Unit 2 Political Culture

Question 1

Attentive public

Answer 1

-those with an active interest in government and politics

Question 2

Mass

Answer 2

-those with little interest in government and politics

Question 3

Latent opinion

Answer 3

-dormant, but may be aroused

Question 4

Salient opinion

Answer 4

-have some personal importance

Question 5

Weakness of elections when it comes to determining public opinion

Answer 5

-don’t tell why people voted as they did

Question 6

Straw polls

Answer 6

-inaccurate because unscientific

Question 7

Scientific polls

Answer 7

• purpose is to measure public opinion with significant accuracy without measuring every person in the universe
• each person in universe has an equal chance of being selected.

Question 8

Universe

Answer 8

Population to be measured

Question 9

Abuses of polls

Answer 9

• “horse race” mentality emphasized during campaigns at expense of the issues.
• pandering to the whims of public by candidates and office-holders.
• early projections from exit polls may discourage voter turnout especially in the west.

Question 10

Historical qualifications for suffrage

Answer 10

-religion (eliminated by state legislators)
-property (eliminated by state legislators)
-race (eliminated by the 15th amendment)
-sex (eliminated by the 19th amendment)
-income (eliminated by the 24th amendment – banning poll tax)
-literacy (illuminated by voting rights act of 1965)
Minimum age of 21 (eliminated by 26th amendment)

Question 11

Current voting qualifications

Answer 11

• citizenship
• residency
• age (18)
• registration (except ND)

Question 12

Reasons for low voter turnout

Answer 12

• registration
• long ballot
• type of election
• difficulties in obtaining absentee ballots
• too many elections
• 19th century voting was filled with fraud
• voter id laws, limiting polling places, limited time to vote (recent obstacles)
• lack of political efficacy
• disgust with politics

Question 13

Elites

Answer 13

• those with disproportionate amount of political resources
• raises issues and help set national agenda
• influence the resolution of issues

Question 14

Factors affecting voter behavior

Answer 14

• geography
• presence of an especially strong presidential candidate
• political alignment
• sex
• race
• social classes
• religion
• issues (especially economy)

Question 15

Maintaining elections

Answer 15

-political alignment remains the same

Question 16

Deviating elections

Answer 16

-temporary change in political alignment

Question 17

Realigning critical elections

Answer 17

-Long time change and political alignment. Electoral realignment occurs when a new issue of utmost importance to the voters cuts across existing party divisions and replaces an old issue that was formally the basis of party identification

Question 18

Straight ticket voting

Answer 18

• vote for all of one’s party’s candidates.
• declined recently
• facilitated by party column ballot

Question 19

Split ticket voting

Answer 19

• vote for some of one party’s candidates and some of another party’s candidates
• increase in recent years
• facilitated by office-column ballot

Question 20

Political Culture

Answer 20

They widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that citizens share about their government

Question 21

Tocqueville

Answer 21

• wrote analysis of our political culture
• no feudal aristocracy=social mobility
• minimal taxes=limited government involvement
• few legal restraints=liberty
• westward movement as a result of vast territories=providing opportunities

Question 22

Civic duty

Answer 22

-the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

Question 23

Communitarian

Answer 23

A philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community

Question 24

Political efficacy

Answer 24

• internal=ability to understand political affairs

- external=belief that one can have an impact upon government

Question 25

Wilson's Two Camps

Answer 25

- orthodox=morality more important than self-expression with fixed rules from God - progressive=personal freedom more important than tradition with changing rules based on circumstances of modern life

Question 26

Ideology

Answer 26

-integrated set of beliefs and values that shape a person's views

Question 27

Liberalism

Answer 27

REACTIONARY political philosophy w liberty and equality

Question 28

Conservatism

Answer 28

Political philosophy favoring TRADITION and the STATUS QUO

Question 29

Populism

Answer 29

Government involved both socially and economically

Question 30

Characteristics of those likely to vote

Answer 30

1 LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT 2income 3age

Question 31

Maintaining Elections with example

Answer 31

- political alignment remains the same | - Kennedy to Johnson

Question 32

Deviating election

Answer 32

- temporary change in political alignment | - ex Truman the Eisenhower then Kennedy and Johnson

Question 33

Realigning election

Answer 33

Long term change in political alignment | Ex FDR

Question 34

PAC system

Answer 34

- political action committee - created by FECA - each corporations, union, or association may establish one - a pac must register six months in advance, have at least fifty contributors, and give to at least 5 candidates - PAC contributions to a candidate may not exceed $5,000, or to a national party $15,000

Question 35

Differences between Federal election campaign act (FECA) and Bipartisan campaign reform act (BCRA)

Answer 35

- FECA=1971 BCRA=2002 - individual hard money to candidates limited to $1,000 (FECA) limited to $2,000 per year with $37,500 to all federal candidates every 2 years (BCRA) - hard money to political parties and PACs 20k/year to a political party 5k to a PAC (FECA) 95k fed political gifts/2 years (BCRA) - BCRA limits bundling to 95k/2 years - BRCA bans soft money - BRCA 60/30 rule for corporations, unions, and associations (527s exempt)

Question 36

Buckley v. Valeo

Answer 36

1971 Questions: Did the limits placed on electoral expenditure by FECA violate the first amendment's freedom of speech and association clauses Decision: -overturned restrictions on independent expenditures -upheld restrictions on individual contributions -hard money constitutional

Question 37

McConnel v. FEC 2003

Answer 37

2003 - question: does the "soft money" ban (BCRA) exceed Congress' authority to regulate elections and/or violate 1st amendment - upheld the ban on soft money; restriction of free speech was minimal

Question 38

Citizens United v. FEC

Answer 38

Question: do the BRCA's disclosure requirements impose an unconstitutional burden when applied to electioneering requirements because they are protected "political speech"? Decision: 1st amendment corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited The majority maintained that political speech is indispensable to a democracy, which is no less true bc the speech comes from a corporation INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES 60/30 rule overturned