Unit 2 Political Behavior: Gov.’t By the People Ch 5 – Political Parties Ch 6 – Voters and Voter Behavior Ch 7 – The Electoral Process Ch 8 – Mass Media.

Unit 2

Political Behavior: Gov.’t By the PeopleCh 5 – Political Parties

Ch 6 – Voters and Voter Behavior

Ch 7 – The Electoral Process

Ch 8 – Mass Media and Public Opinion

Ch 9 – Interest Groups

Ch 5 – __________________• What are

political parties?• Political parties in the US are a group of

persons who seek to ___________ through winning elections + holding ____________.

• In the US, they aren’t primarily principle- or issue-oriented. They are _________-oriented.

• They:• are the way which ___________ + broad

policy choices are ____________ to the people.

• are the ____ b/w the people + the gov.’t.

• bring ________ groups together + soften the impact of ________ on both ends of the political spectrum.

• Functions of political parties

End Section 1

Functions of Political

Parties

Nominating___________

Informing +Activating

___________

______________________

___________ ___________

Select +___________candidates

Help elect through ________________, educating (in favor

of their own candidate + against

the opponent)fundraising,

______________

Ensures good____________ of its candidates +officeholders (ofgood character+ stick to party___________ – somewhat)

___________ is organized +

appointmentsare made based

on ________

Criticizes the______________

(party of the president/

governor) +keeps them

___________,sort of

The ______ function

• The 2-party system

• 2-party system – in an _________________, only 2 parties’ candidates have a reasonable chance of winning office (in the US, Republicans + Democrats)

• Why? – Nothing is said about political parties is the __________________.

1. ____________________- Federalists + Democratic-Republicans

2. ____________________3. ____________________

- most elections are winner-takes-all + the candidate w/ the most votes (not necessarily a majority) wins

- people don’t want to “waste” their vote- system is set up to _________ minor

parties

4. The American ______________ consensus- US has been free of long-standing,

bitter disputes over economic class, religious beliefs, or national origin unlike many

other countries – no need for many parties- Our political parties are very

___________ + _____________

• The multiparty system

• 1-party system

• The multiparty system is one in which several major + many lesser parties exist, seriously _______________, + win ____________

• Most _________ democracies have a multiparty system

• Represents more __________ interests

• Often leads to ___________________

• Usually must form coalitions – a temporary alliance of several groups who come together to form a _________________ to control the gov.’t

• When the alliance breaks down, a new coalition forms + a new gov.’t takes power

• 1-party system results when only one political party is allowed to exist

• Most ________________ are 1-party systems

• Party ___________ patterns

• Members of certain segments of the electorate tend to have similar voting patterns:Typically Democrat: Typically Republican:

- ____________- ____________- ____________- ____________- ____________- ____________- ____________________

• Other influencing factors:• ____________ level• Job/working conditions• Age (younger people are more likely to vote _________)• Residence (farms/suburbs-_________, cities-________,

South/Midwest-____________, North/West–_________)• Marital status (married couples are more likely to vote

_____________)

• Other patterns:• About 2/3 Americans follow the same party as their

____________• 9/10 Americans share their __________'s political views • Major events like the Civil War + _______________

End Section 2

- _________________- _________________- Members of the _____________________- _________________- ____________________

• ______________ of the 2-party system

Federalists• Alexander Hamilton• Strong ____________• Power in the hands of the ______ + ________• Economy based on ______________, shipping, + __________• _____ interpretation of Constitution

Democratic – Republicans• Thomas Jefferson• Strong _______________ • Power in the hands of the _________ – safer• Economy based on _____________

• _______ interpretation of Constitution

Hamilton v. Jefferson: Their different views would lead to the

creation of a 2 party political system

• The political spectrum

• http://typology.people-press.org/typology/

End Section 3

Favors extreme Believes that gov.’t Seeks to keep Favors extremechange to create must take action to in place the change to restorean entirely new change economic, economic, political, society to an social system political, + ideological + ideological, earlier state

policies that may be unfair structures of society

Left Center Right_____________ Gov.’t __________ Gov.’t

_________ _________ ___________ ___________ ___________

• The minor parties

• A minor party is one of the many political parties w/o _____________________.

• Some are limited to a particular locale, _______, or region while some try to spread across the _______

• Most have been _______________

• 4 types:

Splinter – parties that split

away from one of the ______ parties (most

form around a strong ______________ then

disappear when the _________ steps

aside) Economic Protest –appear during times of

economic _____ then disappear when the economic

situation _________

Single Issue –focus on 1 single issue

Ideological – based on a particular set of ___________(social, economic,

+ political)

Types of Minor Parties

Ex.

Socialist

Libertarian

Ex.

T. Roosevelt’s

“Bull Moose”

Progressive

Party

Ex. Free Soil Party(opposed slavery) Right to Life Party(oppose abortion)

Ex. The

Populist

Party

• Why minor parties are __________

• Can act as a “________” in elections• Critic + innovator – draw attention to

_________ the major parties tried to _________

- Ex. _________________ , progressive income

tax, old- age pensions

- When their proposal gains wide-spread support,

one or both of the ____________, take it + make it their own +

the party loses its _______________.

End Section 4

• Party __________

• Both parties are _______________ + fragmented w/ internal __________, although different offices of the same party often (but not always) ________ w/ one another.

• There is no __________________ running from the national to the local level.

• The __________ serves as his party’s leader.

• The __________ has no leader.

• Party _________ • The national convention is the meeting that occurs every summer in a ___________________ year to nominate the party’s president + v.p candidate. It also writes the party’s __________.

• In theory, the parties’ affairs are handled at meetings by the national committee + __________________ b/w conventions. In reality, they have little _________.

• Promotes party ________, raises $, recruits voters, + prepares for __________

• The congressional campaign committee works to elect members of their party into _____________.

• The _____ of major parties

• The major parties have been ___________ since the 1960s.

End Section 5

Factors in the decline of the major

political parties

Drop in the #of voters

who _________themselves

as Republicanor Democrat

Increase insplit-ticket

voting (votingfor different________ for

different_______ in the

same ________)

Greater internal

__________ +disorganization

Changes in____________,

especially____________,which makesit easier forcandidates

to “________”directly to the

electorate

The growthof ___________organizations

Ch 6 – Voters and Voter _________• The ______ of

voting rights• The framers of the Constitution

deliberately left ______ the power to set up suffrage _______________. Suffrage + franchise both mean the right to vote.

• When the Constitution went into effect in 1789, the electorate (potential voting population) was limited to white, male __________ ___________.

White,Male

property owners

(1800s) Eliminationof religious, property, +

tax payment qualificationsBy mid 1800s, almost all

white men could vote

(1870) The 15th Amendment gave _______ the right to vote

(many still denied the right)

(1920) The 19th Amendment gave _________ the right to vote

(1960s) Federal legislation secured black voting rights The 23rd Amendment added D.C. voters to the presidential electorate

The 24th Amendment eliminated the ________________

(1971) The 26th Amendment gave __________ ______ the right to vote (states could set a lower age)

• ________ suffrage:

End Section 1

The 5 stages

• Voter qualifications

• All states have the following _______________ for voters:

1. ________________2. ___________ – must live in the state you’re

voting in. Some states require you to live there up to 30 days before the election to vote there

3. _______ –18 or lower

• Other qualifications:• ____________ – all states except N. Dakota

require voters to register to prevent voter fraud

• _______ tests – used mostly to discriminate – BANNED

• ________ – used to discriminate – BANNED

• People banned from voting:• Mentally incompetent, those ___________

of serious crimes, + in some states, people dishonorably discharged from the ________

End Section 2

• Tactics used to prevent ______ from voting after the 15th Amendment

• Violence, threats, ____________• Legally

• “White primaries” – outlawed by the Supreme Court (1944)

• Gerrymandering (drawing electoral district lines in order to ____ the voting strength of a particular group or party) – outlawed by the Supreme Court in 1960

• _________ – banned by the 24th Amendment (1964)

• ____________ – banned by the Civil Rights Act of 1964

End Section 3

• Non-voters • In 2004, only about ____% of eligible people voted.

