Chapter 6:

Agents of Socialization:

-Family: Most important since children first learn society's values, norms, and beliefs through their families.

- Media: Media influences Americans from young to old, it frames issues to influence and direct Americans, Politicians use this.

- Social Groups: Groups defined by race, gender, income, and religion.

-Involuntary Groups: defined by race for example.

-Voluntary Groups: defined by income, religion - you chose to join these groups (labor unions are voluntary groups related to income).

- Education: Public education teaches about government (constitution, Bill of Rights). College-educated individuals are twice as likely to vote as non-college-educated

- Political Conditions: Party Realignment is when a vast population switches political parties. ~ Ex/ Many Republican Americans became Democrats during the Great Depression (1930's) due to FDR's social welfare programs.

- Political Apathy: No interest or care for politics

- Political Efficacy: Belief in the ability to influence government; Typically Americans have low political efficacy and therefore have low participation in. Politics.

- The Amber Alert System is the result of participation and influence leading to policy protecting children ~Your participation means you influence the government, and influence means public participation in policy-making.

   ~Creation and direction of policy are not dependent on the participation of all, although they should be, The US has the lowest voter turnout of all Western nations.

- Political Party Identification: Republican, Democrat, Libertarian~A major shift has occurred in political orientation among a particular age group, Party Realignment, which occurred during FDR's and Lincoln's time.

-Spiral of Silence: Individuals may be unwilling to express contrary opinions to their peers or a dominant group.

- Political Ideology= Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian

-Conservative beliefs: Little or no government intervention and regulation of the economy, small government, and private sector should solve economic and social problems ~Many Americans are Liberal on Social issues, but conservative on economic issues.

-Liberal beliefs: High government intervention and regulation of the economy and high government support for social programs.

Chapter 7:

- 3 Types of Media: Broadcast, print, and internet

- Broadcast Media: Radio-Talk shows, television- 24/7 news network and talk shows.

-Soundbites: Brief quotes and short characterizations of events. Politicians and others often manipulate soundbites to their advantage.

- Print Media: Newspapers, journals, magazines ~Many educated, influential, and economic still use print media, although it is looking leadership

- Internet: The younger generation relies on it, YouTube twitter, google, and Yahoo ~ Broadcast and print media are on the Internet.            

-The FCC ensures: that all coverage of controversial issues overseeing the public airwaves is balanced and fair. FCC oversees print and broadcast media (except for private cable and satellite / private = you pay for services

• What does the FCC do?: Penalizes obscenity and sexual references

• Fairness Doctrine: Opposing viewpoints on controversial issues must be allowed and given equal time by broadcasters

• Equal Time Rule: Political candidates running for office must be given equal opportunities by broadcasters to communicate to the public

• Right of Rebuttal: Political candidates must be allowed by broadcasters to respond to personal attack

• Issues for the FCC: The Reagan Administration (President Ronald Reagan 1981-1989) and Congress deregulated the media, ultimately leading to the FCC ending the Fairness Doctrine. The rise of private cable companies during the 1980s influenced deregulation

Chapter 8:

-Presidential Candidates: Must be 35 years old, natural born citizen, and residents of the US for 14 years

-Senate Candidates: Must be 30 years old, US citizens for 9 years, and residents of the state he or she represents

-House Candidates: Must be 25 years old, US citizens for 7 years, and residents of the state he or she represents.

~Parties keep data files on potential voters

Voter Vault: Republican data system

Vote Builder: Democrat Data system

Prospective Voter: Voting is based on what the candidate says he or she will do in the future if elected. Voting based on the future

Retrospective Voter: Voting for a candidate based on what happened in past

What makes up a Republican Party: People who believe in: Economic and Social Conservativism, Less government spending and taxation, Less government economic regulation, Traditional values People who are: Rural poor, Usually white, Live in the South / Mid-West / West / Rural Regions / Suburban Region. The middle of the US between the coasts-Red States

-Hispanic Phenomenon-Increasing numbers of Hispanics (Latinos) voting conservatively due to disapproval of gay rights issues and other traditional values issues

- What makes up the Democrat Party: People who believe in: More social welfare and education spending, More government regulation, Higher taxing. People who are: City dwellers/urbanites, Urban Poor, Working class/union members, Minorities, Upper-middle-class intellectuals and professionals. People who live in: Live in the East and West Coast as well as the old Rust Belt (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana) –Blue States.

