american politics part 1 Flashcards

Question

what is a presidential primary

Answer 1

it is state based election to choose a party candidate for the presidency. it shows support for candidates among ordinary voters.

Answer 2

a series of state based meeting to choose a party's candidate for the presidency. they attract unrepetitive and low turnouts.

Answer 3

a primary is an election to choose a party candidate for an elective office, in this case the presidency. A dimishing number of states hold causes instead

Answer 4

a caucus is a meeting of a party supporter for the selection of a party candidate for an elective office.

Answer 5

-states that hold caucuses are usually large states but thinly populated, states such as iowa, north Dakota, and Nevada. -2016 republicans held caucuses in 10 states and the democrats held them in 14 states. -in 2020 the democrat did however hold caucuses in only four states north Dakota, Iowa and Wyoming.

Answer 6

in a caucuses would be voters must attend a meeting rather than to go to a polling station. -turnout is generally lower in causes than in primaries and those who do not turn out are disporptionatlely more ideological than primary voters -causes do tend to favour more ideological candidates -in 2020 just like Bernie sanders who is on the liberal wing of the democratic party did have soe strongest signs in a causes. winning two out of the four states and in three states finishing above joe bide

Answer 7

1. Pete Buttigieg (26.6%) 2. Berine sanders (26.1%) 3. Elizabeth warren ( 18%) 4. joe bidden (15.8%)

Answer 8

1. Berine sanders ( 46.6% ) 2. joe biden (20.2%) 3. pete Buttigieg (16.2%) 4. elizabeth warren ( 9.7%)

Answer 9

1. bernie sanders (53.3%) 2. joe Biden (39. 8%) 3. elizabeth warren (2.5%) 4. amy klobuchar (1.5%)

Answer 10

1. joe biden (72.2%) 2. bernie sanders ( 27.8%)

Answer 11

-outcome of 2020 democratic Iowa Caucuses was shrouded in controversy -took place in February 3 results were delayed for three days due to mainly problems with a newly created app and a coding error that was meant to simplify and speed up the process. -democratic national committee chair tom perez did state enough is enough and did demand full check

Answer 12

-did turn out that some votes had not been counted tom perez the democratic national committee chair did demand a full check of the all votes -chaos surrounding the results did lead to the resignation of the local party chair troy price. -bidden cam fourth and called it a ' gut punch'. in terms of picking the eventual winners and in providing a clear and swift result -seven states did switch from caucuses to the primary system for the 2020 democratic nomination contest the days of causes are numbered.

Answer 13

super Tuesday is a tuesday in February or early march when a number of states concide their presidential primaries and causes to try to gain influence.

Answer 14

the phenomenon by which a state schedules its presidential primaries and causes earlier in the nomination cycle in an attempt to increase their importance.

Answer 15

a closed primary is a primary in which only registered democrats can vote in the democratic primary and only registered republicans can vote in the republican primary.

Answer 16

a primary in which any registered voter can vote in either party's primary.

Answer 17

states must decide when to hold their primary. -national parties do usually lay down the earliest and latest possible dates - often mid January to the beginning of june - but within that period each state can decide its own date. -state such as new Hampshire do schedule their contest earley and on a day where no other primaries are held, giving then hope to give a primary their prominence that it would not otherwise have.

Answer 18

-some states do deliberately attempt to range their primaries to concide with those of other, often neighbouring states creating a regional primary. -2020 the first tuesday in march, when 14 states did arrange their primaries together was dubbed super tuesday. -first supper tuesday was held in 1988 to attempt to block southern states to increase their importance in the candidate selection process.

Answer 19

more states do like to schedule their primary in early election year, believing that the earlier the primaries have more influence over candidate selection. they do move to early scheduling called front loading.

Answer 20

-any registered vote can vote in a primary -in some states however when you register you are asked to declare your party affiliation a democrat or republican.

Answer 21

-do allow what is called cross over voting, it does mean that democrat voters could opt to parcipate in the republican party and vice versa -2012 the Wisconsin republican open primary 11% of voters did say they were democrats. while mitt romney won the primary overall with 44% of the vote to 37% for rick Santorum among democrats Santorum beat Romney by 20 percentage points.

Answer 22

result did suggest either these were conservative democrats who genuinely preferred Santorum's policies to those of either president Obama or mitt romney, or that they were mischievous democrats deliberately casting a vote for someone they perceived as an easier opponent for president in November.

Answer 23

-do allow those that have registered as independents to vote in either party primary. for example in new jersey primary in 2020 registered republican voters could vote only in the republican primary, registered democrats could vote only in the democratic primary could vote in either party's primary.

Answer 24

could also be classified according to how delegates to the national party conventions are chosen -in most primaries candidates win delegates in proportion to the votes that they get. They are known as proportional primaries. -most states get set a threshold, a minimum percentage of votes that a candidate must receive to get any of the states delegates, usually 10% or 15% of the vote. -all democrat and almost all republican primaries are now proportional primaries

Answer 25

-as donald trump did in 2020 the primaries for the president party go on with little or no coverage at all -some states don't both with a primary under such circumstance, e.g in arizona and south Carolina in 2020 were among the states that did dispense with a republican presidential primary. -incumbent presidents are usually renominated by their parties without any serious opposition. trump did face only token challenges in 2020 bill weld and mark Sanford, were never in serious contention.

Answer 26

all democrats and republicans do hold usually national party convention in the july august, or possibly early September of election year, which does usually last 3 to 4 days. -traditional for the challenging party to hold convention first -exceptional conditions of the covid 19 pandemic meant that these for 2020 were virtual affairs.

Answer 27

-democratic convention postponed by a month, was held in Milwaukee as planned but on a much smaller scale most speeches were delivered remotely in 2020. -republican convention was scheduled for charlotte north Carolina, and then moved to Jacksonville Florida when charlottes city authorities refused president trumps demand for the convention to take place wit full crowd and no public health measures such as social distancing -republicans did hold the first day of their convention including the formal nomination in charlotte under 330 attendees and days in Washington dc including pre taped speeches.

Answer 28

national party conventions were traditionally said to perform three formal functions choosing the partys presidential candidate, choosing the partys vice presidential candidate, deciding the party's platform.

