Exam #3

Public Opinion

The aggregation of people's views about issues, situations, and public figures.

Political Socialization

The process by which one develops social values and political attitudes

Gender Gap

The measurable difference in the way women and men vote for candidates and in the way they view political issues.

Agents of Socialization

Family, Peers, Education, Reference Groups, Media, Personal Experiences, Self-Interest

Quota Sampling

A method by which pollsters structure a sample so that it is representative of the characteristics of the target population.

Random Sampling

A scientific method of selection in which each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample.

Stratified Sampling

A process of random sampling in which the national population is divided into fourths and certain areas within these regions are selected as representative of the national population.

Sampling Error

a statistical calculation of the difference in results between a poll of a randomly drawn sample and a poll of the entire population.

Public Opinion Poll

A survey of a given population's opinion on an issue or a candidate at a particular point in time.

Tracking Polls

Polls that measure changes in public opinion over the course of days, weeks, or months by repeatedly asking respondents the same questions and measuring changes in their responses.

Exit Polls

Polls conducted at polling places on Election Day to project the winner of an election before the polls close.

Push Polls

A special type of poll that both attempts to skew public opinion about a candidate and provides information to campaigns about candidate strengths and weaknesses.

Indoctrination Thesis

Teaching someone to accept a set of beliefs without questioning them

Enlightenment Thesis

As a person is educated, the begin to question their set of beliefs

Exposure Thesis

Direct experiences cause a shift in beliefs

Generational Effect

Significant historical or cultural events that can permanently affect the political attitudes of the people who lived through them

Life-Cycle Effect

the way that a person's political views can change over the course of their life as they age and experience different stages of life

New Media

Sources of information— including Internet websites, blogs, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, photo- and video-sharing platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, and apps— and the cellular and satellite technologies that facilitate their use

Agenda Setting

When the media affect the issues and problems people think about, even if the media do not determine what positions people adopt

Framing

When the media induce people to think about an issue from one standpoint rather than from another

Priming

When the media affect the standards people use to evaluate political figures or the severity of a problem

Selective Perception

Process whereby partisans interpret the same information differently. Partisan motivated reasoning

Media Consolidation

1980 - 90% of media was owned by 50 companies.
Currently - 90% of media is owned by five companies

Ideological Bias

Implicit values and assumptions embedded within texts, discourse, or social practices

Selective Exposure

people tend to favor information that confirms their existing beliefs and opinions, while avoiding information that goes against them. Focus on the negative. Focuses on what is new, unusual, and/or exciting. Overall, focus on stories that will pull in consumers

Sound Bite

short block of speech - Average candidate soundbite:
• 1968 - 42.3 seconds
• 2008 - 6.8 seconds

Hard News

political news coverage, traditionally found in the printed press, that is more fact-based, opposed to more interpretive narratives and commentary

Soft News

News stories focused less on facts and policies than sensationalizing secondary issues or on less serious subjects of the entertainment world

Uncontrolled Media

Messages that cannot be controlled by the campaign like newspaper, TV, radio, or other independent reports.

Controlled Media

Media owned, dictated, and managed by a government

Media

Tools used to store and deliver information or data

Fairness Doctrine

The requirement that stations holding broadcast licenses present controversial issues of public importance and do so in a manner that was honest, fair, and balanced.

Public Agenda

The public issues that most demand the attention of government officials.

Selection Bias

individuals or groups in a study differ systematically from the population of interest

Watchdog

An individual or group that monitors the activities of another entity (such as an individual, corporation, non-profit group, or governmental organization) on behalf of the public to ensure that entity does not behave illegally or unethically

Horse Race Coverage

focus on polling data and public perception instead of candidate policy, and almost exclusive reporting on candidate differences rather than similarities

House/Senate Minority Leader

Leader of the minority party who speaks for the party in dealing with the majority

Speaker of the House

the presiding office of the House of Representatives; normally the Speaker is the leader of the majority party.

Whips

Members of Congress who serve as informational channels between the leadership and the rank and file, conveying the leadership's views and intentions to the members and vice versa

Conference Committees

A group of representatives from both the House and the Senate work to create a compromise version on a bill

Standing Committees

committee with fixed membership and jurisdiction, continuing from Congress to Congress. Committees allow for a division of labor
- Committees serve a knowledge function.
- Members use the committee system to focus on district interests.

