Term
| Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act |
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Definition
| Act to eliminate soft money contributions |
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Term
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Definition
| Group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic / Meeting of all state party leaders for selecting delegates to the national party convention |
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| Federal Election Commission |
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Definition
| Six member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act to enforce compliance with campaign finance laws with their requirements |
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Term
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Definition
| Recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention |
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Term
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Definition
| Election held throughout the country on the same day |
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Term
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Definition
| Process permitted in some states that enables voters to put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on petitions calling for such a referendum |
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Term
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Definition
| Idea that winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics |
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Term
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Definition
| events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous |
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Term
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Definition
| state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove legislation or a constitutional amendment proposed by the state legislature |
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Term
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Definition
| an intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction |
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Term
| what are the criticisms of both the primary and caucus system? |
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Definition
| Disproportionate attention goes to the early bird. Prominent politicians find it difficult to take time out from their duties to run. Money plays too big a role. Participation is low and unrepresentative. System gives too much power to the media |
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Term
| What are the pros and cons of the proposed national primary? |
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Definition
| Pros- directness and simplicity. Political interest and public understanding would increase. Cons- each voter would have to vote three times for president. Well-established politicians have a chance. Money and attention from national media becomes more crucial than ever |
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Term
| What are the pros and cons of regional primary? |
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Definition
| Pros- more rational structure and less candidate travel. End of conflict between states. Cons- Advantages gained by whichever region goes first |
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Term
| What was the purpose of the Federal Elections Campaign Act? |
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Definition
| Reform campaign finances, provide public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limit presidential campaign spending, require disclosure, and attempt to limit contributions |
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Term
| What is PAC and what are some pro views of PAC? |
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Definition
| Political Action Committees which are funding vehicles create by the campaign finance reforms. PAC give money to candidates who agree with them in the first place, presidential campaigns are partially subsidized by the public and are less dependent upon PACs, presidents have well-articulated positions on most important issues and small contributions from any one PAC is not likely to turn a presidential candidate's head |
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Term
| What are three major effects of campaigns on voters? |
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Definition
| Reinforcement, activation, conversion |
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Term
| What is "selective perception"? |
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Definition
| phenomenon that people often pay the most attention to things they already agree with and interpret them according to their own predispositions |
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Term
| What is meant by the "permanent campaign"? |
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Definition
| Once an election is over a new campaign begins for the next election |
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Term
| How do campaigns lead to an increase in scope of government? |
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Definition
| Candidates fulfill mounted promises in their campaigns adding to new government programs and money, thus expansion. Hard for politicians to promise lesser government influences through specific cuts |
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Term
| What is the significance of the election of 1800? |
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Definition
| Transition from Adams to Jefferson marked the first peaceful transfer of power between parties via the electoral process in history |
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Term
| What are three reasons why people might vote? |
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Definition
| Rational people vote for the party with more benefits. Many people have a high sense of political efficacy. Others vote by a sense of civic duty |
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Term
| What did US Supreme Court rule in Bush v Gore? |
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Definition
| Recount legal, but the same standards for evaluating ballots would have to be applied in all counties, and that there's not enough time to recount all ballots. George W Bush declared as winner |
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Term
| Why did states adopt voter registration efforts? |
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Definition
| To make it more difficult to vote more than once |
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Term
| What did the Motor Voter Act do? |
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Definition
| Voter registration made easier by allowing eligible voters to register by simply checking a box on their driver's license application or renewal form, although turnout was insignificant |
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Term
| What are the three most important elements of a candidate's image? |
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Definition
| Integrity, reliability, and competence |
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Term
| What is retrospective voting? |
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Definition
| "What have you done for me lately"? |
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Term
| How was FDR the first president to use the media effectively? |
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Definition
| Feed the right story to the right reporter |
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Term
| What's relationship between reporters and public officials before Watergate? |
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Definition
| Reporters saw themselves as an extension of the government |
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Term
| What effect did Vietnam and Watergate have on the media? |
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Definition
| Politicians rarely tell the whole story so the press sees ferreting out the truth as their job |
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Term
| What did polls first reveal about the first televised presidential debate between JFK and Nixon? |
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Definition
| Seeing is believing and that appearances play a critical factor in American politics |
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Term
| Which party do most reporters claim to favor? |
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Definition
| Liberals, the democratic party |
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Term
| How does media both check and encourage the growth of government? |
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Definition
| Growth- reports problems that government can respond to. Check- "watchdogs" |
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Term
| Why president gets so much more media coverage than Congress? |
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Definition
| Television finds it easier to focus on individuals than on groups |
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