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US Politics > US Politics Final Exam > Flashcards

US Politics Final Exam Flashcards

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1
Q

What is public opinion?

A

General beliefs, attitudes, and sentiments of the general population on various
issues

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2
Q

How do we measure public opinion?

A
  1. Surveys and polls
  2. Sampling
  3. Focus Groups
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3
Q

What do we need to be careful of when we are measuring public opinion?

A
  1. Sampling bias
  2. Question wording and framing
  3. response bias
  4. Non- response bias
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4
Q

What are the origins of public opinion

A
  1. Attitudes
  2. Ideologies
  3. Partisanship
  4. Acquiring opinions
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5
Q

Name at least three issues where there is a gender gap in public opinion

A
  1. Reproductive Rights
  2. Pay equity
  3. Violence against women
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6
Q

How does partisanship impact public opinion

A

When people identify with a political party they are more likely to blindly support that party’s opinions and policies

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7
Q

What is the difference between polarization and partisanship?

A

Partisanship is loyalty to a specific political party, while polarization is the increasing ideological divide between different parties or groups.

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8
Q

What are the two stages of presidential campaigns?

A
  1. The primary campaign
  2. General election campaign
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9
Q

How are delegates to each party’s national convention chosen

A

Delegates to the Democratic and Republican National Convention are allocated based on the results of primary elections and caucuses held in each state

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10
Q

How has the delegate selection changed?
a) prior to 1968:
b) since 1972:

A

A) Prior to 1968 delegates were chosen by party elites in an undemocratic process

B) Since 1972, Mandated that delegates be chosen through open primary elections

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11
Q

How does turnout in a primary election differ from that in a general election?

A

Turnout is lower because only members from the party can vote in a primary election

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12
Q

What is the special voting theory?

A

People support candidates who allign best with their relative views.

This theory explains how candidates strategically position themselves to attract the most voters by broadening their stance to appeal to more people

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13
Q

what is the Median Voter Hypothesis

A

The theory that political parties will often towards the ideological center to attract the most voters rather than picking one extreme stance

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14
Q

When does the general election campaign begin

A

One a candidate is officially nominated as the party’s candidate for president

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15
Q

Who is really elected in November? (Electors – who are they?)

A

Electors who are people who have pledged to support a party. Voters elect them and then the winning electors who make up the electoral college will vote in december for the political party they pledged to.

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16
Q

What is the formula which determines how many elector votes are given to each state?

A

You add the number of senators (2) from a state to the amount of house representatives ( based on population)

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17
Q

Why did the Founders choose this way of electing the president?

A

The electoral college was a compromise between electing a president via congress and through a popular vote. It gives smaller states more of a voice in the election process

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18
Q

What is the current practice for choosing electors?

A

Political parties in each state nominate a slate of electors who pledge to stay loyal to the party if they win the popular vote.

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19
Q

What are five possible flaws in the Electoral College system?

A
  1. Smaller states have bigger influence than they should
  2. Winner takes all system
  3. Electors may not stay loyal to the party that elected them
  4. The popular votes essentially means nothing
  5. it discourages smaller parties from running because it is winner takes all
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20
Q

How has turnout changed over the course of US political history?

A

Voter turnout has fluctuated throughout history, Spiking after significant social movements, Currently sits between 50-60%

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21
Q

What are the Legal Structures that affect voter turnout?

A
  1. Voter registration laws
  2. voting accessibility
  3. voter id laws
  4. Gerrymandering
  5. Language accessibility
22
Q

What are the Social Structures (demographics) that affect voter turnout? What is the most important?

A
  1. Age
  2. Education
  3. Income and socioeconomic status
  4. Race and ethnicity
  5. Gender
23
Q

What is the calculus of voting? If it costs time and effort to vote and it probably won’t make a difference, why would people vote at all?

A

The rational decision making process people use when deciding whether or not to vote in an election.

People vote because:
1. Civil duty
2. Symbolic expression
3. Peer pressure

24
Q

What are the causes of decline in voter turnout between the 1960s and 1980s? What is the most significant cause?

A

Party realignment.

During this time there was lots of significant socially upheaval these movements forced parties to take a position which upset a lot of people.

25
Q

What is the Funnel of Causality? What are the major factors that impact vote choice in this model?

A

The Funnel of Causality is a model used to understand the factors that influence an individual’s vote choice. The funnel narrows the range of options for a voter.

  1. Socioeconomic factors
  2. Partisanship
    3.Issue positions
26
Q

How strong is the link between partisanship and vote choice? (That is: how often do people vote for the candidate from their own party?)

A

Very strong

27
Q

What happens to the president’s party at the midterm election

A

The president’s party usually faces lots of challenges, often losing seats in congress

Known as the “midterm curse”

28
Q

Explain the theory of “surge and decline” and how does it explain why presidents typically lose seats at the midterm?

A

This theory explains how a president’s party experiences a surge in support during presidential elections followed by a decline in support during midterm elections.

When a president is elected he has high expectations because he has made lots of promises however they cannot and will not do everything they say they will

29
Q

What are PACs?

A

Political action committees are organizations that raise money to influence elections and public policy

30
Q

What are SuperPACs?

A

Organizations that are permitted to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions and individuals to independently support a oppose candidates for federal office

31
Q

What are 501©(4) organizations or Social Welfare Groups?

A

nonprofit organizations allowed to engage ctivities related to social welfare and civic engagement, including lobbying and some political activities. However, unlike political action committees (PACs) or Super PACs, 501(c)(4) organizations are not primarily focused on electoral politics.

32
Q

What are political parties?

A
  • Mediating institutions that represent the values of individuals
  • Runs candidates for office in order to influence public policy
33
Q

Why aren’t there as many political parties in the United States as there are in other countries?
Three “hypotheses”

A
  1. Ideological distribution of the electorate
  2. Historical Background
  3. The Electoral System
34
Q

What are the six different eras of party government in the U.S.?

A
  1. The origin of American Parties
  2. Organizational Innovation
  3. Entrepreneurial Politics
  4. Republican Ascendancy
  5. The New Deal Coalition
35
Q

What is a realignment?

A

A significant shift in political and electoral landscape.

  • Changes in voter behavior
  • Changes in party coalitions
  • Changes in partisan alignments
36
Q

What is the “New Deal Realignment”

A

A significant shift in american politics and the party system during the 1930s and 1940s. This was in response to FDR’s New Deal Policies and the economic and social challenges of The Great Depression.

37
Q

What is “ideology”?

A

A system of beliefs, values, and principles that shape an individual’s understanding of the world

38
Q

What are the three major ideological types evident in Western Europe?

A
  1. Liberalism
  2. Conservatism
  3. Socialism
39
Q

What is the background of each ideology? What major authors or political personalities are linked with each?

A

Liberalism: Emerges in the18th and 19th centuries in response to monarchies

  • John Locke
  • Adam Smith

Conservatism: Emerged in response to the social and political upheavals of the late 18th and 19th centuries

  • Edmund Burke

Socialism: Emerged in the 19th century as a response to social and economic inequalities

  • Karl Marx
40
Q

Why are there two major parties in the US?

A
  • The electoral college system favors big parties and detwers smaller ones because it is a Winner-Takes-all system
  • Historical Legacy
41
Q

How does Duverger’s Law influence the US party system?

A

The law that explains why the electoral system produces a two party system

  • Winner-Takes-All electoral system
42
Q

What are Mediating Institutions? Give examples.

A

Institutions such as political parties, Trade unions, Business associations, and religious institutions that connect individuals with social, political, and economic systems.

43
Q

What are interest groups? Give some examples.

A

Organizations that seek to influence public policy and government decisions on behalf of specific interests.

  • The NRA
  • ABA
  • ANA
44
Q

What is the “pluralist defense” of interest groups? What is Madison’s answer to faction? What would Schattsneider say in response?

A

The “Pluralism defense” is an argument that views interest groups as essential components of a democratic government.

45
Q

What is the Free Rider Problem that interest groups have

A

Individuals that are not a part of interest groups will still benefit from them without contributing to its cost or efforts

  • Collective benefits
46
Q

How do interest groups overcome the “Free Rider” problem?

A
  1. Selective incentives to encourage participation and support
  2. Peer pressure
  3. Membership dues and fee to keep members invested
47
Q

What types of interests do organized interests typically “over-represent” in our democracy?

A
  • Large corporation interests
  • Wealthy individuals
  • Professional trade associations
48
Q

What is lobbying?

A

Lobbying is the practice of seeking to influence government decisions, policies, or legislation on behalf of individuals, organizations, or interest groups

49
Q

What is the difference between insider lobbying and outsider lobbying?

A
  • Insider lobbying involves direct communication with government officials to influence policy decisions
  • Outsider lobbying uses public pressure like rallies or protests to influence policymakers.
50
Q

How do interest groups influence Congress?

A
  • Direct lobbying
  • Campaign contributions
  • Through the media
  • Social media

US Politics (1 decks)

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