Political Parties
Define a political party
A political party is an organization of people who work together to acquire and exercise political power
Define an interest group
A group of individuals with a common political objective who are trying to influence the government. Interest groups act as intermediaries linking the people to the government
Are elections in the U.S. candidate-centered or party-centric?
candidate-centered: an election in which the organized political parties recruit candidates for office and largely control and run the campaigns around them
What is public opinion?
The aggregated positions/preferences held by the public on matters related to politics and government
In which of the following areas have the "conservative" and "liberal" parties switched positions over time?
a. international trade and environmental protection
b. decentralization of government and environmental protection
c. international trade and civil rights
d. civil rights and criminal justice
c. international trade and civil rights
Explain the difference between divided and unified government
divided: one party controls the executive branch while another party controls one of both chambers of the legislative branch
unified: the executive and legislative branches are both held by the same party
What is the Revolving Door?
public officials --> lobbyists
lobbyists --> public officials
Define a referendum
Referendum: a policy proposal that the state legislature puts on the ballot so that the public may vote on it directly.
Describe the relationship between a sample and a population in terms of polling
sample: a small group of people randomly selected to be interviewed. their responses are portrayed to be representative of the larger population (not always accurate in practice)
population: the large group of people you are interested in learning something about through your sample
Define (1) party identification and (2) ideology
party identification: voter affiliation/attachment with a particular political party (Republican party, Democratic Party)
ideology: belief system about politics, economics, society ; helps people make sense of the world ("conservative" & "liberal" are ideologies)
What is a party platform? Why is it important?
platform: a statement of principles and policy positions developed by a political party (parties in the U.S. generally revise their platform every four years)
platforms give voters a clear idea of what each party stands for
What are the 5 types of interest groups?
economic: labor organizations, professional groups, big corporations
societal: promote civil rights/liberties, groups based on identity
ideological: promote partisan/ideological interests
public interest: clean air, clean water, human rights
governmental: state governments, local governments
What is the difference between a primary election and a general election?
Primary election: an election in which registered voters select the candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election.
General Election: an election in which the public votes between the candidates decided at each party's primary
Name 3 of the 4 ways to interpret public opinion
Majority: consider the opinion held by the majority of the constituency
Equality: consider the opinions held by both the majority and the minority
Public debate: pluralist view - consider the opinions of political parties, coalitions, interest groups, government departments, etc
Elite: consider the opinions of policy specialists, political elites, activists, journalists, etc
What are the 3 main "problems" with the opinions of average citizens?
Uninformed, unconstrained, unpredictable
Where is the Republican party's comparative advantage within the electorate? The Democratic party's?
Republicans have a comparative advantage in rural areas while Democrats have a comparative advantage in urban areas and among minority groups
Name 3 factors that determine an interest group's success
assets, clear objectives, alliances, visibility, crisis, political change
Distinguish between and open vs a closed primary
open primary: any registered voter can vote in any party's primary and no records are kept of who votes in which primary
closed primary: only voters registered with a specific political party may vote in that party's primary
What are the 4 main ways that media influences public opinion?
agenda setting: attention to certain key issues
framing: how is the issue portrayed?
priming: the notion that people evaluate politicians based on issues covered in the media
persuasion: media used to influence people's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors
Explain the case and its significance: Citizens United v FEC (2010)
landmark Supreme Court decision that reversed century-old campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections --> further legitimized the influence of wealthy donors in U.S. politics and emboldened political corruption
Explain 2 pros and 2 cons of partisanship in American democracy
pros: promotes pluralism, creates well-rounded policy, promotes diverse viewpoints, mobilizes the public, increases political engagement, necessary for participatory democracy
cons: creates hostilities, leads to gridlock/policy paralysis, increases affective polarization (increasing dislike of other party), breeds extremism, erodes trust
Explain 2 pros and 2 cons of the involvement/influence of interest groups in American politics.
pros: pluralist form of democracy, increased representation of diverse interests, democratic engagement/participation
cons: corruption, influence of $, policy paralysis/gridlock, uneven representation, decreases confidence in the government
What is the electoral college? How does it work?
electoral college: the method for electing the president in the U.S. ; 538 electors selected by each state cast votes for president ; the number of electors (and thus votes) afforded to each state are equal to the number of that state's congressional representatives (House + Senate) ; 270 to win
Give 2 reasons as to why we should care about the media's influence on public opinion
media is biased, spreads misinformation & disinformation, media has the power to decide what news/information is important (agenda setting), facilitates "filter bubbles" and confirmation bias, stokes political polarization and close-mindedness
What was the Occupy Wall Street movement? What are 2 main reasons (from the article!) why OWS failed to achieve its goals?
OWS was a social movement against rising and intensifying economic inequality, corporate greed, and the influence of money in politics.
Failed due to (1) an unwillingness to accept donations on moral grounds, (2) an unwillingness to align itself with a political party, (3) a lack of explicit goals/demands