Answer 29

-conventions do choose party's presidential candidate in a roll call vote, each state delegates announce which candidate they wish to vote for. -in pre reform days delegates came to the convention and made up there minds in convention hall but today most delegates arrive at the convention as committed delegates, committed to vote for a candidate in first ballot if a candidate is still in the race. -result of the convention ballot to choose the presidential candidate is a forgotten conclusion as it is known before hand

Answer 30

-to win the presidential nomination a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the delegate votes. so in 2020 joe Biden had the support of 2687 delegates easily exceeding the 1991 to secure the nomination.

Answer 31

- to win Presidental nomination a candidate would have to receive an absolute majority of the delegate vote. in 2020 joe Biden did have support of 2,687 delegates exceeding 1991 needed to secure nomination. -convention does confirm the party's presidential candidate rather than chooses. -if no candidate does gain an absolute majority then the balloting does continue until one candidate does so in what is called a brokered convention.

Answer 32

-during these ballots delegates doe become free agents, no longer committed to vote for a certain candidate. party leaders do dread this proposect leading as it would to an open display of intra party welfare and factionalism. -modern party convention is all about positive publicity, display of unity and grabbing the headline for the right reasons. exercises in meangiful democracy they are not.

Answer 33

-conventions role in choosing the vice president has lost in the last 2 decades. -convection is n longer he forum for the announcement of the running mate, last convention at which this happened was the republican convention in 1988. -kamala haris was announced as bidens running mate a few days before the democratic convention in 2020.

Answer 34

party platform is a document that does contain policies which the candidate does intend to pursue if elected. It is put together by the platform commitee under the direction of the party national committee. platform committee holds hearing around the country's during the first 6 months of the election year. -national committee does then agree to draft the platform which is presented to delegates at the national party convention. there could be debates at the convention on various parts of the platform known as planks. however recently parties have sought to avoid debates on policy issues at conventions. media does portray such debates as a divided party

Answer 35

the national committee does agree to hold a platform, this could include debates. In 2016 the most continuous platform debate was on issues regarding sexuality at the republican convention. the platform committee did propose a platform with a staunchly conservative view on homosexuality, same sex marriage and transgender issues calling for an overturning of Obergefell v Hodges, (2015) which declared same sex marriage legal. -when platform came to the convention floor it was however proved a voice vote with only a few nays audible. due in part to covid 19 the republican party did choose not to write a new platform in 2020 but runt the same again.

Answer 36

the national committee does agree to hold a platform, this could include debates. in the 2020 democratic platform there was a 90 page document that did put together policy aspirations. The platform did avoid the Medicare for all policy favoured by sanders during the primaries, instead promising to protect strengthen,, and build upon our bedrock health care programmes that included affordable care act. -added private insurance need real competition to ensure they have incentive to provide affordable coverage to every American's. -there were also endorsement such as supporting statehood for Washington dc and finding a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Answer 37

the national committee does agree to hold a platform, this could include debates. The democratic platform adopted at its 2020 convention a 90 page document containing a range of policy aspirations across all main areas, foreign and domestic. put together by committee of both progressive and moderate wing of the party, some pledges included the covi 19 pandemic. -did include increased funding for centre of disease control and prevention, and providing more aid to state and local government for initiative such as contract training.

Answer 38

-a lot of what is in the party platform is little more than support for motherhood, the American dream and apple pie. -there are significant differences in certain policies.

Answer 39

the 2016 republican platform did state the issue on abortion and right to life as' we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed' the democratic platform on the other hand did assert that ' we believe unequivocally, that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care service, including safe and legal abortion regardless of where she lives, how much money she make or how she is insured'

Answer 40

an incumbent president is a person who currently hold an office, in this case the elected office. they can benefit from an advantage often called the incumbency effect.

Answer 41

When an incumbent president is running or re election as Barack Obama did in 2012 the primaries for he president parties go on with little or no coverage at all. Some states do not both with a primary under such circumstances, e. g in 2012 Virginia south Carolina, new York, Florida were among the states that dispensed with a democratic presidential, primary. Incumbent presidents are usually re nominated by their parties without any serious opposition. It was the case in Ronald Reagan in 1984, bill Clinton in 1996 George w bush in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2012.

Answer 42

President Obama was embarrassed during 2012 democratic primaries to receive less than 90% of the primary vote in 14 states, failing to reach 60% in west Virginia, Arkansas (58%), Kentucky (58%), and Oklahoma (57%). In west Virginia the president opponent Keith Judd did win more than 40% of the vote despite the fact that he was at the time serving a lengthy prison sentence for extortion. President Obama showing of 92% of the total democratic primary vote was certainly in line with other incumbent presidents who went on to win in November. It was better performance than president Clinton in 1996.

Answer 43

Ronald Reagan was republican and in the year 1984 he did receive 99% of the primary vote the result of the election was that he won.

Answer 44

Ronald Reagan was republican and in the year 1984 he did receive 99% of the primary vote the result of the election was that he won.

Answer 45

george w bush, republican president in the year 2004 who received 98% percentage of the primary vote. the result of the election was that they won.

Answer 46

barrack Obama was democratic and did run for re-election in 2012 he did receive 92% of the primary vote. the result was that he won.

Answer 47

bill Clinton was democratic, and running for re-election in the year 1996. The percentage of primary vote was 89 per cent. The result was that he won the election by 89 per cent of the primary vote.

Answer 48

George hw bush was a republican incumbent president who did loose his election as he only received 72 % of the primary vote in 1992.

Answer 49

Gerald ford was a republican president that did have 53 per cent of the primary vote. He did loose the election.

Answer 50

jimmy carter is democratic president in year 1980 he did run for the election, and did receive 51 per cent of the primary vote. the result of the election was that jimmy carter did loose.

Answer 51

in the elections of 1976, 1980 and 1992, the incumbent president did face significant opposition from within his own party and therefore the primaries and caucuses were hard fought even in the president party. In 1976 the republican president Gerald ford faced a strong challenge from the former governor of California Ronald Reagan..

