Chapter 8 Key Terms

Question 1

party competition

Answer 1

the battle of the parties for control of public offices

Question 2

political party

Answer 2

according to anthony downs, a “team of men seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election”.

Question 3

linkage institutions

Answer 3

the channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda.

Question 4

party image

Answer 4

the voter’s perception of what the republican or democrats stand for

Question 5

rational-choice theory

Answer 5

a popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians.

Question 6

party identification

Answer 6

a citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.

Question 7

ticket-splitting

Answer 7

voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices

Question 8

party machines

Answer 8

a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.

Question 9

patronage

Answer 9

one of the key inducements used by party machines.

Question 10

closed primaries

Answer 10

elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party’s candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty

Question 11

open primaries

Answer 11

elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on election day whether they want to participate in the democratic or republican contests

Question 12

blanket primaries

Answer 12

elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties.

Question 13

national convention

Answer 13

the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party’s platform

Question 14

national committee

Answer 14

one of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions

Question 15

national chairperson

Answer 15

the national chairperson is responsible for the day to day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the presidential nominee

Question 16

coalition

Answer 16

a group of individuals with a common interest upon which every political party depends

Question 17

party eras

Answer 17

historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections

Question 18

critical election

Answer 18

an electoral “earthquake” where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party

Question 19

party realignment

Answer 19

the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period

Question 20

new deal coalition

Answer 20

a coalition forged by the democrats, who dominated american politics from the 1930s to the 1960s

Question 21

party dealignment

Answer 21

the gradual disengangement of people and politicians from the parties

Question 22

party neutrality

Answer 22

a term used to describe the fact that many americans are indifferent toward to two major political parties

Question 23

third parties

Answer 23

electoral contenders other than the two major parties

Question 24

winner-take-all system

Answer 24

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

Question 25

proportional representation

Answer 25

an electoral system used throughout most of europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election

Question 26

coalition government

Answer 26

when two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature

Question 27

responsible party model

Answer 27

a view favored by some political scientists about how parties should work.