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108 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Interest Groups
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organizations based on shared interests that attempt to influence society and govt. to act in ways consonant with the govt's interests.
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pluralism
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the belief that the interest group structure of american politics produces a reasonable policy balance.
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elitism
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the belief that the interest grop structure of american politics is skewed toward the interest of the wealthy.
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peak associations
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like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, represents the general interests of business.
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trade associations
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associations formed by businesses and related interests involvd in the same commercial, trade, or industrial sector.
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AFL-CIO
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FORMED IN 1955 WHEN THE AMERICAN THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR JOINED THE CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS, TH E9 MILLION MEMBER AFL-CIO IS THE LARGEST LABOR ORGANIZATION IN THE U.S.
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McCain - Feingold
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campaign finance reform passes in 2003 to limit the impact of "soft money" on federal elections.
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lobbyists
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hired agents who seek to influence government decision making in ways that benefit or limit harm to their clients.
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social movement
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a collective enterprise to change the way society is organized and operates in order to produce changes in the way opportunities and rewards are distributed.
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social strain theory
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suggests that processes like industrialization, urbanization and depression create tension and uncertainity among individuals from which social movements rise.
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resource urbanization theory
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suggests that since social strain is always present, the keys to movement success or failure are the kinds and qualilties of rsources that the aroused group can put toward pursuing its rights.
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political process theory
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builds on the resource mobilization model by pointing out that the receptivity of the political system to the demands of an aggrieved group is critical to the success of a social movement.
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social- psychological theory
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builds on the resource moblization and political process models to consider what roles shared values, norms and pronciples have in determining the ways movements rise and spread.
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frame
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dominant organizing frame or image, such as the equal rights image that motivated most of the movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
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party primary
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an election in which voters identified with a political party select the candidates who will stand for election under the party label in a subsequent general election.
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initiative
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legal or constitutional process common in the states that allows citizens to place questions on the ballot to be decided directly by the voters.
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referendum
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a legal or constitutional device that allows state and local gvts to put questions directly to the voters for determination.
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recall
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a legal or constituational device that allows voters to remove an offensive officeholder before the normal end of his or her term.
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party in the electorate
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the voters who identify more or less directly and consistently with a political party.
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party organization
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the permanent structure of party offices and officials who administer the party apparatus on a day-to-day basis.
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party in govt
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the officeholders, both elected and partisan-appointed officials, who ran under or hve been associated with the party label.
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party identification
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the emotional and intellectual commitment of a voter to his or her preferred party.
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presidential success
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each year congressional quarterly reports the proportion of votes in congress on which the president took a clear position and congress supported him.
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Party Unity
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each year congressional Quarterly reports the proportion of votes in the house and senate on which a majority of one party lines up against a majority of the other party.
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minor party
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a party that raises issues and offers candidates but ha little chance of winning and organizing the government
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Duverger's law
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political scientist maurice duverger was the first to note that electoral rules influence party systems. majoritarian systems usually produce two-party systems, and proportional representation systems usually produce multiparty systems.
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First-past-the-post
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an english phrase describing plurality or majority voting systems that award office to the top vote-getter in a geographical district
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suffrage
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legal right to vote
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voter turnout
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that portion of the voting-age population that actually turns uo to vote on election day.
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voter registration
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the process by which members of the voting age population sign up, or register to establish their right to cast a ballot on election day
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motor voter
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popular name fr the natonal voter registration act of 1993. the act permits ppl to register to vote while they are doing other common tasks like getting or renewing their driver's licenses.
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micro targeting
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campaign consultants analyze dozens of peices of demographic, political, and consumer data to determine what issues, themes, and arguments are likely to move a voter or group of similar voters toward a candidate.
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primary
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a preliminary election in which voters select candidates to stand under their party label in a later and definitive general election.
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caucus
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face-to-face meeting in which rank-and-file party members discuss and vote on candidates to stand for elction to offices under the party label at a later genearl election.
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frontloading
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the crowding of presidential primaries and caucuses into the early weeks of the nomination period
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national party convention
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the democratic and republican parties meet in national convention every 4 years, in the summer just prior to the presidential election, to choose a presidential candidate and adopt a party platform.
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general election
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a final or definitive election in which candidates representing their respective parties contend for election to office.
