Political Science 112 Midterm 2

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Most important source of political information

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Family

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where does your party identification come from?

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mostly from parents and upbringing

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Political Socialization

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the transmission of political opinions, beliefs, and values

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ideology

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the interrelated beliefs about government

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The accuracy of public oppinon surveys depends on?

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proper random sample

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cross tabulation

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relates results with background of respondent

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Single memeber legislative district

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winner takes all, and only one candidate per district

results in a dominant two party system of government

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purality

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you win with less than a majority but received the most votes

key to retaining a dominant two party system

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patronage

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dispensing political favors

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realigning election

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An election or set of elections in which the electorate responds strongly to an extraordinarily prowerful issue that has disrupted the established political order. A realignment has a lasting impact on public policy, popular support for the parties, and the composition of the party coalitions.

ex: 1994 elections

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Open v. Closed primary

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open primary: you can cote for all candidates

closed primary: you must register for a party

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Gerrymandering

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manipulation of a legislative district's boundaries to benifit a candidate or party

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News sources

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in order of improtance
TV, newspaper, radio, internet

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super tuesday

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regional presidential primary

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electoral college favors...

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candidates winning big states

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is religion important?

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a majority of voters believe it is

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Political Action Committees (PAC)

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their goal is to provide money and get access and influence in public policy

mostly corporate

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Political Party

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wants to put people in office

supply organization and ideological base

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groupthink and zone of indifference

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consensus of majority can stifle minority views which may be correct

people dont question policies carefully

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Buckly v. Valeo

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overturned limits on what individuals could give or candidates spend on campaigns

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rule by inertia

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vocal minority can prevail over the majority by active participation and action

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We all have..

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Selective exposure, perception, and retention with perception equal to reality

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praimary elections

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serve as a filter to limit one candidate for each party

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propositions

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initiatives or referenda measures on the ballot

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voter inconsistencies

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voters split ticket and are inconsistent, wanting more services but less taxes

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why is politics like product marketing?

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campaigns use same methodology

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Jefferson quote

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"if a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was or will be."

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Lincoln quote

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"government is of the people, by the people, and for the people"

3/4 of people did not know this

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Walter lipman

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noted that democracy depends on informed public opinion

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Machiavelli

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warned leaders that ignoring people's demands increases risk of assasination

data shows this is still true today

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Brown act

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California

The open meeting law

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caucus

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a major influence on how members in the legislature vote

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why is trust the coin of the realm?

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the public generally does not trust the government

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Who are Democrats?

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usually urban minorities, blue-collar workers, and intellectuals

due to positive correlation between welfare recipients, labor unions, and liberal tendencies of academics and universities

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Who are republicans?

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those who tend to favor corporate freedom, less government, and less taxes and regulation

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proportional representation

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allows more than one representative per district

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successful political influence is generally acheived by...

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sharing power, building coalitions, and delegating responsibility

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What influences voters

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issue orented, rely on name recognition, party identification, slate mailers, and endorsements

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which voters turn out in greatest numbers?

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homeowners and seniors

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who make the best lobbiests?

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often former legislators

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voters are more....than....

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candidate style centered than party or issue centered

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Reapportionment V. Redistricting

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Reapportionment: Ensures the same numer of people in each legislative district (but not for senate). must take place every 10 years based on census

results in redistricting

Redistricting: Redrawing of election district boundaries to establish districts with the same number of people per district

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Media

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a business with reports on timely, dramatic, and compelling events

"if it bleeds, it leads."

can play a valuable watchdog role

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Reporting

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can be interpretative and editorialized, which at the excess can turn healthy skepticism into corrosive cynicism and loss of candidates and voter participation and trust in government

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Hard money v. Soft money

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Hard money: direct contributions to candidates

Soft money: contributions to political parties...no real limits

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Removing the president

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requires majority of the house (impeach), and 2/3 of senate (convict)

thus out of office only

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President's major power

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power of persuasion

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whitehouse staff

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expertise vital

knowledge divided into departments: congress, lobbying, legal, and news media

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U.S. v. Nixon

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cant obstruct justice, hand over evidence, executive privilege not a defence

same with Clinton v. Powers and Clinton v. Luensky

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how many electoral college votes needed to be elected president?

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270 out of 538

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Passage of Brady bill on handguns represents:

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strong party governement apprach to making public policy

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Presidential influence is greatest in...

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froreign policy, not domestic policy

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Unilateral power

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in making war, treaties, and nutrality

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Men and women agree most on..

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the use of the death penalty for murder, yet most voters want to be referred to as moderates

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Unit rule

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grants all state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives most of the popular votes