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65 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Personal Values
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Your feeling of what is right and wrong
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Public Opinion
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Your opinion on political issues and leaders
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Political Ideology
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Your general philosophy of what government should and shouldn't do
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Broad principles commonly agreed on
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Individualism > Socialism
Freedom from oppressive government and rights for the people Government is to act in the people's best interest |
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Family (Influence)
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Absorb information growing up
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Education (Influence)
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Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, teacher opinions, issue framing in class
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Social Groups (Involuntary) (Influence)
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Race, age, gender, etc. who share common needs and interests
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Social Groups (Voluntary) (Influence)
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Boy Scouts, religion, union, political party
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Media (Influence)
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Framing information
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Pitfalls of Polling
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Small sample size, in-person surveys (making them central to one area), wording of questions (homeless shelters versus transitional housing), loaded questions, people not answering phone
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Bandwagon Effect
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A shift in electoral support to the candidate that public opinion polls report as the front-runner
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Why don't people vote?
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No feeling of efficacy, not engaged, etc.
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Men vs. Women (Voting)
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Women are slightly more likely to vote
Women favor policies protecting the family, men favor those protecting the individual and the country |
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Age (Voting)
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The older you are the more likely you are to vote
Older Americans vote fiscally conservative, but liberal on domestic issues |
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Education (Voting)
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The more education completed, the more likely you are to vote
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Religion (Voting)
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Members of non-Protestant religions are much more likely to vote conservative
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Race (Voting)
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African American - 60+% vote, liberal
Asian American - 45+% vote, varies Latin@ Americans - 47+% vote, conservative |
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Wealth (Voting)
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Less likely to vote the poorer you are
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Broadcast Media
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Radio - 22% of the public gets information from here
Television - 48% of the public gets information from here |
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Print Media
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24% of the public gets their information from here
Use of newspapers is declining |
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Internet
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9% of the public gets their information from here
Mostly younger generation |
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Narrowcasting
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Media with a targeted audience (Fox News, MSNBC)
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Media Conglomeration
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75% of broadcast and print media are owned by major media houses
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Political role of the media in a democracy
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General information on government action and policy
Government watchdog Provides information to help us clarify our political opinions Unregulated venue for dissent |
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How the media influences our understanding of news information
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Staged events
Sound bites - easy to remember and repeat, but limited in content Catering to the lowest common denominator of viewers to ensure broad viewership Catering to the desired audience Agenda setting - selecting the issues to receive prime spots in the newscast and what issues receive airtime Framing of the issues |
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Political Parties
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Organizations that try to influence government by placing people in office that can then influence policy
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Major Functions of Political Parties
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Unify public opinion on political issues (liberals feel this way, conservatives feel that way)
Unify politicians in office and assist in coalition building around policies and legislation Protect the government from the tyranny of one person or party Mobilize the vote |
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Two-Party System
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Voters want to vote for the winner, thus limiting choices between two ends of the spectrum
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Parliamentary System
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Gives proportional number of seats in the legislature based on the number of votes the party receives
Allows for much more diversity |
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Role of Third Parties
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When they become larger, either are absorbed by a major political party or take over a major political party
Can force major candidates to acknowledge issues Can pull votes away from major candidates |
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Presidential Election Process
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Primary --> Election Day (popular vote) --> Electoral College
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Primary (Presidential Election)
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Election in which voters nominate their Party's candidate
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Closed Primary
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Only the voters registered in the Political Party can vote in that Party's primary
California uses this system Don't want to let the enemy ruin things |
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Open Primary
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All voters can participate in the primary of either Political Party
Many people don't vote along party lines |
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Election Day
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Popular vote is conducted and used to assign electoral votes to one candidate
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Electoral College
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Meet after popular vote is conducted to cast ballots for candidates
Created because ordinary citizens were seen as unqualified to choose a leader Need 270 votes to win |
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Components of a successful campaign to win the presidency
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Using polling data to determine where to campaign, where to spend money, and what issues are most important to the public
Use of media, mail, email, and phone banks to reach the voters Money - National Committee, Candidate's campaign, Candidate's personal money, public financing, Political Action Committee, soft money) Identify the issues most important to those registered for your party and represent their needs and opinions Get new voters to register and vote in the election |
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Soft Money
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Money donated to an organization rather than a candidate or campaign to avoid taxes and/or limitations
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Congressional Elections
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Incumbents almost always win reelection
House and state legislature representatives are selected from districts |
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Why do Congressional incumbents almost always win reelection despite low public opinion of the government?
