Ap Government Chapter 7-9

5.0(1)
studied byStudied by 2 people
learnLearn
examPractice Test
spaced repetitionSpaced Repetition
heart puzzleMatch
flashcardsFlashcards
Card Sorting

1/70

Study Analytics
Name
Mastery
Learn
Test
Matching
Spaced

No study sessions yet.

71 Terms

1
New cards
High- tech Politics
Politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology.
2
New cards
Mass Media
Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the internet, and other means of popular communication.
3
New cards
Media Events
Events that are purposely staged for the media and that are significant just because the media is there.
4
New cards
Press Conferences
Meetings of public officials with reporters.
5
New cards
Investigative Journalism
The use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, at times putting reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders.
6
New cards
Print Media
Newspapers and magazines, as compared with electronic media.
7
New cards
Electronic Media
Television, radio, and the internet, as compared with print media.
8
New cards
Narrowcasting
Media programming on cable TV or the internet that is focused on a particular interest and aimed at a particular audience, in contrast to broadcasting.
9
New cards
Selective Exposure
The process through which people consciously choose to get the news from information sources that have the same viewpoints compared to their own.
10
New cards
Chains
Groups of newspapers published by media conglomerates and today accounting for over 4/5 of the nation’s daily newspaper circulation.
11
New cards
Beats
Specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House. Most top reporters work a particular beat, thereby becoming specialists in what goes on at that location.
12
New cards
Trial Balloons
Intentional news leaks for the purpose of assessing the political reaction.
13
New cards
Sound Bites
Short video clips of about 10 seconds. Typically, they are all that is shown from a politician's speech on the nightly television news.
14
New cards
Talking Head
A shot of a person’s face talking directly to the camera. Because such shots are visually unstimulating, the major networks rarely show politicians talking for very long.
15
New cards
Policy Agenda
The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time.
16
New cards
Policy Entrepreneurs
People who trust their political “capital” in an issue. According to John Kingdon, a policy entrepreneur “could be in or out of government, in elected or appointed positions, in interest groups, or research organizations.”
17
New cards
Political Party
A team of men and women seeking to control the government apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.
18
New cards
Linkage Institutions
The channels through which peoples political concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda. Includes elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
19
New cards
Rational Choice Theory
A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. It assumes individuals act in their own best interests.
20
New cards
Party Image
The voters’ perception of what Republicans and Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism.
21
New cards
Party Identification
A citizen’s self- proclaimed preference for one party over another.
22
New cards
Ticket Splitting
Voting with one party for one office, and with another party for the other offices.
23
New cards
Party Machines
A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and govern.
24
New cards
Patronage
One of the key inducements used by party machines. A blank job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.
25
New cards
Closed Primaries
Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party’s candidates. thus encouraging greater political loyalty.
26
New cards
Open Primaries
Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.
27
New cards
National Convention
The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party’s platform.
28
New cards
National Committee
One of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions. This is composed of representatives from the states and territories.
29
New cards
National Chairperson
The person responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party.
30
New cards
Coalition
A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends.
31
New cards
Party Eras
Historical periods in which a majority of votes cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections.
32
New cards
Critical Election
An electoral “earthquake” in which new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. These periods are sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era.
33
New cards
Party Realignment
The displacement of the majority by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.
34
New cards
New Deal Coalition
A coalition forced by Democrats , who dominated American politics (1930-1960). Its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.
35
New cards
Party Dealignment
The gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking paty identification.
36
New cards
Third Parties
Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections.
37
New cards
Winner Take All System
An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first and their constituencies.
38
New cards
Proportional Representation
An electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election.
39
New cards
Coalition Government
When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature. This from of government is quite common in the multi- party systems of Europe.
40
New cards
Responsible Party Model
A view about how parties should work, held by some political scientists. According to the model, parties should offer clear choices to the voters and once in office, should carry out their campaign promises.
41
New cards
Blue Dog Democrats
Fiscally conservative democrats who are mostly from the South and/or rural parts of the Unites States.
42
New cards
Nomination
the official endorsement of the candidate for office by a political party. generally success in the nomination game requires momentum, money, and media attention
43
New cards
campaign strategy
the master game plan candidates layout to guide their electoral campaign
44
New cards
National party convention
the supreme power within each of the parties. the convention meets every four years to nominate the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates and to write the party's platform
45
New cards
McGovern-Fraser Commission
A commission formed at the 1968 Democratic Convention in response to demands for reformed by minority groups and others who sought better representation
46
New cards
Superdelegates
National Party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the national party convention
47
New cards
Invisible primary
the period before any votes are cast when candidates compete to an early support from the elite of the party and to create a positive first impression of their leadership skills
48
New cards
Caucus
assistant for selecting convention doll gets used in about a dozen states in which voters must attend an open meeting to express their presidential preference
49
New cards
presidential primaries
elections in which a state voters go to the polls to express their preference for a party's nominee for president. most delegates to the National Party conventions are chosen this way
50
New cards
front loading
the recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.
51
New cards
party platform
a political party statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. the platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate's strength. it is the best formal statement of a party's beliefs.
52
New cards
Direct Mail
 a method for raising money for a political cause or candidate, in which information and requests for many are sent to people whose homes appear on a list of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past.
53
New cards
campaign contributions
donations that are made directly to a candidate or a party that must be reported to the FEC.
54
New cards
independent expenditures
expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidates campaign.
55
New cards
federal election campaign Act
a law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances. the Act created the Federal Election Commission and provided for limits on and disclosure of campaign contributions.
56
New cards
political action committees
groups that raise money for individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to candidates that the group supports. Pacs must require must register with the FEC and report their donations and contributions to it.
57
New cards
 federal election committees
a- six member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Commission and ministers and enforces campaign Finance laws.
58
New cards
soft money
political contributions earmarked for party building expenses at the Grassroots level or for generic party advertising
59
New cards
527 groups
independent political groups that are not subject to contribution restrictions because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates. section 527 of the tax code specifies that contributions to such groups must be reported to the Irs.
60
New cards
501(c) groups
groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can receive unlimited contributions. section 501c of the tax code specifies that such groups cannot spend more than half their funds on political activities.
61
New cards
super Pacs
independent exponential only pacs are known as super Pacs because they may accept donations of any size and can endorse candidates. their contributions and expenditures must be periodically reported to the FEC.
62
New cards
selective perception
the phenomenon that people's benefits often guide what they pay the most attention to and how they interpret events.
63
New cards
Suffrage
the legal right to vote in the United states, virtually all citizens over 18.
64
New cards
political efficacy
the belief that one's political participation really matters, that one's about to make a difference.
65
New cards
Civic duty
the believe that in order to support Democratic government, all citizens should vote.
66
New cards
voter registration
a system adopted by the states that requires voters to register prior to voting. some states require citizens to register as much as 30 days in advance, or as others permit election day registration.
67
New cards
Motor Voter Act
a 1993 act that requires States Department people to register to vote when they apply for driver's license.
68
New cards
mandate theory of Elections
the idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics. politicians like the theory better than political scientists do.
69
New cards
policy voting
electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters policy preferences and where the candidates stand on policy issues.
70
New cards
electoral college
a unique American institution created by the constitution, providing for the selection of the president by electors chosen by the state parties. Although the Electoral College vote usually reflects a popular majority, less populated states are overrepresented and the winner-take-all rule concentrates campaigns on close states.
71
New cards
Battleground States
the key states that the presidential campaigns focused on because they are most likely to decide the outcome of the Electoral College vote.