Answer 52

in 1980 president jimmy carter faced an equally stiff challenge from senator Edward Kennedy in the democratic primaries. Senator Kennedy won 12 states contest including the primaries in new York and California. In 1992 president George hw bush had to fight off a challenge from the conservative commentator pat Buchanan in the republican primaries. Although Buchanan did not win any of the primaries and caucuses. Hi 37% in the new Hampshire primary was a great embarrassment for bush, Buchanan went on to win more than a quarter of the vote in a dozen states.

Answer 53

although all these three presidents saw off their primary challengers, they all went on to loose in a general election. A strong primary challenge for the president makes him damaged goods even before he faces his real opponents in the general election. Criticism that is made of the president within his own party is the primaries is often recycled as damaging campaign material by his opponent later in the year. As robin toner said in the new York times in February 1992 of Buchanan’s criticism of president bush in that year republican primaries ‘ down the road Mr bush will confront a democratic party that has now been given a road map of his vulnerabilities’ by Mr Buchanan and what exactly happened.

Answer 54

As a parody of presidents bush broken pledge not to raise taxes, ‘read my lips no taxes’ Buchanan has used the slogan ‘ read out lips no second term needless to say, this did become a favourite with the campaigns of bill Clinton and ross Perot in the autumn of 1992. This is why it is so important for an incumbent president to avoid an significant challenge in the primaries.

Answer 55

Since the McGovern Fraser reforms of the nomination process in the late 1960s participation in presidential primaries has greatly increased. This has been partly due to more states hold primaries. In 1968 the last nomination cycle under the pre reform system, just 12 million people participate in the 17 democratic and 16 republican presidential primaries, which did represent around 11 % of the voting age population. -in 2016 around 61 million people participated in the 37 democratic and republican primaries, which represented under 29% of the voting age population.

Answer 56

Turnout does vary form state to state, even within the same election cycle. For example in 2016 while new Hampshire over 52% of eligible voters participate in the presidential primaries turnout was just 18% in Louisiana. In 2016 14 states saw over one third of eligible voters participate in the primaries The lowest runouts were as usual in caucus states with the Kansas caucuses attracting just 5.5 % of he states eligible voters. Even the Iowa caucuses for all the media hoopla attracted a turnout of just 15. 7%.

Answer 57

Turnout does vary between demographic groups. Stephen Wayne (2001) found that the better educated, higher income and older member of the electorate are a lot more likely to vote in primaries than are younger, less educated and poorer people In the north Carolina republican primary in 2016 for example over half of the voters had a college degree one third earned more than $100000 per year and three quarters of voters were 45 or older with only 6% being aged 24 or younger. There is a belief that primary voters are more ideologically extreme in their political beliefs than the general election voters, though the evidence if mixed. In the same north Carolina republican primary 37% described themselves as being very conservative.

Answer 58

Open primaries that do allow any registered voter to vote in either primary, are likely to attract higher turnout than closed primaries in which only self identified party supporters can vote. This is true when only one party does have a competitive race, as was shown in 2012. Of 11states which held open primaries in the republican contest in 2012 ten did see an increase in turnout on 2008 with turnout in Wisconsin up 92% and in Mississippi up 105%. On the other hand of the 15 states that did hold closed primaries in the 212 republican contest, only two did seen an increase in turnout. In Connecticut turnout was down 61% on 2008 and in new York it was down 71%.

Answer 59

In 2008 and 2016 both parties that had a competitive nomination race, turnout was significantly higher than in 2004 and 2012 when only one party did have a competitive race, neither john Kerry for the democrats in 2004 nor mitt Romney for the republican inspired a great deal of voter enthusiasm.

Answer 60

Primaries scheduled early in the nomination race will be more likely to attract higher turnout than those coming towards the end of the cycle when the identity of the nominee is already known. In 2008 the new York republican primary was held on 5 February, that years super Tuesday when the race for the republican nomination was still undecided and a total of 642, 894 voters were cast. In 2012 the new York republican primary was held on 24 April by which most of the republican candidate had dropped out of the race, leaving mitt Romney as the presumed nominee. Romney won 62% of the vote but the turnout was just 189, 599. This again accounts for the higher than usual primary turnout in 2016, with both parties nomination contest running well into the second half of the primary calendar.

Answer 61

The presidential primaries play an important role in the process of choosing presidential candidates. In the 1950s and 1960s a lot of states did not hold a presidential primaries. The parties preferred to control candidates selection through a series of state party conventions. Whereas any registered voter can vote in a primary of caucus only certain party members could participate in these state conventions. In the ‘ smoke filled rooms’ decisions were made by party bosses powerful state leaders such as city mayors. It was them that did decide who would become the party’s presidential candidate. The few primaries that were held were not decisive. In 1969 in neither party did the overall winner of the primaries get his party presidential nomination.

Answer 62

The system was argued to be undemocratic, elitist non participatory and potentially corrupt. It was reformed at the instigation of the democratic party following the events at its 1968 national party convention.. that convention chose vice president Humphrey as the party’s presidential candidate despite the fact that he had not entered any primaries at all. The few votes he received were by voters that did write so called ‘ write in’ votes. Following Humphreys loss to Nixon in the general election that November the democrats established the McGovern Fraser commission to recommend reforms of the presidential nomination process. It was this commission that did lead to significant increase in the number of states holding presidential primaries from 1976 onwards. The nomination process has changed a lot over the last 40 years.

Answer 63

Increased participation -increased level of participation in ordinary voters -in 1968 the last year of the unreformed system only 11. 7 million did take part in the nomination process, or 11% Of the voting age population. -by 1988 the figure was 35 million or 21% of the voting age population. In 2016 61 million Americans did take part in the nomination process, or just short of 30% of the voting age population. Increased choice

Answer 64

Politicians who do not initially have a national reputation such as jimmy carter ( 1976), bill Clinton ( 1992) and Barack Obama (2008). In 2016 the primaries were the only way that Donald trump could emerge as the presidential candidate, someone with no previous experience of elective office and who was opposed by most of the hierarchy of his own party. -more choice in candidates -in 1968 there were just five presidential candidates to choose from, three democrats and two republicans -In 2016 there were 22 candidates, 17 republicans and five democrats Open to outsiders

Answer 65

Gruelling race through the primary is seen by many as an demanding test for a demanding job. -in 1992 senator Paul Tsongas who had fought back form cancer to run for the presidency was seen to have a lighter schedule than his rivals. -although many admired Tsongas as a person and liked his policies, they saw in the primaries that he could not have the physical resilience to be a president. -in 2008 many suggested that Barack Obama was a stronger candidate after his gruelling primary battle with Hillary Clinton than he would have been had he won the nomination without a fight.

