US politics Flashcards
What percentage of American citizens don’t have ID?
11%
Name an example of US voter ID laws being discriminatory
Texas allows concealed weapons permits for voting, but does not accept student ID cards.
Name 2 examples of pressure groups using legal methods to campaign for civil right
NAACP funded 1954 Brown v Board
ACLU brought Obergefell v Hodges 2015
Name an example of a pressure group funding elections
NRA spent over 50million in support of Republicans in 2016
Name an example of a revolving door congress member and what they did
Eugene Scalia - worked under George W Bush, then lobbied for Chamber of Commerce, then became Secretary of Labour 2019
How are pressure groups protected under the Constitution?
First amendment freedom of speech
Name an example of pressure groups lobbying
Over 3 billion spent in 2010, most of which was to influence Obama’s Affordable Care Act
Name 2 examples of pressure groups using direct action
NAACP sit ins
Black Lives Matter marches
Name an example of the limits of pressure groups
Pro-establishment Hillary Clinton had far more funding than Trump but still lost election
How are PACs limited?
Can only donate $5k to election campaigns
What 2 cases allowed super PACs to exist? Summarise both
BOTH 2010
Speechnow.org v. Federal Election Commission : individuals should be able to donated unlimited amounts to political committees
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission: outsider groups can spend unlimited amounts on federal elections
How much did Super PACs spend in 2020 on the election?
$1.8 billion
Name an example of Super PACs causing elitism
Billionaire Sheldon Adelson donated over $170mn to pro-Republican super PACs in 2020 election cycle
Name 2 PACs, one GOP and one Dem supporting, in the 2020 election and how much they spent
American Federation of Teachers - $2.4mil on Dems
National Association of Realtors - $1.9mn on GOP
Name an example for and against of US pressure groups encouraging pluralism
- for: Abortion views coexist e.g EMILY’s list and Planned Parenthood vs. National Right to Life
- against: elitism - NRA - minority with lots of money over majority
Name an example of US pressure groups representing unheard voices
EMILY’s List - help elect Democratic women xandisates
Name an example of a pressure group with power over congress and how it does this
NRA - donates large amounts to GOP so they maintain gun laws
Name an example for and against party unity in Congress
For: 2018 House: Rep stuck with party 91%, Dem stuck with party 89%
Against: Bipartisan acts e.g COVID CARES
Name an example for parties being renewed in the US
Hyperpartisanship - in 2015 there was no ideological overlap at all between the parties
Name an example of parties being in decline
Inner party division on key issues e.g Democrats on defunding the police
Name 2 examples of 3rd parties being signifant in US politics
2000 Bush v Gore - Gore lost because of Ralph Nader in Florida getting votes
Both main parties co-opted Ross Perot’s policy of a balanced budget after his success
Name an example of 3rd parties being less significant in US politics
Not won any votes since George Wallace in 1968
Name 3 examples of Democrat factions and what they stand for
New Democrat - centrist, some overlap w/ other factions
Blue Dog - moderate, fiscal responsibility
Congressional Progressive Caucus - left, more liberal
Name an example of a congressperson in two Democrat factions
Henry Cuellar - New Democrat and Blue Dog
Name 3 examples of Republican factions and what they stand for
Tuesday Group - Moderate
Republican Study Committee - limited gov, traditional values
Freedom caucus - most right, Trump supporters
Name an example of the Republican party become more right wing
Republican study committee now includes most Republicans whereas it used to be more right wing members
Name 3 examples of Democrat policies
Right to abortion
Gun control
Greater equality e.g Medicaid
Name 3 examples of Republican policies
Low tax
Anti-abortion
Guns allowed protect 2nd amendment
Name an example of a local state party
Alaskan Independence Party
Name an example of how the US parties have changed in the last 50 years
Democrat ‘Solid South’ collapsed after Civil Rights Act 1964
Both became less centrist - GOP anti abortion and feminism, religious right; Dems pro LBGT and abrotion
Name the 3 organisational features of US parties
Lack of a leader
State-based
Interest group involvement informally
Name an example of an associated group that organises a party and how it does this
Democratic Socialists of America endorsed candidates e.g AOC
Name an example of central party structures being important to the election of candidates
Steve King (Iowa 4) lost his primary due to House Leader Mitch McConnell removing support due to racist comments
Name 4 examples of landmark Civil irghts cases in the US supreme court
Brown v Board 1954
Roe v Wade 1973
Obergefell v Hodges 2015
District of Colombia v. Heller 2008
Name a landmark Act of Congress that provided civil rights
Voting Rights Act 1965 removed restrictions on African American voting
What does the 2nd Amendment provide?
