Fall 24 Exam 3 Review

Exam Three Review

  • Topics: Interest Groups, Political Parties, Elections and Campaigns, Public Opinion and Voting Behavior

  • Date: 11/18/2024

Interest Groups

Definition

  • Politically-oriented organization uniting individuals with common interests making demands on others.

Political Freedom

  • 1st Amendment: Protects the right to assemble and petition the government.

  • Informing politicians of group support for votes is a form of free speech under the 1st Amendment.

Comparison with Political Parties

  • Interest Groups:

    • Do not run candidates.

    • Focus on narrow issues.

    • Private organizations can restrict membership.

  • Political Parties:

    • Run their own candidates.

    • Focus on broad issues.

    • Quasi-public and cannot restrict membership.

Benefits of Joining Interest Groups

  • Material Benefits: Tangible rewards (e.g., discounts).

  • Solidary Benefits: Intangible rewards such as friendship and belonging.

  • Purposive Benefits: Satisfaction from contributing to a greater cause.

Lobbying

Definition

  • Activity of individuals or groups attempting to influence public policy.

Types of Lobbying

  • Direct Lobbying:

    • Direct contact with government officials (e.g., legislative committees).

  • Indirect Lobbying:

    • Using intermediaries to influence policy (e.g., organizing letters, demonstrations).

Interest Group Spending

Comparison to Other Industries

  • Amount spent by interest groups in federal politics noted:

    • Estimated annual household consumption: $7.3 billion.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Rulings and Impacts

  • Corporations and unions have the right to spend unlimited money for political advocacy (1st Amendment).

  • Allowed formation of Super PACs and increased spending on federal elections.

Super PACs

Definition

  • Political committees that can raise unlimited funds to support/oppose candidates.

  • Must report donors but prohibited from direct contributions to candidates.

Political Parties

Definition

  • Organizations that nominate and run candidates for office using their own label.

Characteristics

  • Run candidates for office.

  • Focus on broad issues.

  • Cannot restrict membership.

Historical Party Systems

  • 1st Party System (1789-1828): Federalists, Democratic-Republicans

  • 2nd Party System (1829-1856): Democrats, Whigs

  • 3rd Party System (1857-1892): Democrats, Republicans

  • 4th Party System (1893-1932): Democrats, Republicans

  • 5th Party System (1933-1968): Democrats, Republicans

  • 6th Party System (1969-present): Democrats, Republicans

  • Key Point: Two-party system predominates.

Functions of Political Parties

  • Aggregate interests and mediate between citizens and government.

  • Simplify electoral choices.

  • Mobilize voters and organize government.

Minor Political Parties Functions

  • Monitor the majority party and hold them accountable.

  • Influence major party policies.

Heuristics in Political Decision-Making

Definition

  • Cognitive shortcuts that aid problem-solving and judgments.

  • Voters often rely on party identification as a heuristic during elections.

Political Identification

  • Social identity associated with political parties (Republican, Democrat, etc.).

  • Distinction between attitudes, ideology, and party identity.

Elections and Campaigns

Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act of 2002)

  • Banned soft money contributions and increased limits on hard money.

Barriers for Third-Party Candidates

  • Features: Single-member districts, Electoral College, Plurality system.

Electoral College

Allocation of Votes

  • Based on congressional representatives (2 from Senate + House).

Reapportionment and Redistricting

  • US census determines population representation.

  • States gain/lose electoral votes based on population changes.

Influential Voters

  • States with lower populations have more control relative to larger states.

  • Total electoral votes: 538; Votes needed to win presidency: 270.

Alternatives to Electoral College

  • Discussion on alternatives and required constitutional amendments.

Gerrymandering

Types

  • Incumbent Gerrymandering: Beneficial for incumbents.

  • Partisan Gerrymandering: Benefits one party over another.

  • Racial Gerrymandering: Hinder representation of racial groups.

Incumbents and Elections

Advantages

  • Experience, voter relationships, and resources.

Factors Leading to Incumbent Loss

  • Poor showing in previous elections and unaligned voting records.

Frontloading

  • States moving primaries to earlier dates, impacting candidates' campaign strategies and exposure.

Stages of Presidential Nomination

Process Stages

  1. Invisible Primary: Period before the first contest to gain momentum.

  2. Initial Contest: Candidates test the waters.

  3. National Convention: Major candidates nominated.

  4. Ongoing Process: Weeding out weaker candidates.

Public Opinion and Voting Behavior

Trends in Attitudes

  • Evaluation characteristics: Valence, Strength, Stability, Salience.

  • High salience issues impact government the most.

Types of Political Preferences

  • Issue Attitudes: Views on policies.

  • Ideology: Sets of beliefs about governance.

  • Party Identification: Membership in a defined political party.

Stability in Political Preferences

  • Party identification is more consistent than issue preferences.

Measuring Public Opinion

Key Factors

  • Who is polled, question wording/structure, margin of error.

Margin of Error Calculations

  • Importance of understanding margin implications on public support.

Impact of Public Figures

Identification Trends

  • Best identified figures: President, Vice President.

  • Least identified: Other politicians and government roles.

Media Influence on Public Opinion

  • Critical role in shaping public issues,

  • Creates awareness but may lead to increased cynicism.

Personality Traits and Political Ideology

  • Openness: Linked to liberalism.

  • Conscientiousness: Associated with conservatism; context-dependent regarding economic systems.