POSI EXAM 3

If respondents are chosen at random from a population, what will their opinions approximate?

Those of the population as a whole.

Sampling error

A measure of the accuracy of the poll, usually expressed as a percentage.

Direction

Whether anyone has a pro or con on an issue.

Intensity

How strongly someone feels on an issue.

Salience

How important people think an issue is compared to other issues.

What are the three opinion dimensions?

Direction, intensity, salience

Ideology

A general belief about the role and purpose of the government.

Economic liberals

Believe the government should do more to help those economically struggling.

Economic conservatives

Believe the government should stay out of the economic market and other private interests.

Cultural (social) liberals

Would leave lifestyle choices to the individual and not have the government involved in enforcing traditional values over new ones.

Cultural (social) conservatives

Believe the government should uphold traditional values.

Women, on average

Tend to be more liberal than men.

Delegates

People chosen to do what their constituents want.

If a representative sees themselves as a “trustee,” they see themselves as a person

who tries to work for their constituents, but will go against them if needed

The 26th Amendment

Gave 18 year olds the right to vote.

Registration

Placing a citizen’s name on an official list of voters before they are eligible to exercise their right to vote.

What is the effect of states with more restrictive registration laws?

They have turnout rates below the national average.

Who votes more: college-educated and upper-income Americans or those without a college degree and lower income?

College-educated and upper-income Americans vote more.

Why do older citizens vote more than younger citizens?

Younger citizens are less experienced and move around, which impacts their registration.

Apathy

Lack of interest or alienation—a sense of powerlessness and that the government doesn’t care about them.

How does Robert Putnam define social capital?

The sum of face-to-face interactions among citizens.

Which two movements are described as among the most successful?

The Civil Rights Movement and the Tea Party.

Political party

An ongoing coalition of interests joined together under a common label to get its candidates elected to public office.

Party-centered campaigns

Campaigns where influence in elections is held by the party.

Candidate-centered campaigns

Candidates devise their issues and campaigns.

What did Andrew Jackson seek to replace?

The entrenched interests; presidents prior had come from prominent families, as did many in Congress

What are the three basic elements of a realignment?

1. The emergence of unusually powerful and divisive issues
2. Election contests in which the voters shift their partisan support
3. An enduring change in the parties’ policies and coalitions

When did the Second realignment occur and under what conditions?

It occurred in 1896 during a severe depression, and Grover Cleveland was in charge and was blamed.

What caused the Third realignment and who was blamed?

It was a result of the Great Depression, and Herbert Hoover, a Republican, was in charge and was blamed.

Single-member district

A system where those who get the most votes win office.

What is the single-member system (winner-takes-all system)?

The one who wins the most votes (plurality) gets the office, which discourages minority parties.

Party organizations

The party at the local, state, and national level held absolute dominance over politics.

What is the difference between direct primary elections and closed primaries?

Direct primary elections allow voters to choose candidates directly, while closed primaries restrict participation to registered party members.

What characterizes the relationship between party organizations?

They have a certain degree of freedom from each other.

What are two advantages of candidate-centered campaigns?

It allows for new blood to emerge, for people who aren’t a part of the system to rise up, and it helps bring up concerns about local issues.

What are two disadvantages of candidate-centered campaigns?

Powerful interest groups could influence candidates, and they weaken accountability; if things go wrong, it’s not the candidate’s fault, it’s someone else’s.

Economic groups

Those that have economic activity as their primary purpose; these groups range from corporations, labor unions, farm groups, and professional associations.

Citizen groups

Unlike an economic group, are driven by a purpose, a desire to pursue what they consider a noble cause, even if they receive no material incentive or advantage from pursuing the cause.

Why do citizen groups create a free rider problem?

They can’t offer private advantages to their members and instead appeal to collective public goods, things that everyone can enjoy.

Iron triangles

Groups of lobbyists, legislators, and executives trying to promote policies beneficial to certain interests.

Issue networks

Open networks of politicians and lobbyists to confront a specific issue; once the issue is resolved, the network disappears.

What happens in an issue network?

An immediate issue brings together participants in a temporary network based on their ability to knowledgeably address the issue, where they voice their separate interests before disbanding once the issue is settled.

What is a Super PAC?

Organizations that can spend as much as they want in support of their candidate, so long as it is not coordinated by the candidate or party.

What Supreme Court case allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts in support of candidates?

Citizens United.

Right to work laws

A person can’t be denied employment because of being or not being part of a union.

What do some union requirements mandate after taking a job?

That you be a part of their unions within 90 days of taking a job.

Association of Texas Professional Educators

Has strength through its numbers (over 100,000 members) and can be a sizable voting bloc.

Texas Municipal League (TML)

Have about 1200 members.

Geographic distribution

The fact that they can have members all over the state or country they want to influence.

Fragmented government (Texas)

All of the various agencies lack a central control.

Why do interest groups try to influence specific Texas state agencies?

The governor of Texas makes few significant appointments of agency heads, so each interest group tries to gain access to and influence the particular state agency relevant to its cause.

Information commons

A time where the media had a more or less common portrayal of national politics.

What characterized America’s three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC)?

It was a low-choice media system.

Echo chambers

News outlets where audiences are exposed to a message they already believe

What happened in 1987 regarding the FCC fairness doctrine?

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) dropped the fairness doctrine, which required broadcasters to have a reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting interests.

Misinformation

Spreading false information without intending to deceive.

Disinformation

Spreading false information with the intent to deceive.

The Politics of Media Functions

• Signaling

• Common-carrier

• Watchdog

• Partisan

• Entertainment

Signaling function

They let the public know about important events.

Agenda setting

They can influence what’s on people’s mind.

Common carrier function

They serve as the conduit for public officials to speak to the people.

Framing

Where they take a part of a situation and build their story around it.

Priming

How the framed story will impact the audience.

Watchdog function

Exposing incompetent, hypocritical, or corrupt officials.

Soft news

News that was more lurid and entertaining like celebrity gossip, scandals, true crime podcasts.

Hard news

Breaking events or major issues.

What is NOT an example of a primary socializing agent?

Friends

True or False: The National Committees for the Republican and Democratic parties strictly control the state and local level committees of their respective parties.

False

What is Yellow Journalism?

Journalism that is considered lurid and has sensational headlines (often distorted which differentiates it from soft news)

What is the major reason Texas is vulnerable to interest groups?

Fragmented government

What is the name of the Supreme Court case that declared that corporations and unions can spend as much money as they want on political candidates?

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

What is the “Information Commons” referring to?

The time period when the media had a common portrayal of national politics

What was Theodore Roosevelt's third party called?

The Bull-Moose Party

Which of the following was the MAJOR cause of the rise of Partisan Media?

The FCC dropped the Fairness Doctrine