unit 3 29-58 Flashcards
a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, interest, that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations
political action committee
an issue about which the public is divided and rival parties or candidates adopt different positions
position issue
an election held to choose candidates for office
primary election
voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues
prospective voting
voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office
retrospective voting
a second primary election held when no candidate gets a majority of the votes in the first primary
runoff primary
funds obtained by political parties that are spend on party activities, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not on behalf of a specific candidate
soft money
an increase in the votes a congressional candidate usually gets when they first run for reelection
sophomore surge
an issue about which the public is united and rival candidates or political parties adopt similar positions in hopes that each will be thought to represent those widely shares beliefs
valence issue
political organization that attracts members by appealing to their political convictions or principles
ideological interest group
something of value one cannot get without joining an organization
incentive
many things valued in monetary terms
material incentive
a signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how that issue fits with his or her own political views or party agenda
political cue
an interest group whose efforts significantly benefit nonmembers
public interest lobby
a benefit that comes from serving a cause or principle
purposive incentive
assessment of a legislators voting record on issues important to an interest group
ratings
a widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the social or political order
social movement
the sense of pleasure, status, or companionship experienced in small groups
solidary incentive
the tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them
adversarial press
background story
a public official’s statement to a reporter that is given on condition that the official not be named
a series, or log, of discussion items on a page of the Internet
blog
an FCC regulation that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate, it must sell equal time to other candidates
equal time rule
media stories about events that, though public, are not regularly covered by reporters.
feature stories
media stories about events that are not usually made public
insider stories
words that imply a value judgement, used to persuade a reader without having made a serious argument
loaded language
media stories about events that are regularly covered by reporters
routine stories
paying attention only to those news stories with which one already agrees
selective attention
a radio or video clip of someone speaking
sound bite
info leaked to the media to test public reaction to a possible policy
trial balloon
