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US politics Flashcards

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1
Q

What percentage of American citizens don’t have ID?

A

11%

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2
Q

Name an example of US voter ID laws being discriminatory

A

Texas allows concealed weapons permits for voting, but does not accept student ID cards.

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3
Q

Name 2 examples of pressure groups using legal methods to campaign for civil right

A

NAACP funded 1954 Brown v Board

ACLU brought Obergefell v Hodges 2015

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4
Q

Name an example of a pressure group funding elections

A

NRA spent over 50million in support of Republicans in 2016

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5
Q

Name an example of a revolving door congress member and what they did

A

Eugene Scalia - worked under George W Bush, then lobbied for Chamber of Commerce, then became Secretary of Labour 2019

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6
Q

How are pressure groups protected under the Constitution?

A

First amendment freedom of speech

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7
Q

Name an example of pressure groups lobbying

A

Over 3 billion spent in 2010, most of which was to influence Obama’s Affordable Care Act

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8
Q

Name 2 examples of pressure groups using direct action

A

NAACP sit ins

Black Lives Matter marches

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9
Q

Name an example of the limits of pressure groups

A

Pro-establishment Hillary Clinton had far more funding than Trump but still lost election

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10
Q

How are PACs limited?

A

Can only donate $5k to election campaigns

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11
Q

What 2 cases allowed super PACs to exist? Summarise both

A

BOTH 2010
Speechnow.org v. Federal Election Commission : individuals should be able to donated unlimited amounts to political committees

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission: outsider groups can spend unlimited amounts on federal elections

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12
Q

How much did Super PACs spend in 2020 on the election?

A

$1.8 billion

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13
Q

Name an example of Super PACs causing elitism

A

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson donated over $170mn to pro-Republican super PACs in 2020 election cycle

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14
Q

Name 2 PACs, one GOP and one Dem supporting, in the 2020 election and how much they spent

A

American Federation of Teachers - $2.4mil on Dems

National Association of Realtors - $1.9mn on GOP

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15
Q

Name an example for and against of US pressure groups encouraging pluralism

A
  • for: Abortion views coexist e.g EMILY’s list and Planned Parenthood vs. National Right to Life
  • against: elitism - NRA - minority with lots of money over majority
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16
Q

Name an example of US pressure groups representing unheard voices

A

EMILY’s List - help elect Democratic women xandisates

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17
Q

Name an example of a pressure group with power over congress and how it does this

A

NRA - donates large amounts to GOP so they maintain gun laws

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18
Q

Name an example for and against party unity in Congress

A

For: 2018 House: Rep stuck with party 91%, Dem stuck with party 89%

Against: Bipartisan acts e.g COVID CARES

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19
Q

Name an example for parties being renewed in the US

A

Hyperpartisanship - in 2015 there was no ideological overlap at all between the parties

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20
Q

Name an example of parties being in decline

A

Inner party division on key issues e.g Democrats on defunding the police

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21
Q

Name 2 examples of 3rd parties being signifant in US politics

A

2000 Bush v Gore - Gore lost because of Ralph Nader in Florida getting votes

Both main parties co-opted Ross Perot’s policy of a balanced budget after his success