Right to gun
What does the 13th Amendment provide?
Abolish slavery
What does the 14th Amendment provide?
Gave former enslaved people full citizenship and everyone ‘equal protection’ under the law
Name 3 amendments that furthered voting rig and what they did
15th Amendment - all men
19th Amendment - all women
24th Amendment - right to vote without paying tax (disproportionately affected AA)
Who campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment, how many states ratified it, and what would it have provided?
NOW (National Organisation for Women)
Ratified by 35 states
Would have prevented discrimination based on gender
Name 2 pressure groups that campaign for civil rights and liberites
ACLU (libs)
NAACP (rights)
In what case was Affirmative action confirmed to be legal?
Fisher v University of Texas 2016
Name 3 examples civil liberties
Freedom of speech
Freedom of Religion
Right to fair trial
What percentage of Americans want the electoral college, and when was this survey taken?
2020 poll, 61% wanted EC abolished
Name an example of the number of competitive districts (those won by less than 10%) changing, and say what this means
Decreased from 111 in 1992 to 65 in 2012
Makes it harder for party control to change hands
Name one example of a proposition being rejected and one being accepted and say what year they are from
2016: Marijuana legalised in California via proposition,
Marijuana proposition defeated in Arizona
Say how many recall elections have succeeded in the US. Give an example of one of these, and also of one that failed
2 suceeded e.g Gray Davies defeated by Arnold Swarchnejwbsggger in 2003
Failure include 2021 Gavin Newson over ignoring his own COVID guidance
How many referendums were there in 2022 in the US?
140 statewide ballot measures in 2022
What success rate did incumbents have in the 2022 midterms?
US House had a 94.5% success rate for incumbents
Name an example of key issues shaping voter behaviour
2016 Hillary clinton emails
Name an example of leaders being more important than parties in presidential elections
Trump had 42 million twitter followers, Republican had 2.4 million
How many people watched the 2020 Presidential debate?
73 million
Name an example of money determining election outcome, and one example of money being less significant in outcome
Sig: in 2016, over 90% of House candidates that spent the most won their race
Less sig: Trump spent about half of Clinton and still won
How many states use runoff elections in their general election process when no candidate receives a majority, and name one of these
2: Georgia and Louisiana
How many states use runoff elections in their primary elections when no candidate receives a majority (except north carolina where its over 30% of the vote bc theyre weird), and name one of these
10 - Alabama or arkansas
Name an example for and against saying that the presidential nomination process is too long
For: Invisible primaries - Trump announced his intention to run in 2024 in 2022
Against: Prepares candidates, e.g Obama 2008 wasn’t used. to national politics only state level
Name an example of split ticket voting changing over time
196 split districts in 1984, 16 split districts in 2020
Name 2 examples of realigning elections and say who won and what was realigned
1968 - Nixon v Humphrey - South turned Republican after civil rights movement
2016 - Trump v Clinton - populism, small town whites in Upper Midwest voted Rep
Name 2 example of US voter turnout, one historic and one recent, saying how turnout has changed over time
1980: 53% voted, 2020: 62% voted
Increase
Name an examples of changing voter demographics
More hispanic voters (race that increased most), especially in battleground states like Florida
How did 9/11 impact voter behaviour, and how did 2008?
9/11: Republican
2008: more populism
Name a pressure group that scrutinises government and say what it checks
League of conservation voters - holds officials accountable when they vote against environmentally-friendly policies
Name a pressure group that countered high levels of absenteeism
NAACP