Answer 66

visibility and support for candidates - invisible primaries help candidates to gain visibility and build a platform for both support and campaign finance. there is a high correlation between who is leading the polls at the end of the invisible primary and who actually wins the presidential nomination. allows for a range of candidates - the first democrat debate in June 2019 and had 20 democrat candidates from all factors of the party.

Answer 67

scrutiny - invisible primaries allow candidates to be scrutinised in print, televisual and electronic media. in the 2011 debate governor rick perry of texas had a much publicised memory loss when he could not recall the three executive departments he would loose if he were president. he would later poll less than 1% of the vote in the new Hampshire primary. candidate can be road tested enabling potential flaws or hidden scandals to emerge before the general election.

Answer 68

lack of serious debate -the debates have so many candidates that the process is as much about soundbites as serious issues. the 2020 democratic primary race was especially crowded with close to 30 candidates bidding for the nomination at various stages in 2019. 20 candidates participated in the first televised debate with the candidate split into two groups debating over consecutive evenings. -dependent on fundraising candidate survival is heavily dependent on whether they can accumulate the necessary finance to conutie the campaign. the ability to fundraise is often seen as being more important than being the best candidate.

Answer 69

voter apathy - the process is long winded and can causes voter apathy. by the end of the invisible primaries a lot of voters have already been switched off by a steady stream foo tv ads and candidate debates. hidden scandals- not all scandals emerge at the invisible primary stage. the notorious Hollywood access tape featuring trumps lewd comments about women only surfaced during the presidential campaign itself.

Answer 70

maintain federalism - the variation seen in both primaries and caucuses allow states to assert their independence. states decide themselves whether to hold primaries or caucuses and also what form these should take such as whether they are open to closed.

Answer 71

voter apathy- both primaries and causes have low turnouts. in 2020 the Iowa caucus saw a turnout of 9.1% while the highest primary turnout in Montana was still only 45.7% of eligible voters. undemocratic critics argue that causes are dominated by a small groups who are selecting individuals they are comfortable with rather than always the best candidate for the presidency. fewer states are opting for this method of choosing convention delegates. Colorado was one state that ditched caucuses for 2020.

Answer 72

publicised the candidate this is the candidates chance both to engage with the party faithful present but alos to receive tv and internet coverage enabling national parcipation and involvement. -the national party convention usually leads to an increase in poll rating in the short term and the candidates hopes that this will snowball into national momentum in the weeks leading up to the election. set the narrative the successful candidate will attempt to define both themselves and their opponent on the key issues.

Answer 73

few major decisions are taken- in relating most key decisions e.g the selection of the running mate the party platform and the selection of the candidate themselves have already been decided before the convention. in this sense the conventions are more like prime time carefully choreographed coronations. soundbite coverage - the convention is often reduced to clips of acceptance and endorsement speeches from fellow politicians family members and celebrities with little policy detail.

Answer 74

-primaries can turn into bitter personal battles, and it is vital that internal party wounds are healed before the general election campaign begins. -divided parties are rarely winning parties. the convention gives a golden opportunity to heal the wounds. -the republican party convention in 2016 was less successful as a promote of party unity mainly because of the failure of a number of prominent republicans to support Donald trump as a candidate.

Answer 75

-can be seen as unsuccessful as even up to the opening of the republican convention some of trumps diehard opponents were still considering ways to deny him the nomination. -some leading republicans including 2012 presidential nominee mitt Romney and former president george w bush stayed away completely. -trumps former primary opponents while some were fully supportive e.g governor john kasich of ohio in whose states the convention was being held-stayed away.

Answer 76

can be seen as sometimes unsuccesufl in promoting party unity as shown in the 2016 republican convention. -when senator ted cruz trumps main rival in the primaries' took to the podium his 20 minute speech fialed to include an endorsement of the nominee closing with a call for people merely to ' vote your conscience' rather than ' vote for trump' -trumps supporters were infuriated and booed cruz off the stage. republican strategies must have been pleased as trump therefore went effectively unchallenged in 2020 avoiding such scenes even if covid 19 did force the abadomoment of the mass rally that trump desires.

Answer 77

-can be seen as not always successful in promoting a party of unity -during the 2020 democratic primary race there had been some sharp exchanges of view between Harris and bidden. Harris brought up Biden view from the 1970s against the policy of bussing which was designed to promote desegregation. -Biden was critised for his remark ' go easy on me kid' made before one of the primary debates, regarded by some as dismissive and patriosing towards an experienced 54 year old senator.

Answer 78

-the democratic national party convention did give biden and Harris a golden opportunity to come together in and exercise in unity and mutual administration. -so on the penumilate night, Harris praised the man who was to become the usa 46th president. -harris said ' what also moved me about joe was the work he did. this is the leader who wrote the violence against women act, and enacted the assault weapons ban, who as vice president implemented the recovery act' -biden too was equally praising of haris ' i will have a great vice president at my side. senator kamala Harris. she is a powerful voice for this nation. her story is the American story'

Answer 79

-it is vital that the party faithful in all 50 states feel enthusiastic and committed as they head home to fight for their party and candidate during a 9 week campaign. -there will be meetings to organise, calls to make, literature to distribute and voters to transport to the polls, and they will be at the forefront of the organisation. -the convention provides an ideal oppounirty to enthuse the party faithful through speeches as well as through appearances by the partys past champions and heors.

Answer 80

-it is vital that the party faithful in all 50 states feel enthusiastic and committed. -in 2020 an inspirational speech at the democratic convention by former first lady Michelle's Obama attracted wide publicity following on from a powerful speech delivered in 2016. -one part of her speech provided a attack on the then president ' so let me be as onset and clear as i possibly can. Donald trumps is the wrong president for out country. he had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head'.

Answer 81

-as ordinary voters are not present in the convention hall they must be enthused through television. -there is one golden opportunity to gain the attention of the ordinary voters in the convention and that is when the newly adopted presidential candidate delivers the acceptance speech -traditionally on the conventions final night. -once the candidate has been selected and the policies finalised, voters may well tune in an take their first serious look at the party, its candidate and its policies.

