Units 9-11

Which supporter of federalism warned people about the dangers of political parties

George Washington

Which of the following was not a third-party

challenger

Whig Party

Why were the early U.S. political parties
formed

Early parties were electoral coalitions of elites, mostly in the U.S. Congress. They were mostly designed to help win House elections and the presidency, but they quickly expanded activities to the state level.

What techniques led the Democratic Party to
national prominence in the 1830s through 1850s

pioneering grassroots mobilization, aggressively expanding voter turnout among white males, utilizing the spoils system to build loyalty, and championing the populist ethos of the "common man

In which type of electoral system do voters
select the party of their choice rather than an
individual candidate

proportional representation

Which of the following does not represent a
major contributing factor in party realignment

Third Parties

What impact, if any, do third parties typically
have on U.S. elections?

Third parties bring important issues to the attention of the major parties. They also often serve as spoilers in the elections they enter.

In what ways do political parties collude with
state and local government to prevent the rise of
new parties?

restrictive ballot access laws, winner-take-all electoral systems, and exclusion from publicly funded debates.

Which level of party organization is most
responsible for helping the party’s nominee win
the presidency

national

How do members of the party organization
differ from party identifiers? What role does each
play in the party as a whole?

Party organizations are the formal, active members and officials who coordinate campaigns, raise funds, and set the party's platform. In contrast, party identifiers are everyday citizens who align with and vote for the party but do not hold formal roles within its apparatus

Why is winning votes so important to
political parties? How does the need to win
elections affect party structures

Parties can’t influence and enact policy without winning. They must organize at each level at which elections take place in order to contest elections and develop candidates.

What are the positives and negatives of
partisan polarization?

Partisan polarization occurs when political parties become ideologically distinct and internally cohesive, causing the electorate to divide along party lines. While it effectively mobilizes voters by offering clear choices, it frequently creates legislative gridlock and deepens societal distrust

What is the sorting thesis, and what does it
suggest as the cause of party polarization

The sorting thesis says that voters change party allegiances in response to shifts in party position. It suggests that polarization is a function of voters’ paying more attention to national politics and voting more consistently.

Does gerrymandering lead to increased
polarization?

Yes

How have the Tea Party and Occupy Wall
Street Movement affected partisan politics

They have pulled their respective parties further to the ideological poles and have changed the issues parties consider. They may also have made compromise more difficult.

Someone who lobbies on behalf of a company

that he or she works for as part of his or her job is

an in-house lobbyist

How are collective goods different from
private goods?

Collective (public) goods are broadly available to the entire population and their benefits are shared, whereas private goods offer particularized benefits restricted to the specific individual or group that paid for them.

Why might several competing corporations
join together in an association?

all the above

hat benefits do private and public interests
bring to society? What are some disadvantages of
private and public interests?

They give access to both private and collective goods to citizens. Collective goods are often underfunded and underproduced, some private goods are unfairly distributed to the elites.

What type of incentives appeal to someone’s

concern about a cause?

purposive incentives

Which of the following is the best example of a
solidary benefit

joining a group to be with others like you

What are some ways to overcome collective
action problems

Incentives that help overcome collective action problems include material, solidary, and purposive benefits. These are often offered by group leaders. Sometimes, political, economic, or social disturbances help overcome collective action problems by mobilizing groups.

Why do some groups have an easier time
overcoming collective action problems?

Some groups have better financial support, smaller groups have more similar opinions and make free riding more difficult

What changes have occurred in the lobbying
environment over the past three or four decades?

all the above

Which of the following is an aspect of iron
triangles?

A symbiotic relationship among Congressional committees, executive agencies, and interest groups

What does group participation provide to
citizens

By joining interest groups, individuals can participate in ways that go beyond simple voting. They can interact with others with similar views. They can become civically engaged by becoming more connected to their communities, they can participate in protests and letter-writing campaigns, and they can inform others about the issues.

Why don’t lower-income groups participate
more in the interest group system

a lack of disposable income, severe time constraints, and limited civic skills

What are some barriers to participation

Numerous barriers prevent people from participating in politics. Some people lack time or other resources to participate. Lower-income individuals and groups may lack the necessary civic skills to participate effectively. Institutional barriers like voter identification laws may disproportionately affect some people more than others.

Which of the following is true of spending in
politics

The Supreme Court has yet to address the

issue of money in politics.

What is a difference between a PAC and a
super PAC

PACs can contribute directly to candidates,

but super PACs cannot.

How do interest groups lobby the judicial

branch

They target lawmakers, members of relevant committees, and members of the conference committees who will support them, and will consider introducing or sponsoring their legislation

They either meet with them directly or target lawmakers when legislation is on the floor of the House and/or Senate.

