AP GOV - Unit 5: Political Participation

interest groups

organizations dedicated to a particular political goal or to a set of unified goals (ex. american medical association)

political action committees (PACs)

a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

527 groups

tax exempt organization that promotes a political agenda, although such a group cannot expressly advocate for or against a specific candidate (named after section of the tax code that allows such groups)

bipartisan system

it is when there are two major political parties in one country which rule the government (two party system)

party characteristics

- major goal is to get candidates elected to office

- serve as intermediaries between the people and the government

- made up of grassroots members, activist members and leadership

- organized to raise money, present positions on policing and get their candidates elected to office

- created outside the constitution (not mentioned in the document and were developed in the 1790s)

primary elections

legislation passed by some states since 1960 enforcing a state run election requiring parties to select their candidates

three major subdivisions of political parties

1. the party among the electorate

2. the party in government

3. the party organization

political parties functions

- recruit and nominate functions

- educate and mobilize voters

- provide campaign funds and support

- organize government activity

- provide balance through opposition of two parties

- reduce conflict and tension in society

national conventions

the each party holds a convention every four years to elect presidential candidates

independent party (moderate)

currently 42% of the us population identifies as the moderate party and the number has been rising since 2008

coalition

different groups of people who lean to one party

republican coalition

- veteran groups and military supporters

- religious conservatives

- libertarians

- opponents of gay marriage

- opponents of affirmative action

- supporters of the development of natural resources on public land

- rural dwellers

democratic coalition

- disaffected moderate republicans

- pro-choicers

- african and hispanic americans

- members and supporters of labor unions

- gay rights supporters

- people with lower incomes

- city dwellers

- feminists

- environmentalists

grassroot members

movements and organization that start from a local level to a bigger level (bottom-up)

libertarians

believe in a strongly limited government, and advocate for cutting all regulatory agencies in order to provide people more freedom

party bases

the liberals of the democratic party and the conservatives of the republicans party

democrats tend to be...

- less disposed to spend on defense

- less disposed to use vouchers, or other public funds, to enable certain students to attend private/charter/religious schools

- more disposed to spend money to advance social-welfare programs

- more disposed to use government money for public education

- more disposed to grant tax relief to targeted programs such as the lower and middle classes

- against private ownership of assault weapons and supportive of broader regulations on the ownership of firearms

republicans tend to be...

- more disposed to spend on defense

- more disposed to us vouchers for private or charter schools and to give government aid to religious schools

- less disposed to spend on money on social-welfare programs

- less disposed to use government money for public education

- more disposed to grant tax relief to everyone, including the wealthy and corporations

- less disposed to regulate firearms

party realignment

when the coalitions making up the two parties fall apart (when many of the groups that make up the majority party defect to the minority party)

critical election

when a new party comes to dominate politics

dealignment

usually a result of party members becoming disaffected as a result of some policy positions taken by the party

splinter parties

third parties that unite around a feeling that the major parties are not responding to the demands of some segment of the electorate

doctrinal parties

third parties that represent an ideology considered too radical by the mainstream parties so they reject the prevailing attitudes and policies of the political system

single use parties

formed to promote one principle

lobbying

when interest groups try to influence legislators about a bill or issue

economic groups

formed to promote and protect members economic interest (ex. u.s. chamber of commerce)

public interest groups

nonprofit organizations that are generally organized around a well-defined set of public policy issues (ex. public citizens and sierra club)

government interest groups

lobbying organizations maintained by states, cities or other localities in the nations capital

interest groups tactics of persuasion

1. direct lobbying

2. testifying before congress

3. socializing

4. political donations

5. endorsements

6. court action (class action suits and amicus curiae briefs)

7. rallying their memberships

8. propaganda

influence peddling

the practice of using personal friendships and inside information to get political advantage

limits to influence peddling

former house members: one year till lobbying

former senators: two years till lobbying

former executive officials: five years till lobbying

federal election campaign act

this act allowed corporations, unions, and trade associations to form political action committees as a means of raising campaign funds

bipartisan campaign reform act of 2002 (mccain-feingold act)

act that further regulated campaign finance and PAC donations by prohibiting unregulated contributions (soft money) to national political parties and limited the use of corporate and union money for ads discussing political issues within 60 days of a general election 30 days of primary (overturned by Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission)

super PACs

unlimited PACs generally financed by the ultra rich (difficult to identify donors)

hard money

tightly regulated contributions to candidates

soft money

unregulated, unlimited contributions to political parties for general party-building activities

incumbent advantage

the advantage of people in office (representatives who run for re-election win approximately 90% of the times) (house incumbents have a greater advantage)

gerrymandering

partisan redrawing of congressional district borders

two phases of elections

nominations then general elections

primary elections (facts)

used by 39 states to select presidential nominees

closed primary

voting is restricted to registered members of a political party

open primary

voters may vote only in one party's primary, but they may vote in whichever party primary they choose

blanket primary

voters may vote for one candidate per office of either party

plurality

greatest number or vote, but not more than half the total votes cast

runoff primary

re-election between the top two candidates if none of them reached the required share of votes

