Chapters 6/9/10 Test Flashcards

1
Q

9/11 Opinion Poll

A

abnormal nearly universal opinion; most said it was an act of war that demanded an immediate response by force

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2
Q

public opinion

A

the distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues

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3
Q

public opinion characteristics

A

saliency (to what degree is an issue important to individual group), intensity, stability

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4
Q

demography

A

the science of population changes

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5
Q

census

A

a tool for understanding geographic changes; Constitution requires that the government conduct an “actual enumeration” of the population every 10 years

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6
Q

waves of immigration

A

1600s-mid 1800s (N.W. Europeans); late 1800s-early 1900s (S.W. Europeans) ; late 1900s-today (Hispanics, Asians, Middle Easterners)

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7
Q

melting pot (vs. salad bowl)

A

the mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation (blends vs. cultures stay separate )

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8
Q

minority majority

A

the emergence of a non-Caucasian majority, as compared with a White, generally Anglo-Saxon majority; by 2045 hispanics, blacks, and asians will outnumber whites

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9
Q

Simpson-Mazzoli Act

A

requires that employers document the citizenship of their employees; civil and criminal penalties can be assessed against employers who knowingly employ undocumented immigrants

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10
Q

reapportionment

A

process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census; created by Reapportionment Act of 1929 with 535 delegates

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11
Q

social security expense

A

1940: 42 workers per retiree
2040: two workers per retiree
pay as you go system will be under stress

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12
Q

political socialization

A

the process through which a young person acquires political orientations as they grow up

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13
Q

informal vs. formal learning

A

home/most vs. school classes

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14
Q

methods of political socialization

A

family, mass media, school

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15
Q

general public vs. issue public

A

issue public concerns smaller group

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16
Q

sample

A

relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole

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17
Q

random sampling

A

key technique used by sophisticated survey researchers, everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample

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18
Q

sampling error

A

level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll; more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results

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19
Q

question wording

A

of a sample; shouldn’t be suggestive

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20
Q

random-digit dialing

A

technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey

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21
Q

bandwagon effect

A

voters who support a candidate merely because they see that others are doing so

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22
Q

exit poll

A

public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision

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23
Q

political ideology

A

coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose; helps give meaning to political events, personalities, and policies

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24
Q

liberal vs. conservative

A

chart

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25
Q

gender gap

A

refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates

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26
Q

religiosity

A

the degree of religiousness; how religious one is

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27
Q

ideologues

A

people who think in ideological terms

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28
Q

group benefit voters

A

think of politics mainly in terms of the groups they like or dislike

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29
Q

nature of the times voters

A

handle on politics limited to whether the times were good or bad to them; might link party in control with country’s mis/fortune

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30
Q

no issue content voters

A

voters devoid of any ideological or issue content; voted routinely for a party or judged solely on personalities

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31
Q

political participation

A

all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue

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32
Q

conventional participation

A

widely accepted modes of influencing government (e.g. voting, petitions, running for office, etc.)

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33
Q

unconventional participation

A

dramatic activities (e.g. protesting, civil disobedience, violence, etc.)

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34
Q

protest

A

for of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics

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35
Q

civil disobedience

A

form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences

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36
Q

campaign strategy

A

master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign

37
Q

caucus

A

a meeting of all state party leaders for selecting delegates to the national party convention; *usually organized as a pyramid *

38
Q

party bosses

A

state party leaders who historically controlled who went to the convention and how the state’s delegates voted once they got there

39
Q

patronage

A

key inducement used by party machine; job, promotion, or contract given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone

40
Q

Iowa caucus

A

first one to happen; lots of media attention/campaigning there because sets momentum/etc. for candidates

41
Q

primary election

A

presidential primary: elections in which voters in a state vote for a candidate (or delegates pledged to them)

42
Q

open primary

A

not required to declare party affiliation

43
Q

closed primary

A

primary limited to registered party members; encourages party loyalty

44
Q

McGovern-Fraser Commission

A

formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation

45
Q

super delegates

A

national party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention

46
Q

New Hampshire primary

A

first one; similar to Iowa caucus; lots of campaigning/= important for candidates

47
Q

frontloading

A

recent tendency of states to hold primaries early int he calendar in order to capitalize on media attention

48
Q

criticism of primary/caucus system

A

low voter turnout, disproportionate attention goes to the early caucuses and primaries, prominent politicians find it difficult to taker time out of their duties to run, money plays too big a role, participation is low and unrepresentative, system gives too much power to the media

49
Q

national primary

A

proposal by critics of the caucuses and presidential primaries, which would replace these electoral methods with a nationwide primary held early in the election year

