Federal Government Final

Cognitive dissonance

Liberals and Conservatives are unwilling to talk to someone who disagrees with them

John Stuart Mill on cognitive dissonance

If you have never encountered the opposing side, you cannot understand your own.

Party primary

Narrows down the selection to one candidate (nominee)

General Election

The actual 1v1 election in November

How to stand out in a crowd

Party leaders mutually agree on a candidate who is popular enough to get the votes.

Options paradox

The more options you have, the less satisfied you will be

Earned Media

Candidate is sufficiently interesting to get media coverage

What is the main factor that influences people’s perception of the economy?

The party that is in office

Negative partisanship

• People are willing to discriminate based on politics

• Voting is an expression of opposition

• Voters don’t like their own candidates

• Affects how we see the economy, who we find attractive, who we vote for, etc

Electoral college

• 50+1 mini elections

• Winner takes all system

• Higher population means more points (270 points to win)

Swing/safe states

• Little incentive for campaigns to go to safe states

• Can change

• Wide margin of victory is unlikely to flip one way

Scandals

• Little effect on the polls

• Whataboutism/denial

• Selective outrage

Ethnocentrism

• Divides the world into opposing camps

• Often occurs through stereotyping

• In-group favoritism (who belongs)

• “We don’t know who he is but he’s not acting American”

• Hillary’s appeal to gender/latinos

Mobilization

• If you have an opportunity to vote and you stay home, you might as well vote for the other side

• Starts with young voters (pokemon go to the polls)

Clints MOB failures

• Youth

• Blacks were lest enthusiastic about clinton than obama

• The woman card

• Hispanics

How to predict elections

• Election year economy

• Incumbent wins if there is a strong election year economy

• Incumbency gives you better staff, better ads, easier travel, discourages opponents

The hydraulic theory

As soon as politicians create a regulation to limit money in politics, lawyers find a way around it

Fairness of money in politics

Gives a disproportionate influence to the wealthy

Citizens United V. FEC

• Controversial, publicly revoked by Obama

• Creates SUPERPACS (political action comittee)

SUPERPAC

• Upheld limits on direct donations

• Allowed unlimited donations to independent organizations

• Funded by very rich people

Traits of politicians

• Outsiders

• Less interested in productive resolution

• Controversial

• More extreme

• Moderate candidates are rare, but voted for more often

Ear mark (pork-barrel) spending

• When unrelated spending provisions are attached to a bill

• Repeatedly banned by congress

• Basically bribery using tax dollars

Making congress more transparent

• People behave differently when they know they are being watched

• Congresspersons get attention for grandstanding

The costs of running

• Grueling hours

• Loss of privacy

• Vicious campaign environment

• High probability of failure

Cities

• More democratic

• Split between a cosmopolitan digital elite and underpaid working class

• Historical roots in labor unions

Collective bargaining example

MLK 1968 custodians

Unstable majorities

• extreme positions

• Focusing on things that aren’t important

• Candidates will lose in the midterms

Why is housing unaffordable?

zoning and environmental regulations

Direct action

• People in power who abuse their power will never give up their power without a fight

• MLK peacefully dined in a segregated restaurant to deter customers

MLK letters from Birmingham jail

• Addressed Christians and Jews

• Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

• Its easy to preach patience when you aren’t the one experiencing it

• Left his home to fight for freedom