Electoral Process
Whigs
What is a political party
a group of people who want to control the gov by winning elections
30 second clips used on tv to convey entire speech
what are sound bites
define Interest group
organization of people who have policy goals who try to influence policy makers
Soft money
money spent in support of a candidate without directly donating to their campaign, such as paying for ads or campaign events, or giving to the candidate’s party
what is difficult about evaluating Primaries
turnout is low, confusing, divide the party, primary voters are more extreme
what do political parties do
they are the major mechanism behind the creation of policies and leadership choices, provide a middle man between people and the gov
uses media and news to inform the public about their running or campaign
what is advertising
through what can they affect public policy making
lobbying, electionerring, litigation, gaining public support
Political Action Committee (PAC)
an organization, usually representing an interest group or corporation, that raises money with the goal of supporting or defeating candidates, parties, or legislation; there are limits to the amount of money a PAC can donate to a candidate or party in each election
first party to have a convention
Anti-masons 1831
Five functions Political Parties serve
nominating candidates, informing and activating supporters, bonding agent, governing, and watch dog
amount of money used in 2012 election
7,000,000,000
Difference between PP and IG
PP work to get candidates elected, IG work to pass laws
Super PAC
also called an independent expenditure-only committee, a super PAC may raise unlimited funds in support of a candidate or party as long as they do not coordinate in any way with the candidate or party or donate directly to the candidate
advantages of closed primary
prevents raiding, makes voter more thoughtful because they have to chose between parties to vote, helps candidates become more responsive
Why are Political Parties necessary
helps to compromise on important issues, helps to display the true opinion of the public
Define Agenda setting
its what the media choices to talk about, the information given to the public
what do interest groups do
bring lawsuits against government, make donations, influence lawmaker
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
also known as the McCain-Feingold Act; banned soft money and reduced attack ads
How and why are some independent candidates nominated by petition
used by independent candidates in order to get on the ballot, must get a certain amount of signatures set by the state
define watch dog and bonding agent
criticizes Political party in power, provides scrutiny and criticism. Ensures a good performance from its candidate, ensure quality of candidate
A press that is free to investigate and criticize the government is absolutely essential in a nation that practices self-government and is therefore dependent on an educated and enlightened citizenry.” was writtenby
Thomas Jefferson
spent the most money on lobbying
Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010)
a Supreme Court case which ruled that political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment