Mod 3 Gov CLEP

What is the electoral system in the US called? explain?

a two party system

two major parties dominate at all three levels of government

What is a plurality? What does a plurality determine?

determines election outcomes; the winner is the candidate that gets more votes than any otehr candidate

Who led the Federalist Party? What did they advocate?

Alexander Hamilton, advocated a strong, central government

Who led the Anti-Federalists? What did they advocate?

Patrick Henry and George Mason

state sovereignty and a Bill of Rights

At what convention did the Federalist’s decide they were against the War of 1812? What word describes the Federalists’ point of view? What does this word mean?

Hartford Convention

Angliophiles

Lovers of all things British

What happened to the Federalist party after the War of 1812?

America abandoned becasue America emerged successful after war

Politically what era did America enter into after the War of 1812? Who was the president during this time? What was the only political party at the time?

“The era of good feelings”

Democratic-Republican Party

James Monroe

What did the election of 1824 show? What did the election of 1824 bring back?

• deep divide in Democratic-Republican party

  • two-party system

What name did the Old Federalist party take?

The Whig Party

What had split Jefferson’s old party? What was the issue that caused people to join the Democrats and the issue that caused people to join the Whigs?

westward expansion and Andrew Jackson’s corrupt bargain election of 1824

support of Andrew Jackson’s fight for the common man and states’s rights

Opposition to Jackson’s executive tyranny

What did the formation of these two parties become known as?

The Second Party System

Who became the last presidental candidate to become president under the Second Party system?

Franklin Pierce

Why was the Election of 1800 called a critical election?

it led to profound and lasting changes in the American political landscape

Why was it said that Abraham Lincoln did not have a mandate in the Election of 1860? What is a mandate?

he did not appear on the ballot in 10 southern states

having a popular majority of the vote to govern

What is a divided government?

president cannot get agenda accomplished because opposing party controls both houses of COngress

Why do parties try to win elections?

for pwoer

What is the purpose of campaign finance laws? What do these laws do? What do these laws favor?

aim to limit the influence of money in politicals by regulating how campaigns raise and spend money

written by two major parties

designed to favor the two major parties and ensure electoral process remains fair and transparent

What do canddiates have to have to win elections?

money

What led to the formation of PACs?

federal government wanted more transpraency and curtial huge amounts of money entering elections/passed a number of bills that led to PACs

What do PACs do?

raise and spend money to elect or defeat candidates in elections

What does the Tillman Act do?

prohibits corporations from contributing money to candidates running in federal elections

What was the most important act passed in 1971? What did this act do?

Federal Elections Campaign Act

outlines how candidates will report all contributinos and expenditures

created rules governing the way organizzations and companies could contribute to federal campaigns

Hard money vs soft money.

Hard money - directly to candidates

soft money - given to party committees to be used more generally

What act is an attempt to control money’s influence on political campaigns for federal offices? What is another name for this act? what does this act do?

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

Mccain Feingold Act

polticians are required to tell viewers of political messages that they approve this message

What unforseen consequences came out of the McCain Feingold Act?

527 committees grew

How can 527 committees get around the Mccain Feingold Act?

not affiliated with piolitical party and not endorse canddidate, ads not taxed

not attack their opponents they are not taxed

Republicans tend to be more…

to the right, or Conservative

Democratic party t4end to lean more

to the left, or liberal

What is dealignment? With what two events did we see an increase in dealignment?

trend or process where a large portion of electorate abandons previous loyalty to party without develpoping a new one to replace it

Vietnam War and Watergate Scandal

What is bipartisanship?

a call for both aprties to reach across the aisle, to cooperate, to get work done and stop gridlock

What is gridlock?

situation where there is a political deadlock or stalemate, preventing the legislative body from passing new laws or taking effective action

What are non-aligned voters often?

Independents disenchanted with government promises

Give two characteristics of independents

issue oriented, flexsible judgement, decide based on candidates and specific issues

Who are swing voters? Who are typically swing voters?

many indpendnets

those that, in enough numbers, can swing an election away from one candidate and in favor of another

Explain the spoiler effect.

when a losing candidate affects the results of an elecrtion simply by participation

What is the reason dissention within parties does not lead to multiple parties?

two party ststem protected by plurality electionda

What encourage samore parties?

multi-party system

What is multi-party system?

system where to meaningfully distinct major parties regularly run for office and winq

Why do third parties form? What is typically the live of third parties?

their leaders and supporters feel that the major parties are not addressing their concenrs

usually short-lived

Indentify and explain five third parties.