Answer 82

first impressions can be important as most voters will not have paid attention to the primaries. -it can be especially important to give a good first impression if a Canidate is running for the second time as Donald trump was doing in 2016. -trump was the only person to win the republican presidential nomination at the first attempt since senator barry Goldwater in 1964, the other being george w bush in 2000. -president Biden did unsuccessfully run for the democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008.

Answer 83

-what was noteworthy about the 2020 acceptance speech was how different they were in tone and temper. -in his acceptance speech doanld trump did present a picture of a country with a stark choice before it. -'at no time before have voters faced a clear choice between two parties, two visions, two philopshers or two agendas. this elections will decide if we save the American dream or whether we allow a socialist agenda to demolish our cherished destiny'.

Answer 84

-as ordinary voters are not present in the voter hall it is important that they are enthused through the television. - 2020 democratic acceptance speech were very different in tone and temper. -joe bidens acceptance speech did include a more optimistic refrain of a nation. ' the current president has cloaked america in darkness for too much too long. too much anger. too much division. here and now i give you my word, if you entrust me with the presidency i will draw on the best of us not the worst.'

Answer 85

-opinion polls do register the immediate effect of the conventions, with instant polls showing that any increase the candidate has enjoyed as a result of the speech' the increase in the candidate polls rating as compared with the last pre convention poll is referred to as ' bounce'. -the importance of post conventions bounce can be exaggerated. -in an analysis of the impact of the political conventions since 1960 larry Sabato of the university of Virgina concluded that post convention polls signal the eventual outcome of the election about half the time.

Answer 86

-in an analysis of the impact of the political conventions since 1960 larry Sabato of the university of Virgina concluded that post convention polls signal the eventual outcome of the election about half the time. -' you could flip a coin and be about as predictive, says sabato. ' its really suprsing how quickly convention memories fade' the 2020 conventions produced no discernible bounce for either Canidate. -a cnn poll saw bidens support rise by just 1% post convention while trump actually saw his poll rating fall by 3%.

Answer 87

the only time the national parties meet together oppounnirty to promote party unity, especially after diverse primary campaigns. -oppountiry to enthuse party members and activists -introduce presidential and vice presidential candidates -delivery of presidential candidate acceptance speech.

Answer 88

-can lead to significant bounce in the polls -many voters don't tune in to the campaign until the conventions start -a significant number of voters make their decisions about who to support during the conventions.

Answer 89

NO vice presidential candidate now announced before, instead of during the convention party platform mostly agreed before rather than during the convention. -television coverage is much reduced nowadays. more balloons and hoopla is much reduced nowadays.

Answer 90

NO -More balloons and hoopla than serious policies. -2020 saw no conventions ' bounce' in the polls -the absences of the traditional large scale conventions in 2020 did not appear to alter the dynamics or fourtunes of either candidate signficantly.

Answer 91

-they still perform important functions. not only are they a time for celebrating a glorious past, but they can be important in identifying the rising stars of the nature. -in 2004 a little known state senator from Illinois wowed the democratic convention with his impressive keynote address. his name was barrack Obama and just 4 years later he returned to the convention as its presidential nominee.

Answer 92

the legislature ( to make the laws) the executive ( to carry out the laws) the judiciary ( to enforce and interpret the laws).

Answer 93

campaign finance does refer to all funds raised to promote candidates, political parties or policy initiatives and their agendas during an election. it is a major and often controversial aspect of America politics.

Answer 94

'there are two things that are important in politics; the first thing is money and i cant Rember what the second one is'

Answer 95

-the federal election campaign act of 1974 was a direct result of the Watergate scandal which brought down president nixon, made a number of changes by limiting the direct contributions ( hard money that individuals, unions and corporations could give, hoping to there by reduce candidates reliance on a few, very wealthy donors and equalise the amount of money spent by both the major parties. -the objective was praiseworthy and partly successful however the law was found to have too many loopholes and was weakened by both the supreme court and congress.

Answer 96

-in 1976 in buckley v valeo the supreme court ruled that limitations on what individuals or political actions committees could spend either supporting or opposing a candidate infringed first amendment rights and were therefore unconstitional. -in 1979 congress did weaken the law by allowing parties to raise money for such aspects as voter registration and get out the vote drives as well as ' party's building activities'. this so called soft money would soon be regarded by most observes as out of control, leading to the need of further reform.

Answer 97

-in 1976 in buckley v valeo the supreme court ruled that limitations on what individuals or political actions committees could spend either supporting or opposing a candidate infringed first amendment rights and were therefore unconstitional. -in 1979 congress did weaken the law by allowing parties to raise money for such aspects as voter registration and get out the vote drives as well as ' party's building activities'. this so called soft money would soon be regarded by most observes as out of control, leading to the need of further reform.

Answer 98

hard money is money donated directly to a political party or an individual candidate campaign. donations of this type are capped by federal law.

Answer 99

soft money is money donated indirectly to political parties and political action committees and therefore not tightly regulated by law.

Answer 100

-between 1976 and 2008 presidential campaigns were funded largely through what were known as matching funds - federal money administered by the newly formed fepc and given to presidential candidates who met certain criteria and agreed to certain limitations.

Answer 101

-in the 1976 presidential election the fepc paid out over $72 million in matching funds. -in 2008 however democrat nominee barrack Obama opted out of matching funds which did leave him free from fundraising and spending limitations imposed by the fepc. As a result he was able to gain significantly outspend his republican opponent john mccain who took the 84$ million in matching funds for his general election campaign. -this was though to be critical in Obama win in November and did set the pattern for the subsequent election cycles.

Answer 102

in 2012 neither obama nor governor mitt romeny took matching funds the first time that both major candidates opted out of public fundraising for the whole election cycle -in 2014 obama signed legislation to end the public financing of the parties national conventions -as a consequence of all this by 2016 the fecs total pay-outs amounted to only just over $1 million. -it did seem that the days of public funding of presidential campaigning are finished. in the 2020 election neither party candidate did drew on matching funds.