Party Caucus/ Conference

Caucus - Democratic
Conference - Republican
All respective members of the House or Senate. Members in caucus elect the party leaders, ratify the choice of committee leaders, and debate party positions on issues

Cloture

motion to end debate; requires 60 votes to pass

Authorizations

a standing committee in the Senate or House of Representatives that has the power to establish, continue, or change federal programs and agencies

Appropriations

responsible for funding for most of the functions of the federal government.

Instructed Delegate

A model of representation in which legislators, as representatives of their constituents, should vote in keeping with the constituents' views, even if those views contradict the legislator's personal views.

Trustee

A model of representation in which a member of the House or the Senate follows their own conscience when deciding issue positions.

Divided Government

divided government describes a situation in which one party controls the White House (executive branch), while another party controls one or both houses of the United States Congress (legislative branch)

Unified Government

a situation where the same political party controls both the executive branch (the President) and the legislative branch (Congress), allowing for easier policy passage due to aligned priorities between the branches

Unanimous Consent Agreements

Agreement that sets forth the terms and conditions according to which the Senate will consider a bill; these are individually negotiated by the leadership for each bill.

Substantive Representation

Act on behalf of the preferences of the group represented

Descriptive Representation

Representatives resemble or share certain experiences with the represented -stand for the group

Override

An override is a legislative action that allows Congress to reverse a presidential veto of a bill, requires 2/3 vote

Continuing Resolution

A joint resolution enacted by Congress to provide budget authority for federal agencies and programs to continue operating until regular appropriations are enacted

Congressional Oversight

The process by which the legislative branch "checks" the executive branch to ensure that the laws Congress has passed are being administered in keeping with legislators' intent.

Filibuster

A procedural move by a member of the Senate to attempt to halt passage of a bill, during which the senator can speak for an unlimited time on the Senate floor.

Earmark

A designation within a spending bill that provides for a specific expenditure.

Rule

Specifies the terms and conditions under which a bill or resolution will be considered on the floor of the House. Set by Rules Committee

Executive Agreements

An international agreement between the United States and other nations, not subject to Senate approval and in effect only during the administration of the president who negotiates the agreement.

Executive Orders

a presidential directive that has the force of law, though it is not enacted by Congress

Veto

the power to officially reject or prohibit a proposed action or law

Pocket Veto

A pocket veto occurs when a bill fails to become law because the president does not sign it within the ten-day period and cannot return the bill to Congress because Congress is no longer in session.

Signing Statements

a written pronouncement issued by the President of the United States upon the signing of a bill into law.

Head of State

Receives foreign dignitaries and carries out other "ceremonial" duties

Chief Executive

Manages the federal bureaucracy and appoints members to the cabinet and other executive agencies

Chief Diplomat

The President is the "point man" for US foreign policy. Presidents enter into executive agreements and negotiate treaties

Commander-in-Chief

Makes decisions to commit troops

Executive Office of the President

Consists of appointed bureaucrats that form dozens of offices and councils that assist the president.

White House Office

WHO is an organization within the EOP that contains the president's personal advisors and staffers.

The Cabinet

The group of experts chosen by the president to serve as advisers on running the country.

Executive Privilege

The right of the chief executive and members of the administration to withhold information from Congress or the courts, or the right to refuse to appear before legislative or judicial bodies.

State of the Union Address

an annual address delivered by the president of the US to Congress, typically at the beginning of the year, giving the administration's view of the state of the nation and plans for legislation

Impeachment

The power of the House of Representatives to formally accuse the president (and other high-ranking officials, including the vice president and federal judges) of crimes.

Imperial Presidency

A term coined by Arthur Schlesinger to describe the modern executive branch and the enormous powers the office has gained through assertion, the size of the bureaucracy, and the presence of staff loyal to an individual president.

Office of Management and Budget

The office that creates the president's annual budget

Bully Pulpit

The ability of presidents to speak out and be listened to by voters.

Take Care Clause

The constitutional basis for inherent powers, which states that the president "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed."

Decay Curve

political systems fail to adjust to changing circumstances

Lame Duck

President considered this he has been defeated for re-election, or after his successor has been elected, but also whenever he cannot be, or is known not to be, a candidate for reelection

Honeymoon Period

A time early in a new president's administration characterized by optimistic approval by the public

Honeymoon Period

A time early in a new president's administration characterized by optimistic approval by the public