--However, most of these states in the Rust Belt, which have large numbers of working class/union members, voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Their main issue was the jobs

What is the Electoral College and How Does it Work?: The Electoral College is how we refer to the process by which the United States elects the President, even though that term does not appear in the U.S. Constitution. In this process, the States (which includes the District of Columbia just for this process) elect the President and Vice President.~ Consists of 538 electors. The majority. of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president.

Founding Father’s Assumption: People cannot be trusted to make decisions wisely and choose candidates directly. The election of the President should not be based solely on a direct popular vote. a. The electoral college is a form of indirect voting (popular votes direct voting)

2. How Does the College Work: Presidents are elected by the popular vote and the electoral vote. b. Each state has electors. State legislators choose electors, but the general population does not know who the electors are States have as many electors as they ha ve representatives and senators c. In the majority of states, electors cast their vote based on the popular vote..... Except for Nebraska and Maine d. The winner of the popular vote in each district gets the electoral vote from that district.

-When a state’s popular vote went for Trump in 2016, the electors voted for Trump as well–Winner Take All!!

Remember, Nebraska and Maine have state laws that allow elector districts won by, for example, Trump in 2020, to go for Trump. However, Trump received no elector votes from districts he lost.

The key for presidential candidates is to: campaign in states which have a lot of electoral votes

Have There have been times in which the candidate who won the popular vote lost the electoral vote?: Yes.

Nixon won the popular vote / Kennedy won the electoral voter won Popular vote / Bush won electoral vote–2000

Hard Money: This money is used to support a specific candidate (by the candidate for themself) *Contributions and donations are regulated by Congressional legislation (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act BCRA, etc) and overseen by the Federal Election Commission (FEC)

Soft Money (also Known as Unregulated Money): This money cannot be used to support a specific candidate by donating directly to their campaign–but can be used in paying for ads, campaign events, or giving to the candidate’s party *Soft money is largely contributions and donations to a political party from SuperPACS, PACs, citizens, interest groups, corporations, unions, etc *This is very ambiguous as money is used for Party and Interest Building Activities, which has never been defined by legislation and the FEC

- Federal Election Commission: The Federal Election Commission (FEC) enforces federal campaign finance laws, including monitoring donation prohibitions, and limits and oversees public funding for presidential campaigns.

Chapter 9:

- The Theories of power: Majoritarianism, Pluralism, Elitism, and Bureaucratic Rule

Majoritarianism: The government is run by interest groups that represent the majority. The amber alert system was the result of a popular citizens’ interest group

Pluralism: Government is run by competing interest groups representing all citizens equally

Elitism: Government is run by interest groups representing the wealthy. These interest groups compete with each other

Bureaucratic Rule: Government is run by stifling bureaucracy. Presidents come and go, Congresses change, but the majority of our nearly 4 million civil servants stay the same

- Interest Group: A group of people organized to pursue and lobby for a common interest (special interest) through political participation to gain favorable public policy

Another term for Interest Group is?: Lobbying Group. Interest groups lobby members of Congress and the President (lobby = influence)

- Essentially, The Triangle is a longstanding, mutually-beneficial relationship between,

a. Interest Group -> Congressional Committee -> Bureaucratic Agency -> American Association of Retired Persons-> Congressional Subcommittee on Aging

Social Security Administration Interest groups facilitate citizen participation in government, organizing individuals to take collective action through voting, fundraising, and disseminating information about their issues to elected officials and the public.

   ~There are many competing interest groups, and they can take a variety of forms, but all seek to influence public policy in favor of the needs of their constituents. Not all interest groups have an equal impact on policy, however, as some have more funds, greater access to decision-makers, and more committed members.

   ~ Ex/ Business and agriculture, National Association of wheat growers

Free Rider: An individual who realizes the benefits of interest groups, but never participates. Those who realize the benefits of public and private services, but never contribute

Chapter 10:

Reapportionment: As population changes (goes up in some states and goes down in others) Congress reapportions seats. Reapportionment happens every ten years after the national census (population) count. The Census of 2010–Ohio lost two seats and Utah and Arizona each gained one. Each district has approximately 730,000 people in 2020

Redistricting: When a state loses or gains representatives, District boundaries are redrawn by state legislatures. The majority party in the state legislature has more control over redrawing boundaries.

Gerrymandering: Drawing district boundaries in a strange fashion to favor a political party.

