Government final

Public opinion: It's how the American citizenry view politics, the collective attitudes and beliefs of individuals on one or more issues, and the complex aggregation of multiple individual opinions into one mass opinion

Political socialization: The process where you develop personal beliefs/opinion on politics

Public opinion polling: measure of public opinion 

Sample Bias: the effect of having a sample that does not represent all segments of a population (overestimates or underestimates results)

Sample Error: a number that indicates within what range the results of a poll are accurate (kinda like % error)

Straw Polls: an unofficial vote as a test of opinion 

Exit Polls: polling people as they exit the voting station

Push Polls: interactive marketing where a group attempts to influence views on voters under the disguise of conducting a poll

Liberal democratic theory: A democracy cannot flourish without an educated and politically active citizenry 

Rational Ignorance: people forego learning about politics and leave the learning to other people

Why is public opinion important? We are the government of the people, our representatives will know what we want this way, and public opinion is all around us.

What are some important agents of political socialization?

• Family

• Education 

• Media 

• Major life events

• Economic status and occupation 

• Demographic factors (age, gender, race, geographic location)

• Peer group

What are 3 general steps to conducting a valid opinion poll?

• Representative sample from the population

• Administer a public opinion survey

• Calculate your results 

Political party: A group of people run by ideology who seek control of their government in order to promote their ideas and policies (to win elections to control government)

Interest groups: an organization of individuals who share a common policy goal (doesn't want to be in government and they want to influence government decisions)

Three components of political parties:

• Party organization: official structure

• Party-in-government: actual people in the party that are elected in government

• Party-in-electorate: people who identify with this party 

Duverger's Law: two party system

Party base: voters who will always vote for their party of choice

Lobbying: interest group persuading policy makers to support them

Direct lobbying: direct interaction with officials

Indirect lobbying: encouraging the general public to place pressure on officials

Characteristics of each party system:

1st: democratic-republicans, first real party 1800-1828

2nd: democratic party/first two party system (democrats/whigs) 1828-1860

3rd: birth of republican party / creation of a third party system 1860-1896

4th: creation of a 4th party system dominated by republican party marked by several social movements 1896-1932

5th: dominated by democrats 1932-present/ economic and civil rights

6th: more divided, periods of dealignment, no party has dominated the other in elections 

Economic interest groups: groups that organize to influence government policy for economic benefit

Equal opportunity interest groups: promotes civil and economic interest of underrepresented groups 

Public interest groups: groups that organize to influence government to produce collective goods/services that benefit the public

Government interest groups: state and local governments trying to get policies that are beneficial to them implemented

Parties serve 3 important democratic functions:

• Link voters to elected officials

• Overcome government fragmentation

• Articulate opposing policy ideas

Mass media: the means of converting information to large audiences cheaply and efficiently

Components of mass media: a way to transfer information quickly and cheaply (newspapers, radio (Fireside chat) , television, internet)

Is free press free? No, the press has been controlled at different entities at different times. 

Communications revolution: what's happening now

Yellow journalism: news based on sensationalism and gross exaggeration (gossip) 

Gatekeeping: the act of limiting what information gets out to the public

Echo chamber: environment that a person only encounters beliefs that align with their own

Agenda setting: Through media people can set what is important to officials

Priming: media can make stories important even if they aren’t

Framing: how media sets up an issue to be presented (can change the outlook of the whole problem)

Expert persuasion: consumers will often trust the journalist they frequently watch, this can be used for persuasive political agendas

Permanent campaign: theory that politicians and political organizations are always in campaign mode

Spin: an attempt to frame an issue in a particular way to paint a person or policy in the best lighting (professional lying)

Leaks: well-timed releases from the press 

Propaganda: biased/untrue information to convince a group. Designed to have an emotional effect

What is patronage of the press? Newspaper publishers relied on government people to feed them information so they would make one person look good so that they would give them information, or make the opposing team look bad for the same reason. 

Impartial journalist: journalist that present just the facts of the matter (unbiased news)

What are the consequences of concentrated corporate ownership of the media?

news broadcasters won’t distribute news or opinion that conflicts with the preferences of companies providing advertising revenue - monopoly status

How does the media portray politics? They portray politics in a over dramatic negative light

External Political Efficacy: the belief that those in government are not responsive to your needs and demands.

Issue Voting: Issue voting refers to a form of voting in which individuals make their decisions based on specific policies or issues, rather than party affiliation or candidate characteristics

Prospective Voting: Prospective voting is when voters cast their ballots based on the anticipated future policies or actions of candidates, rather than their past performance.

Retrospective Voting:

Nomination Phase: each party must nominate someone for president before they can run for election 

Invisible Primary: potential candidates work behind the scene to gain supporters and raise funds 

Caucus: Local gatherings to choose delegates to choose nominee 

Primary: direct election where voters choose delegates to choose nominee

Open Primary: voters can vote in either primary regardless of party affiliation 

Semi-Open Primary: voters don't have to declare affiliation, but must declare which party ballot.

Semi-Closed Primary: independent voters must declare a party, but can do so on election day

Closed Primary: only registered members of parties can vote in their parties primary. 