How do interest groups and their lobbyists

decide which lawmakers to lobby? And where do

they do so

Interest groups and lobbyists often attempt to gain access by first supporting candidates when they run for office. Since incumbents have an advantage, lobbyists often contribute to them. Second, once legislative members are in office, interest groups and their lobbyists try to encourage them to sponsor legislation the groups wants. They may target sympathetic lawmakers, legislative leaders, and members of important committees.

Revolving door laws are designed to do
which of the following

prevent lawmakers from utilizing their

legislative relationships by becoming

lobbyists immediately after leaving office

In what ways are lobbyists regulated?

all the above

The Great Compromise successfully resolved

large and small states

while each state has two senators members of the house are apportioned

according to the state’s population

The process of redistricting can present problems for congressional representation because

Districts are often drawn to benefit partisan groups

Which of the following is an implied power of
Congress

the power to regulate the sale of tobacco in
the states

Briefly explain the benefits and drawbacks of a

bicameral system

A primary benefit of a bicameral system is the way it demands careful consideration and deliberate action on the part of the legislators. A primary drawback is that it is tougher overall to pass legislation and makes it extremely difficult to push through large-scale reforms.

What are some examples of the enumerated
powers granted to Congress in the Constitution?

Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes.

2. Borrow money.

3. Coin, print, and regulate money.

4. Declare war.

5. Raise, support, and regulate an army and navy.

6. Establish laws of naturalization.

7. Grant copyrights and patents.

8. Create lower federal courts.

Why does a strong presidency necessarily sap
power from Congress?

The executive and legislative branches complement and check each other. The purpose of dividing their roles is to prevent either from becoming too powerful. As a result, when one branch assumes more power, it necessarily assumes that power from the other branch.

Senate races tend to inspire

Broad discussion of policy issues

The saying “All politics is local” roughly
means

the local constituents tend to care about

things that affect them

What does Campbell’s surge-and-decline
theory suggest about the outcome of midterm
elections?

that every president's party has lost house seats during their midterm election because of differences in turnout and results

Explain the factors that make it difficult to
oust incumbents.

Incumbents chase off would-be challengers because they are able to raise more money given that people want to back a winner and that voters know incumbents by name because they won the office in a previous election. The challengers who do take on incumbents typically lose soundly for the same reasons.

A congressperson who pursued a strict

delegate model of representation would seek to

legislate in the way he or she believed constituents wanted, regardless of the anticipated outcome

The increasing value constituents have placed
on descriptive representation in Congress has had
the effect of

increasing the number of minority
members in Congress

How has the growing interpretation of
earmarks and other budget allocations as
corruption influenced the way congresspersons
work?

They have well-defined, geographic-specific electoral bases, so benefits tend to be location-specific and highly visible, usually taking the form of infrastructure spending on such projects as courthouses, highways, airports, and government office buildings.

What does polling data suggest about the
events that trigger exceptionally high
congressional approval ratings?

The peaks of congressional approval ratings have each occurred when the United States began military involvements overseas. This suggests that the start of a foreign war is one of the few things that triggers a positive reevaluation of Congress.

House leaders are more powerful than Senate
leaders because of

the larger size of the House

A select committee is different from a
standing committee because

a select committee is convened for a specific purpose while a standing committee is permanent

Explain how the committees demonstrate a division of labor in congress based on specialization

The work of Congress is divided among a total of about 200 committees and subcommittees. Committees and subcommittees have great power over legislation

Stopping a filibuster requires

the chamber votes for cloture

Saying a bill is being marked up is just another way to say it is being

amended

The key means of advancing modern legislation is

the budget process

Briefly explain the difference between the classic model of legislating and the modern one

Classic Legislative Process

1- bills are introduced and sent to the appropriate committee

2- hearings are held and the bill is debated and ultimately sent to the floor of the chamber

3- the bill is debated and amended until passed or voted down

4- if passed, it moves to the second chamber where the debating and amending begins anew.

5- Eventually, the two chambers meet in a joint committee to reconcile what are now two different bills

Modern Legislative Process

1- large pieces of legislation covering many different items are passed through the budgeting process

2- this method has had the effect of further empowering the leadership, to the detriment of the committees

3- the modern legislative process has also been affected by the increasing number of filibuster threats in the Senate and the use of cloture to forestall them

Many at the Continental Congress were skeptical of allowing presidents to be directly elected by the legislature because

they feared the opportunities created for corruption

Which of the following is a way George Washington expanded the power of the presidency

He appointed the heads of various federal departments as his own advisors.

