AP GOV UNIT 4 & 5

Individualism

each person has the ability to shape their life and destiny through the choice we make

equality of opportunity

all people given equal chance to compete

free enterprise

market determines prices of products and services

Rule of Law

every person, even those in power, must follow and is accountable foe the same laws that govern all

limited government

restricts government so they can’t infringe on individual rights

political socialization

process where individuals develop political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors

• family

• school

• peers

• media

generational effects

experiences shared by people of a common age

• 911

• WWI

life cycle effects

experiences a person encounters during different life stages

• student loans

opinion poll

used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population

benchmark polls

used to measure support for a candidate and to gather information about issues people care about

exit poll

taken immediately after they have exited the poll. used to understand why voters made their decisions

public approval (tracking) poll

used during elections to “track” issues and how the candidate is fairing

sampling techniques

random sample to make sure all demographics are equally represented

polling questions

pollers phrase survey questions to avoid skewing results, try to eliminate any emotionally charged wording

demographic party

• supports government intervention in economic and social equality

• individual decisions in areas of religious variation and personal choices of behavior

republican party

• supports individualism in economic issues

• supports government intervention in religious moral choices and some personal behavior choices

liberal ideologies

• support strong governments in economic matters

• support individualism in social and religious settings

• favors more national government involvement to address education and public health issues

conservative ideologies

• like less national government in economics

• like a stronger government hold on social and religious choices

• favor less national government involvement in public education and health

  • leave it up to the states

libertarian ideologies

• conservative on economic issues

• more liberal on social and moral issues

• favors little national or state involvement except when national or state governments are protecting private property or individual liberties

fiscal policy

actions taken by congress and the president to influence economic conditions

• keynesian

  • governement spending and tax

• supply-sider

  • governs supply and demand

monetary policy

actions taken by the Federal Reserve to influence interest rates which effect broader economic conditions

14th amendement

guarantees equal rights and citizenship to all people born or nationalized in the US

15th amendment

gave black men and other men of color the right to vote nationwide

17th amendment

direct election of US senators in each state

19th amendement

gives eligible women the right to vote

24th amendment

abolished poll taxes in federal elections

26th amendment

lowered to voting age from 21 to 18

• “old enough to fight, old enough to vote”

rational choice voting

individuals who base their decisions on their best interest

retrospective voting

individuals who decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re-elected based on their past

prospective voting

individuals who vote based on how/what a party or candidate will do in the future

straight ticket voting

individuals who vote for all the candidates of one party on a ballot

voting rights act of 1965

got rid of literacy tests

structural barriers

polling hours, availability of absentee voting, physical influences on voter turnout

linkage institutions

• political parties

  • try to win elections to enact policy direction

  • gather support for cause’s during elections

• interest groups

  • gather like-minded causes

  • try to influence leaders (lobbying)

  • influence elections

• People

  • create grassroot movements of concern, support, and protest

  • vote for change

• Media

  • bring together like-minded viewers to make money

  • create an agenda

campaign-centered campaigns

the public focus is on the characteristic of the candidate and not the party. the role of the party in nominating candidates have been weakened

demographic coalitions

each party has its core demographics and continually attempt to broaden its appeal to more voters

influences of party structures

• critical elections

  • elections where there is a realignment of the political party support among voters

• campaign finance law

• changes in communication

winner-take all voting system

serves as a structural barrier to third-party and independent candidates. places and advantage on the two-party system

incorporation of agendas

incorporation of third-party agendas into platforms of major political parties serves as a barrier to third-party and independent candidates success

interest groups

represent very specific or more general interest, can educate voters and officer holders, conduct lobbying, draft legislation, and mobilize membership to apply pressure and work with legislatures and government agencies

amicus curiae brief

a written document submitted as a “friend of the court” ti provide additional information for justices to consider when reviewing a case

‘free rider’ problem

individuals who benefit from the work being done by interest groups without providing financial support

• to solve: provide specific benefits and services to members to encourage people to join

single-issue groups

political party focused on one single issue or a narrow range of issues (gun right orgs.)

ideology/social movements

collective efforts of people to promote or resist change based on shared beliefs

protest movements

organized efforts by a significant number of people to promote change

incumbent advantage

a bias towards the candidate that is currently holding that political position

closed primary

type of primary election used to choose candidates who will run in the general election. In a closed primary, only voters registered for the party which is holding the primary may vote.

open primary

any registered voter can vote in a party’s primary election

blanket primary

type of primary where all candidates are listed on the same ballot

caucuses

closed meetings of party members to select candidates or decide policies

coattail effect

when a popular presidential candidate or political party leader attracts voters to other candidates in their political party

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

effort to ban soft money (unlimited funds to party or interest groups) and reduce ad attacks with the “Stand by Your Ad” → “I support the message”

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

an independent regulatory agency that was founded to regulate campaign finance legislation 1975

dark money

modern use of collecting funds for “issue” group and not announcing the source of the money

Connected PAC

corporations are not allowed to use their money to influence elections, but can make connected pacs with separate donations to support

Nonconnected PACs

have no sponsoring organization and form around a single issue

Leadership PACs

current/former leader raise money

Super PACs

unlimited donations to and spending large by large PACs, as long as they don’t formally communicate with the candidates campaign

sound bites

excerpts from a larger remark, can effect wording and overall message

political analysis

form of journalism that explores and provides opinions on a topic in depth

narrowcasting

demand for more media content also encourages the growth of media outlets with specific political agendas, and target an audience