1. Economic Protest - rally arround monetary issues, like Greenback Labor Party that wanted more paper currency

2. Issue Parties - focus on one topic and success usually short lived, Green Party

3. Splinter Party - 1912, Republicans refused to nominate Teddy Roosevelt, so he and supporters formed the Bull Moose Party

4. Ideological Parties - parties that are organized around a specific set of beliefs and principles about how society should be governmetn and organized, Socialist Part

   1. Frctional Parties - group of individuals wtihin larger entity who are united by particular common purpose, Democratic Socialists of America/ Republicans for Choice

Why is it so hard for third parties to win electionsa? Explain.

Incumbency, incumbent well-known, more likely interview, experience, franking privilege, gerrymandering

What is socialism? Which Senator socialist?

a political system where state owns means of productions and aims to distrubte welath and resources “more equally” among its citizens

Bernie Sanders of Vermont

Socialism is a stepping-stone to what form of government?

Communism

Who was the mos famous member of the Socialist Party in America?

Eugene V. Debs

What are the Federalist Papers?

a series of essays in support for the ratification of the Constitution

What is found in Federalist Papers 10 and 51?

argue that a large republic, with multidue of factions and interests, is actually a strength through checks and balances and separation of powers

What does Federalist 10 suggest?

special interest or factions arise in any republic; trick is regulating them

What does Madison argue in Federalist 51?

competing interest groups could prevent any one interest group form harming the rights of others

What is the aim of political parties?

to win elections and control government to implement broader policy platforms

What is the focus of interst groups?

influencing policy decisions wtihin specific areas without necessarily seeking to control government itself

WHen was there a notable increase in interest groups? Why?

after Civil War, industrial revolution and child labor reform

Identify two major labor unions.

Kinghts of Labor and American Federaliion of Labor

Why do polticians need to court interest groups?

have money to spend or can mobilize membershipto vote for politican

What is another name fo rcollective food? What is a collective good?

public good

a resource or service that benefits all members of a community and its difficult to exclude anyone from using it

What are the people called that represent government agencies? What do these people do?

legislative laison

lobbyists who present issue to decision makers to maximize share of budgets

What is another name for the reorganization Act? What does this Act require?

Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act

required lobbists to state who their clients were and what they were lobying for

What court case upheld the reorganization Act?

United States vs Harriss

What does the Lobbying Disclosure Act define and require?

lobbyist anyone who spends more than 20 percent of tiem lobbying gov officials

required to report twice a yaer to file report

Who monitors gov activityand push for more transpranecy by gov bodies and officials?

Interst Groups

Name interest group identify goal.

ICMA - foster better management practices to build better communities

What is the first thing a candidate must do in the election process?

win a primary electino

What is the purpose of primary elections?

to select the candidate for a principal, especially rpesdiental, election

What is a caucus and what happens at a caucus?

a political party gathering in which party members hand-picked

Identify the two types of primary elections and explain both.

Closed - only party members vote for members of their own party

open- republicans vote for democrats and democrats vote for republicans

What is apolling palce?

where people cast votes/ schools, firehouses, or chuchrces

What was the first model of voting privately?

Austriala in 1800s, Australian Secret Ballot

What is the ballot?

device used to cast ballots in eelctionE

Explain what an absentee ballot can be used for/

used for students ore members of armed forces who will not be in their voting distrcits on eleciton day

What is the elctoral college? do american citizens actually elect presidnet?

process used in US to elect the president and vice presidnet

Yes, but he actual votes are casteed by Electorla College and each states’ votes in electoral colelge

Instead of direct vote for candiadte who do voters vote for?r

delegates of electoral college pledged to vote the way their state voted/slate of electors pledged to specific candidate

What determines number of electors each state gets?

Equalto total number of reps in congress, and DoC 3 electors

Explain the winner takes all policy?

In almost all states (48 and DC) candidate who wins popular vote in state wins all of state’s electoral votes

How many electors are there in the Electoral College?

435 House + 100 Senators + 3 DC = 538 total

What are Electors in Electoral college pledged to do?

vote the way their state voted

What is magoci number to win presidency?

270 votes

Explain the process on how electoral vote candidate and elected/

meet in respecitve states to cast vote for PRes and Vice PRes… vote sent to congress counted in joint session to determine winner