Unit III Vocab Flashcards
“Friend of the court brief”
Amicus curiae brief
Brief filed by an interest group to influence a Supreme Court decision
Amicus curiae brief
Contention that parties are less important to voters, who have abandoned parties to become independents
Dealignment argument
Government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls Congress
Divided government
Theory that upper class elites excercise great influence over public policy
Elite theory
Term used by Madison to denote what we now call interest groups
Factions
FCC rule that required broadcasters to air a variety of viewpoints on their programs
Fairness doctrine
Is the Fairness Doctrine still in effect?
No
The media attack when they sense wrongdoing or scandal in the government, giving massive coverage to these stories
Feeding frenzy
The problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest groups without joining, participating, or contributing money
Free rider problem
The tendency of media to report on an election campaign as if it were a horse race
Horse race coverage
Media coverage of a campaign based on who is ahead or behind
Horse race
An informal association of federal agency, congressional committee, and interest group that is said to have heavy influence in policy making
Iron Triangle
The act or process of carrying out a lawsuit
Litigation
Attempt to influence policy makers
Lobbying
Elections in which candidates are not identified by party membership on the ballot
Nonpartisan election
Ballot in which candidates are arranged by office, not by party
Office column voting
Ballot arrangement which encourages split ticket voting
Office column
Ballot in which candidates are arranged by party, not by office
Party column ballot
A staged campaign event which attracts favorable visual media coverage
Photo opportunity
Example of a photo opportunity
Reading to school children
Theory that policy making is the result of interest group competition
Pluralism
an interest group that raises funds and donates to election campaigns
PAC
Appointing loyal party members to government positions
Patronage
The cycle in which a person alternately works for the public and private sector (eg: government and interest groups)
revolving door
The practice of selectively choosing media sources which are in harmony with one’s own beliefs
Selective exposure
According to selective exposure, what news would a conservative watch?
FOX News
The practice of perceiving media messages the way one wants to
Selective perception
A short, pithy statement which is likely to attract media attention
Sound bite
Placing a certain slant on a story to deflect negative public attention against a politician
Spin control
An abandoned rule of the Democratic Party national convention in which the candidate with the most delegates from a state won all of the states’s convention votes
Unit Rule