• Voter turnout is even _______ in off-year elections (even-numbered years b/w _________ elections ex. 2006, 2010)

• The more ____ the election, the fewer people tend to ________

• Ex. More people vote for president than governor, more people vote for governor than mayor, etc…

• Why people don’t vote:

Nonvoters

_______ Vote

Do Not Vote (___________)

Too ill/physically

__________

In a _______healthfacility

In prison/committed a

_______ crime

Discrimination/other

pressures

Didn’t__________

Those who believe nomatter who wins theelection, things will

_______________________ for them + for the country

Those who fear orscorn the system +

believe elections are_______________ +/or

choiceless

Those who lack anyfeeling of influenceor effectiveness –They don’t believe

they have any ________

Do Not Vote (____________)

Bad _______ Lack of _______ (ignorant)“___________ fallout”Long voting lines

• Characteristics of _________ voters

• Characteristics of ______________

• Other trends in voting

• Higher levels of income, __________, + _______________ status

• Well integrated into _______________• Tend to be ________ residents who are

active/comfortable w/ their surroundings• Strong sense of party ______________

• Under ______• ____________• ____________• Live in the _______ +/or _______ areas

• Women are ____ likely to vote than men• The more __________ the election, the

more likely people are to vote

• Party ____________

• A majority of Americans identify themselves w/ one of the _______ parties + many never _________ their party affiliation

• Party identification is the single most significant + _________ predictor of how a person will vote. A person who is Democrat will very likely vote for all or most of that party’s candidates in any given election. Same w/ Republicans.

• Strait-ticket voting is the practice of voting for candidates of ___________ in an election

• Although still a major factor, party identification has lost __________________ recently

• Split-ticket voting is the practice of voting for the candidates of ________ one party in an election

• Independents • Independents are people who have no party _________ (major or minor), but many actually support one of the major parties quite ___________.

• It’s estimated that _______% of voters are independents.

• Until recently, typical independents were less ________, well _________, +/or politically active than Republicans or Democrats.

• “New” independents began appearing in the 1960s. They are often young w/ _____________ education, income, + job status.

End Section 4

Ch 7 – The ____________ Process• The

__________ process

• Nomination is the naming of those who will seek ___________

• There are 5 ways which nominations are made in the US:

1.____________

2.________________

3.__________

4.__________

5.____________

• Petition

• Self-announcement

• Caucus

• Requires signatures of _________________• Used mostly at the ________________

• The ________ form of the nominating process in the US.

• A person simply announces that they will be running for office (or due to modesty or _______ __________, may have someone make the announcement for them).

• Sometimes used by someone who _____ to win a regular party nomination or is unhappy w/ the party’s _________.

• A group of _________________ who meet privately to select the candidates they will support in an upcoming election.

• Used to be done in ______________ by party – led to protests.

• Today used to make some local nominations (especially in New England) – but now open to _____________________.

• Convention • Replaced the use of widespread ___________.

• By 1832, all ____________ presidential candidates have been chosen by conventions.

• It began at the ____ level, by nominating local officials + choosing delegates to the _________ elections. At the county level, they nominate county officials + choose delegates to the ____ elections. At the state level, they nominate state officials + chose delegates to the _______ level. At the national level they nominate their party’s candidate for president + _________________.

• The system became ______ at the local level – which spread up to the national level. This led to _________________ replacing conventions in most states, but conventions are still used at the national level.

• Direct primary • Direct primaries are ___________ elections (they occur w/in the party).

• ______ states rely solely on this method for choosing candidates w/in the major parties for all major _______ + many _____ as well.

• Most of these states regulate the primaries (not the _______________ themselves).

