Unit 4 & 5 Flashcards
Political culture
The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to governments and to one another.
The U.S. and Canada both are democracies but we have different political cultures
Social capital
Democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and respect for differences, which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations.
Networks such as churches, clubs, schools express social capitals
Natural rights
The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.
Right to life, liberty, and property
Democratic consensus
Widespread agreement on fundamental principles of democratic governance and the values that undergird them.
The U.S. has a democratic consensus on the transition of power and the fairness of elections
Majority rule
Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.
A jury decision will be made if at least 12 jurors support the decision
Popular sovereignty
A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.
The Constitution is an example of this because it gives the people power to protect themselves from the government
American dream
The widespread belief that the United States is a land of opportunity and that individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success.
The common American Dream is immigrating here and working from the ground up to have your own business and a plentiful life
Capitalism
An economic system characterized by private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production, distribution, and pricing of goods and services.
U.S., Hong King, Singapore are all examples of capitalist countries
Suffrage
The right to vote.
Women’s suffrage was ratified in August 18, 1920
Monopoly
Domination of an industry by a single company that fixes prices and discourages competition; also, the company that dominates the industry by these means.
Andrew Carnegie created a monopoly in the steel industry by gaining control of every level of steel production from raw materials to distribution.
Antitrust legislation
Federal laws (starting with the Sherman Act of 1890) that tried to prevent a monopoly from dominating an industry and restraining trade.
The Federal Trade Commission Act (1914) was an antitrust law that banned unfair competition methods and deceptive practices and established the Federal Trade Commission.
Political ideology
A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government.
Communism, liberalism, socialism, environmentalism, and conservatism are some political ideologies
Liberalism
A belief that government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity.
Liberalism in the United States currently has issues on its agenda such as reproductive and women’s rights, civil rights, and same-sex marriage
Conservatism
A belief that limited government insures order competitive markets and personal opportunity.
Conservatism in the United States holds individual liberty as a core value and stands in opposition to liberal issues of equality, instead in favoring monetary policy
Socialism
An economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange.
Socialism places focus on the community rather than the individual, and is based on the idea that cooperation is part of human nature. Each person receives a share of production based on how much they have contributed to society.
Libertarianism
An ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on minimal government, promoting a free market economy, a non-interventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in moral, economic, and social life.
Libertarianism has its roots in personal autonomy and is opposed to state power. Today in the United States, the Libertarian Party promotes civil liberties, laissez-faire capitalism, individual sovereignty, and limited government
Environmentalism
An ideology that is dominated by concern for the environment but also promotes grassroots democracy, social justice, equal opportunity, nonviolence, respect for diversity, and feminism.
Environmentalism is in favor of the preservation, restoration, and conservation of the environment through actions like controlling pollution, protecting plant and animal diversity, practicing sustainability.
Fixed Term
Length of term in office is specified, not indefinite
Members of Congress and the President serve fixed terms
Staggered Term
Not all offices are up for election at the same time; this occurs in the Senate where 1/3 of seats are up for reelection every two years
Many Senates utilize staggered terms such as Brazil, Chile, France, Australia, etc.
Lame Duck
A politician who cannot, or has announced he or she will not, run again
When a president is at the end of their second term such as Obama in 2016
Winner-take-all-system
An election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins
The winner of an election must win absolute majority
Majority
Receiving more than half of the votes cast
The US Presidential election
Plurality
Receiving the largest number of votes (can be less than half)
These types of elections are commonly used in trade unions to select officers
Single-Member District
An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official
Single-Member House districts became law on December 14, 1967
Proportional Representation
Election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote
European parliament uses proportional representation
Electoral College
Electoral system used in electing the president and vice president, in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for particular party’s candidates
The electoral college elects the U.S. president through representation of the 50 states
Safe Seat
Elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of the party’s candidate is almost taken for granted
The election of Peter Law and George Galloway in 2005
Coattail effect
The boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president.
This often occurs in U.S. presidential elections where the winning candidate’s party often also wins numerous seats in Congress. Thus, members are voted into Congress ‘on the coattails’ of the President.
Caucus
A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform.
For example, Democrats in Kentucky hold a primary whereas Republicans conduct a caucus.
National party convention
A national meeting of delegates elected at primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules.
The formal purpose of such a convention is to select the party’s nominee for popular election as President, as well as to adopt a statement of party principles and goals known as the party platform and adopt the rules for the party’s activities, including the presidential nominating process for the next election cycle.