Answer 103

in 2014 president obama signed legislation to end the public financing of the parties national conventions -as a result of all of this by 2016 the fepc total pay-outs amounted to only just $1 million -it did seem that the days of public funding of presidential campaigns are finished. in the 2020 election neither leading party candidate drew on matching funds.

Answer 104

reform had further come in 2002 by two senators republican john mccain and democrat russel feingold. this was the bipartisan campaign reform act, commonly called the mccain fiengold act. -the 2004 election did see the appearance of the so called 527 groups named after the section of the us tax cade which they operate -527 such as america coming together and swift boat veterans for truth raised and spent million of dollars most of it donated by a few super rich, and unknown people..

Answer 105

-national party committees were banned from raising or spending soft money -labour unions and corporations were forbidden from directly fundraising issue advertisement -the act did prohibit the use of union and corporate money to broadcast advertisement that mention a federal candidate within 60 days of a general election or 30 days of a primary

Answer 106

-did set individual limits on contributions to individual candidates or candidate committees at $2,300 (2007/8) to be increased for inflation in each odd numbered year -contributions from foreign nationals were banned -the stand by your ad provision resulted in all campaign advertisement having to include a verbal endorsement by the candidate.

Answer 107

candidate committee, individual contribution limit was $2,800 per election political action committee individual contribution limit was $5000 per year state/district/local party committee individual contribution limit was $10000 per year ( combined) national party committee individual contribtuion limit was $35000 per year

Answer 108

the divisions of powers is the first three articles of the consition -did establish congress as the national legislature, defining its membership the qualification and method of election of its members, as well as its powers. under article i section 8 congress was given specific powers such as those to coin money and declare war

Answer 109

it did decide on a singular executive by vesting all executive powers in the hands of a president. the president would be chosen indirectly by an electoral college.

Answer 110

-did establish the supreme court added trial and appeal courts. although the role was not explicitly granted, the court was to be the umpire of the constiiton implied in the supremacy clause of article vi and the provision in article ii itself that the courts judicial power applied to ' all cases arising under this consition'. the court would make this more explicit in its landmark decision of Madbury v madison in 1803.

Answer 111

-enumerated ( or delegated powers_ granted to the federal government. it does mean that the federal government does not posses unlimited power, but only the power it is given in the constition. it was also given much less specific powers

Answer 112

powers delegated to the federal government under the cosntition. mostly these are enumerated in the first three articles of the consition.

Answer 113

supremacy clause is the portion of article vi which states that the consition as well as treaties and federal laws ' shall be the supreme law of the land'

Answer 114

' all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the united states which shall consist of a senate and house of represenatiatives'

Answer 115

' the executive power shall be vested in a president of the united states of america'

Answer 116

' the judicial power of the united states shall be vested in one supreme court and in such inferior courts as the congress may from time to time ordain and establish'

Answer 117

federal state and state federal relationships

Answer 118

amendment process

Answer 119

miscellaneous provisions including the supremacy clause

Answer 120

ratification procedure

Answer 121

a codified consition is a consition that does consist of a full and authorize set of rules written down in a single text. The united states consisiton is the collected and authoritative set of rules of American government and politics.

Answer 122

-it is a codified consition -it is a blend of specificity and vagueness -its provisions are entrenched

Answer 123

-does consist of seven articles

Answer 124

federalism is a theory of government by which political power is divided between a national government and state government each having their own areas of substantive jurisdiction. james madison called it a ' middle ground'

Answer 125

-a balanced ticket is a pairing of presidential and vice presidential candidate on a ticket who attract support for different reasons there by making the broadest to voters. - ' balance ' might be looked at in terms of geography region, political experience, age and ideology maybe even gender, race religion.

Answer 126

-best example of balanced ticket was probably in 2008 when barrack Obama chose as his vice presidential running mate senator Biden Delaware. -biden was at 65 a balance to Obama youthful 47. biden did serve in the senate for almost 36 years compared with Obama less than 4 years. -Biden did also bring significant foreign policy expertise, having served as chairman of the senate foreign relations committee.

Answer 127

potential in government -presidential candidate may think more long term and choose his running mate for what they think more long term and choosing his running mate not for what they might bring to the campaign but for what they bring to the white house. The focus will be on governing rather than campaigning.

Answer 128

--this strategy was adopted by governor George w bush in 200 in choosing dick Cheney. bush had no Washington experience at all and was generally thought to lack gravitas. -his choice of Cheney as his runny mate was made -cheney had served as both white house chief of staff to president ford and secretary of defence to bush farther. between these two tours of duty in the executive branch, Cheeney had been a member of congress rising to become the republican whip in the house of repsentatives the number two spot in the house republican leadership team. -Cheney did bring gravitas to the republican ticket -probably this strategy of choosing for governing rather than campaigning that motivated Donald trump to choose mike pence in 2016.

Answer 129

-another strategies is promoting party unity but this strategy is rarely adopted -one way of reuniting the party after the primaries is for the eventual nominee to choose one of his former rivals as his running mate

Answer 130

-this strategy was adopted by Ronald regean in choosing George w bush in 1980 -bush had been seen as regean principal rival in the republican primaries and by choosing him as the number two on the ticket regean reunited the party after a somewhat bitter personal battle.

Answer 131

had barrack Obama adopted the party unity in strategy in 2008 he would have chosen Hilary Clinton as his running mate and had Donald trump or hillary Clinton used it in 2016 the would have chosen respectively ted cruz and Bernie sanders. -the trouble is that former party rivals are often quite incompatible politically and have often said such harsh things about each other during the primaries that it somewhat implausible to think they could suddenly become partners on the ticket.

Answer 132

$2,800 per election

Answer 133

$5,000 per year

Answer 134

$10000 per year ( combined)

Answer 135

$35,000 per year

Answer 136

a pac is a political committee that does raise limited amounts of money and spends these contribution for the express purpose of electing or defeating candidates

Answer 137

a super pac is a political committee that makes independent expenditure but does not make direct contributions to candidates

Answer 138

because of the limits on contributions to candidates and political parties new organisations did come to be formed that made independent expenditures on their own. -they either give money to candidates they support or spend money against candidates whom they oppose. -most pacs do represent business, labour groups, ideological groups, or single issue groups

Answer 139

-case brought to the supreme court by citizens united who did want to both air a film critical of Hilary Clinton and to advertise that film on tv in 2008 -united states district court of Columbia had ruled the broadcast to be a violation of the McCain Feingold act which prohibited broadcasts that mentioned a presidential candidate within 60 days of a general election or 30 days of a primary -the supreme court did reverse this decision by ruling in favour of citizens united 5-4. they did say that the McCain Feingold act violated the first amendment protection of free speech.

