Political Groups
What do they do?
They are the middle man between the citizens and the government.
What are interest groups?
organization of people who have policy goals and try to influence policy makers to accomplish these goals
What does PACS stand for?
Political Acton Committee
The media's job is to what?
Inform the public and serve as a watchdog for the three branches of our government.
Give one example of a prosed reform.
District plan, proportion plan, and direct popular election.
Watch dog is an example of?
A function; provides the candidate with criticism
Interest groups use lobbying to what?
affect public policymaking
How does the government get money for campaigns?
taxpayers can choose to donate extra money each year to government-funded campaigns ( 11% can do that )
What are media events?
events that are staged by a political candidate primarily for the purpose of being covered- are often scripted and limited in what they will report
How many electoral votes must a candidate receive to win?
270
Political parties try to get laws passed. (true or false)
False
Do interest groups work to get laws passed?
yes, they bring cases to court
Hard money vs soft money?
Hard money - money given directly to candidates where limits and regulations apply
Soft money - political donations given to the party that can avoid government regulations
How does the media ´śpin´ information?
Granting interviews either ´on-the-record´ or ´off-the-record´
What votes actually count towards the total?
Electoral votes
What are the ways candidates are nominated?
Self Announcement, caucus, convention, direct primary, and petition.
In what ways do they advertise themselves?
Make donations to candidates, Advertise issues on media/social media), Contribute to campaign ads (tv/radio)
What are super PACS?
PACS expect there is no spending limit and independent expenditure
Is a media outlet biased?
Yes, they believe to be either liberal or conservative.
Who is the final vote up to if no candidate gets the 270 votes?
House of Reps
If a candidate does not fall under the two main parties, they are considered what?
Independent or third party.
What is the NRA?
Interest group, national rifle association
How does money influence democracy?
Gives wealthy people/ groups an unfair advantage in electing candidates they support Impacts who botes/ impacts who can run as a candidate
Impacts the information voters get about candidates ( based on ads that are shown on both sides )
Impacts public perception on ethics of buying candidates and laws passed after elections
What is an example of media outlets being biased?
Make choices about stories to attract and hold views
What happens if a winner is not declared by Jan. 20?
The vice president takes over.