AP GOV UNIT 4

Political Ideology

Liberal & Conservative; NOT POLITICAL PARTIES; set of beliefs about eh proper order of society and how it should be achieved; about power, political values, role of government; HOW the functions of government should be carried out

Political Culture

set of shared beliefs, values, and norms that shape political behavior of SOCIETY; broad view of government; common values among society as a whole; ex) society mistrustful of government following Watergate

Individualism

a focus on individual rights, autonomy, individual responsibility and liberties

Self-reliance

individuals are primarily responsible for their OWN well-being and success; MERIT and hard work get you where you are; expected to care for yourself

Equality of Opportunity

fair treatment and level playing field where people succeed based on merit; fair processes and non-discriminatory; UNEQUAL OUTCOMES

Free Enterprise

private individuals and businesses make economic decisions and control resources W/O government intervention; right to priv. property; consumer freedom; voluntary exchange

Rule of Law

all people and government are subject to a law which should be applied equally and impartially to all; due process; limited government

Political Socialization

where our views come from; the process through which an individual acquires their political orientation

Political Influences

peer groups, social and economic differences, sectional and regional Differences, social media, family influence

Generational Effect

how a cohort’s shared historical and cultural experiences, unique to the time they grew up, influence their political beliefs and behaviors; generational experiences shape different views towards what they value; ex) 9/11, Great Recession

Life Cycle Effect

how people’s ideological views change throughout life; ex) high school graduates value tuition assistance, job market, rent; middle age workers value taxes and interests rate

young people are less likely to vote

Liberalism

Progressivism; large central gov.; systemic inequities built into the system; equality; urban areas (more dependent on communal existence); social welfare to redistribute wealth (social safety net); higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations; more government regulation to protect environment, rights, workers

Consesrvatism

smaller central government; liberty; economic freedom (capitalism and free enterprise based on merit); trickle down economies (tax cuts for all); return to traditional family values and morals; less regulation; privatization; rural areas

Soicalism

expanded role of government; public ownership of key industries; vast public job programs; high taxes for wealthy and cut defense spending

Libertarianism

massive cuts in fed. spending; reduce and eliminate all taxes; end to FBI/CIA; small defense; complete withdrawl of all overseas US military; elimination of all gov’t programs; repeal laws regulating morality (abortion; prostitution); no gov’t regulation; TRUE FREE MARKET ECONOMICS

Political Party

a group of voters, activists, candidates, and office holders who join together based on common principles and who seek to elect individual s to public office to affect public policies and programs; wants to CONTROL ideological direction of gov.

Brief history of political parties

nation started out with no parties; framers wanted unified country with no factions; no reference to political parties in Constitution; but two parties emerged with Jefferson and Madison who opposed Federalist programs during Adams admin.; Federalist & Democratic-Republicans

Party Fuctions

1) Recruit and Nominate candidates at local level

2) Educate and mobilize supporters (often criticizing other candidates)

3) Create Party Platforms (beliefs and goals)

4) Help manage campaigns (fundraising + media strategy)

5) govern (if majority)

6) act as watching (if minority)

Two-Party System

the force of tradition→it’s the way it has ALWAYS been since parties started in US; minor parties lack wide political support, have rarely made successful showing in modern times (people are reluctant to support them)

Electoral System

certain features of gov. such as single-member districts are designed to favor two major parties

Electoral College

limits success of 3rd parties w/ winner takes all system

Ideological Consensus

widespread agreement among citizens and political parties on core foundational values, principles, and the legitimacy of the political system, even if they disagree on specific policy implementation

Benefits of Partisan Political System

promotes stability; promotes cooperation among people who are more or less like minded; keeps extremists out of power

Drawbacks of Partisan Political System

fewer choices come election time (voting for the lesser of two evils); more partisan politics w/ politicians who are more ideological; divides nation; presidential candidates usually only concerned w/ swing voters and states

Realignments

Republicans become dominant after slavery; economic depression leads Democrats to become dominant; southerners abandoned pro-abortion democrats to join republicans

Dealignment

more people became independent b/c Vietnam and Nixon

Party Decline

proportion of people identifying with a party declined 1960-180; proportion of those voting a split ticket increased; people are voting more for candidate than the party → party membership decreases

Linkage Institutions

work to influence government; connects people to the process

Winner Take All Voting

feels like throwing away a vote, if I vote for a liberal 3rd party, I am helping the rep. party win

Incorporation of 3rd Party Agendas

3rd parties usually have more extreme platforms; if they start gaining support, main parties will suppress them by adopting their ideals