Interested money
Financial contributions by individuals or groups in the hope of influencing the outcome of the election and subsequently influencing policy.
Someone giving large sums of money to the advertising campaign for Trump’s election in hope it will make him more likely to be president.
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
A commission created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws. It consists of six commissioners appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Its duties include overseeing disclosure of campaign finance information and public funding of presidential elections, and enforcing contribution limits.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is the independent regulatory agency charged with administering and enforcing the federal campaign finance law.
Soft money
Contributions to a state or local party for party-building purposes.
There are no limits on soft money and some examples are donations for stickers, posters, and television and radio spots supporting a particular party platform or idea but not a concrete candidate.
Hard money
Donations made to political candidates, party committees, or groups which, by law, are limited and must be declared.
“Hard money” donations to candidates for political office (tightly regulated, as opposed to unregulated “soft money”)
Issue advocacy
Promoting a particular position or an issue paid for by interest groups or individuals but not candidates. Much issue advocacy is often electioneering for or against a candidate, and until 2004 had not been subject to any regulation.
It does not attempt to persuade the public of particular electoral outcomes, but rather seeks to highlight broader political or social issues.
527 groups
Interest groups organized under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code may advertise for or against candidates. If their source of funding is corporations or unions, they have some restrictions on broadcast advertising. 527 organizations were important in recent elections.
Examples of 527s are Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, The Media Fund, America Coming Together, the Progress for America Voter Fund, and the Secretary of State Project.
Independent expenditures
Money spent by individuals or groups not associated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office.
An independent expenditure is an expenditure for a communication, such as a website, newspaper, TV or direct mail advertisement that: Expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate
Public opinion
The distribution of individual preferences or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population.
Support for the legalization of abortion
Random Sample
In this type of sample, every individual has unknown and random chance of being selected.
Random samples can be utilized to see citizens’ perspectives on legislation and laws in their nation
Margin of Error
Rate of error in a random sampling – usually +/- 3% for a sample of at least 1,500 individuals.
As there are many variables with sampling, the actual representation of a population may be inaccurate by a small percentage
Intensity
How strongly people feel about certain political issues.
Political issues such as equality, immigration and taxes may increase intensity
Latency
Political opinions that exist but have not been fully expressed.
Depending on what political party is in control, opinions such as increasing taxes may not be as fully expressed as previous political terms
Salience
Extent to which people believe issues are relevant to them.
If someone is not a member of the LGBT Community, they may not advocate for equal rights as this community does not apply to them
Political Socialization
The process – most notably in families and schools – by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs.
Those who grow up in a Democratic household will tend to share similar, liberal values as their parents
Attentive Public
Those citizens who follow public affairs carefully.
One who continuously stays up to date on governmental actions would be considered to be a part of the attentive public
Voter Registration
System designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents.
This process takes into account statuses such as citizenship
Australian Ballot
A secret ballot printed by the state.
Used to eliminate voting fraud
General election
Elections in which voters elect officeholders.
President Joe Biden secured a victory over Donald Trump in the general election.
Primary election
Elections in which voters determine party nominees.
In 2016, Trump won Florida in a primary election.
Presidential election
Elections held in years when the president is on the ballot.
The 2020 presidential election was held in November and included Trump and Biden on the ballot.
Midterm election
Elections held midway between presidential elections.
Midterm elections help determine which political party will control Congress halfway through a president’s term.
Off-year elections
Elections held in odd-numbered calendar years.
Often off-year elections happen when neither a presidential or midterm election takes place in that year
Turnout
The proportion of the voting age public that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote.
The 2020 voter turnout was the highest in over a century, with 66.3% of the population having voted.
Party identification
An informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood.
The majority of children oftentimes adopt their parents’ party identification.
Candidate appeal
How voters feel about a candidate’s background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities.
Andrew Jackson had a great candidate appeal as he portrayed himself as the relatable common man.
Prospective issue voting
Voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected.
Trump failed to keep his promise of banning foreign lobbyists from raising election money when he got elected.
Retrospective issue of voting
Holding incumbents, usually the president’s party, responsible for their records on issues, such as the economy or foreign policy.
Part of George Bush’s win in the 1988 election can be attributed to the past president Ronald Reagan’s success in office, being of the same party, giving voters a good retrospect.
