The Political Process Flashcards
Three ways to express public opinion
- Writing emails or letters to public officials
- Testifying at public hearings
- Taking part in demonstrations/marches
Three ways your political views can be influenced
Family, School/work, Personal factors
Criticisms of the media
Bias in story selection- media outlets focus on one issue and ignores others
Media Consolidation- small amount of companies own most news outlets
Factual inaccuracy- carelessness in reporting w/o checking the facts first
Bias in reporting- slanted towards a certain point of view
Must haves for a public opinion poll
Sufficient sample size (larger=more accurate, chosen at random), unbiased (cannot show favoritism to one side), Objectivity (not letting personal feelings affect poll results)
4 functions of interest groups
Endorsing candidates
Lobbying
Informing public opinion
Filing Lawsuits
Endorsing candidates (interest groups)
publicly declare its support for a certain candidate
Lobbying (interest groups)
contacting public officials to persuade them to support a group’s interest
Informing public opinion (interest groups)
use grass root politics to organize demonstrations and marches to get politicians to notice
Filing lawsuits (interest groups)
use the legal system as a way to accelerate or help create change
Three main roles of political parties
nomination process, educating voters about party issues, political parties run the government
Three types of party systems
one party system, two party system, multi-party system
Multi-party system
several parties compete for control. Most common party system. Could lead to an unstable government but also represents more people’s interest
Direct Primary
candidate chosen directly by voters
Closed Primary
only voters registered as a party member can vote in selecting that party’s candidates
Open Primary
registered voters may vote in either party’s primary election, but only in one or the other
Public Opinion
views shared by a segment of society on issues of interest/concern to the people
Political Socialization
the process in which someone acquires their political beliefs
Electoral College
body of electors that are representing the states, they cast votes for the election for the President and Vice President
Mass Media
means of communication that provides information to a large audience
Interest Groups
association of people who have similar views/goals, they represent those goals/views and and try to influence public policy and the public agenda to achieve them
Political Party
organization that tries to elect its members to public office so that its views can become public policy
Political Spectrum
the social and political beliefs that stretches from the conservatives to the right, to the liberals on the left
Two main parties in the US
Republican- traditional values, small government
Democrat- more open minded, large government
Benefits of political parties
- Gives people representation based on their beliefs
- Candidates have a political party to help them with their ideas and people can choose a candidate w/ similar beliefs w/o having to know everything about them.
Criticisms of political parties
- The parties will do anything to win (could be corrupt/unconstitutional)
- Can divide the country into two or more groups (very different beliefs/ideas)
Hard Money
money donated to an individual campaign. State and federal laws limit the amount of $$ and individual is able to give
Soft Money
money given to a party, rather than a specific candidate. no limit on amount of $$
Caucus
meeting of party members who selects candidates to run for election