Front Loading: the practice of scheduling dates of primary elections or caucuses earlier in the election calendar to increase a parties influence over the selection of party nominees. 

Super Tuesday: most of the states have their primaries on this day (all on the same day)

Money, Media and Momentum: the three things needed to win a primary

Front Runner Status: the candidate that many assume will win an election before the season even starts.

Nominating Convention: where the nomination process culminates (voting for a nominee)

Battleground States: swing states

Issue Ownership: valence issues (everyone agrees on), position issues (usually two sides), wedge issue (divides a party internally)

Mandate: perception that a victory signals broad support for the victors preferred policies

What obstacles have we overcome to extend the voting franchise? Discrimination, voting age lowered, property restrictions removed. 

Who Votes? Older citizens, women, the wealthy, educated, whites

Why do people not vote? Legal obstacles, too many elections, people think their votes don't matter, political parties don't want to pass laws that enhance voter turnout. Also voter mobilization, decreased social connectedness, rational choice

Explain how generational changes affect voting rates. due to factors like political apathy, lower engagement, and shifting priorities.

Why and how has the power to choose party candidates for the general election shifted from the party organization to the party-in-electorate? 

How can a party’s base hurt a party’s chances of winning a general election? A party's base can hurt its chances of winning a general election if it becomes too polarized or ideologically extreme, 

Explain how money, media and momentum affect a candidate’s chances of winning a primary election or a general election. Money is needed to perform well during primary season, media makes you look good and momentum makes it look like you're on a roll so then money and sponsorships go your way. 

How does the necessity of winning the Electoral College and not the popular vote shape how a presidential campaign is waged? They don't have to worry about states that are for sure voting for one party (block states) and instead turn focus on swing states (like north carolina!)

What are some different types of issues candidates try to use to their advantage in a campaign? economic policies, healthcare, education, national security, social justice, climate change, and immigration, depending on the concerns of their target voters.

How do candidates try to advertise themselves in a campaign? media appearances, social media engagement, advertisements, speeches, debates, and grassroots outreach to promote their policies, values, and personal narratives.

What do the winning and losing parties do in the post-election phase of a campaign? the winning party typically begins transitioning to governance, forming cabinets, and implementing their agenda, while the losing party may reflect on their performance, analyze their strategy, and prepare for future elections.

Public Policy: a government plan of action to solve a problem that people share collectively or cannot be solved on its own 

Direct Problem Solving: problem solving that us tangible such as building a road or providing healthcare 

Indirect problem Solving: offering incentives or disincentives for certain behaviors (carrot and stick) 

Redistributive Policies: policies that take money from one group and give that money to another group and the ones who give the money don’t get anything in return (ex: medicaid, food stamps)

Distributive Policies: funded by the entire tax base to benefit a particular group, all who fall into a category can claim the benefits of this program 

Regulatory Policies: government actions or rules designed to control or govern specific industries, behaviors, or practices in order to protect public interests, ensure fairness, and promote safety.

Social Policy: primarily distributive and redistributive policies that seek to improve the quality of life for citizens 

Entitlement Program: government-funded initiative that guarantees certain benefits or services to individuals who meet specified eligibility criteria, such as Social Security, Medicare, or unemployment insurance.

Economic Policy: policy that is designed to ensure the health and vitality of the american economy 

Fiscal Policy: congress's ability to tax and spend (market conditioning), where money is spend to benefit the economy 

Monetary Policy: the regulation of the nations money supply; handled by federal reserve

Taxation Policy: linked to fiscal policy, but more concerned with how governments raise revenue 

Why can’t many of our collective problems be solved on their own?

Collective action problems hinder market responses, the problem directly/indirectly affects many citizens 

Why can't the government solve all of our problems via policy? The word problem means something different to everyone so its just a matter of majority tolerance to an issue, problems cost money to solve, solving a problem could create another problem, and the problems that aren’t solved are usually highly complex

Explain how Social Security works.: federal program that provides income to retirees, disabled individuals, and survivors of deceased workers, funded through payroll taxes. Workers pay into the system during their careers and receive benefits based on their earnings history when they retire or meet other eligibility criteria (like retirement) 

What are some of the arguments for and against Social Security?

For: income security, supporting vulnerable groups, economic stability, social safety net

Against: high taxes, financial sustainability, lack of personal choice, inefficiency and waste

Why is it getting harder to pay for Social Security?

due to the aging population, longer life expectancies, and a decreasing ratio of workers to beneficiaries, which puts strain on the system's funding.

What role does the Federal Reserve have in formulating economic policy?

 regulating monetary policy, controlling inflation, managing interest rates, and ensuring financial stability to promote sustainable economic growth and full employment.

Explain how and why the public fluctuates between wanting more or less economic regulation.

changing economic conditions, political ideologies, and perceptions of fairness; during periods of economic instability, crises, or inequality, people often demand more regulation to protect consumers and ensure stability, while in times of growth or economic optimism, there is greater support for deregulation to encourage business innovation and reduce government intervention.