• 2 types:• In closed primaries only declared party

members __________. Voters must register as being either Republican or Democrat. ______ states use this.

• In open primaries any _____________ can cast a ballot for either party, but not _______. 23 states use this.

• Arguments for + against each type on p. 184

• The ________ w/ primaries

• Lack of voter ____________ – frustrated that they can’t vote in multiple parties, long ballots, + in closed primary states _____________ that they have to declare which party they will vote for.

• Low voter ______ (usually less than __ of the general election turnout)

• ______ – many well-qualified people don’t run for office

• _________ parties – Republicans + Democrats ________________________ while campaigning in primaries + sometimes don’t recover in time for the general election

• Voter __________ – usually pick the most familiar sounding __________

End Section 1

• The administration of _________

• Democratic gov.’ts cannot succeed unless elections are ______, _______, + _________.

• In the US, _____________ elections are held on the first _________ following the first _________ in November on ______-numbered yrs.

• ________________ are every 4 yrs on the same day.

• Most elections for ___________ are on the same day + ___________ often are as well.

• Some states have the elections on ____________ instead + local elections can vary widely.

• If anyone is ill, disabled, or traveling they can vote by ____________ ballot.

• Some states allow voters to cast their ballots up to several days prior to the election.

• But they can’t _____________ until election day

• Precincts are voting districts. They are the ________________________ for the conduct of elections

End Section 2

• Campaign ________ • What do political candidates spend $ on while campaigning?

• Newspaper/radio/tv ads + _________________

• Professional campaign ___________ + consultants

• Pamphlets/posters/buttons/________________

• Office ______

• ________/data processing

• ________

• ______ make up the largest % of campaign spending

• Campaign __________

• Where do candidates get their $ from?1. _________________ A. Small contributors B. Wealthy individuals C. The ____________ D. Nonparty groups – especially

PACs (Political Action Committees), the political arm of special-interest + other organizations

E. ____________________ formed to help campaign + raise $

2. _____________ - $ from the gov.’t• Why do people/organizations donate $?

• They ______________ a party/candidate• They want __________ to the gov.’t • They want appointments to ___________• They want _____________________• They have __________ aims

• __________ campaign donations

• The national gov.’t has ___________ regulating donations for candidates running for federal office, but doesn’t have the _______ to regulate campaign donations at the state + local level

• Every state has some ____________________ regulations

• The Federal Election Commission (FEC) administers all federal law dealing w/ campaign finance. Federal campaign finance laws aren’t very well enforced b/c the FEC is ___________ + _______________.

• Laws under the FEC’s control:1. The timely _________ of campaign finance data2. Limits on campaign ____________3. Limits on campaign ___________4. Providing public funding for parts of

the presidential election process

• PACs • Political Action Committees, the political arm of

special-interest + other organizations. • There are over ____ PACs registered w/ the

FEC, including the PACs for the American Medical Association, the National Education Association, the American Trial Lawyers, etc

• PACs receive ____________ from people + corporations, then ________ them into large donations to candidates sympathetic to the PACs ________________

• PACs cannot give more than ________ to a federal candidate for a primary election + another ______ for the general election, but can give to as many candidates as they wish

• PACs can give _________ a year to political parties

• Hard money v. soft money

• Part of the difficulty ________ campaign funding is b/c of soft $

• Hard $ is $ raised + spent to elect congressional + presidential candidates

• Soft $ is $ given to a ________ _____________ for “party-building activities” like candidate recruitment, voter registration, etc

• It is then _________ into presidential + congressional campaigns

• Federal laws didn’t place _________ on soft $ until recently, but there are still many _____________.

End Section 3

Ch 8 – __________ and Public Opinion• Public opinion • Public opinion are __________ held by a

significant # of people on matters of gov.’t + politics

________

Events

________

Leaders

_______

Groups

_____

_______

_________*

_________*

What

shapes public

opinion?

