Gov Units 4 and 5

public opinion

collective attitude of citizens on a given issue or question

demography

science of population changes

census

used to understand population changes; required every ten years by Constitution

5 census minorities

Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Native Americans, women

pre-19th century immigration

Northwestern European

late 19th-early 20th century immigration

South/Eastern Europe and Irish

late 20th century immigration

Hispanics and Asians

melting pot

mixing of cultures together to the point the original culture is lost

salad bowl

mixing of cultures while maintaining the original one

political culture

overall set of values widely shared in society

minority majority

emergence of non-Caucasian majority

Black minority

faces legacy of racism

Hispanic minority

largest minority group; deals with problems of illegal immigration

Asia minority

driven by new class of professionals

Native American minority

indigenous and disadvantaged

reapportionment

reallocation of seats in House of Reps every ten years, based on census results

fastest growing age group

65+

political socialization

process through which an individual acquires their particular political orientation

aging increases…

political participation and strength of party attachment

family influence on political socialization

political leanings of kids mirror their parents’; #1 influence on your values

mass media influence on political socialization

chief source of info for most kids

school influence on political socialization

used by gov to socialize youth into political culture; better-educated citizens are more likely to vote

sample

small proportion of people chosen to represent the whole

random sampling

operates on principle that everyone has an equal

sampling error

the level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll

best US sample size

1,000-5,000 people

critics of polls

say that politicians think more about following than leading the public

political ideology

coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy

conservative in _______,__ liberal in _________

principle, practice

liberal ideology

less focus on military, support abortion, want to tax the rich and support the poor more, believe solving problems that cause crime will reduce crime, support gov regulation of economy

conservative ideology

more focus on military, oppose abortion, oppose gov involvement in the economy, want to keep taxes low, believe harsh punishment will stop crime

more likely to be liberal

young, female, poor, less education, minorities, Catholic, Jewish, no religion, urban

more likely to be conservative

old, male, rich, more education, Caucasian, Protestant, rural

cross-cutting cleavages

when 2 demographic characteristics work in conflict with each other

no issue content voters

vote routinely for party or personality - devoid of any issue content

ideologue voters

connect opinions to party/candidate

group benefits voters

think politics based on groups they like

nature of the times voters

view of politics based on whether times are good or bad

party line voters

vote based on party

rationale choice voters

vote for what benefits them

retrospective voters

judge the past when voting

prospective voters

judge by looking into the future

political participation

activities used to influence the selection of leaders and policies

conventional participation

voting, working on campaigns, running for office, contacting elected officials

unconventional participation

protest, civil disobedience

protest

achieve policy changes through dramatic and unconventional tactics

civil disobedience

a conscious decision to break a law believed immoral and suffer the consequences

when comparing Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites of equal income and education…

minorities participate more in politics

key to political success

effective use of media

media events

staged, but look spontaneous

what percent of campaign budget is spent on advertising?

60%

mass media

internet, tv, radio, newspapers

high-tech politics

tech shapes political agenda, policymakers, and citizens

the Internet is usually…

not used for political info

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

independent regulatory agency that prevents monopoly of the media, reviews performance of stations, and issues fair treatment rules for politicians

FCC members

5 members are nominated by the president and approved by the senate

Telecommunications Act of 1996

single owner can’t control more than 35% of the market

Fairness Doctrine

(repealed) provided fair coverage of all views on public issues

Equal Opportunities Rule

required stations to make available equal amounts of time to all candidates

Reasonable Access Rule

stations must make facilities available for expression of conflicting views by all elements in community

beats

specific locations from which news emanates (Congress, the White House, etc)

trial balloons

news leak to assess political reactions

narrowcasting

news programs that target a specific interest

sound bite culture

media only plays less than ten seconds of an entire speech

watchdog journalism

restricts scope of government with skepticism of new proposals; expands scope of gov by identifying problems and forcing them to address them

horse race journalism

paying attention to who is in first, rather than the substance of candidates

goal of political parties

control government by winning elections

tasks of political parties

linkage institution, pick candidates, run campaigns, articulate policies, give cues to voters, coordinate policymaking

split-ticket voting

voting for different parties for various offices in the same election

split-ticket voting is most likely among…

independents

straight-ticket voting

voting the same party for all positions

national convention

meets to choose the presidential nominee and adopt a platform

national committee

keeps party operating between conventions

national chairperson

responsible for day-to-day activities of the party

congressional campaign committee

raises money for congressional elections

political parties are…

highly decentralized and nonhierarchical

closed primaries

only people who registered with a party can vote in the party’s primary

primary election

choosing a candidate to run for office

open primaries

you can decide on Election Day which party’s primary you’re going to vote in

blanket primaries

(unconstitutional) voters are given a list of all candidates from all parties

party machines

local parties, usually led by a boss, that used patronage to maintain power

patronage/spoils system

reward supporters with government jobs

district

what states are divided into

ward

what cities are divided into

precinct

smallest unit of election administration

party realignment

change in voting patterns, usually during a critical election

critical election

sharp change in existing pattern of party loyalists

party dealignment

a move away from both parties

1st party system

1796-1824; Federalists vs Democratic-Republicans

2nd party system

1828-1856; Democrats vs Whigs

New Deal Coalition

forged by Democrats; beginning of the government we have today

Era of Divided Government

1 party controls Congress and other controls the White House

multiparty system

many major and minor parties compete and actually win offices

coalition

alliance of groups to form majority and control government

two-party system

use plurality voting to prevent votes from being split between many candidates

one party system

“no party system”; dictatorship

ideological parties

have a comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters

single-issue parties

focus on one primary concern; usually fade as events die

economic protest parties

pop up during times of economic dissent and usually disappear when economy gets better

splinter parties

split away from one of the major parties and usually fade away when the original leader steps aside