Unit 4 Review PowerPoint Political Parties, Interest Groups and the Mass Media.

Unit 4 Review PowerPoint

Political Parties, Interest Groups and the Mass Media

Presidential v. Congressional Campaigns

• Differences:– More voter participation in presidential election

• candidates work harder, spend more $$

– Presidential races more competitive than house races– Members of Congress can do things for their constituents the

President never can • Grants, contracts, bridges, canals, highways built, etc

– Members of Congress can distance themselves from Washington (in theory)

• “Washington is a mess!” I’ll change it!

• Overall effect: Congressional elections now independent of presidential elections

Types of Elections

Running for Congress• Best way to get elected to Congress – BE AN INCUMBENT!

– Since 1962 over 90% of incumbents won reelection! • Failing that, hope that one of the two enduring problems

characterizing congressional election politics works out in your favor (but unlikely, since you’re not in Congress to finagle the boundaries)– Malapportionment: districts have different populations. Less

populated district votes “weight more” than more populous district votes.

– Gerrymandering: boundaries are drawn to favor one party over another, resulting in odd-shaped districts.

Types of Elections

A Quick Review of Types of Elections:

• Primary: an election held to choose candidates for office (can be open or closed)

• Caucus: Meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate

• General Election: an election held to choose which candidate will hold office

Types of Elections

Sources of Campaign Money

• Presidential Primaries – Part private, part public money

• Federal matching funds for all individuals’ donations of $250 or less (incentive to raise money from small donors)

• Governmental lump-sum grants to parties to help pay convention costs

Sources of Campaign Money

Sources of Campaign Money • Presidential General Elections

– All public money (usually)• Nominee eligible for $20 million +

the cost of living adjustment, and can spend $50,000 of his/her own personal funds

• Barack Obama the first major candidate to drop out of the modern campaign financing system since its creation in 1976 (essentially had no spending limits)

Sources of Campaign Money

Sources of Campaign Money • Congressional Elections

– Mostly private money• $2000 maximum for

individual donors• $5000 limits for PACs

Oooo….Pretty!

PACs tend to view funds as a way to get access to candidates. (have access, but don’t “own them” because of small donation amounts)-give bulk of $ to incumbents or candidates with no opposition. -give $ to democrats and republicans in Congress since no way to predict who will have majority next

Sources of Campaign Money

Hard $ vs. Soft $Soft Money– unregulated contributions to national political parties– funds spent by independent organizations that do not

specifically advocate the election or defeat of candidates – funds which are not contributed directly to candidate

campaigns.Hard Money– contributed directly to a candidate of a political party– regulated by law in both source and amount– monitored by the Federal Election Commission.

Sources of Campaign Money

1973 Reform Law • Limit individual donations to $1000 per candidate per

elections• Reaffirmed ban on corporate and union donations in place

since 1925• Allowed for creation of PACs to raise money for

corporations, unions, etc. – Need at least 50 voluntary members– Have to give to at least 5 federal candidates – Limited to giving $5000 per election per candidate, or no more than $15,000

per year to any political party

• Created public funding for presidential campaigns

Sources of Campaign Money

Problems with Reform Law Challenged in the Supreme Court as

a First Amendment violation, but mostly upheld in Buckley v. Valeo

Independent expendituresAn organization or PAC can spend as

much as it wishes on advertising, so long as it is not coordinated with a candidate’s campaign.

Soft moneyUnlimited amounts of $ may be given

to a political party, so long as a candidate is not named; this $ can then be spent to help candidate with voting drives, etc.

Sources of Campaign Money

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)• Did the limits placed on electoral expenditures by the

Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 and related provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, violate the First Amendment’s freedom of speech and association clauses?– NO: limits on contributions to campaigns and candidates

guards against corruption; doesn’t violate 1st amendment. – YES: limits on a candidate’s spending from personal accounts

does violate 1st amendment; practice doesn’t prevent corruption and doesn’t serve a great enough government interest to curtail free speech.

