Texas Government: Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Lobbying

Comprehensive review flashcards covering political party structures, historical realignments, interest groups, lobbying practices, and regulatory capture in Texas government.

How is a political party defined in Texas politics?

An organization of people established to win elections.

What is a party platform?

A statement of principles and political philosophy that a political party promises to enact if elected to office.

How is political polarization defined?

The degree to which Republicans have become more conservative and Democrats have become more liberal.

Who are Tejanos, and how does their residency pattern in Texas typically differ from newer immigrant populations?

Tejanos are Texans of Mexican descent who are more likely to have resided in Texas for generations.

What was the Shivercrat movement of the 1950s?

A movement led by Texas governor Allan Shivers in 1952 and 1956 in which conservative Democrats in Texas supported Republican candidate Dwight Eisenhower for president because they believed the national Democratic Party had become too liberal.

What was the historical voting phenomenon known as presidential Republicanism in Texas?

A voting pattern whereby conservative Texas voters would vote Democratic for state offices but Republican for president.

Who was the first Republican statewide official elected in Texas since Reconstruction?

William Clements, who was elected governor in 1978 (taking office in 1979).

What are Blue Dog Democrats?

Conservative Democrats, mostly from the South, who are often opposed to abortion and supportive of gun rights.

What is a first-past-the-post electoral system?

An election rule stating that the winner of a single-member district is the candidate who receives a plurality of the votes.

What was La Raza Unida?

A former political party created in Texas in 1970, led at its inception by Jose Angel Gutierrez in Zavala County, established to bring attention to the concerns of Mexican Americans.

Who were the Dixiecrats in the 1948 presidential election?

Conservative southern Democrats who abandoned the national Democratic Party in 1948 over the issue of racial integration to rally behind segregationist Strom Thurmond.

What role does a precinct chair serve in the permanent party organization in Texas?

A local party official elected in the party primary who heads the precinct convention and serves on the party's county executive committee.

What are the primary responsibilities of a party's state convention in Texas?

Meeting every two years to nominate candidates for statewide office, adopt a platform, elect party leadership, and in presidential election years, select delegates to the national convention and choose presidential electors.

What percentage of the vote did incumbent Rick Perry win in the multi-candidate 2006 Texas gubernatorial election?

39 percent of the vote.

What was the effect of the 2003 redistricting cycle spearheaded by Tom DeLay on conservative Texas Democrats in Congress?

It led to major losses, causing Democratic U.S. Representatives Charles Stenholm and Max Sandlin to lose their 2004 reelection bids and Jim Turner to retire from his reconfigured district.

What is an interest group?

An organization established to influence the government's programs and policies.

What is a peak association?

An interest group organized as an umbrella organization that seeks to coordinate the activities of member groups in several targeted areas.

What is the free rider problem as analyzed by Mancur Olson?

The incentive to benefit from others' work without making a contribution, which leads individuals in a collective action situation to refuse to work together.

How do selective benefits differ from solidary benefits in interest group membership?

Selective benefits are tangible perks or goods (such as discounts, publications, or roadside assistance) received exclusively by members, whereas solidary benefits are symbolic and psychic rewards (such as pins, t-shirts, or feelings of belonging to a larger cause).

What was the 8F Crowd in Texas political history?

An elite, wealthy, pro-business group of influential leaders—including George R. Brown of Brown and Root—who met in Suite 8F of the Lamar Hotel in Houston and functioned as kingmakers in Texas politics for 40 years.

Under Texas law, what compensation threshold requires a lobbyist to disclose client names and earnings?

Being paid over $1,760 over a three-month period.

What is bundling in political campaign finance?

The interest group practice of combining campaign contributions from several sources into one larger contribution from the group to increase its impact on a candidate.

What does the political term 'revolving door' describe?

The practice of former legislators or governmental officials using their experience and personal ties to work as lobbyists for interest groups.

What restrictions exist in Texas regarding former agency officials lobbying their previous regulatory bodies?

Former regulatory agency employees cannot lobby their agency for two years after leaving office, and senior employees or officers can never lobby a governmental entity on matters they were directly involved in during their employment.

What did the term 'Steak men' refer to in the historic Texas legislature?

A historical practice where legislators would sell their votes on bills in exchange for expensive steak dinners provided by lobbyists at the Driskill Hotel in Austin.

How did private citizen Tyrus Burks impact Texas legislation in 2009?

After losing his family in an electrical fire, he successfully lobbied for a bill requiring property managers to install visual alarms for hearing-impaired tenants upon request.

What is a Political Action Committee (PAC)?

A private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns.

What does the phrase 'getting on the late train' or 'getting well' mean for an interest group?

Making a substantial political contribution to a winning candidate whom the interest group had previously opposed during the election campaign.

What is dark money in elections?

Political contributions originating from organizations whose donors are not legally required to be disclosed following rulings such as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

What is interest-group capture?

The process by which a government agency comes to serve the objectives of the interests and industries it is supposed to regulate.

What reforms were recommended by the Sunset Advisory Commission in 2012 regarding the Texas Railroad Commission?

Renaming it the Texas Energy Resources Commission, requiring commissioners to resign if seeking another elected office, and restricting campaign contribution fundraising to an 18-month window around elections.