| Interest Groups | Influence of Media | Political Parties | Nominating Process | Campaign Finance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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What is an interest group?
An organization of people who have policy goals and try to influence policymakers to accomplish these goals.
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What is Horse-Race coverage?
When media focuses on polling data and public perception rather than candidate policies.
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What is a political party?
A group of people who seek to control the government through winning elections.
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What is the definition of nomination?
Nomination is the naming of candidates who will run for office.
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What is a Political Action Committee?
A committee formed by businesses and corporations or labor unions to make donations.
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What do interest groups do?
- Bring lawsuits against the government
- Make donations to candidates - Influence lawmakers (lobbying) - Advertise issues on media/social media - Campaign ads (tv/radio) |
What is the linkage between media and public policy?
Most people rely on the information given by the media to make their choices in an election.
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What functions do political parties serve?
- Nominating Candidates
- Informing and Activating Supporters - Bonding Agent - Governing - Watchdog |
What are some ways that candidates are nominated?
- Self-announcement
- Caucus - Convention - Direct primary - Petition |
What is a 527 Group?
They can raise unlimited Soft money for voter registration, issue advocacy, but not for a ¨specific candidate¨.
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What is soft money?
A contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations.
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What are the three essential roles of a free press in a democracy?
1. Serves as a watchdog over the government
2. Sets the public agenda 3. Supports the free exchange of ideas, information, and opinions |
What is the purpose of third parties?
Service spoilers, discussing issues people may have forgotten, and voting
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What is a direct primary?
An election held within the party to pick the party's candidates for the general election.
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How does money influence democracy?
- Gives wealthy people/groups an unfair advantage in electing candidates they support
- Impacts who votes/who runs |
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What is hard money?
When cash is contributed directly to a political candidate, it is known as a "hard money" contribution. These contributions may only come from an individual or a political action committee and must follow the strict limits set forth by the FEC.
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How can politicians influence the media?
Staging - press invited, allows the candidate to control what is being sad
Spinning - granting interviews either ¨on-the-record¨ or ¨off-the-record¨; allows a candidate to persuade the public to perceive the issue in a certain way Leaking - an unofficial release of confidential information to the media |
What are the obstacles that third parties face?
They lack the power to sustain a party's viability over time. The trouble with single-issue parties is usually specific to a certain area of the national election. People usually vote for third parties when they don't want to throw away their votes.
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What is the difference between an open and closed primary?
An open primary is a primary election in which any registered voter can vote in any party's primary. In a closed primary, only voters registered for the party which is holding the primary may vote.
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What is the Bi-Partisan Campaign Reform Act?
Passed as a way to try and close financing loopholes that allowed soft money to influence elections.
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What are lobbying and electioneering?
Lobbying - Communication, by someone other than a citizen acting on his own behalf, directed to a governmental decision-maker with the hope of influencing his decision
Electioneering - Direct group involvement in the electoral process. Groups can help fund campaigns, provide testimony, and get members to work for candidates and some form of political action committees. |
What does this quote mean, ¨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." - Thomas Jefferson
Freedom of the press is essential to democracy in order to share ideas about how the government should operate and what agenda the government should pursue.
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What does this most likely reflect? - They support the same party members in time of need and when they need to gather support for undecided voters. Leaders can count on the support of party members. The get out the vote (GOTV) gets your support to the poll becoming key to elections as the electorate is polarized. Identifying likely voters, and getting them to vote.
Mobilizing Support and Gathering Power
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What is a Run-Off primary?
A runoff primary is a second primary election held in some states to determine which of the top two vote-getters in the first primary will be awarded the party nomination for an office. Typically, if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary election, there is a subsequent runoff election between the top two vote-getters to determine the party candidate.
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What is the difference between PACS and Super PACS?
Pacs - an organization created to influence state/federal elections. $5,000 limits.
Super Pacs - independent expenditure groups do not give directly to a candidate and have no limits on spending. |
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