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ready response team
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a group within a campaign staff that is assigned to respond immediately to any charge or negative comment made by the opposition or the media.
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FECA (FEDRATION ELECTION CAMPAIGN ACT)
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Campaign reform legislation passed in 1971, with major amendments in 1974 and later, that required disclosure and set limits on campaign contributions and provided public funding of presidential elections.
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Buckley v. valeo
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1976, this decission declared provisions of the 1974 federal campaign act limiting th eamount that a candidate could contribute t his or her campaign to be an unconstitutional limitation on free speech.
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soft money
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amendments to the FECA passed in 1979 allowed unlimited contribution to political parties for party building, voter registration, and voter turnout.
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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)
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commonly known as Mccain-feingold, the 2002 BCRA was the first major revision of campaign finance laws since the early 1970s.
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McConnell v F.E.C.
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the supreme court upheld all major elements of the bipartisan campaign reform act of 202, including those permitting regulation of soft money and issue ads.
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grandfather clause
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the granting of voting rights only to those citizens whose grandfathers had the right to vote; used to bar african americans from voting in the south after the end of reconstruction
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literacy test
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a test of a prospective voter's ablity to read and understand aspects to american govt; used to bar african americans from voting in many parts of the post- reconstruction south, but not widely used in texas.
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poll tax
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an annual tax paid before one wad allowed to vote; allowed by a 1902 amendment to the texas constitution and used to legally bar african americans from voting.
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white primary
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the attempt by the democratic party in texas to limit the voting in party primaries only to party members.
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equal protection clause
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this clause of teh 14th amendment to the US constitution requires that state laws and state constitutions treat al citizens the same.
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voting rights act of 1965
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a federal statute that elimiated literacy tests as a qualification to vote, greatly increasing african american's access to the ballot box.
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independent candidate
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a candidate running for the office w/out a political party affiliation
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help america vote act
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the federal statute enacted after the 2000 presidential election to effectively standardize election procedures.
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Advanced or early voting
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a voting system that allows a voter to cast a ballot before an election without giving a specific reason, thus making voting more convenient for the voter.
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primary elections
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intraparty elections in which candidates compete to determine who will win the party's nomination in the general election.
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direct primary
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an election in which the winning candiadte directly receives the party nomination.
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indirect primary
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a primary in which voters elect delegates to a party convention; deleagtes are pledged to support a specific candidates seeking the party nomination.
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preference primary
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a primary in which voters indicate their choice to hold office, but the actual selection is left to the political party elites.
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general election
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the interparty election in which candiadates from two or more plitical parties compete for actual political office.
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closed primary
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an electoral contest restricted to party loyalists and excluding supporters of other political parties and independent voters.
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open primary
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an electoral contest in which voters do not have to declare a party affiliation to participate; but must request a specific party's ballot at the primary and are then barred from participating in the other party's primary.
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blanket-or wide open primary
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a primary in which voters do not register party affiliations and receive ballot papers containing the name of all candidates from all political parties running for office; usually voters may choose only one candidate per office, rather than once one candidate per political party.
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roll off
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occurs when a voter marks off only the "more important" offices on a lengthy ballot- usually the national or statewide offices- and leaves the county or local office choices blank.
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party-line or straight-ticket voting
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when voters select candidates by their party affiliation.
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voter turnout
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the number of ppl casting ballots in a given election
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second order elections
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elections for offices below the national executive levels in countries with presidential systems like the united states or the national legislature level in parliamentary countries like Great britain; generally seen as less important in scope and impact on a country.
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incumbent
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the candidate already holding office
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position taking
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an incumbent's advantage in having an existing record of positions on issues from previous elections and in the context of decisions made while in office.
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credit claiming
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the advantage derived from incumbent's ability to point out positive outcomes for which they are responsible.
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casework
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solving problems for constituents
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public financing
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a system of campaign financing in which the govt covers the cost of elections for political parties or candidates.
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private financing
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occurs when citizens, interests groups, labor unions, and corporations make donations to candidates and political parties to cover the cost of an election.
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disclosure
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the reporting of who contributes money to the campaign and how much is contributed by an individual or corporations.
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responsible party model
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the theoretical view that each party should hold firmly to a clear and consistent set of policies with a coherent ideology distinct from that of other parties to present voters with clear choices.
