Gov Chp 8

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party competition

Back 1

the battle of the parties for control of public offices

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political party

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"the team of men [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election

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linkage institutions

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the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. (elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media)

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party image

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the voter's perception of what the republicans or democrats stand for.

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rational-choice theory

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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

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party identification

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a citizen's slef-proclaimed preference for one party or the other

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ticket-splitting

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voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices.

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party machines

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

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patronage

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a patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.

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closed primaries

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elections to selects party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with he party can vote for that party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty.

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open primaries

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

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blanket primaries

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elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all parties

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national convention

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the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose presidential ticket and write the party's platform

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national committee

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

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national chairperson

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responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party and is usually nominated by the presidential nominee

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coalition

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

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party eras

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

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critical elections

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an electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. critical election periods are sometimes marked by a national crisis and my require more than one election to bring about a new party era

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party realignment

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the displacement of the majority party by the minority party

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New Deal Coalition

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a coalition forged by democrats, who dominated american politics from the 30's to the 60's. its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, catholics and jews, the poor, southerners, african americans, and intellectuals

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party dealignment

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the gradual disengagement of peope and politicians from the parties, seen by shrinking identification

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party neutrality

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the fact that many americans are indifferent toward to two major political parties

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third parties

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electoral contenders other than the two major parties

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winner-take-all system

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an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies. 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

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proportional representation

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an electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election

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coalition government

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when 2 or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature.

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responsible party model

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a view favored by some political scientists about how parties should work. according to the model, parties who can then use those choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates.

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nomination

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the official endorsement of a candidate for office by political party.

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campaign strategy

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the master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign

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national party convention

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the supreme power within each of the parties. the convention meets every four years to nominate the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates and write the party's platform

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caucus (state party)

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a meeting of all state party leaders for selecting delegates to the national party convention. caucuses are usually organized as a pyramid

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presidential primaries

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elections in which voters in a state vote for a candidate (or delegates pledged to him or her). most delegates to the national party conventions are chosen this way

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McGovern-Fraser Commission

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a commission formed at the 1968 democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.

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superdelegates

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national party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the democratic national party convention

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frontloading

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the recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.

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national primary

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a proposal by critics of the caucuses and presidential primaries, which who would replace these electoral methods with a nationwide primary held early in the election year

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regional primaries

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a proposal by critics of the caucuses and presidential primaries, to replace these electoral methods with a series of primaries held in each geographic region

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direct mail

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a high-tech method of raising money for a political cause or candidate. it involves sending information and requests for money to people whose names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past.

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Federal Election Campaign Act

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a law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances. it created the federal election commission, provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions

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Federal Election Commission

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a six-member bipartisan agency created by the Federal election campaign act of 1974. the EFC administers the campaign finance finance laws and enforces compliance with their requirements

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soft money

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political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grassroots level or for a generic party advertising, unlike money that goes to the campaign of a particular candidate, such party donations are not subject to contribution limits

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Political Action Committee

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funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms. a corporation, union, or some other interest groups can create a PAC and register it with the FEC, which will meticulously monitor the PAC's expenditures

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selective perception

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the phenomenon that people often pay the most attention to things they already agree with and interpret them according to their own predispositions

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legitimacy

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a characterization of elections by political scientists meaning that they are almost universally accepted as a fair and free method of selecting political leaders.

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referendum

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a state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment

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initiative petition

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a process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on petitions calling for such a referendum

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suffrage

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the legal right to vote, extended to African americans by the 15th amendment, to women by the 19th amendment and to people over the age of 18 by the 26th amendment

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political efficacy

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the belief that one's political participation really matters

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civic duty

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the belief that in order to support a democratic government, a citizen should always vote

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voter registration

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a system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of election day

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motor voter act

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requires states to permit people to register to vote at the same time they apply for their driver's license

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mandate theory elections

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the idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from people to carry out his or her platform and politics. politicians like the theory better than political scientists do.

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policy voting

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electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters' policy preferences and on the basis of where the candidates stand on policy issues

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electoral college

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a unique american institution, created by the constitution, providing for the selection of the president by electors chosen by the state parties. although the electoral college vote usually reflects a popular majority, the winner-take-all rule gives clout to big states

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retrospective voting

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a theory of voting in which voters essentially ask this simple question: "what have you done for me lately?"