Final Flashcards
The Economic Theory (Downs)
o A two party democracy can’t provide stability unless there is a large measure of ideological similarities among its citizens
♣ Can’t be too similar or too far apart, has to find the perfect balance to get voters
♣ A few moderate ideas with a few extreme ideas
o The two parties try to change their platforms to resemble one another
♣ Multiple party systems all try to make themselves different
o As long as the ideologies stay constant, the system will move toward a position of equilibrium
o New parties are made immediately after a significant change in ideological view of the voters
o In a two party system, it’s normal to make platform vague
The Economic Theory - how is it economic?
♣ It literally costs the voters money to go out and vote, which is why many people don’t
♣ Economic theory can be applied to political decision making
The Economic Theory - Unimodal v. bimodal
♣ Unimodal: nearly identical platforms, similar views (more voters when similar)
♣ Bimodal: need to be very different to get voters, extreme views (more voters when different)
The Valence Theory (Stokes)
o Valence politics
♣ Campaigns base their appeals on valence issues so that people will want to vote for them
♣ Stemmed from media, that’s how people got their opinions
o Position politics
♣ Campaigns are based off certain positions and problems
o Presidential campaigns are usually a mix of the two
o Reagan’s 1980 campaign (Victory Memo)
♣ He used valence issues to link himself to nationalism and patriotism so he would get votes
Valence Issues
♣ Issue that voters usually share a common preference as a whole
example: racism is bad
Truman’s Whistle-Stop Campaign (Holbrook)
o Truman started out with no chance and then eventually won the election
o Whistle-Stop campaign was Truman’s tour around the country to talk about the Republican Congress
♣ Went to small and large towns, cities, etc, north south east west
o Measure of campaign activity
♣ Truman made over 200 stops while Dewey made 40
♣ Truman went to states where there were more electoral votes to win and states were the vote was close
♣ Truman focused on local groups and the people rather than the nation as a whole
o Evidence of campaign effect
♣ He won over a few key states that he needed, so the Whistle-Stop Campaign did help
♣ Instrumental to his win
Truman’s Whistle-Stop Campaign (Holbrook) - key states
California, Illinois, Ohio
won by 0.1%
The Vice Presidential Selection: Palin 2008
o She was young, had the same values, actually went through with her values (had a son with disabilities)
♣ Not his first choice
• Didn’t agree with some of his ideas
♣ Was a risk because she was a woman, while Romney was considered safe
• Gave their campaign an edge
o Alaska was a battleground state so that would give McCain the votes there
o Had 80% approval rating
1960 Debate
Kennedy v. Nixon
First ever televised debate
o television viewers thought that Kennedy won by a landside while radio listeners thought that Nixon did
o both candidates were prepared, but Nixon refused to wear makeup and appeared tired which made him less attractive to the viewers
o Nixon also wore a grey suit which made him blend in to the background while Kennedy wore a black suit which contrasted the grey background
Video vs. audio effects of debates (Druckman)
o Video: people could see the emotions of the candidates and see their commercials
♣ Also the attractiveness of the candidates
o Audio: people just had to rely on what was being said and the tone of voice it was said in
1976 Debate
Ford v. Carter
o Ford said that there was no soviet domination in eastern Europe
♣ Biggest blunder at the time
♣ Probably lost him the election
♣ Ford was the first candidate to agree to have a televised debate since 1960, which clearly backfired
Post debate media spin - 1976
o 1976- Ford/Carter
♣ Carter was winning anyway before the debate, lost 2% right before the debate, gained 6% after the debate
Post debate media spin - 1984
Reagan won
Post debate media spin - 1980
Reagan v. Carter
Carter was winning before, Reagan was winning after
Debate Winners and Losers - pattern
those who don’t win the first debate usually don’t win the second
second debate doesn’t mean much, first and third have the most impact