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They are already well-known
Can raise more money Have access to the inside of the system to benefit their campaign |
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Redistricting for Congressional Seats
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Gerrymandering - redrawing district lines to affect the outcomes of elections
Redistricting with the intention of increasing the number of under-represented populations in public office |
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Interest Group
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An organization that attempts to influence government policy from the outside-in by providing information to those making decisions, lobbying, financial support to those favoring their opinion, and mobilizing the public
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Examples of Interest Groups
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The Christian Coalition of America, The Sierra Club, The NRA, Teamsters
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Business (Interest Group)
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Ex: tobacco industry creating interest group to influence legislation related to tobacco use and sale
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Labor Groups (Interest Group)
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Ex: Teamsters, California Teachers Association
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Professional Groups (Interest Group)
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Ex: dentists, surgeons
Not as politically active as others |
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Public Interest Groups (Interest Group)
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Push an agenda that will benefit more than just their members
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Ideological Groups (Interest Group)
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Interests are based on a philosophy or belief
Ex: The Christian Coalition of America |
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Public Sector Groups (Interest Group)
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Government agencies that want to advocate for greater government support for their agency, uniting to make their voice stronger in hopes of influencing legislation and government funding
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Elements of a successful interest group
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Organizational leadership and a central location
Money Membership |
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We join interest groups because...
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We desire the information
We benefit materially We are passionate about the issue |
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Functions of Interest Groups
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Bring bills to attention of legislators
Do the research on the bills for the legislators Disperse information and act as government watchdog |
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How do interest groups influence the system?
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Testify at court hearings
Contract with lobbyists to work with government officials Present research and topic papers to government officials Work with the media to get their message out Help to draft legislation Inspire letter writing campaigns Make financial contributions to campaigns Insprire grassroots efforts Inform the public |
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Current approval rating for Congress
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17%
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Authorities given to Congress
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Draft and pass legislation
Go to war Regulate the armed forces, Navy, and the National Guard Coin money Borrow money Collect taxes Regulate interstate commerce Foreign relations such as regulating commerce with other countries and approving treaties Legislation that is necessary and proper to carry out their express responsibilities Impeach the President and remove Justices |
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Congressional Structure
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Senate and the House of Representatives
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Senate
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100 members
Each state has two representatives Serve 6 year terms before up for reelection 1/3 is up for reelection every two years Constituency is the entire state |
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House of Representatives
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435 members
Each state has a different number of representatives proportional its population Serve 2 year terms Everyone is up for reelection every election cycle Spending bills originate here Constituency is their district |
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Congress as a Deliberative Body
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A good idea may have bad consequences
Professional politicians - good or bad? Build coalitions and consensus on issues to give support and efficiency A tyranny of the majority Thousands of bills are proposed each year, why are some considered and others not? (A crisis, media captures they story, grassroots mobilization) |
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How a bill becomes a law
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The Committee System - standing committees, joint committees, conference committees
Most politicians prefer incremental change as opposed to comprehensive change - status quo usually wins Good legislation that is unpopular rarely gets passed because it is hard to drum up the support Due to logrolling and compromises few bills look the same as they did when they went in |
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Pros of Term Limits (up to states)
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New ideas, perspective, bias, experience
Increases the likelihood minorities will win office (in theory) Puts an end to professional politicians always working to get reelected |
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Cons of Term Limits (up to states)
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Time wasted on learning procedures
There will never be a strong and efficient coalition |
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Responsibilities of the President
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Commander in Chief of the armed forces
Veto bills passed by Congress Grants pardons Negotiates treaties Draft the national budget Nominates federal justices Implementation of policy Signing statements Access to media and Congress Police action versus War Powers Resolution Emergency powers Executive orders |
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War Powers Resolution vs. Police Action
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Congress has only declared war officially 5 times in its history
There are however undeclared wars with a certain degree of Congressional authorization in the form of spending |
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Bush Doctrine
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The nation's right to self defense entitles the US to attack an enemy it feels presents an imminent threat to national security, even if the enemy has not attacked first
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