-Named for Governor Eldridge Gerry of North Carolina who is 1812 influenced redistricting ridiculously in order to help his party and friends keep and or gain seats

-Some years ago, Arizona had a famous gerrymandered district called the C District to keep the district majority Republican.

-How to Win Election and Re-election to Congress: 1. Casework; Service to Constituency. 2. Bring Home the Pork $$ (pork barrel projects); Government funding and subsidies. Highways construction provides construction jobs Subsidies for farmers and ranchers. Earmarks–Place pet projects from own district and state into bills. 3. Baby Kissing / Meet and Greet in District a.City Hall Meetings, BBQs, Fairs, etc 4. Congressional post office; Used by incumbents to mail flyers during campaign season, This service is free, but not meant for this purpose. 5. Incumbency; . Incumbents have a track record and they are known by interest groups and voters. This makes them hard to beat

What is an Incumbent?: An Incumbent is a member of Congress who has already won a seat. Once a seat is won, the ability to hold the seat is high --> Why? Incumbents have a proven track record. Incumbents can raise more money due to their track record. Incumbents can pass bills to benefit the constituency. Incumbents can use the congressional post office to their advantage. Incumbents can use casework

Before the 1990s, 90% of incumbents have won their seats in most elections. Many incumbents lost seats in 1994, 2006, 2010, 2018

What can hurt Incumbents?: 1.Redistricting*Loss or gain of a seat(s). 2. Disruptive Issue, War, recession, increasing taxes, inflation, unemployment, Scandal, Committing electoral fraud by accepting bribes for services in Congress (Tom DeLay, Ben Arrendondo, Duke Cunningham, William Jefferson, Soliciting prostitutes in airport restroom (Larry Craig), Sexual Harassment (Bob Packwood). 3. Midterm Election; Most voters participate during Presidential election years, but not during the years in between, Only 1/3 of voters who voted in Presidential election will vote in the midterm election. 4. Strong Challenger; Challengers can use disruptive issues and scandals, Millionaire challengers present the biggest threat to incumbents Committees and Subcommittees

a.The House of Representatives

b. A proposed bill must go to its correct committee and subcommittee. EX/ A bill affecting wheat farm subsidies goes to the Agricultural Standing Committee and then to the Subcommittee, which handles grain production

c. 20 Standing Committees in the House in 2020 (Standing Committees are Permanent Committees)

Members of the House may not serve on any committee or serve on only one since there are so many Representatives

d. There could be anywhere from 60 to more than 100 subcommittees in the House depending on the majority party and the needs of the nation

e. Debate on a bill is controlled by the bill sponsor, the ruling party, and the Speaker of the House

f. Speaker of the House

The Speaker of the House has the most control over the debate on bills (discussed further in these notes and text)

The Speaker and the Majority Party decide if a bill will even make it to the floor of the House to be voted on

–after going through the committee/subcommittee process

The Speaker chooses or influences selection of committee and subcommittee member

The Senate

20 Standing Committees/There could be anywhere from 60 to more than 100 subcommittees

    a. Senators may serve on many committees from the time they enter the Senate since there are only 100 Senators

2. More debate is allowed by the Majority Party then in the House

    a. Relations between the parties is more cordial and respectful

3. Approves Treaties (2/3 vote) and Presidential Appointments

Bill -> House Committees -> Senate Committees -> President

Congress:

1. How Does Congress Determine if a Bill is Important?: Example: Important bills concerning cattle ranching in Montana, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota are brought before the House by those states’ Representatives–they are the Bill Sponsors. Bill placed by the House Rules Committee before the Committee on Agriculture. The committee sends the bill to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. The subcommittee examines and investigates the bill. Subcommittee sends bill back to Committee. The committee further examines the bill and determines whether it is important enough to give funding to the Committee and sends findings to the Appropriations Committee. Appropriations (one of the most powerful committees) decides to appropriate (give) funding to the bill – the funded bill goes before the House to be voted on by all Representatives. Remember, a simple majority passes the bill and then it moves to the Senate

The Legislation Funding Process:

House -> Committee -> Subcommittee -> Appropriations Committee -> Committee

1. An In-Depth Look at the Legislative Process: Getting Legislation Done-The Bill Process, Member(s) of the House proposes new legislation which becomes a bill. FYI–The Senate can also propose new legislation, but no matter what, new legislation must go through both the House and Senate

House Rules Committee (HRC): The most powerful committee and sends the bill to its proper and respective committee. HRC determines if and where the bill goes and how much debate time there will be for debate if and when it makes it to the floor