Unit 7 & 8 Flashcards
Political Party
Orginized political group with shared goals that join toegther to run for office and exersise political power.
Political Machine
Orginization who forces voter loyalty with tangible incentives and controls member activity.
Candidate-centered politics
Politics that focus on candidates, rather than issues and party affilication.
Party realignment
Dramatic shift in partisan preference with parties.
Ex.) 1928=USA mostly rep
1932=USA mostly dem.
Ex.) Great depression people favored Dem. because of govt programs.
Critical election
An election that signals party realignment.
Ex.) FDR in Great Depression
Secular realignment
Gradual rearrangement of party coalitions, based on demographic shifts/partisan shifts.
Ex.) Older gen -> younger gen
Origin of political parties in US
Started with Federalists (favored strong central govt), than the Democratic Republicans (favored state govt).
What were Washingtons ideas of political parties?
He believed it would tear apart society and be bad for the govt.
What did Jefferson believe in for political parties?
He believed that his part the Democratic Republicans were temporary in order to beat the Federalists and disliked the idea of political parties.
What are the changes in the republican party over time?
Federalists -> Whigs -> Republicans (wanted abolishment -> strong economy.. etc.)
What are the changes in the democratic party over time?
Democratic Republicans -> Democratic
What are the national levels of the party structure?
1 National Chair
#2 National Committe
#3 National Convention
What are the state levels of the party structure?
4 State Committe/Conventions
#5 District Committes
What are the local levels of the party structure.
6 County Committe
#7 Precint and ward Committe
#8 Activists/Volunteers
#9 Voters
3 things that make political parties
- People who affiliate with party
- Elected officals who affiliate with party
- Party orginization
What is a national commitee?
Direct party for each 4 years and ratifies candiates, carries media campagins, raises money, and gets data.
What are Delegates?
Selected individuals who swear and vote for the canidates in a primary.
Republican platform ideas
No extra money on social programs, equality of oppertunity, people work hard for themselves, support school choice, no religion in gov’t, and issues like LGBTQ+ should be state issues (not fed.).
Democratic Platform
Support social programs, solve inequality, level playing field, support free education, do not want religious activity restricted, LGBTQ+ should be a fed issue.
What is a linkage institution?
An institution that links the people to gov’t to initiate active on the behalf of the people.
What is polarization?
A divisio of views in gov’t.
Causes of polarization
Media, Beliefs, part sterotypes, wedge issues, red and blue states.
Consequences of polarization.
Congress is not productive with hig division (cant comprimise), lack of participation.
What is a primary?
Election of chosing which canidates will represent a party in the general election.
Closed primary
Only can vote in primary if registered with party
Semi-closed primary
same as closed, but independents can vote
Open primary
registered voters can vote any party for primary despite registration
Cross-over voting
when a voter casts a vote not for a party which they do not affiliate with
What is a super delegate?
a delegate who is not limited on who to vote for in a primary (only in democratic party)
winner-takes all primary
states who have decided that all delegates must vote for primary winner
how do super-delegates impact the nomination process?
Have to convince and can change outcome.
run-off primary
top two canidates from primary are voted on again.
PACs and their allows and restrictions
Allows: group of people who can raise up to $5000 to spend for directly to a candidate.
Restrictions: monitered by FEC and have to file discloser
Porportinal rep. primary
amount of delegates candiate get in a runoff primary
What is a sophmore surge?
When a congress election happens and the incumbant expirences and big surge in votes their second term.
Franking Privilege
right to send campainging mail free of charge.
Front-loading
chosing a primary/cacaus date early in the year of the campaging and election.
Campaign manager
a manger with the candiate who coordinates and travels to plan with the canidate.
What is the purpose for the GOTV?
Get out to vote is created and carried out by candidate vollenteers who make efforts to get citizens out to vote (get more votes).
Elector
a person in the Electoral College who participates in the electoral college (senate and HOR)
How did the 12th amendmnet alter the EC?
put vp and p together for election.
Presidents who won election by electoral vote not pop.
Adams, Hayes, Harrison, Bush, Trump.
What happens if no canidate gets 270 votes in electoral?
Pres. is decided by pluralty of states
VP is decided by senate.
What are swing states?
States thta can identify with either party.
What is a battleground state?
Votes in a state where it will be very close.
Individual campagin fin. allows and restrictions
Allows: can give up to $3300 directly to candidate
Restrictions: Monitered by FEC and has to file discloser
527 political commitee campagin fin. allows and restrictions
Allows: issue group that can give unlimited money to advocacy
Restrictions: Cant directly say “vote for” and cordinate with campagins/candidate and files discloser under IRS
Super PACs campagin fin. allows and restrictions
Allows: can give unlimited amount of money to candidate
Restrictions: cant directly cordinate with candidate, have to file disclosers under FEC
Ex.) corps group lots of other corps money into big pool so they dont show advocacy just a super PAC
501 (c) (4) campagin fin. allows and restrictions
Allows: money is funneled through super PAC to pormote “social welfare education” and can fin. unlimited money with NO DISCLOSER
Restrictions: Monitered by IRS and cant cordinate with candiate or campagin.
Public Funds
Funds to presidental canidates from taxes
Matching Funds
Donation in presidental campagins that every dollar less than $251 raised by one person is matched by federal treasery.
What is soft money?
unlimited money to party, avoiding limit to candidate.
What is the Tillman Act?
First cf act that was created to eliminate $$ to corrupt politics. It made it restricted for corps to donate to candidates or campaigns.
What is the Hatch Act?
did not allow civil servants in the exectutive branch
Conventional political partcipation
Routine behavior that uses established orgs to vote and participate in govt
Unconventional political partcipation
uncommon behavior that challanges established orgs (strikes, petition etc.)
Ticket splitting
a person from one party votes for the other party
Retrospective judgement
voters evaluation of party in power
prospective judgement
Evaluation of candiate and what they say they will do
Who founded the democratic party?
Andrew Jackson
two parts of the pluralist govt
1.) winner-takes all
2.) single member districts
what is an initative?
submitting issues in a ballot
what is a referendum?
issue on ballot that is changed or kept.
What is a taft hartley act?
unions cannot donate to candidate or campaign
What is FECA
Federal election campagin act
- sets limits on donations
- sets limits onn campagin spending
- requires discloser of donors
- created FEC
Outcomes of FECA
- created transparency
- created lots of PACs
What is BCRA
Bipartisan Campagin Reform Act
- adjusts individual limits to $2,800
- Elimnated soft money
- illigal for corps and unions to spend money on electoneering or advocacy
3 rules for redistricting
- same pop
- contiguous
- must be compact
if an incumbant won in the last election less than 55%…
they are vanarable and district is marginal
What is the Policy process?
1.) agenda building
aware of issue
2.) Policy Formation
Dem + Rep discussue their view
3.) Policy adoption
pick party view
4.) Implimentation
3.) Evaluation
Does it work?
What is Fiscal Policy?
Taxing and Spending
Article 1 sec 8 + Article 1 sec 7-9