Sources of Campaign Money

New Campaign Finance Law• Following 2000 election, there was

a desire to reform the finance law • 2002 - Bipartisan Campaign Finance

Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Law)– Banned soft money

contributions– Raised limit on individual

donations to $2000 per candidate per election

– Restricted independent expenditures

– “Stand by your ad” provision

Can’t use own $ to refer to a clearly identifiable candidate during 60 days before general election or 30 days before primary election (…but)

Sources of Campaign Money

Problems with the Law

• Challenged in court as restriction of free speech, but Supreme Court upheld almost the entire law (McConnell v. Federal Election Commission)

• 527 Organizations (named after IRS code)– Can spend money on politics as long as they do not

coordinate with a candidate or lobby directly for that person

– Essentially the same effect as soft money

Sources of Campaign Money

Political Party

*Party = principle determinant in how people vote, but not the only thing…

• Not as simple as it seems: most people identify as Democrats, but the Democrats lost 6 of 9 presidential elections between 1968 and 2000-Democrats less wedded to their party than are Republicans -GOP does better among independents -- --~Republicans have higher turnout

Decisions in Elections

Finding a Winning Coalition1. Ways of looking at various groups

-How loyal, percentage voting for party -How important, or number voting for party

2. Democratic coalition -African Americans most loyal-Jews almost as loyal as African Americans -Hispanics loyal, though somewhat mixed because of underlying ethnic differences -Catholics, southerners, unionists departing the coalition

3. Republican coalition -Party of business and professional people who are very loyal -Farmers are often Republican, but are changeable-Party usually wins majority of the votes of the poor (includes elderly)

4. Representatives of different segments of the coalition stress loyalty or numbers, because can rarely claim both Decisions in Elections

Political PartiesDecentralization - city, state, and

national bodies, no one source of power

• Arenas of politics in which parties exist

-Label, in the minds of voters-Organization, recruiting , and campaigning for

candidates-Set of leaders, organize and try to control the legislative

and executive branches

• United States parties have become weaker in all three arenas

• Party machines of the 1930’s were often corrupt and used a patronage system which was later outlawed.

History of Political Parties

Clearest cases of realignment: 1860, 1896, 1932• 1860: slavery issue fixed new loyalties in the popular

mind• 1896: economics issues shifted loyalties to East v. West,

city v. farm • 1932: economic depression triggered new coalition for

Democrats 1980: a new realignment?• Reagan won in 1980 because he was not Jimmy Carter • Could not have been a traditional realignment because

Congress was left in the hands of the Democrats Major shift that has occurred: shift in presidential voting

patterns in the South

History of Political Parties

Party decline?Evidence that parties are declining, not realigning

“Dealignment” = moving away from both major parties

Proportion of people identifying with a party declined 1960-1980

Proportion of those wanting a split ticket increased (as opposed to a straight ticket)

History of Political Parties

National Party Structure • Both Republicans and Democrats have similar

organizational structures • A brief introduction…

– National Convention• A meeting of party delegates held every 4 years

– National Committee• Delegates who run party affairs between national

conventions. – National Campaign Committee

• Focuses on strategy of election/campaign – National Chairperson

• Day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee

Political Parties Today

Minor Parties • Ideological parties- comprehensive radical view

– Most enduringEx. Socialist, Communist, Libertarian

• One-issue parties- address one concern, avoid othersEx. Free Soil, Know-Nothing, Prohibition

• Economic protest parties- regional, protest economyEx. Greenback, Populist

• Factional parties- from split in major party, usually over pres. NomineeEx. Bull Moose, Henry Wallace Democrats, American

Independent Party

Impact of Minor Parties

• Develop ideas that major parties later adopt• Influence public policy• Affect outcomes of elections?

The Two-Party System • Rarity among nations today• Evenly balanced nationally, but not locally • Why has the two-party system endured for so

long?1. Electoral system – winner-take-all and plurality system limit the number of parties 2. Opinions of voters – two broad coalitions work, although there may be times of bitter dissent 3. State laws have made it very difficult for third parties to get on the ballot

Political Parties Today

Why are Interest Groups Common in the U.S.?

• Lots of kinds of cleavages mean lots of different interests

• Constitution provides many access points to the government

• Political parties are so weak, interest groups can work directly on the government

• First Amendment—right to assemble • Federal system provides thousands of “pressure

points” for interest group activity– You can join groups on all levels.