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electoral competition model
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the view the parties mke a pragmatic move to the center of the political spectrum as they attempt to win votes, sacrificing the more purely ideological positions.
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chronic minority
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a group that rarely wins elections or achieves majority status, and thus sees few reasons to become actively engaged in politics.
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temporary party elections
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gatherings, such as primaries, caucuses, and conventions at which ordinary party members meet.
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permanent party organizations
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the party officials selected by the temporary organizations to conduct party business b/t the primaries, caucuses and conventions.
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grassroots organizations
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groups in which power and decision making reside with average citizens; average citizen participation is the foundation of these groups legitimacy.
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runoff primary
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primary that occurs if no nominee receives the required majority of the votes in the primary; the top two finishers face off in a second primary to determine the nominee for the general election.
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precinct and county chairs
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precinct chairs are selected by party members in each voting precinct by majority vote; county chairs are selected by countywide voting. these party officials are responsible for managing the local affairs of their party for the next two years.
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conventions (caucuses)
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meetings at which party members participate in range of party business that usually occur on the same day as primary election day.
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delegates
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party members elected to attend their party's conventions held at the county level or the texas senatorial district level.
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county or senatorial district conventions
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held on the third saturday after the primary election, these conventions select delegates to the statewide convention.
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party platform
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the document that officially spells out the issue stands of party; written and approved at the party coventions
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planks
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the individual issue positions of the party platform.
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state party chair
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individual selected at the state party convention to head the state executive committee; state law mandates that a man and a woman be chosen.
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executive committe
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this group, slected at the state party convention, carries on the activities of the party b/w party conventions; by law, the committee consists of one man and one woman from each state senatorial district.
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organized interest
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an individual, group of ppl, or group of businesses that organizes its efforts to influence public policy.
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solidarity benefits
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the social interactions that individuals enjoy from joining a group and from working together for a common cause.
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expressive benefits
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benefits that arise from taking action to express one's views; serve as another motivation for group membership.
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disturbance theory
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a theory of group formation that suggests that as societies become more complex and more diverse, new interests will emerge to voice their concerns and established interests will mobilize in order to protect the status quo
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free-rider problem
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occurs when citizens who not contribute to effort of a group enjoy the results of the group's effort
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collective goods
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benefits that, once provided, go to everyone and cannot be effectively denied to others even those who did not contribute to the effort
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labor unions
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organization that represent the interests of working people seeking better pay and better working conditions
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selective incentives
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benefits exclusively available to members of an organization
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professional associations
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organization that represent the needs of professionals not represented by unions
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trade associations
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organizations of similar businesses, which work together to advance shared goals.
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public-interest groups
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organizations that pursue non economic policies on behalf of the general public, even if all members of the general public do not agree on these issues or policies.
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single-interest groups
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groups usually organized around one side of a single issue, such as pro-choice or anti-abortion groups.
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intergovernmental lobby
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the lobbying that occurs b/w different levels of govt, such as b/w the state and national govt or b/w local govts and the state govt.
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electioneering
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method used by organized interests to try to shape public policy by influencing who is elected to office, especially by serving as sources of campaign funding.
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political action committees
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the fund-raising arms of interests groups that have been organized to meet the requirements of state and federal campaign finance laws.
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lobbying
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direct contact with members of the legislative or executive branch to influence legislation or administration actions.
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grassroots lobbying
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attempts by organized interests to influence legislators through public opinion; extension of democratic principles in which groups of citizens spontaneously mobilize to build support for a cause.
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astroturf lobbying
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a simulation of grassroots support, usually conducted by specialized lobbying firms and involving spending large sums of money to generate the appearance of public support to advance a group's agenda
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grasstop lobbying
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the attempt to influence legislators through key constituents of friends
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revolving door
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the phenomenon of legislators and members of the executive branch moving easily from govt office to lucrative positions with lobbying firms.
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pluralist perspective
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a view of politics that argues that democracy is best practiced when citizens participate through groups; a greater # of organized interests means wider participation and a healthier democracy.
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hyper pluralism
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a view that the system today has evolved beyond simple pluralism and is now one in which many narrow interests are represented, often at the expense of the broader public interest.
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