Answer 140

he said ' if the first amendment has any force, it prohibits congress from fining or jailing citizens or associations of citizens for simply engaging in political speech

Answer 141

-did grant corporate and labour organisation the same rights of political free speech as individuals, there by giving such groups the right of unlimited independent political expenditure -along with this and by the united states court of appeal speech now. org v federal election commission did lead to the setting up of the independent expenditure only committees. They were soon dubbed the super pacs -

Answer 142

they could solicit and accept unlimited contributions from individual corporations, labour organisations or other political committees. -they do spend money to achieve their desired objectives, but they are forbidden from making any direct contributions to federal candidates or parties - they are ' expenditure only'

Answer 143

the net effect of these court cases was to severely limit the impact of the mccain Feingold act. -total campaign expenditure rose sharply thereafter, much of it channelled through super pacs and their independent expenditure.

Answer 144

-the supreme court has continued to favour first amendment rights over legal caps on political donations -2014 mccutheon case did concern how much an individual could donate in total to candidates and political parties. -the mccainn feingold act and feca before it also placed limits on how much one individual could donate to individual candidates but also placed an overall limit on how much one individual could donate in any election cycle to their favoured candidate

Answer 145

-2014 case concerned how much an individual could donate in total to candidates and political parties -there was limits on how much an individual could donate in any election cycle to their favoured candidate -by the 2011-2012 cycle this was set at $117000 which was rather less than if someone wanted to donate the maximum to all republican or democratic congressional candidate- even donating to all 5 senate candidates from one party to a total donation of in the excess of $100000 -this was successfully challenged by the courts meaning individuals are now free to donate the capped amount to as many candidates as they wish.

Answer 146

-do play a key role in fundraising and campaign expenditure in the 2020 cycle, with some 2,197 groups registered with the fec. -some of these hybrid pacs which maintain one account for making contributions to candidates like regular pacs and a separate account for making independent expenditures, like super pacs -much of their expenditure was on negative campaigning, so called ' attack ads' rather than promoting their own party candidates and policies

Answer 147

-future fowards usa spent over $114 million in independent expenditure both supporting democrat candidates ($47 million) and attacking republican candidates ( about $67 million) -house majority pac (carey comitee), spent $138 million on attacking republican candidates and just over 5$ million on supporting democrat ones -the Lincoln project- founded by disulionshed republicans but mainly bankrolled by democrat donors, it raised just over $67 million and spent most of this on ads to seek to win over moderate republicans that could tend to vote trump in 2016.

Answer 148

-senate leadership act -raised around $309 million which was mostly spent on attack ads targeting democrat candidates in key senate races. it did pour round $90 million into just two races. north Carolina and Georgia -club for growth action pac raised around $63 million of which aside from congressional races, $10. 4 million was spent on ads

Answer 149

committee to defended the president ( a carey committee) did raise over just $15 million and spent over two thirds of this on pro trump advertising.

Answer 150

super pac can often be associated with either gun control or defending the second amendment. the national rife association fund super pac spent over $16 million entirely supporting republican candidates and attacking democrats -by contrast the pro gun control Everytown for gun safety victory fund spent in excess of $20 million in entirely the opposite way.

Answer 151

the super pac have played a significant role in fundraising and spending in the 2012 presidential election and have continued to do in every subsequent us election -their role has received mixed reviews, supporters see super pacs as a positive consequence of deregulation that provides an important outlet for political speech, advocating independent calls for the election or defeat of specified candidates -opponents do contend that they are yet another outlet for unlimited money in electoral politics while legally indepdent are merely functional extensions of one or more campaigns.

Answer 152

-as a general rule us elections have continued to get progressively more expensive helped in part by wealth individual donors such as koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson on the republican side and Michael Bloomberg for the democrats. -during the 2020 campaign the latter spent over $1 billion of his own wealth on backing democrats candidates and causes including his own short lived bid for the white house -over the course of the 2016 primary and general elections the trump campaign raised about $340 million

Answer 153

-over the course of the 2016 primary the clinton campaign which maintained a longer and more concentrated fundraising focus brought in about $581 million -total spend for 2016 including presidential and congressional races, money raised and spent directly by candidates and by outside organisation was around $6.5 billion -the 2018 midterms did see a total spend of $5.2 billion, a 35% increase since the 2014 midterms.

Answer 154

- the 2020 election did break all records with a total campaign bill for all elections of just under $ 14 billion according to some tallies -this was greater than the enitre gdp for some countries such as Mauritius.

Answer 155

-the greatest amount of donations are given by a small group of the ultra wealthy. -article on the conservation did calculate that by the late summer of 2020 just 2,635 people or couples less than one thousands of the us population together provided $1.4 billion, roughly one fifth of total campaign contribution reported -many would say that such a system does little benefit to us democracy, though at least both sides are on the receiving end of large donation cheques.

Answer 156

-the democrats have benefited from the generosity of big tech executives. asana ceo Dustin Moskovitz who is the founder of Facebook did spend around $24 million -former google ceo eric Schmidt donated around 6$ million. Most of his money did go to the pro Biden super pac future forwards USA

Answer 157

-there has been a growing development in dark money, namely donations where the identity of the donor is secret. for example pro republican senate leadership fund pac received $63 million from its allied dark money group one nation. -in total across all types of independent expenditure only 30% came from group that fully disclosed their donors an all tie low -the latter account for around $218 million of the finances in the north Carolina senate race. there is an increasing willingness for wealthy donors to donate where their money is likely to be most effective..