Public Opinion

distribution of a population’s attitudes about politics and policy issues; measured by polls; used to predict outcomes and monitor public mood

Consensus

general agreement on an issue

Divisive

public opinion which is polarized

Benchmark Polls

creating baseline views of a candidate

Tracking Polls

following how views of a candidate change during campaigning

Exit Polls

collecting data on why people voted the way they did; used by media to predict election day winners: may discourage people from voting

Focus Groups

10-40 people gathered to hold conversations on issues; less scientific but provides deeper insight and nuances into feelings about the issue

Sample

small proportion of people chosen in survey to be representative of population

Random Sampling

everyone has equal probability of being selected for sample

Weighting

process of making slight adjustments to data to make it accurate in terms of representation

Sampling Error

level of confidence in findings of public opinion poll (lower the better)

Neutral Framing

specific; unbiased wording

Possible Sources of Sampling Errors

small sample size; poor question wording; demographics not weighted; yes/no answers if issue has shades of gray; often, people will attempt to please the interviewer; could be funded by partisan outlets

Push Polls

phrasing the question in specific way to elicit a response or make the person sound bad → spreads misinformation in the process

Policy Debate

more likely to support it not support a legislation

Non-Response Bias

same groups are more likely to respond

Social Desirability Bias

give desirable answer to make poller happy

Agree/Disagree Polls

increase respondents on agree side

Bandwagon Effect

people are more likely to support a politician if they seem to have lots of support

Recent Polls

people lost trust/confidence in poll results since 2016 election

Public Opinion (Overall)

most Americans aren’t educated on politics; public opinion is shaped by discourse among elites

Political Ads (Political Persuasion)

more money = more influence and control over the narrative; what we should be afraid of; more we are told something the more it becomes real

Stories depend on

1) Fear: what might happen if person doesn’t win election

2) Hope: what will happen if candidate wins

3) Relatability: someone voters can identify with

Monetary Policy

how a country’s central bank manages overall money supply and control interest rates to keep economy stable; vital to manage inflation and maintain employment

Fiscal Policy

use for gov. taxation and spending by Congress and president to influence natl. economy; gridlocked by legislative process; Keynesian economics; Supply-Side economics

Campaigns

Candidate-centered; focused on chariteristics of candidates and not party; increased with rise of primary elections of 20th century; less reliance on parties; parties have less control of candidates

Adapting to Coalitions

as demographics change, parties will often adjust messaging to form coalitions between different demographics and groups

Issue-Based Ads

focus on specific policies and political issues that candidate prioritizes; hilights their stance

Biographical Ads

designed to introduce the candidate’s personal background; hilighting their life story to humanize the candidate

Americana (Patriotic) Ads

featuring natl. symbols and focusing on themes like the American Dream to invoke feelings of natl. pride

Attack Ads (Fear)

negative advertisements aimed at discrediting the opponents to raise doubt about the opponent’s competence

Fear based & Sarcasm Ads

exaggerate threats related to opponent’s policies; ridicules opponents

Voting Requirements

1) Citizenship: not a constitutional requirement (up to state)

2) Residence: must be legal resident of state you live in

3) Can’t be a felon

4) Mentally competent

5) 18+

Early Voting

many states passed laws to expand time period where you may vote

Absentee Ballot

allows you to vote without going to the polls; you can request this type of ballot if you know you can’t for reasons

Mail in Ballot

automatically sent to all registered voters whether they request or not; can then vote in person or by mail

Rational Choice Theory

Individuals act in their own best interest, weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives

Retrospective Voting

looking at what a party/candidate in power has done and whether they should be reelected

Prospective Voting

voting on prediction of how a party or candidate will perform in the future; works best when economy is bad

Party-Line Voting

voting for candidates from one political party

Split-Ticket Voting

voting for one partyt for one office and another for others

Process of Becoming President

1) Candidate announces intent to run for Prez.

2) Starts campaigning to win delegates from each state

3) Primaries & Caucuses to determine political party’s candidate (open primary and closed primary)

4) Party Convention: state delegates and superdelegatesvote

5) Debates (3rd parties generally need at least 15% support to qualify)

6) General Election

Incumbent Advantage

incumbent is already very well known, having commanded the country for four yrs; incumbent still commands bully pulpit; incumbent already has network of campaign contributors; seen as “presidential”; more vote-deciding than money

Campaign Finance

FECA created FEC which placed limits on how much $$$ candidate can be given and spent on campaign

Political Action Committee

Connected PAC, non-connected PAC, Super PACS