AP GOV Exam 4(FINAL ONE!!!)

Iron Triangle

Informal alliance of interest groups, public officials, and the bureaucracy

Iron triangles feed off each other which ignores constituents. This is also legal corruption

Revolving Door

Congress representatives leave but then start working with interest groups or vise versa

Interest groups, public officials, and bureaucracy incentivized to work together which ignores the people

Linkage Institutions

Institutions such as political parties, interest groups, the media, and elections that are channels through which individuals can communicate their preferences to policy makers

Helps mobilize voters and allows for peoples’ ideas to be conveyed to policy makers

Lobbying

Efforts to influence public policy through contact with public officials on behalf of an interest group

A way for citizens to have their policy ideas heard by policy makers. Lobbying is used by big companies to pass legislation that will support their business

Interest Groups

An organization of people who share common political interests and aim to influence public policy by electioneering and lobbying

A vital part of government through lobbying, funding campaigns, and changing public opinion

Party Platform

A set of objectives outlining the party’s issue positions and priorities

Gives citizens an easy way to evaluate candidates and decide who to vote for. Makes capturing votes easier as parties are able to concisely give a plan if they are elected

Party Coalitions

Groups that identify with a political party, usually described in demographic terms

Gives politicians data that allows them to focus on policy areas that the most people support

Negative Partisanship

Identification with a party that is based on dislike of the other party rather than a positive feeling about the party identified with

Leads to a negative view of the gov where no matter who is elected someone motivated by negative partisanship will be unhappy

Issue Ownership

Theory that voters associate certain issues o issue positions with certain parties

Helps voters align their ideology to a party. Also helps parties differentiate themselves by owner certain issues, This in turn increases credibility and trustworthiness, especially if steps are made to solve the issue

Political Action Committee

Interest group or division of an interest group that can raise money to contribute to campaigns of ads. Amount of spending is limited.

Can influence elections by changing voter opinion but can also influence policy through lobbying

Spoils System

The practice of rewarding party supporters with benefits like fed gov positions

Incentivizes loyalty but also leads to political corruption and less efficiency as skilled workers are not hired.

Party System

Periods in which the names of the major political parties, their supporters, and the issues dividing them have remained relatively stable

Allows voters to know what to expect from each party and align their ideology to candidates

Ideological Polarization

Sharp differences in American’s overall ideas of the size and scope of gov

Leads to political polarization where people vote t stop the other party from getting their way

Political Socialization

The process by which an individual’s political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture

Big cities are more likely to be liberal so having extreme conservative thinking will get nowhere

Political Ideology

A way of describing political beliefs in terms of a position on the spectrum running from liberal to moderate to conservative

Gives a statistic that helps politicians gauge their support and what policies to push forward to gain the most votes

Public Opinion

Citizens’ views on politics and gov actions

Politicians rely on citizens to be able to stay in power so their actions need to reflect what the people want to continue to hold power

Salience

The level of familiarity with an interest groups’ goals in the general population

Interest groups are more likely to succeed when their request has low salience as there is low public scrutiny

Incumbent

A politician running for reelection to the office they currently hold

Easier to be reelected as an incumbent(incumbency advantage) than as a first time candidate

Primary

A ballot vote in which citizens select a party’s nominee for the general election

A primary gives the party a bigger chance of being in power as votes are not split between candidates

General Election

The election in which voters cast ballots for House members, Senators(Every 4 years), a president, and a vice president

Determines who wins the elected positions in gov(Yap some more)

Electoral College

The body that votes to select America’s president and vice president based on the popular vote in each state

Proportional to the population of each state so equal representation

Federal Election Committee

Gov run agency that enforces and regulates election laws

Able to limit the amount of spending campaigns. Citizens United v. FEC added limits

Hard Money

Donations that are used to help elect or defeat a specific candidate

Strictly limited and ensures a level of fairness and accountability as the spending is fully transparent

Soft Money

Contributions that can be used for voter mobilization or to promote a policy proposal or POV as long as these efforts are not tied to a candidate

Unlimited soft money can be spent and the amount of spending is often not transparent leading to less accountability

Mass Media

Sources that provide info to the average citizen

Allows Americans to become experts on virtually any aspect of politics or public policy. People are able to chose sources that they agree with and are not exposed to opposing sources which leads to polarization

Federal Communications Commission

Gov agency that regulates American radio stations and later expanded to regulate TV and other broadcast media

THUG IT OUT(I aint doing ts)

Leaking

Someone in gov provides nonpublic info to a reporter

Acts as a check on the federal gov. Allows the leaker to gain an advantage over their competitor

Media Effects

Influence of media coverage on average citizens’ opinions and actions

Give media that people want to see which creates echo chambers and polarization

Filtering

Influence on public opinion that results from journalists and editors’ decisions about which of many potential news stories to report

Creates more polarization as people who read select sources have media pertaining to their view only

Framing

Influence on public opinion caused by the way a story is presented

Creates more politization where people who read sources from a certain party have a a view leaning in that side of the political spectrum

Grassroots Lobbying

A lobbying strategy that relies on participation by group members, such as a protest

Protests capture the attention of the gov, but also the general public which increases saliency.