Answer 158

22% of the total raised

Answer 159

42% of the total raised

Answer 160

north Carolina with in excess of $265 m spent, iowa was second with a total spend of around $220 million

Answer 161

California 25th district with just under $34. 5 m

Answer 162

- in 2020 Biden out fundraised trump and won -in the 2020 senate race for Arizona republican incumbent Martha McSally was outspent by $30 million by democrat challenger mark Kelly and lost

Answer 163

-superior funding enables candidates to air more tv ads and to employ more fieldworkers and campaign staff both of which are important in maximising their vote. effective campaigning usually requires considerable outlay in terms of both advertising and personnel -neglecting the importance of effective fundraising is a risk that few candidates are prepared to take, not least incumbent facing a strong challenge

Answer 164

- in 2016 Clinton significantly out fundraised trump and lost -in the 2020 south Carolina senate race, republican incumbent Lindsey graham was outspent to the tune of over $40 million by democrat challenger Jamie Harrison but was still safely re elected

Answer 165

-arguably the ability to raise large sums of money just indicates a strong challenger candidate a powerful and popular incumbent or an existing legislator facing a tough race. money does follow strong and viable candidates rather than creating them in the first place - a larger war chest is the only one factor in detereming the final result.

Answer 166

- it is a codified constition -it is a blend of septicity and vagueness -its provisions are entrenched

Answer 167

articel iii established the united states supreme court, though congress quickly added trial and appeal courts. -the court was to have the role of umpirse of the constition implied in the supremacy clause of article vi and the provision in article iii itself that the courts judical power applies to ' all cases arising under this constition' . The court would make this more explicit in its landmark decesion of marbury v madison in 1803 -these three articles contain what are called enumerated ( delegated) powers granted by the federal goverment.

Answer 168

enumerated powers are powers that are delegated to the federal government under the constition. generally these are those enumerated in the first three articles of the constition. -the significance of this is that the federal government does not posses unlimited power but only such power as is given it in the constition. but it was also given much less specific powers.

Answer 169

implied powers are powers possesd by the federal government by interference from those powers delegated to it in the constition.

Answer 170

-they are powers of the federal goverment that the constition does not explicity mention but that are reasonably implied from the delegated powers. -e.g the power to draft people into the armed forces could be implied from congress enumerated power to raise an army and navy. -congress was given the power to ' provide for the common defense and general welfare of the united states' . -from this implied that congress had the power to levy and collect taxes to provide for the defence of the united states.

Answer 171

necessary and proper clause. this is often referred to as the elastic clause of the constition as by it the powers of the federal government can be stretched beyond the specifically delegated or enumerated powers. -some parts of the constition are vague, and some are specific the part that are vague had been able to adapt to the ever changing circumstances of the nation.

Answer 172

the consition does also include reserved powers, that is powers that are reserved to the states alone or to the people. this provision if found in the tenth amendment. this again limits the power of the federal government by stating that all the powers not delegated to the federal government or prohibited to the states ' are reserved to the states or to the people'.

Answer 173

-the constition does also include concurrent powers of the constition those powers shared by the federal and state government such as collecting taxes, building roads and maintaining courts.

Answer 174

concurrent powers are powers possessed by both the federal and state government

Answer 175

reserved powers are powers that are not delegated to the federal government or prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states and to the people.

Answer 176

the final clause of article i section 8 which empowers congress to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out the federal government duties.

Answer 177

' the powers not delegated to the united states by the constition nor prohibited by it to the state are reserved to the states respectively or to the people

Answer 178

alongside the specific granting of powers there is a supremacy clause of article vi. this enshrines into the constition a key principle of American government that asserts that the laws passed by the federal government under its constitional powers are the supreme laws of the land. Any legitimate national law automatically supersedes any conflicting state law.

Answer 179

entrenchment is the application of extra legal safeguards to a constitional provision to make it more difficult to amend or abolish it. -it is entrenched by a complicated system as well as on super majorities in order to make amending such provisions exceedingly difficult thereby affording them to make special protection. -in the united states consition entrancement is provided through the amendment process.

Answer 180

legislature - congress -senate -house of repsentatives executive ( carries out the laws) -president -vice president -cabinet judicary ( enforce and intepret laws ) -supreme court -other federal courts

Answer 181

-the suprmee court is where nice justie chosen by the president but confirmed by the senate rule on whether the laws that congres passes and the presdient signs are compatible with the constition. -over recetn decades the court has found itself hving to rule on such issues as gender rights the rights of racial minoirities, restrictions on the owenrship of firearms, freedom of speech, freedom of religion.

Answer 182

-the suprmee court is where nice justie chosen by the president but confirmed by the senate rule on whether the laws that congres passes and the presdient signs are compatible with the constition. -over recent decades the court has found itself having to rule on such issues as gender rights the rights of racial minorities, restrictions on the ownership of firearms, freedom of speech, freedom of religion.

Answer 183

congress and the suprem court are all required to play in part in the governance of the united states. -first both houses of congress had to pass the healthcare reform bill. this is because both houses have equal legislative power. after almost a year of trying this finally occurred on 21 march 2010 -in order for the bill to become law the president needed to sign it. in just two days later 32 march president Obama signed healthcare reform into law. it was not the job of the executive branch of government to carry laws by rolling out the provisions it mae for healthcare and healthcare insurance.

Answer 184

-congress had passed the law andthe president had signed it. some opponents of the new law thought it was uncostitional -. resolving that dispute was the job of the courts, and ulimately the united states supreme court. -almost two years after the law did become effective lawyers from both sides argued their case before the nine justices of the supreme court. on 28 june 2012 the court did announce its decision essentially upholding the laws provisions

Answer 185

congress the president and the supreme court are politcally seperate. They are entirely separate when it comes to membership. no one is allowed to be simultaneously a member of more than one Branche of government. thus when in November 2008 senators barack obama and joe biden were elected respectively president and vice president both had to resign from the senate. it would be like the prime minister having ot resign from parliament before taking up residence at 10 downing street

Answer 186

richard neustadt did remark they are 'separate instuitions, sharing powers'. for the patient protection and affordable care act, otherwise known as Obama care to become and remain law all three branches of government had to be in agreement for each of them has shared power. -can make the excerise of politcal power somewhat problematic, but then what the framers of the constition waned.

Answer 187

-to ensure that the goals laid out in the preamble could be met the national government was given far more power than its predecessor under the articles of confederation

american politics part 1 Flashcards

(216 cards)