Key Terms
$100: What term describes the mutually beneficial relationship between bureaucracies, interest groups, and congressional committees?
What are iron triangles?
$100: What landmark case allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on independent political expenditures?
What is Citizens United v. FEC?
$100: What is the primary function of political parties in elections?
What is to nominate candidates and mobilize voters?
$100: Which Federal Executive Agency regulates the media?
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
$200: What term describes institutions like political parties, interest groups, and the media that connect citizens to the government?
What are linkage institutions?
$200: What law aimed to regulate soft money and issue advocacy ads but was partially overturned by Citizens United?
What is the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)?
$200: What event is held by political parties to officially nominate their presidential candidate and adopt their platform?
National Conventions (DNC, RNC)
$200: Journalism that focuses solely on who is ahead in the polls, instead of on a candidate’s agenda.
"horse race" journalism
$300: What is the term for individuals who benefit from the work of interest groups but do not actively participate in or support the group?
What is the free rider problem?
$300: What type of PAC can raise unlimited funds but cannot coordinate directly with candidates?
What is a SuperPAC
$300: What term describes a significant and lasting shift in party loyalty among voters, often resulting in a new political era?
Realignment
$300: What are the four models of voting behavior that explain why people vote the way they do?
What are rational-choice, retrospective, prospective, and party-line voting?
$400: If 3rd Party Candidates cannot usually win an election, what would they consider a "win?"
Answer: Having issues they are focusing on adopted by major political parties
$400: What is the term for a direct appeal to lawmakers by interest groups to influence legislation?
What is lobbying?
$400: What type of primary allows voters to select candidates regardless of their registered party?
Closed Primary
$400 What are four roles that the news media plays in sharing political information
News reporting, Investigative journalism, election coverage, political commentary
$500 (Key Terms): What is the term for the dynamic and informal alliances of interest groups, policymakers, and other stakeholders like scientists that collaborate to shape policy in a specific issue area?
What are Issue Networks
$500: What is the term for interest groups writing information for justices to consider when deciding a case
Amicus Curiae Briefs
$500: What term describes when voters increasingly identify as independents instead of aligning with a specific political party?
$500: with increased news media options have transitioned from Broadcasting to this focused model of reporting
Narrowcasting, more ideologically oriented programming