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Ch 6-10 US Gov
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Public Opinion | Describes what people think about politics and govnm. exp: what govnm should so; what govnm is doing judgements about elections) |
| Why is public opinion important | Citizens political actions ( voting, contributing to campaigns) Helps explain the behavior of candidates parties and political actors( politicians look to citizens for support, how to satify citizens) Sheds light on policy changes |
| Liberal Ideology | The side of the ideological spectrum defined by support for stronger govnm programs and more market regulations (redistributive tax policy & democrates) American Liberalism- equality, addressing inequalities, universal healthcare; pro-choice; pro-guns |
| Conservative Ideology | side of ideological spectrum defined by support of lower taxes, freemarket and more limited govnm American conservatives (less taxation; skeptical of govnm solutions; strong national defense; regulate morality issues touch on crime |
| Liberal or conservatives ideology | a way to describe political beliefs in terms of position on the spectrum running from liberal to moderate to conservative Good example of stable opinion. |
| political socialization | individual political opinions are shaped by other people and surroundings Parents, communities and network. |
| Survey | a way to measure public opinion |
| population | group of people whom a researcher wants to study |
| sample | the group of people surveyed in order to gauge the opinions (researchers use samples b/c it is impossible to interview the entire population |
| Random Sample | a subsection of a population chosen to participate in a survey. Every person has a chance at being chosen. |
| Issues with survey method | can be expensive; wording can get a person to sway one way or the other; people aren't truthful social desirability bias: people answering survey questions are less willing to admit to actions or express opinions that they believe anyone would disapprove |
| Ideological polarization | differences in Americans overall ideas of the size and scope of govrnm |
| policy mood | the level the public support for expanding govnm role; defense spending; environmental policy; civil rights |
| Linking Institutions: | group of actors in American politics that inform citizens about government actions The MEDIA is the first example Media as a Watchdog Mass media has served as a reporter of political events and as a watchdog Keeping track of what politicians are doin |
| Federal Communications Commission FCC | a government agency created in 1934 to regulate American radio stations and later expanded to regulate television, wireless communications technologies, and other broadcast media |
| Broadcast media: | communications technologies Televisions and radio: transmit information over airwaves if broadcasters were going to make money; the government could place conditions on how this business operated Encourages competition among media sources rather than r |
| Equal Time Provisions | An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to provide equal air time on any non-news programming to all candidates running for an office. ○ “If a radio or television station gives airtime to a candidate outside its routine news coverage it has to give a |
| Media Conglomerates: | companies that control a large number of media sources across several types of media outlets ○ Example: Walt Disney Company ■ Theme parks, cruises, and Avengers or Star Wars movies and TV Shows ■ Media Companies: ABC broadcast network, Hulu, ESPN, Five |
| ● Leaking/Leaks | the practice in which someone in government provides nonpublic information to a reporter, with the aim of generating press coverage favorable to the leaker’s aims ○ Leaking or the publication of leaked information is not illegal as long as the informatio |
| ● Media Effects | the influence of media coverage on average citizens’ opinions and actions |
| ● Hostile Media Effect: | the tendency of people to see neutral media coverage of an event as biases against their point of view ○ Trump: “fake news” when he found stories to be misleading or inaccurate ■ Polls that show public disapproval of his actions in office ■ He believed |
| ● Filtering/agenda-setting: | the influence on public opinion that results from journalists’ and editors’ decisions about which of many potential news stories to report |
| ● Framing | the influence on public opinion caused by the way a story is presented or covered, including the details, explanations, and context offered in the report ● Market Forces Model: ○ Influence on media coverage is competition for an audience ○ Audience pr |
| ● Horse Race: | a description of the type of election coverage that focuses more on poll results and speculation about a likely winner than on substantive differences between the candidates |
