Chapter 8

Front 1

part competition

Back 1

the battle of the parties for control of public offices. Ups and downs of the two major parties are one of the most important in american politics

Front 2

political party

Back 2

according to anthony downs, a team of men and women seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election

Front 3

linkage institutions

Back 3

the channels through which peoples concerns become political issues on the governments policy agenda

Front 4

rational choice theory

Back 4

a popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. it assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives

Front 5

party images

Back 5

the voter's perception of what the republicans or democrats stand for such as conservatism or liberalism

Front 6

party identification

Back 6

a citizens self proclaimed preferences for one party or the other

Front 7

ticket splitting

Back 7

voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. it has become the norm in american voting behavior

Front 8

party machines

Back 8

a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements such as patronage to win votes and to govern

Front 9

patronage

Back 9

one of the key inducements used by party machines. a patronage job promotion or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than or merit or competence alone

Front 10

closed primaries

Back 10

elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party's candidates this encouraging greater party loyalty

Front 11

open primaries

Back 11

elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on election day whether they want to participate in the democratic or republican contests

Front 12

blanket primaries

Back 12

elections to select party m=nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties. Voters can then select some democrats and some republicans if they like

Front 13

national convention

Back 13

the meeting of party delegates eery years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform

Front 14

national committee

Back 14

one of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions. the national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories

Front 15

national chairperson

Back 15

the national chairperson is responsivle for the day to day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the presidential nominee

Front 16

coalition

Back 16

a group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends

Front 17

party eras

Back 17

historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power which tends to win a majority of the elections

Front 18

critical election

Back 18

an electoral earthquake where new issues emerge new coalitions replace old ones and the majority party is often displaced by the minority

Front 19

party realignmet

Back 19

the diplacement of the majority party by the minority party by the minority party usually during a critical election period

Front 20

new deal coalition

Back 20

a coalition forged by the democrats who dominated american politics from the 1930s to the 1960s its basic elements were the urban working class ethnic groups catholics and jews the poor southerners african americans and intellectuals

Front 21

party dealignment

Back 21

the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties as seen in part by shrinking party identification

Front 22

third parties

Back 22

electoral contenders other than the two major parties american third parties are not unusual but they rarely win elections

Front 23

winner take all system

Back 23

an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to candidates who come in first in their constitiencies in american presidential elections the system in which the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state

Front 24

proportional representation

Back 24

an electoral system used throughout most od euope that awards legislative seats to polirical parties in proportion to the nmber of votes won in an election

Front 25

coalition government

Back 25

when two or more parties in together to form a majority in a national legislative. this form of government is quite common in the multiparty system of europe

Front 26

responsible party model

Back 26

a view favored by some political scientists about how parties should work. according to the model parties should offer clear choised to the voters who an then use those choices as cues to their own preferenved of candidates. once in office parties would carrt out their campaign promises