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71 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Party-in-the electorate |
ordinary citizens who identify with the party Sig-biased opinions of party view |
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Party Identification |
voter affiliation with a political party Sig- can see clear trends over time people are increasingly independent |
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public opinion |
the collective attitudes and beliefs of individuals on one or more issues sig- can influence what politicians do and say; laws passed, important for proper functioning of government (will of the people) |
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benchmark polls |
initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared sig- instrumental for campaign strategy |
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Party activists |
party faithful, the rank and file members who actually carry out the parties electioning sig- goes beyond simply voting, are the parties lifeblood, tend to be on extreme end of parties; have huge influence on elections |
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party base |
members of a political party who consistently vote for that parties candidates sig- not enough to win presidential election causing tug of war between party ideology and independents |
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soft money |
unregulated campaign contributions by individuals, groups, or parties that promote general election activities but do not directly support individual candidates sig- candidates weren't allowed to participate in how money was spent on their elections but still benefited |
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governing |
activities directed toward controlling the distribution of political resources by providing executive and legislative leadership, enacting agendas, mobilizing support, and building coalition sig- can ad coherence to fragmented separation of powers and federalism |
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party discipline |
ability of party leaders to bring party members in the legislature into line with the part program sig-reflects diversity within parties when divided, when together can accomplish policy goals |
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tracking polls |
ongoing series of surveys that follow changes in public opinion over time sig- shows trends and changes in voters preferences and perceptions. shows where country is heading |
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exit polls |
election related questions asked of voters right after they vote sig- helps predictions for winners early, as well as issue preferences, evaluation of candidates and talking points for media |
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rational ignorance |
state of being uniformed about politics because of the cost in time and energy sig- citizens have to use multiple strategies to stay informed and could use sources similar to them that creates bias. also, uniformed decisions could affect elections negatively |
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party machines |
mass based party systems in which parties provided services and resources to voters in exchange for votes sig- could be used to get voters jobs or help them out financially. gave more powers to campaign |
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party bosses |
party leaders, usually in an urban district who exercised tight control over electioneering and patronage sig- chose candidates for election had candidates pledge loyalty to party bosses and his policies to win approval to run for reelection |
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patronage |
system in which successful party candidates reward supporters with jobs ad favors sig- ensured loyalty to party bosses as well as keeping influence |
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nominating convention |
formal party gathering to choose candidates sig- delegates vote for a candidate the summer before election. Brings together the party faithful in solidarity |
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opinion leaders |
people who know more about certain topics than we do and whose advice we trust, seek, and follow sig- we use people like us who we trust, but can also use biased opinions to influence or reinforce our beliefs |
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on-line processing |
the ability to receive and evaluate info as events happen, allowing us to remember our evaluation even if we have forgotten the specific events that caused it sig- can like/dislike someone for seemingly no reason even if there is one, it cant quite be identified |
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political gridlock |
the stalemate that occurs when political rivals, especially parties, refuse to budge from their positions to achieve a compromise in the public interest sig- can cause nothing to get done. some prefer their own party ideas over real progress and sensible solutions |
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political party |
a group of citizens united by ideology and seeking control of the government in order to promote their ideas and policies sig- can control the senate, congress, or executive branch and if popular enough all 3. this would let them push agendas. these parties create gaps and tangible differences between citizens |
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partisanship |
loyalty to a political cause or a party sig- can be seen as more to benefit a party instead of the public, others say it is a tool in a policy tug of war to keep politicians honest. |
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political opinion polls |
scientific efforts to estimate what an entire group thinks about an issue by asking a smaller sample of the group for its opinion sig- can influence what politicians do and say, laws passed, important for peoples voice |
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astroturf lobbying |
indirect lobbying efforts that manipulate or create public sentiment 'astroturf' being artificial grassroots sig- often pushes interests of big businesses and is not a genuine concern of everyday citizens |
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grassroots lobbying |
indirect lobbying efforts that spring from widespread public concern sig- genuine movement that shows power through sheer numbers and voice of the people. proves democracy is alive today |
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social protest |
public activities designed to bring attention to political causes, usually generated by those without access to conventional means of expressing their views sig- gives voice to the people through different avenues |
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527 groups |
groups that mobilize voters with issue advocacy advertisements on tv and radio may not directly advocate the election or defeat of a particular candidate sig-can affect elections without endorsing candidates |
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issue advocacy ads |
advertisements that support issues or candidates without telling constituents how to vote sig-raise public awareness of their interests |
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revolving door |
the tendency of public officials, journalists, and lobbyists to move between public and private sector sig- can blur the lines of public and private businesses. lets those who know the system work the system to their interest advantage, can breed corruption
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indirect lobbying |
attempts to influence government policy makers by encouraging the general public to put pressure on them sig- uses public support to push their agenda |
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direct lobbying |
direct interaction with public officials for the purpose of influence policy decisions |
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public interest groups |
groups that organize to influence government to produce collective goods or services that benifits the general public |
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equal opportunity interest groups |
groups that organize to promote the civil and economic rights of under-represented or disadvantaged groups |
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economic interest groups |
groups that organize to influence government policies for the economic benefit of their members |