| ● Soft News: | media coverage that aims to entertain or shock, often through sensationalized reporting or by focusing on a candidate or politician’s personality ○ SENSATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT |
| ● Hard News | media coverage focused on facts and important issues surrounding a campaign ○ EMPHASIZE FACTS AND FIGURES |
| ● Selecting Representatives | the most visible function of American elections ○ Candidates can be incumbents or challengers |
| ● Shaping Policy | elections also involve a choice between candidates’ policy platforms. Moreover, their voting decisions determine who gets to make choices about future government policy and thereby shape government policy itself ○ Consider the incumbent’s performance: |
| ● Promoting Accountability | when citizens choose between voting for an incumbent or a challenger, they can make a retrospective evaluation ○ Retrospective evaluation: (looking back) significant because they make incumbents responsive to their constituents’ demands ■ Can also form |
| ● Incumbents | a politician running for reelection to the office he or she currently holds |
| ● Challengers: | running for office for the first time against those running for reelection |
| ● Primary election | a ballot vote in which citizens select a party’s nominee for the general election |
| ● Caucuses: | a local meeting in which party members select a party’s nominee for the general election |
| ● General election | : the election in which voters cast ballots for House members, senators, and every (four years) a president and vice president |
| ● Plurality voting | a voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic area wins the election, regardless of whether that candidate wins a majority (more than half) of the votes |
| ● Majority: | a voting system in which a candidate must win more than 50 percent of votes to win the election. If no candidate wins enough votes to take office, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters |
| ● Runoff elections | under a majority voting system, a second election is held only if no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first general election. Only the top two vote-getters in the first election compete in the runoff ○ NON PLURALITY SYSTEM: USED IN ALABAMA |
| ● Proportional allocation | During the presidential primaries, the practice of determining the number of convection delegates allotted to each candidate is based on the percentage of the popular vote cast for each candidate. All Democratic primaries and caucuses use this system, as |
| ● Winner-take-all system | During the presidential primaries, the practice of assigning all of a given state’s delegates to the candidate who receives the most popular votes. Some states’ Republican primaries and caucuses use this system |
| ● National convention | the main purpose is to select the party’s presidential nominee, although usually, the vote at the convention is a formality ○ First: a candidate needs the support of a majority of the delegates ○ Second: after the convention delegates nominate a preside |
| ● Popular vote | the votes cast by citizens in an election |
| ● Electoral College | The body that votes to select America’s president and vice president based on the popular vote in each state. Each candidate nominates a slate of electors who are selected to attend the meeting of the college if their candidate wins the most votes in a st |
| ● Election cycle | the two-year period between general elections |
| ● The fundamentals | all the things candidates and their supporters do to shape election outcomes ○ Many important factors are beyond their control ○ Party ID: strong influence on his or her voting decisions ■ Republican or democrat ■ States or districts that have roughl |
| ● Open seat | an elected position for which there is no incumbent |
| ● Ground game | GOTV - get out the vote - a campaign’s efforts to “get out the vote” or make sure its supporters vote on election day ● Debates: ○ Candidates often contrast their own records or positions with those of opposing candidates or make claims designed to lo |
| ● Federal Election Commission (FEC | the government agency that enforces and regulates election laws; made up of six presidential appointees, of whom no more than three can be members of the same party |
| ● Hard money | donations that are used to help elect or defeat a specific candidate ○ FEC regulates ○ Limited and regulated money |
| ● Soft money | contributions that can be used for voter mobilization or to promote a policy proposal or point of view as long as these efforts are not tied to supporting or opposing a particular candidate ● Why people vote: ○ Obligation of citizenship ○ Feeling of gu |
| ● Voting cues | pieces of information about a candidate that is readily available, easy to interpret, and lead a citizen to decide to vote for a particular candidate |
| ● Split ticket voting | a ballot on which a voter selects candidates from more than one political party |
