Unit 2 Media, Parties, Campaigning, Interest Groups Flashcards
What are the three roles of the media?
gatekeeper, scorekeeper, and watchdog
What basically does the Federal Communication Commission do?
it regulates the airwaves
What do reporters use investigative journalism to do?
checks the honesty of the government
What does partisan journalism do?
openly support a certain political party
What are the four effects of the media on politics?
selective attention, endorsement of candidates, national convention coverage, issues highlighted by media attraction
What are the four factors that influence media stories?
deadlines, audience attraction, fairness, bias
What is narrow casting?
a media transmission for a specific audience
What does yellow journalism do?
report shocking stories in order to gain the public attention
What is the main idea behind sampling?
those represented speak for the represent the entire group
When do sampling errors occur?
when the poll gives misleading results
What is ideology?
a set of beliefs
What does a reactionary advocate?
a return back to the previous state of affairs
What is the process by which citizens acquire a new sense of political identity?
political socialization
What type of poll uses the same questions for a large group of people?
straw poll
What are six forms of political socialization elements?
family, media, school, peers, religion, political institutions
What are the three ways political opinion can be affected?
it can be changed, activated, or crystallized
What are the parts of political parties?
the electorate, government, and organization
What are the four roles of political parties?
recruit candidates, nominate and support candidates for office, educate the electorate, organize the government
What are the six factors that affect how one identifies with a certain political party?
education, income, race, gender, religion, family
What do all political parties want to do?
win!!!
When does dealignment occur?
when a significant number of voters no longer support a particular political party.
When does realignment occur?
when a large amount of supporters for a particular dominant party switch to another party
What are the three types of third parties?
ideological, factional, single issue
What is soft money?
money that is distributed through the national party not a particular candidate
What are three factors that cause the decline of political parties?
loss of support by party loyalists, increase in split ticket voting, lack o perceived differences between the parties
What are the two major functions of a national convention?
to write the party platform and to nominate the party’s candidates for the president and vice president.
What are the three main causes of realignment?
war, economic crisis, societal changes
What are eight forms of political participation?
voting, attending meetings, forming interest groups, contacting officials, campaigning, donating, running for office, protesting
What is the right to vote?
suffrage
What type of election allows citizens to directly vote for a candidate?
direct primary
What type of election is started with a petition to remove a candidate?
recall
What allows citizens to directly vote on issues?
referendum
What allows citizens to petition a direct vote on an issue?
initiative
What is the most common form of political participation?
voting
What eleven factors affect voting?
education, occupation and income, age, race, gender, religion, marital status, union membership, community membership, party identification, geography
What are off year elections?
elections that occur when the presidential election does not
What did the Federal Election Campaign Act do?
limited the amount of campaign funds that can be spent on advertising
What supreme court case proved the FECA unconstitutional?
Buckley v. Valeo
What did the Bipartisan Campaign Financial Reform Act do?
banned the use of soft money for federal campaigns
What is a 527 interest group?
A single issue interest group
What amount of electoral college vote is required to win?
270
What did James Madison warn about in Federalist paper #10?
factions
What are the four functions of interest groups?
raise awareness, represent membership, provide information, provide channels for political participation
What are the four types of economic interest groups?
labor, business, professional, agriculture
What are the three strategies interest groups use?
influencing elections, lobbying, litigation
What is litigation?
taking an issue to court
What is a political action committee?
a type of organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to a campaign
What did the Lobbying Disclosure Act do?
regulated and restricted Lobbying
How is an interest group different from a political party?
Interest groups have no legal status in elections
The method in which interests groups send out communications in order to influence policy makers:
grassroots lobbying
What is front loading?
holding elections early in the calender year in order to get more attention
What did the McCain-Feingold Act do?
bans soft money, increased amount of individual contributions, and limited issue ads.
What state has the first caucus?
Iowa
What state has the first primary?
New Hampshire
Who picks the president if there is no majority?
the House of Representatives
What is retrospective voting?
voters cast a vote based on what the candidate has done in the past for them
What are the three parts of the iron triangles?
Agency, Congress, Lobbyists
What type of party forms around a single issue and what is an example of one?
Single Issue Party, Right to Life
What type of party forms around a broad belief and what is an example of one?
Ideological Party, Libertarian
What type of party forms from a split in a party?
Factorial Party, Bull Moose Party of 1912
What is a positive effect of front loading?
more media attention
What is a negative effect of front loading?
it gives wealthier candidates an advantage over others
What are two ways candidates use the internet for campaigning?
websites and email
What are the advantages of using the internet for campaigning?
easier to fund raise, cheaper, more controllable
What is a disadvantage of internet in campaigning?
rumors can spread quickly
What did the Motor Voter Act do?
force the states to offer voting to citizens applying for drivers licenses
What are political action committees?
a type of organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaign for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation
