Political Parties & Interest Groups
What's the difference between interest groups and political parties?
name recognition, money, etc.
Modern media is often described as "consumer-driven," leading to this phenomenon where people only consume news that confirms their existing biases
What is ideological/partisan narrowcasting?
echo chamber
Ex:
- the environment
What is the difference between retrospective and prospective voting?
past performance vs future expectations
How has the rise of 24 hour cable news and social media changed the relationship between politicans and the press
- sensationalism
- democratization of info
- speed
etc.
What is the free rider problem of interest groups?
People gaining the benefits from interest groups without taking part
What types of states do politicans focus on for elections?
battle ground states
What is horse race journalism?
Horse race journalism is a political reporting style that focuses on who is winning or losing, polling data, and campaign strategy rather than substantive policy issues or candidate qualifications.
How do PACs allow interest groups to influence elections while remaining technically seperate from candidate campaigns?
Spend $ to fund ads to support or oppose other candidates
How does the winner take all rule disadvantage third party candidates?
Zero rep for third parties
What is the media's role in agenda setting?
determines what voters think is important
How might an interest gropu use an amicus curiae brief to influence a Supreme Court decision without being a direct party to the case?
providing useful info and context for the case
Explain how reapportionment following a census can shift political power between states affect the balance of power in the House of Rep
- Reapportionment, based on the decennial census, reallocates the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives to reflect population changes.
How does the watchdog function of the media serve as an informal check of government power
informs people of bad stuff the government is doing