50
Q

national party convention

A

the supreme power within each of the parties; meets every four years to nominate the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates and to write the party’s platform

51
Q

party platform

A

a political party’s statement of its goals and policies of rate next four years; drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate’s strength; best formal state of a party’s beliefs

52
Q

direct mail

A

high-tech method of raising money for a political cause or candidate; involves sending info and requests for money to people whose names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past

53
Q

Federal Election Campaign Act

A

1974 law passed for reforming campaign finances; created the Federal Election Commission, provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions

54
Q

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

A

six member-bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974; administers and enforces campaign finance laws

55
Q

Presidential Election Campaign Fund

A

money from the $3 federal income tax check-off goes into this fund, which is then distributed to qualified candidates to subsidize their presidential campaigns

56
Q

matching funds

A

contributions of up to $250 are matched from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to candidates for the presidential nomination who qualify and agree to meet various conditions such as limiting their overall spending

57
Q

hard money

A

political contributions that are limited in amount and fully disclosed; antonym of soft money

58
Q

Buckley v. Valeo

A

The Supreme Court struck down, as a violation of free speech, the portion of the Federal Election Campaign Act that had limited the amount individuals could contribute to their own campaigns

59
Q

McCain-Feingold Act

A

major provision banned soft money contributions

60
Q

soft money

A

political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grass-roots level or for generic party advertising; such party donations are not subject to contribution limits, unlike money that goes to the campaign of a particular candidate; banned by McCain-Feingold Act

61
Q

527 groups

A

independent groups that seek to influence the political process but are not subject to contribution restrictions because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates

62
Q

political action committees (PACs)

A

funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms; a corporation, union, or some other interest group can create a political action committee and register it with the Federal Election Commission ,which will meticulously monitor the PAC’s expenditures

63
Q

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

A

Political spending is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment, and the government may not keep corporations or unions from spending money to support or denounce individual candidates in elections. While corporations or unions may not give money directly to campaigns, they may seek to persuade the voting public through other means, including ads, especially where these ads were not broadcast. (created super PACs)

64
Q

super PACs

A

a type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.

65
Q

selective perception

A

the phenomenon that people often pay the most attention to things they already grew with and interpret them according to their own predispositions

66
Q

legitimacy

A

a characterization of elections by political scientists meaning that they are almost universally accepted as a fair and free method of selecting political leaders; when legitimacy is high, as in the United States, even the losers accept the results peacefully

67
Q

referendum

A

a state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment

68
Q

initiative petition

A

a process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on petitions calling for such a referendum

69
Q

recall

A

a procedure that allows voters to call a special election for a specific official in an attempt to throw them out of office before the end of their term; recalls are only permitted in 17 stets, are seldom used because of their cost and disruptiveness, and are rarely successful

70
Q

1800 Election

A

Adams v. Jefferson -> Jefferson v. Boar; first election transition of power

71
Q

1896 Election

A

Bitter Fight over economic interest; McKinley v. Bryan; McKinley = gold standard/high tariffs

72
Q

2008 election

A

election about change; McCain v. Obama

73
Q

Amendments 15,23

A

15 = black men right to vote, 23 = D.C. can vote

74
Q

Amendments 17, 19, 24

A

17 = citizens elect the Senate, 19 = women, 24 = poll taxes

75
Q

political efficacy

A

the belief that one’s political participation really matters, that one’s vote can actually make a difference

76
Q

civic duty

A

the belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote

77
Q

voter registration

A

a system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day; a few states permit Election Day registration

78
Q

Motor Voter Act

A

pass in 1993, went into effect for the 1996 election; requires states to permit people to register to vote at the same time they apply for their driver’s license

79
Q

demographics of who votes

A

more educated individuals, older people, white people, women, married people, government workers

80
Q

mandate theory of elections

A

the idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out their platforms and politics; politicians lie the theory better than political scientists do

81
Q

major elements of voters’ decisions

A

voters’ party identification, voters’ evaluation of the candidates, the match between voters’ policy positions and those of the candidates and parties

82
Q

policy voting

A

electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters’ policy preferences and on the basis of where the candidates stand on policy issues

83
Q

winner-take-all system

A

an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies

84
Q

Nebraska and Maine

A

the only states that do not have a winner-take-all system

85
Q

retrospective voting

A

a theory of voting ins which voters essentially ask this simple question: “What have you done for me lately?”

86
Q

consensus opinion vs. divisive opinion

A

agreement vs. polarized public opinions on issue

87
Q

Newton’s First Law

A

unless external forces act upon an object, it will remain at rest or moving linearly with a uniform speed

88
Q

Newton’s Third Law

A

every action has an equal and opposite reaction