VA Politics

What are the 3 things needed to win elections

the message, the messenger, and money

What are the three hot button issues in Virginia Politics

Ab0rtion, g*ns, and immigration

What is the oldest standing committee in the HoD?

The Privileges and Elections Committee

Germaneness

An amendment to a bill may not expand a measure’s original purpose or transform its general scope.

What is the cardinal rule of politics

Decisions are made by those people in the room at the time

What is the Virginia Way?

An aspirational phrase that embodies civility, cooperation, and finding common ground in decision-making.

What do minority leaders have to do?

Compromise

What does it take to be a leader?

Sometimes you have to disappoint your own base

Real progress only lasts when ____

It has public trust

Does Virginia have a limit on donations?

No

States are ____

Laboratories of Democracy

What are state politics shaped by?

National issues

Power of states has significantly ___ in the last century

increased

What is a uniparty issue?

Criminal justice and policing

What is a NIMBY?

Not in my backyard

What are the three factors driving Virginia’s political alignment?

1. Changes in residential mobility patterns

2. Demographic changes

3. Nationalization

Is there oversight in Virginia?

No because the General Assembly doesn’t do it

What changed everything?

Nationalization

Who was the last President to balance the budget?

Bill Clinton

Elections should be about ____ not _____

Politics; personalities

What impacts legislation?

Internal relationships

What are the three traditions?

Decentralist, Brandeisians, New Federalist

Decentralist

a person who advocates the transfer of authority from central to local government.

Brandeisians

Believes that centralized private power poses a danger to the economic and social conditions of democracy

New Federalism

A political philosophy and policy approach that aims to decentralize power, shifting responsibilities and authority from the U S. federal government back to state and local governments

What should candidates do after a scandal?

Apologize, stay consistent, and acknowledge it

Virginia is _____

A national model for politics

What has caused a reduction in the Virginia Way?

A lack of socialization between parties

What are Grumbach’s three consequences of nationalized parties?

1. A resurgence of state policy. Ex. Health policy outcomes increasingly tied to state of residence

2. The polarization of state policy learning. Coordination of interest group activists; ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) model bills

3. Democratic backsliding. Voter suppression; gerrymandering; repression of protest

What factors does the State Democracy Index consider?

• Voter registration policies

• Wait times for voting

• Extent of partisan gerrymandering

Why are All Politics National Now?

1. state politics is now governed by national coalitions

2. Because national party agendas increasingly determine state-level outcomes, state elections feel like referenda on national issues

3. Voters lack the information to judge state governments directly

4. State elections have become tools in national partisan warfare