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Pols Exam 2 > Exam 2 > Flashcards

Exam 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is public opinion?

A

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

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2
Q

What is political socialization?

A

The process through which an individual acquires their particular political orientation. Grows firmer with age

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3
Q

What influences the results of public opinion polls?

A

Sample
Random Sampling
Sampling Error
Exit Polls

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4
Q

What is political ideology

A

a coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose

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5
Q

Know the different components of the “three-headed political giant” (political parties).

A

Party in the electorate
Party as an organization
Party in goverment

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6
Q

What is ticket-splitting?

A

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

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7
Q

What is reapportionment?

A

The process of reallocating seats in the House every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census

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8
Q

What does rational choice approach say about political parties?

A

Assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives

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9
Q

How are interest groups different from political parties?

A

Political parties fight election battles; interest groups do not field candidates for office but may choose sides

Interest groups are policy specialists; political parties are policy generalists

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10
Q

What is a political party

A

A “team of men [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election”

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11
Q

Know the characteristics of the current party era.

A

The current party era is an era of divided government (due to party dealignment and party neutrality

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12
Q

What is a party realignment?

A

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

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13
Q

What is party dealignment?

A

disengagement of people from parties as evidenced by shrinking party identification

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14
Q

Why are Iowa and New Hampshire important in American politics?

A

If you do better in the Iowa or New Hampshire CAUCASES (different format than all other states) than expected, you can build momentum and get more media attention and raise campaign funds

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15
Q

What is the Federal Election Commission?

A

Administers campaign finance laws and enforces compliance with their requirements

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16
Q

What is the Federal Election Campaign Act?

A

2 Main Goals: to tighten reporting requirements for contributions and to limit overall expenditures

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17
Q

What is soft money?

A

Political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grass-roots level or for generic party advertising

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18
Q

What are political action committees?

A

Political funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms

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19
Q

What relationship between campaign spending and electoral success?

A

Money does not necessarily buy victory
Candidates just need ENOUGH money, outspending an opponent usually compensates for the opponent being superior.

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20
Q

How do campaigns affect voters?

A

Reinforce voters’ preferences for candidates

They can activate voters, getting them to collect money or ring doorbells as opposed to merely voting

They can convert, changing voters’ minds

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21
Q

What is selective perception?

A

The process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages.

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22
Q

What is retrospective voting?

A

voters base decision off of past performance. evaluates Country’s prior issues and signals a desire for change

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23
Q

What is front loading?

A

Scheduling a large number of primary elections in the early state primaries

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24
Q

Investigative Journalism

A

the use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, putting reporters and politicians opposite each other

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25
Franklin Roosevelt
First president to effectively use the media
26
Narrowcasting
media programming on cable, TV, or Internet that is focused on one topic and aimed at a particular audience
27
Policy Agenda
The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time
28
Policy Entrepreneurs
People who invest their political "capital" in an issue to get it placed high on governmental agenda. Use media to raise awareness of issue
29
Party in the electorate
Largest part of the political "giant"
30
Party as an organization
Office
31
Party in government
Those already in the position
32
Linkage Institutions
the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda
33
Rational-Choice Theory
Assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives
34
Downs Model
The wise party is going to select policies that are widely favored
35
Party Image
A voters perception of what Republicans or Democrats stand for
36
Party Machines
a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements to win votes and to govern
37
Closed Primaries
Only people who have registered with the party can vote for that party's candidates
38
Open Primaries
Voters decide on election day whether they want to vote in Republican or Democratic primary
39
Blanket Primaries
Voters are presented with a list of candidates from all parties
40
National Convention
the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and the party's platform
41
National Committee
one of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions
42
Party Eras
Historical periods in which a majority of votes cling to the party in power
43
How often does a Party Realignment occur?
Rare event: Once every 32 years
44
Why does a Party Realignment occur?
Typically because of some trauma or crisis
45
Party Neutrality
people are indifferent towards the two parties
46
Media
main source of information for voters
47
Interest groups
An organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals
48
Potential group
all the people who might be interest group members because they share a common interest
49
Actual group
the part of the potential group consisting of members who actually join
50
Collective Good
something of value that cannot be withheld from a group member
51
Free-Rider Problem
Some people don't join interest groups because they benefit from the group's activities without officially joining
52
Olson's Law of Large Groups
The larger the group, the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good
53
What contributions were unlimited until they were banned by the McCain-Feingold Act?
Soft money
54
Soft money
political contributions made in such a way as to avoid the United States regulations for federal election campaigns
55
What was created from the Federal Election Campaign Act
Federal Election Commission
56
A bipartisan body with 6 members is?
Federal Election Commission
57
What is used as interest groups to donate money to candidates?
Political Action Committees
58
Political Culture
An overall set of values widely shared within a society
59
What is the family's role in the process of political parties?
Family has a monopoly with your emotions and time, which makes you mirror your parent's political interests
60
Single issue group
These are groups that focus on a narrow interest, dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics
61
What are the advantages of single issue groups?
Intensity encourages non-traditional means of participation
62
Lobbying
communication by someone other than a citizen acting on his own behalf, directed to a governmental decisionmaker with the hope of influencing his decision
63
Electioneering
Groups can help fund campaigns, provide testimony, and get members to work for candidates
64
Litigation
Class Action lawsuits permit a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other people similarly situated
65
Going Public
Use marketing strategies to influence public opinion of the group and its issues and advertise to motivate and inform the public about an issue
66
How do the media affect individual vote choice?
News will tell you what is important, what to think about, NOT who to vote for.
67
When did the Republican Party start?
1854
68
What started as the principle antislavery movement?
Republican
69
When did the Democratic Party start?
1828-1856
70
Jackson and the Democrats versus the Whigs started what political party?
Democratic
71
Nomination
A party's official endorsement of a candidate for office
72
Campaign Strategy
The way in which candidates attempt to manipulate each of these elements to achieve the nomination
73
McGovern-Fraser Commission
1968 Democratic Convention that made the democratic conventions more representative and open to public input
74
Superdelegates
People who are awarded automatic slots as delegates based on the office they currently hold
75
Presidential Primaries
States' voters vote for their preference for a party's nominee for president
76
Matching Funds
If presidential candidates accept federal support, they agree to limit their campaign expenditures to an amount prescribed by federal law
77
Selective Perception
Paying most attention to things you already agree with and interpreting events according to their own predispositions
78
Political Efficacy
The belief that ordinary people can influence the government
79
Civic Duty
Urges people to support democratic government and get out and vote
80
Motor Voter Act
Made voter registration easier by requiring states to allow eligible voters to register by simply checking a box on their driver's license application
81
Mandate theory of elections
Idea that citizens vote for the candidate whose policy views they prefer, many journalists and politicians claim that the election winner has a mandate from the people to carry out the promised policies
82
Policy Voting
When people base their choices in an election on their own issue preferences
83
Electoral College
Determines who becomes president of the U.S.
84
Elections
Socialize and institutionalize political activity
85
Random-digit dialing
A technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey Ex. political candidates running for minor of ces, for whom telephone polls are the only af ordable method of gauging public opinion. Disadvantage becuase its easier to hang up then shut the door on someone and 2% of people don't have phones
86
Demography
The science of population change
87
Census
a valuable tool for understanding population changes. Required every 10 years by the constitution
88
Sample
a small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey to be representative of the whole
89
Random Sampling
the key technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for a sample
90
Sampling Error
the level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll
91
Exit Polls
used by media to predict election day winners
92
Political Participation
all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue
93
Mass Media
Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet and other means of popular communication
94
High-Tech Politics
A politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology
95
Media Events
Events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous

Pols Exam 2 (2 decks)

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