election in which parties seeking votes move toward the median voter or the center of the political spectrum
median voter
the voter at the exact middle of the political issue spectrum
electoral reward and punishment
the tendency to vote for incumbents when times are good and against them when times are bad; same as retrospective voting
retrospective voting
a form of election in which voters look back at the performance of a party in power and cast ballots on the basis of how well it did in office
provisional ballot
a vote that is cast but not counted until determination is made that the voter is properly registered
franchise
the legal right to vote
suffrage
the legal right to vote
Electoral College
representatives selected in each other the states, their numbers based on each state’s total number of its senators and representatives; a majority of Electoral College votes elects the president
referenda
procedures available in some states by which state laws or constitutional amendments proposed by the legislature submitted to the voters for approval or rejection
initiatives
procedures available in some states for citizens to put proposed laws and constitutional amendments on the ballot for voter approval or rejection
superdelegates
elected officials from all levels of government who are appointed by party committees to be delegates to the national convention of the Democratic Party; not selected in primary elections or caucuses
electors
representatives who are elected in the states to formally choose the US president
plurality
more votes than any other candidate but less than a majority of all votes cast