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expressive benifits |
selective incentives that derive from the opportunity to express values and beliefs and to be committed to a greater cause |
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solidary benifits |
selective incentives related to the group interaction and bonding among group members |
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material benifits |
selective incentives in the form of tangible rewards |
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selective incentives |
benefits that are available only to group members as an inducement to get them to join |
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collective good |
a good or service that, by its very nature, cannot be denied to anyone who wants to consume it |
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ree rider problem |
the difficulty groups face in recruiting when potential members can gain the benefits of the groups actions whether they join or not |
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interest groups entrepreneurs |
effective group leaders who are likely to have organized the group and can effectively promote its interests among members and the public |
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interest group |
an organization of individuals who share a common political goal and unite for the purpose of influencing government decisions |
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Political action Committees (pacs) |
the fundraising arms of interest groups |
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lobbying |
group activities aimed at persuading policy makers to support the groups position |
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faction |
a group of citizens united by some common passion or interest and opposed to the rights of other citizens or to the interests of the whole community |
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party-in-government |
members of the party who have been elected to serve in the government sig- can better push their parties or public interest |
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party organization |
the official structure that conducts the political business of parties sig- run the parties day to day. organize fundraisers, run campaigns, registered and mobilize voters, and run the caucus and parties |
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open primaries |
primary elections in which eligible voters dont need to be registered party members sig- can weaken political parties ex: rush limbaughs 'operation chaos' |
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weighting |
adjustments to surveys during analysis so that selected demographics groups reflect their values in the population, usually as measured by census sig- keep sample bias in check by using ages of poll responders to match the countries age demographics |
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random sampiling |
samples chosen in such a way that any members of the population being polled has an equal chance of being selected sig- representative sample, can generally get a view of whole country accurately using this systematic method |
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sampling error |
a number that indicated within what range the results of a poll are accurate sig- the longer the sample, smaller the sampling error. can show who is in the lead, within a certain % can be wrong |
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straw polls |
polls that attempt to determine who is ahead in the political race sig- tells where the political winds are blowing, can at times be inaccurate due to sample bias. although usually correct. subject to last minute change. |
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sample bias |
effect of having a sample that does not represent all segments of the population sig- can give misleading idea of public opinion |
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sample |
portion of a population that is selected to participate in a poll sig- if scientifically chosen to represent whole population, it can show what the entire country thinks |
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marriage gap |
the tendency for married people to hold political opinions that differ from those of people who have never been married sig- 'non married' tend to be more liberal, while marrieds tend to be more conservative and traditional |
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closed primaries |
primary elections in which only registered party members may vote sig- gives more power to party memebers |
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electioneering |
the process of getting a person elected to public office sig- can be hard to find candidates against incumbents, these politicians can affect local or national government by pushing their parties |
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responsible party model |
party government when four conditions are met: 1.clear choice of ideologies 2.candidates pledged to implement ideas 3. party held accountable by voters 4. party control over voters sig- enhances democracy as well as strengthens it, gives clear alternatives and holds parties responsible for promises |
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conflict extension |
a theory of a party change that sees new issues reinforcing rather than supplanting existing party differences sig- drives a bigger divide within parties causing severe factions, can potentially alienate party loyalists |
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dealignment |
a trend among voters to identify themselves as independents rather than members of a majority party
sig- an increasing trend, that causes politicians to walk a tight rope on policy appealing to general voters as well as party members |
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realignment |
a substantial and long term shift in party allegiance by individuals and groups, usually resulting in a change in policy discretion sig- can help show trends in policy and swing power balance |
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two-step flow of info |
the process by which citizens take their political cues from more well informed opinion leaders sig- we use people like us who we trust, but can also use their biased opinions to influence or reinforce our beliefs |
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gender gap |
the tendency of men and women to differ in their views on some issues sig: women vote more liberal than their increasingly more conservative counter part men |
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political generation |
groups of citizens whos political views have been shaped by common events in their youth sig- views tend to stay to era of when they came of political age with younger generation replacing older generation as they die off (generational replacement) |
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critical election |
an election signaling a significant change in popular allegiance from one party to another sig- marks end of a party era, usually shows discontent of people and gives power to previous minority |
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party eras |
extended periods of relative political stability in which one party tends to control both the presidency and congress sig- can push presidents agenda ahead and helps avoid gridlock |
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party primary |
nomination of party candidates by registered party members rather than party bosses sig- filled jobs based off merit, diluted or eliminated party bosses and helped prevent corruption |
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spiral of silence |
the process by which a majority opinion becomes exaggerated because minorities do not feel comfortable speaking out in opposition sig- embolden advocates of majority to speak more confidently, bare majority can become overwhelmingly voice of the group |
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Wayne Pacelle |
CEO humane society |
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James Carville |
former lawyer, now political consultant and CNN contributor |
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Nate Silver |
PECOTA, poker player turned number/political analyst |
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David Frum |
Waiter, worked for George W. Bush as a speech writer |