Basic beliefs

that shape political

opinions

People tend to

associate w/ people

who share their political

values

Political

indoctrination

End Section 1

• Determining public opinion

• Why do we need to _______ public opinion?• So that _____________ can reflect

PUBLIC OPINION• Or so politicians can get ______

How is public

opinion

determined?

________

Interest

Groups (private

organizations

whose members

share certain views

+ work to shape the

making + content of

public policy)

________(could just be a

vocal minority)

_______

________(meetings, letters,

emails, calls, etc)

______ (The best

measure IF

done accurately)

• Poll validity • In order for a poll to be valid, the _______, not just the _________, of people interviewed is important.

• The people interviewed must represent all __________________

• Ex. If taking a presidential poll, people of all ________, religious, geographic, _______, economic, + educational backgrounds must be interviewed – also _______ + age.

• Also of concern is the way the questions are ___________.

• They must avoid words that are _________________, difficult to understand, or ____________.

End Section 2

• Mass media • Mass media means of _______________ to a large # of people.

• Ex. tv, ___________, radio, internet, magazines, books, + _________

• It influences politics most visibly in 2 areas:

1. The _____________

2. __________ Politics

• The influence of _________

• The public agenda - the societal _________ that the nation’s political leaders + the general public agree need __________________.

• The _______ draws attention to various topics, they may _____________ some problems while ______________ others.

• Determines what people talk about + forces politicians to _____________.

• Electoral politics – have led to the ______ of the major parties. W/ mass media, candidates can appeal directly to the _________ + aren’t as dependent on the party machinery for their nominations ______________.

• Candidates + politicians regularly try to _____________ media coverage to their advantage. They know good news stories take no more than _______ + show them doing something interesting or exciting.

• The limits of mass media’s __________

• Few people follow international, national, or local political events very ________.

• When people do pay some attention to politics, they often watch, listen, +/or read sources that generally _________ their own views + ignore the _________.

• Few news shows air during __________.

• Content is highly _______ + usually only _____________ in length.

End Section 3

Ch 9 – Interest Groups• Interest groups • An interest group (a.k.a. ________ groups

or advocacy groups) is a private organization that tries to _________ public officials to respond to the _____________ of its members.

• They wish to influence the making + content of ______________.

• They do that by lobbying (putting pressure on politicians).

• Protected by the ____________. The 1st Amendment guarantees the rights to peacefully assemble + to petition the gov.’t

• Function at all _____ of gov.’t (local – national).

• Differences b/w interest groups + political parties

• Both interest groups + political parties are groups made up of people who unite for some _________ ______. However, they have 3 major differences:

1. The making of _______________

- Interest groups may _________ a candidate, but they do NOT

nominate one.

2. Their ________________

- Interest groups want to control or influence gov.’t ________ while political parties want to ____________ + control the gov.’t itself

*So interest groups don’t have to

worry about appealing to the ____________________

3. The scope of their _____________

- Interest groups are not concerned w/ the whole range of ________________

- Also, interest groups are private organizations

• Functions of interest groups

Provide useful,

specialized, + detailed

____________ to the

gov.’t

Keep a close

watch on officials +

________________

Encourage + assist

in political ___________

Unite members

based on ________

___________ instead

of geography

Compete w/ one

another to help keep

policies _________

____________

_______ in public affairs

(issues + events that

concern people at

large)

___________

______________ of

Interest Groups

End Section 1

________ W/ Interest Groups

Some have too much ____________ – their influence often

depends more on their organization + ________ than their size,

importance, or contribution to public good

It’s often difficult to tell just how many _________ a group

represents – their titles often suggest that they _____________

more people than they really do

Many groups are dominated by an active __________ who

make the group’s __________________ – their views may not

reflect the views of all of the people they claim to represent

Some groups use illegal +/or __________ tactics – such as

bribery, threats of revenge, assembling misleading _____, etc…

• Types of interest groups: 1. Economic Interest Groups

• Groups based on how people ___________________.• This is the most ____________ type of interest group.• The most active + __________ are those representing

business, labor, agriculture, + certain _____________ groups.

