US Government - Unit 4: Politics

what do you mean it's not healthy to procrastinate on the two two projects you have due tomorrow by excessively studying for a quiz in a class that you are doing fine in? okay maybe. anyway politics stuff like parties, the electoral college, ideology, socialization, you know the drill

political ideology

a consistent pattern of ideas and beliefs about political values, the role of government, and how society should operate

liberalism

(bigger government) should achieve justice and equality of opportunity for its members

government is supposed to solve problems for the people and ensure no one should be in need

critiques of liberalism

relies too much on government to solve people’s problems

higher taxes and bureaucracy to solve the nation’s problems

conservatism

(smaller government) limited government ensures order, competitive markets, and personal opportunity

government should provide people the freedom to pursue their own goals

critiques of conservatism

urge for more government when it serves their needs (abortion/cultural bans), but are opposed to government when it serves someone else

push for deregulation, which benefits businesses but not always the community

primary election

party nominates their candidate for a general election

open: can vote in either party’s primary (once)

closed: can only vote for a candidate from the party with which you are affiliated

general elections

voting for federal, state, or local officials

federal: president, congress, state legislature (senate/house of representatives)

state: governor, attorney general

local: country and city officials

political culture

the widely shared beliefs, values, and norms citizens have about their relationship to the government to one another

examples of political culture

safety, education, rights, freedom, liberty, respect, democracy

political socialization

the process by which people develop their political values, beliefs, attitudes, and ideologies

examples of political socialization

social media, friends, peers, family

electoral college

states have electors who vote based on number of senators + number of representatives

winner-take-all in 48 states, split votes in Nebraska and Maine

how are electors of the electoral college chosen

based on contribution and loyalty

pros of the electoral college

small states’ interest (federalism), discourages candidates from focusing on only a few states

cons of the electoral college

popular vote mismatch, swing state power, faithless voting, voter disenfranchisement

democrat voter coalition

urban dwellers, union members, black and asian voters, advanced degree

republican voter coalition

rural voters/farmers, white male voters, business owners, conservative christians

what is the goal of political parties

to win

party platform

a document that states the aims and principles of a political party

plank

a specific issue listed in a party’s platform

impact of third/minor parties

rarely win elections but can bring new groups, issues, and people into mainstream politics

play spoiler by taking away votes from major party candidates

major parties sometimes adopt third-party issues

soft money

contributions with no limits, used for party-building expenses or generic party advertising (super PACs)

hard money

contributions with limits, given directly to candidate campaigns (PACs)

PACs

political action committees

super PACs

can raise unlimited amounts of money, can’t coordinate with campaigns

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

candidates can spend as much as of their own money on their campaign (money = speech)

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

corporations and unions are considered to be persons with free speech rights, created super PACs

political efficacy

the citizen’s trust in the their ability to change the government

ballot fatigue

voters become overwhelmed and fatigued by the number of choices on the ballot

preclearance

prohibits certain states that have historically limited voting rights from creating new voting laws without receiving preapproval from the federal government

disenfranchisement

restriction of suffrage of a person or group of people, or practice that has the effect of preventing someone from exercising the right to vote

impact of poll taxes and literacy tests

used to discriminate against African Americans so that they could not vote

retrospective voting

a voting model where voters base their decisions on the past performance of a candidate or party, addressing whether they have delivered on their promises

prospective voting

encourages voters to consider candidate’s proposed policies and how these could affect their future well-being

do not voters

people who choose not to vote because they feel their votes will not influence local or national government, are uninformed, ballot fatigue, have distrust in the political system, or have a dislike of candidates

cannot voters

people who cannot vote, such as undocumented immigrants, felons, and adults in prison

or may not have been able to vote due to discrimination [poll taxes, literacy tests, voter identification (state issued ID), and voting systems (lines, mail-in, registration)]

gender gap in voting

women tend to vote more than men

Voting Rights Act of 1965

protected African Americans in all elections against various tactics intended to prevent them from voting, established preclearance

15th Amendment

granted the right to vote for all male citizens regardless of their ethnicity and/or prior slave status

17th Amendment

established the direct election of US senators to each state

19th Amendment

women were allowed to vote

24th Amendment

eliminated poll taxes

26th Amendment

lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

coming minority/majority

by 2025, all minority groups combined will equal a higher percentage of the population than the majority (white)

politicians might try to pander to minority groups for more votes

Shelby v. Holder (2013)

preclearance, as required by the Voting Rights Act, was deemed unconstitutional

how the electoral college originated

founding fathers wanted the president to be selected by the nation’s elite and not directly by the people

fears of a formation of a “democratic mob” that could potentially steer the country astray, congress’ involvement could lead to corruption

winning the presidency

538 possible electoral votes, 270 to win presidency

if no one gets 270, house of representative picks the president, senate picks vice president

third/minor parties

don’t align with the two major parties, single use parties (prohibition of right to life party), splinter parties (broke away from a major party)

what role does money play in electoral colleges

amount of money spent on political campaigns is huge and grows with each election: advertising (TV most expensive), polls, mass mailings, campaign staff, travel

where does money to support political campaigns come from

mostly private givers (small contributors), wealthy individuals, political action committees (PACs), fundraising events, or the candidates themselves

Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974

created by law the FEC to administer campaign finance laws for federal elections

social movement

an organized and sustained effort by a group of people to achieve a specific social or political goal, often through collective action like protests, rallies, or lobbying

why are social movements important

push for change in democracy especially when they don’t have political power through traditional means (voting, holding office, or wealth), bring attention to injustice and give people a voice

relationship between levels of a party’s organization

national, state, and local organizations operate independently

people who join a political party are obligated to

vote

method of nominating candidates that require an election

direct primary method

plurality

more votes than any other candidate

proportional system

candidate who wins a state's presidential primary gets delegates based on the number of popular votes they received

at a party's national convention, who selects the ticket

delegates

in choosing a running mate, presidential candidates often look for someone who

is demographically different from them

critique of presidential primaries

relatively few people vote in primaries or attend caucuses

function of political parties

to get candidates elected to public office

in what way do parties contribute to political stability in the country

they promote the peaceful transfer of power after elections

the party that is out of power assumes the role of watchdog over the government by

criticizing proposals of the party in power and offering alternative solutions

party system is usually found in nations with authoritarian governments

one party systems

party system is most common in the world today

multi party system

coalition government generally forms when

one party fails to get enough support to control the government

original political parties in the United States

Federalists and Democratic-Republicans

by the end of the Civil War, two major parties had emerged, with the Republicans generally representing the

northern states

third-party candidates have difficulty winning elections in the United states because nearly all elected officials are selected by

single-member districts