Interest Groups

Kinds of Interest GroupsMost fall into two categories: institutional interests and membership

interests

Institutional Interests 1. Defined: individuals or

organizations representing other organizations

2. Types -Business firms (ex. General Motors)-Trade or governmental associations

3. Concerns: bread-and-butter issues of concern to their clients

4. Other interests: governments, foundations, universities

Membership Interests 1. Americans join some groups more

frequently than citizens in other nations -Social, business, professional, veterans’, charitable – same rate as elsewhere -Unions – less likely to join -Religious, political, civic groups: more likely to join -Greater sense of political efficacy, civic duty seems to explain tendency

Interest Groups

Incentives to Join • Solidary (social rewards—sense of pleasure) • Material ($ or things valued in monetary terms)• Purposive (a benefits that comes from serving the

cause—abortion, gun control, etc)

• Have to be careful of the “Free Rider Problem” – people will receive the benefits if a group is successful regardless of whether they’re members (ex. – Sierra Club)

Interest Groups

Funding • Foundation Grants

1. One study found that 1/3 of public-interest lobbying groups received more than half of all their funds from foundation grants

• Federal Grants and Contracts 1. Expansion of federal grants in the 1960s and 1970s benefited interest groups; cutbacks in 1980s hurt them 2. Money given not for lobbying, but to support projects 3. Very difficult to tell whether grants are used effectively or not

• Direct Mail 1. Unique to modern interest groups 2. Through the use of computers, mail is sent directly to a specialized audience 3. But this approach is also expensive 4. Techniques

a. Teaser on the envelope b. Letter arouses emotions c. Personalization of the letter

**Membership organizations have the most trouble raising moneyInterest Groups

Gathering and Supplying Information

• Single most important tactic of interest groups• Detailed, current information at a premium• People interested in a specific issue can provided more

detailed and thorough information than others can• Different methods for this, including ratings system

Activities and Relations of Interest Groups

Money and PACs

• Money is the least effective way to influence politicians

• Campaign finance reform law of 1973 had two effects – Restricted amount interests can give to candidates – Make it legal for corporations and unions to create

PACs that could make donations • Rapid growth in PACs has probably not led to

vote buying

Activities and Relations of Interest Groups

The Revolving Door

• Federal government workers leave to take more lucrative positions in private industry

• May give private interests a way to improperly influence government decisions

• Agencies differ in vulnerability to outside influences

Activities and Relations of Interest Groups

Consists of:◦ Wire services ◦ National magazines◦ Television network evening news broadcasts◦ CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc.◦ Newspapers with national readerships

Why significant?? Large readership, political elites follow closely!

Roles played◦ Gatekeeper—influences what subjects become national

political issues, and for how long. ◦ Scorekeeper—tracks political reputations & candidacies ◦ Watchdog—investigate personalities & expose scandals

The National Media

History and Structure of the Media

Newspapers almost entirely free from government regulation, but radio and television are highly licensed and regulated ◦ FCC license required to operate a radio or TV station◦ Some movement lately to deregulate

Confidentiality of Sources ◦ Reporters want it, government doesn’t ◦ Supreme Court allows the government to compel

reporters to divulge information in court if it bears on a crime

Rules for the Media

Remember the NYT case from Unit 2. Only libel if printed maliciously!

History and Structure of the Media

What are the Views of the Media?Are the National Media Biased?

• Studies confirm the national media are generally more liberal and secular than the average citizen (but some media outlets are known for conservatism—Fox News, Rush Limbaugh radio show)

• Most Americans believe there is a media bias

Media and Government

Is There an Effect?• Real question is whether or not the perceived

media bias affects how the public thinks – Selective attention: people remember or believe only

what they want to– Press coverage can affect the importance people

place on policy issues– But personal experience is always a limit to media

influence

Media and Government

The Media, the President, and Congress

all walk into a bar….

Has TV increased the power of the presidency?PerhapsPresident gets constant coverage because he’s just one

person; Congress has 535 members all competing for media time

Also, president has a press secretary with constant access to the White House press corps

But Congress is much less restrictive than in the past and broadcast more often (C-SPAN)

Media and Government

Media’s Effect on Government

Be sure to know:• Definition of political parties and interest groups

and relationship between the two• Attempts at campaign finance reform (pro’s and

con’s)• Minor parties- why they have survived and why

they don’t win• Media’s effect on government- good and bad