• The United States Brewers’ Association is the ______ organized group at work in national politics today – born in 1862.

• Trade associations are segments of the ___________ community that have formed their own interest groups. (Ex. bankers, restaurateurs, etc)

• Labor unions are organizations of workers who share the same type of job or work in the same __________. (Ex. machinists, police, gov.’t employees, + etc)

• Over ____ of Americans belong to labor unions• ___________ groups have enormous influence on the

gov.’t but farmers make up less than __ of Americans.• Professional groups aren’t usually as well organized or

financed as business, labor, + farm groups• 3 major exceptions National ____________

Association, the American Bar Association, + the American ___________ Association.

• 2. Interest Groups that ___________ Causes, the Welfare of Certain Groups, +/or ____________ Organizations

• Causes:• The _________________________ (ACLU)

fights in + out of court to protect civil + political rights. It works for major reforms in the political process.

• The _______________________ work to stimulate participation in + greater knowledge about public affairs.

• Other ex: the National Wildlife Federation, Friends of the Earth, the ______________ Association.

• Some organizations fight for __________ causes like the National Right-to-Life Committee and Planned Parenthood.

• The Welfare of Certain Groups:• Ex: Veterans of Foreign Wars, _________,

__________, etc• Religious Organizations:

• Ex: The _________________, The American Jewish Congress, etc

• 3. Public-Interest Groups

• Groups that seek to institute certain public policies of ________ to all or most people in this country, whether or not they belong to or support that ______________.

• Ex. Environmental Groups

______________ Groups

• Fortune Magazine "Power 20 Survey for 2001"The Top 20 Interest Groups

1.  ____________________________2.  American Association of Retired People (AARP)3.  National Federation of Independent Business4.  American _________ Foreign Affairs Committee 5.  Association of Trial Lawyers of America6.  AFL-CIO7.  Chamber of Commerce of the United States of

America8.  National Beer Wholesalers of America9.  National Association of Realtors10.  National Association of Manufacturers11.  National Association of Homebuilders of the United

States

12.  American Medical Association13.  American Hospital Association14.  National Education Association of the United States15.  American Farm Bureau Federation16. Motion Picture Association of America17. National Association of Broadcasters18. National Right to Life Committee19. Health Insurance Association of America20. National Restaurant Association

End Section 2

• Interest groups influence over the public

• Interest groups seek to influence public opinion for 3 reasons:

1. To supply the public w/ __________ it thinks the

people should have

2. To build a ________________ for their group.

3. To promote a particular _______________.• Interest groups try to influence public attitudes by

using propaganda (___________ information used to further a cause or damage an opponent’s cause).

• Propaganda begins w/ a __________ + then brings in _________ to support that conclusion + disregards all other information.

• Propaganda rarely attacks the _________ of a policy it opposes, instead preferring _______________ or by presenting only one side of an issue.

• Propaganda will support policies w/ labels by using very general terms + symbols, often patriotic ones. It may also use testimonials, the bandwagon approach, or the plain-folks approach.

• How interest groups seek to influence parties, elections, + politicians

• Some groups keep close ties w/ one or the other major political party + some try to get the support of _______.

• They may raise $ for a candidate’s __________.• They may come up w/ campaign ads supporting

a candidate of one party +/or attacking another.• Some urge their members to become ________ in party

affairs.• They all _________________ to influence public policy.• Many lobbyists are former ______________, lawyers,

former journalists, etc• They lobby in different ways, such as:

• Providing politicians w/ __________ favorable to their cause.

• Testifying in legislative committees as “______”.• Stir up “grass-roots” campaigns (grass-roots

means, “of or from the people”).• Rating members of Congress based on their

________________.• Lobbyists may make campaign contributions, provide

information, write speeches, + even draft ___________.• Lobbyists may also seek to influence the __________ +

judiciary branches as well.

End Section 3