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22
Q

Name an example of 3rd parties being less significant in US politics

A

Not won any votes since George Wallace in 1968

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23
Q

Name 3 examples of Democrat factions and what they stand for

A

New Democrat - centrist, some overlap w/ other factions

Blue Dog - moderate, fiscal responsibility

Congressional Progressive Caucus - left, more liberal

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24
Q

Name an example of a congressperson in two Democrat factions

A

Henry Cuellar - New Democrat and Blue Dog

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25
Name 3 examples of Republican factions and what they stand for
Tuesday Group - Moderate Republican Study Committee - limited gov, traditional values Freedom caucus - most right, Trump supporters
26
Name an example of the Republican party become more right wing
Republican study committee now includes most Republicans whereas it used to be more right wing members
27
Name 3 examples of Democrat policies
Right to abortion Gun control Greater equality e.g Medicaid
28
Name 3 examples of Republican policies
Low tax Anti-abortion Guns allowed protect 2nd amendment
29
Name an example of a local state party
Alaskan Independence Party
30
Name an example of how the US parties have changed in the last 50 years
Democrat ‘Solid South’ collapsed after Civil Rights Act 1964 Both became less centrist - GOP anti abortion and feminism, religious right; Dems pro LBGT and abrotion
31
Name the 3 organisational features of US parties
Lack of a leader State-based Interest group involvement informally
32
Name an example of an associated group that organises a party and how it does this
Democratic Socialists of America endorsed candidates e.g AOC
33
Name an example of central party structures being important to the election of candidates
Steve King (Iowa 4) lost his primary due to House Leader Mitch McConnell removing support due to racist comments
34
Name 4 examples of landmark Civil irghts cases in the US supreme court
Brown v Board 1954 Roe v Wade 1973 Obergefell v Hodges 2015 District of Colombia v. Heller 2008
35
Name a landmark Act of Congress that provided civil rights
Voting Rights Act 1965 removed restrictions on African American voting
36
What does the 2nd Amendment provide?
Right to gun
37
What does the 13th Amendment provide?
Abolish slavery
38
What does the 14th Amendment provide?
Gave former enslaved people full citizenship and everyone ‘equal protection’ under the law
39
Name 3 amendments that furthered voting rig and what they did
15th Amendment - all men 19th Amendment - all women 24th Amendment - right to vote without paying tax (disproportionately affected AA)
40
Who campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment, how many states ratified it, and what would it have provided?
NOW (National Organisation for Women) Ratified by 35 states Would have prevented discrimination based on gender
41
Name 2 pressure groups that campaign for civil rights and liberites
ACLU (libs) NAACP (rights)
42
In what case was Affirmative action confirmed to be legal?
Fisher v University of Texas 2016
43
Name 3 examples civil liberties
Freedom of speech Freedom of Religion Right to fair trial
44
What percentage of Americans want the electoral college, and when was this survey taken?
2020 poll, 61% wanted EC abolished
45
Name an example of the number of competitive districts (those won by less than 10%) changing, and say what this means
Decreased from 111 in 1992 to 65 in 2012 Makes it harder for party control to change hands
46
Name one example of a proposition being rejected and one being accepted and say what year they are from
2016: Marijuana legalised in California via proposition, Marijuana proposition defeated in Arizona
47
Say how many recall elections have succeeded in the US. Give an example of one of these, and also of one that failed
2 suceeded e.g Gray Davies defeated by Arnold Swarchnejwbsggger in 2003 Failure include 2021 Gavin Newson over ignoring his own COVID guidance
48
How many referendums were there in 2022 in the US?
140 statewide ballot measures in 2022
49
What success rate did incumbents have in the 2022 midterms?
US House had a 94.5% success rate for incumbents
50
Name an example of key issues shaping voter behaviour
2016 Hillary clinton emails
51
Name an example of leaders being more important than parties in presidential elections
Trump had 42 million twitter followers, Republican had 2.4 million
52
How many people watched the 2020 Presidential debate?
73 million
53
Name an example of money determining election outcome, and one example of money being less significant in outcome
Sig: in 2016, over 90% of House candidates that spent the most won their race Less sig: Trump spent about half of Clinton and still won
54
How many states use runoff elections in their general election process when no candidate receives a majority, and name one of these
2: Georgia and Louisiana
55
How many states use runoff elections in their primary elections when no candidate receives a majority (except north carolina where its over 30% of the vote bc theyre weird), and name one of these
10 - Alabama or arkansas
56
Name an example for and against saying that the presidential nomination process is too long
For: Invisible primaries - Trump announced his intention to run in 2024 in 2022 Against: Prepares candidates, e.g Obama 2008 wasn’t used. to national politics only state level
57
Name an example of split ticket voting changing over time
196 split districts in 1984, 16 split districts in 2020
58
Name 2 examples of realigning elections and say who won and what was realigned
1968 - Nixon v Humphrey - South turned Republican after civil rights movement 2016 - Trump v Clinton - populism, small town whites in Upper Midwest voted Rep
59
Name 2 example of US voter turnout, one historic and one recent, saying how turnout has changed over time
1980: 53% voted, 2020: 62% voted Increase
60
Name an examples of changing voter demographics
More hispanic voters (race that increased most), especially in battleground states like Florida
61
How did 9/11 impact voter behaviour, and how did 2008?
9/11: Republican 2008: more populism
62
Name a pressure group that scrutinises government and say what it checks
League of conservation voters - holds officials accountable when they vote against environmentally-friendly policies
63
Name a pressure group that countered high levels of absenteeism
NAACP

politics examples (5 decks)

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