state caucuses / state conventions

meetings where some states elect presidential conventions delegates but they attract fewer participation

superdelegates

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mcgovern-fraser commission

made to promote diversity within the delegate pool because it recommended that delegates be represented by the proportion of their population in each state

types of linkage institutions

1. political parties

2. interest groups

3. political action committees

4. 527 groups

steps towards presidential nomination

1. two years before, begin to prepare for the first primary election

2. increase public profile through media coverage

3. assemble campaign personnel to manage the campaign

4. primary season begins in the presidential election year

federal matching funds

the money a presidential candidate is given by federal government to match the money they have raised personally if the candidate won 10% of vote in the primary election

individual contributions

1. to a candidate = 2,700 dollars

2. to a national party = 33,900 dollars

3. to a political committee = 5,000 dollars

4. total per 2 calendar years = no limit

multi-candidate PAC contributions

1. to a candidate = 5,000 dollars

2. to a national party = 15,000 dollars

3. to a political committee = 5,000 dollars

4. total per 2 calendar years = no limit

non-multi-candidate PAC committee contributions

1. to a candidate = 2,700 dollars

2. to a national party = 33,900 dollars

3. to a political committee = 5,000 dollars

4. total per 2 calendar years = no limit

super tuesday

a day in early march on which several US states hold primary elections

front-loading

the tendency of states to choose an early date on the nomination calendar in order to have greater influence on which candidates win the nomination

brokered convention

a convention that requires lengthy balloting and an eventual settlement for who the presidential nominee will be by bargaining and compromise (also unifies the party)

post conventional bumprise

rise in public approval in presidential nominee after a convention

electoral college

a body of people representing each state (by population) who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president

winner-take-all system

in the electoral college, the winner of the presidential election in each state wins all of that state's electors (large states are more important)

voter turnout

the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election (pretty low in the us)

split-ticket voting

voting for a presidential candidate of one party and legislators of the other

gridlock

the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government

issue-attention cycle

requires policy makers to act quickly, before the public becomes bored and loses interest

policy making process

1. defining the role of government

2. agenda setting

3. policy formulation and adoption

4. policy implementations

5. policy evaluation

mixed economics

capitalist free-market systems in which both government and private industry play a role

laissez-faire economics

economic system where government should not interfere in the marketplace

keynesian economics

government can smooth out business cycles by influencing the amount of income individuals and businesses can spend on good and services (used in FDR's new deal)

fiscal policy

the government action of either lowering and raising taxes, which results in more or less consumer spending or enacting of government spending programs

deficit spending

funds raised by borrowing rather than taxation

supply-side economics

argue that government should cut taxes and spending on domestic programs to stimulate greater production

budget deficits

the amount by which a government's spending in a given fiscal year exceeds its revenue

monetary policy

managing the economy by altering the supply of money and interest rates

federal reserve board

an independent agency of the federal government established in 1913 to regulate the nation's banking and financial industry

reserve requirement

the percentage of deposits that banking institutions must hold in reserve

discount rate

the minimum interest rate set by the Federal Reserve for lending to other banks

open market operations

the buying and selling of government securities to alter the supply of money

office of management and budget

an office that prepares the president's budget and also advises presidents on proposals from departments and agencies and helps review their proposed regulations

house ways and means committee

the House of Representatives committee that, along with the Senate Finance Committee, writes the tax codes, subject to the approval of Congress as a whole

authorization committees

committees of Congress that can authorize spending in their particular areas of responsibility

appropriations committees

committees of Congress that decide which of the programs passed by the authorization committees will be funded

budget reform act of 1974

created the Congressional Budget Office with budget committees in both the House and Senate

congressional budget office

government agency that provides economic data to Congress

budget enforcement act of 1990

an effort to streamline the budget process and make it easier to arrive at a compromise budget

mandatory spending

federal spending required by law that continues without the need for annual approvals by Congress

entitlement programs

government programs providing benefits to qualified individuals regardless of need

discretionary spending

federal spending on programs that are controlled through the regular budget process

balance of trade

the difference in value between a country's imports and exports

general agreement on tarrifs and trade

agreements between countries to lower tariffs and trade barriers

north american free trade agreement (1994)

allows the opening of borders between the United States, Mexico, and Canada

social welfare programs

government programs that provide the minimum living standards necessary for all citizens

great society

a domestic program in the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson that instituted federally sponsored social welfare programs

social insurance programs

government programs that pay benefits to retired and disabled workers, their families, and the unemployed

public assistance programs

government programs that make payments to citizens based on need

social security

federal program of disability and retirement benefits that covers most working people

cost of living adjustment (COLA)

automatic adjustments of nominal income to the rate of inflation

medicare

a federal program of health insurance for persons 65 years of age and older

medicaid

a federal and state assistance program that pays for health care services for people who cannot afford them

supplemental public assistance programs

help the disabled and the aged who are living at or near the poverty level

snap benefits

supplemental nutrition assistance program that are food stamps