| ● Straight ticket voting | a ballot on which a voter selects candidates from only one political party |
| ● Interest group | organizations of people who share common political interests and aim to influence public policy by electioneering and lobbying ○ Seek to influence government policy ○ May represent very specific or more general interests and they use a variety of tactic |
| ○ Businesses | are FOR-PROFIT ENTERPRISES ■ Aim to influence policy in ways that will increase profits or satisfy other goals ● Google ● Exxon Mobil ● Boeing ● Facebook ● Citibank ● Sallie Mae |
| ○ Citizen groups | range from those with mass membership to those that have no members but claim to speak for particular segments of the population ■ Large: Sierra Club ■ Smaller: Family Research Council (FRC) ● “Promoting the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis for a |
| ○ Labor Union | lobby for REGULATIONS that make it easy for workers to form labor unions ■ American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (the largest group) |
| ● SIngle-issue groups | form with the goal of influencing society and policymaking |
| ● Iron triangles | the informal alliance of elected officials, bureaucrats, and interest groups designed to let these groups and individuals dominate the policymaking process in a given area ○ Revolving door contributes to this ○ For example: the agricultural iron triangl |
| ● Resources | significantly influence its available lobbying strategies ○ People: a crucial resource for most interest groups is their membership ■ Write or meet with elected officials, travel to Washington for demonstrations, and even offer expertise or advice to t |
| ● Revolving Door | the practice of moving from a government position to a job with an interest group or lobbying firm, or of transitioning from a lobbyist to an officeholder |
| ● Collective Action Problems | arise when a group of individuals ( or corporations) has an opportunity to make itself better off through the cooperative provision of public goods ○ Interests groups: the public good in question would be a change in government policy desired by group me |
| ● Free Riding | Relying on others to contribute to a collective effort while failing to participate on one’s own behalf, yet still benefiting from the group’s successes ○ These are people who do not organize to lobby, thus they enjoy the benefits of organizations withou |
| ● Selective Incentives | benefits that can motivate participation in a group effort because they are available only to those who participate, such as member services offered by interests groups ○ Solidary: satisfaction derived from the experience of working with like-minded peop |
| ● Coercion: | a method of eliminating nonparticipation or free-riding by potential group members by requiring participation, as in many labor unions ○ Labor Groups: they provide public goods to workers by negotiating with management on behalf of worker-members over pa |
| ● Direct Lobbying | attempts by interest group staff to influence policy by speaking with elected officials or bureaucrats |
| ● Drafting Legislation | delivered to legislators and bureaucrats as part of interest groups lobbying efforts ○ Congress has less internal capacity to write the laws due to cuts in committee staff ○ Seek out legislators who already support their cause and who have significant i |
| ● Congressional Hearings | activity aimed to inform members of Congress about issues that matter to the interest group ○ NRA: right to carry laws |
| ● Litigation | Inside strategy, Taking the government to court ○ Filing amicus curiae: friend of the court ○ Drawback: costly and time-consuming ○ Use direct lobbying when they use litigation |
| ● Lobbying | efforts to influence public policy through contact with public officials on behalf of an interest group |
| ● Grassroots lobbying | a lobbying strategy that relies on participation by group members, such as a protest or a letter-writing campaign |
| ● Campaigns | apart of mobilizing public opinion ○ Usage of technology ○ In-person campaigning ○ Social Networking ○ News/ TV ○ Press/ Newspaper/ Journalism |
| ● Electioneering | making contributions to candidates, mobilizing people to help in a campaign, endorsing candidates, funding campaign ads, or mobilizing a candidate’s or party’s supporters. |
| ○ Political Action Committee (PACS): | 527 organization. An interest group or a division of an interest group that can raise money to contribute to campaigns or to spend on ads in support of candidates. The amount a PAC can receive from each of its donors and the amount it can spend on federal |
| ○ SuperPACs | reflects the fact that these groups take in and spend much more money than the typical PAC. ■ 2020, federally focused PACs and SuperPACs spent more than 7 billion for electioneering and contributions to candidates and parties |
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