How did presidents who served in the decades following Washington expand presidential powers

John Adams expanded the war powers by waging undeclared war, Thomas Jefferson negotiated the purchase of Louisiana from France, and James Monroe took direct control of foreign policymaking when he issued the Monroe Doctrine.

What factors contributed to the growth of presidential power in the twentieth century?

. Unity of presidency
2. Authority delegated by congress
3. Citizens' demand for leadership
4. President's ability to act quickly in crisis
5. President's views/ways of fulfilling roles
6. President's ability to use media

How did the election of 1824 change the way presidents were selected?

The election convinced many that the parties must adopt the king caucus as the primary method for selecting presidents

Which of the following is an unintended consequence of the rise of the primary and caucus system?

Sometimes candidates unpopular with the party leadership reach the top.

What problems exist with the Electoral College

There are many problems with the Electoral College. First, small states are over-represented in the Electoral College. Second, the state by state set-up of the college, in the modern era, leads to states that are safe wins for one party, leaving a handful of states that get all the attention. Finally, its outcomes can differ from the outcome of actual citizen voting (also known as the national popular vote.

The people who make up the modern president’s cabinet are the heads of the major federal departments and

must be confirmed by the Senate

A very challenging job for new presidents is to

nominate and gain confirmation for their
cabinet and hundreds of other officials

How do presidents work to fulfill their campaign promises once in office?

Effective presidents, especially during peacetime, are those who work with other branches through persuasion and compromise to achieve policy objectives.

President Theodore Roosevelt’s concept of the bully pulpit was the office’s

premier position to pressure through public
appeal

In what ways have first ladies expanded the role of their office over the twentieth century?

The First Lady has no official government position. Yet she is often at the center of national attention. Several First Ladies such as Edith Galt Wilson, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Hillary Clinton have been very influential.

How were presidents in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries likely to reach the public?

Presidents of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries might make speeches or publish letters in newspapers across the country. These methods may have been effective in their day, but not in comparison to the ability of modern presidents with television, radio, and the Internet at their disposal.

The passage of the Tenure of Office Act of 1867 was just one instance in a long line of

struggles for power between the president and the Congress

Which of the following is an example of an executive agreement

The president signs legally binding nuclear
arms terms with Iran without seeking
congressional approval

How have the methods presidents use to negotiate with their party and the opposition changed over time?

At one point, presidents were able to use patronage to empower their supporters. But as reforms took this option away, presidents had to look for others. Using the bully pulpit is one. Various rewards, mostly symbolic, that a president can give opponents and allies are others.

What strategies can presidents employ to winpeople over to their way of thinking?

Presidents can use road trips across the country, major speeches, and rewards to people in their camp. Historically, however, these techniques have only rarely been successful. What works best is for a president find a popular position to get out in front of.

The Supreme Court’s power of judicial review

enables it to declare acts of the other branches unconstitutional

The Supreme Court most typically functions as

an appeals court

In Federalist No. 78, Alexander Hamilton characterized the judiciary as the ________ branch of government.

least dangerous

Explain one positive and one negative aspect of the lifetime term of office for judges and justices in the federal court system. Why do you believe the constitution’s framers chose lifetime terms?

(+) Lifetime term allows judges to focus on work and serve the Constitution rather than trying to please the people for re-eclection
(-) no room for new appointees, idea stagnation

What do you find most significant about having a common law system?

The judicial branch is involved in the system of law-making in the United States. Through their interpretation of the law, judges are an important part of the legal system and influence the way law is made and interpreted. They don’t just apply the law; they also make it.

Of all the court cases in the United States, the majority are handled

at the state level

Both state and federal courts hear matters that involve

both civil and criminal law

A state case is more likely to be heard by the federal courts when

it involves a federal question

The existence of the dual court system is an unnecessary duplication to some but beneficial to others. Provide at least one positive and one negative characteristic of having overlapping court systems in the United States.

Overlapping court systems provide each individual with more than just one court to protect that individual's rights. A person seeking a wrong to be righted may have alternate places to pursue a case. On the other hand, having overlapping court systems opens the door to the possibility of unequal or disparate administration of justice.

Which court would you consider to be closest to the people? Why?

Local state courts

Besides the Supreme Court, there are lower courts in the national system called

district and circuit courts

In standing by precedent, a judge relies on the principle of

stare decisis

The justices of the Supreme Court are

nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate

Do you believe federal judges should be elected rather than appointed? Why or why not?

When it comes to filling judicial positions in the federal courts, do you believe race, gender, religion, and ethnicity should matter? Why or why not?

The United States has become much more diverse, and it is only fitting that the judicial branch more accurately reflects the demographic composition of the population. At the same time, judicial positions should be filled by the most competent and qualified candidates.