AP GOV ch 7-8 vocab

Chapter 7

1. Broadcast Media: replaced print media and became Americans’ main source of news and info.

2. High-Tech Politics: the behavior of citizens and politicians and the political agenda are shaped by technology

3. Investigative Reporting: the use of in-depth reportings to unearth scandals, scams, schemes – putting reporters in adversarial positions with political leaders

4. Mass Media: television, newspapers, radios, magazines, the internet (most communication services rose to prominence)

5. Media Event: events that are purposely staged for the media and are just significant bc the media is present

6. Narrowcasting: focusing on one certain interest/audience (narrowing it down to one) rather than traditional broadcasting (ex: Animal Planet, Cartoon Network)

7. Policy Agenda: list of subjects/problems to which gov’t officials and those closest to gov’t officials pay attention at any given time

8. Print Media: 2 kinds of media (newspapers and magazines) - newspapers focused on violence, wars, corruption, etc. – magazines focused on political news and opinions

9. Sound Bite: news/information that is made in 10 secs or less

10. Trial Balloon: information leaked to see political reactions

Chapter 8

1. Blanket Primaries: a primary in which voters can vote for the Democratic candidates, the Republican candidates, or some from each party

2. Coalition Governments: when two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature

3. Closed Primaries: people who have registered in advance with a party where they can vote for that party’s candidate - shows loyalty to the party (more favored)

4. Critical Elections: “electoral earthquake” when new issues appear and it divides voters and party coalitions undergo realignment

5. Linkage Institutions: translates inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers

6. National Chairperson: responsible for day-to-day activities of the party (hires the staff, raises the money, pays the bills, and attends to the daily duties of the party)

7. National Committee: keeps the party operating between conventions; composed of representatives from the state and territories 

8. National Convention: the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party’s platform

9. Open Primaries: allows for voters to select either party on election day

10. Party Competition: the battle between Democrats and Republicans for control of the public office

11. Party Dealignment: people gradually moving away from both parties, as seen in shrinking party identification

12. Party Eras: historical periods where a majority of voters identify with the party in power which tends to increase the election wins

13. Party Identification: citizens self-proclaimed preference for one party over another

14. Party Image: voters perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for (conservatism or liberalism)

15. Party Machine: type of political party organization that relies on material inducement, such as patronage, to win votes & to govern (rewarding)

16. Party Neutrality: for/not for either party

17. Party Realignment: displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during critical elections

18. Patronage: one of the key inducements used by party machines - a job that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone

19. Political Party: team of men and women seeking to control the governing by gaining office/endorse candidates for public office and try to win elections

20. Proportional Representation: used throughout most of Europe where it awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election

21. Rational-Choice Theory: theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians (assuming individuals act in their best interests; weighing the costs and benefits of the political alternatives) 

22. Third Parties: electoral contenders besides the 2 major parties (rarely win elections)

23. Ticket-Splitting: voting a party for one office then another party for other offices (became norm of American voting behavior)

24. Winner-Take-All System: legislative seats awarded only to candidates who come first in their constituenciesThis system often discourages third-party candidates, as it creates a significant barrier to entry, leading to a political landscape dominated by the two major parties.