Adv Govt Strong & Flood Name: POLITICAL PROCESS UNIT TEST REVIEW KEY ***This is your gift for looking on the website for class resources! You will find the key below for the Study Guide. You may use this to help you fill out your study guide. I will not accept your study guide if you literally just print this out. However, please feel free to write this in your own words on your own study guide. Directions: You will be responsible for completing this and turning it in on the day of the test, Wednesday Nov. 19. Start working on this during the weekend and come prepared to class on Monday with specific questions you have about the study guide. I. Political Culture and Socialization (Graphic organizer) Definitions Political Culture commonly shared attitudes, beliefs and core values about how government should operate Political Socialization process by which parents and others teach children about values, beliefs and attitudes of political culture 5 key aspects of American political culture? 1. liberty 2. equality 3. democracy 4. Civic duty 5. Individual responsibility List agents of socialization, underline most influential: Family, sectional differences (North vs. South), rural vs. urban, race & ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social class, occupation, age, education, national identity II. Ideology (PPT and graphic organizer) - put an L in the boxes with traits that characterize liberals and a C in boxes with traits that characterize conservatives Pro- business C High level of Ethnic minorities L White males C Pro- choice L education L Pro- life C Emphasis on Suburban soccer Pro- gun control L Anti- gay marriage C individual rights L moms L For strong use of the military For government regulation of the Want to lower taxes Blue collar workers L Farmers C economy L C College students L Immigrants L Want a more free market C In favor of welfare and government aid L Pro- environmental protection L Definition of Political ideology: A set of specific ideas, attitudes and beliefs that provide a coherent plan for social, political or economic action III. Voting (Political Participation PPT) Definition of public opinion poll interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population Why do we use polls? figure out what the public thinks about an issue, set of issues or candidate at any time What are some problems with polls? biased questions, sampling error, bandwagon effect, underdog effect List 7 types of political participation voting, working in campaigns, contacting public officials, participating in community affairs, donating money to candidates, attending or belonging to a political organization, political protest List barriers to voting, underline most influential difficulty of registering, number of elections, ease of not voting, Tuesday elections, residency requirements, citizenship requirements, felons, absentee ballots, precinct inconvenience, voter ID laws What age group is least likely to vote? young people IV. Candidate Centered Campaigns (notes from PPT, videos) What does the public focus on in a candidate- centered campaign? People focus on the candidates, their particular issues and their character rather than party affiliation What is the purpose of candidate centered campaigns?
Make the candidate relatable to voters, portrayal of the common man, voters feel like they can connect with the candidate. Starting in the 1960s, political parties have lessened their influence and control over campaigns Why would a candidate go on Saturday Night Live? Look young, hip and relatable; show sense of humor. Make it seem like you want to hang out with this guy and trust that he can run the country V. Campaign Advertising (handout) Ad type Major component Tactics- these are just typical tactics that are used in these types of ads but there s definitely variety. I just want you to think back to some of the ads we saw in class and think about what kind of tactics were used Biographical Positive ad describing the candidate. Intended to give uninformed voters an idea of the history of the candidate Family, candidate, emotions, characters, animals, music Endorsement Testimonial given from a celebrity or other well- know Characters, narrator person Issue- oriented Describes a candidate s stance and past performance on a Repetition, language given issue Record Often incorporated into a biographical or issue spot in Candidate, repetition which a candidate s previous action on an issue is described Attack Make assertions about the opponent in a variety of Emotions, imagery, narrator unflattering ways; name- calling and/or groundless assertions about a candidate by his opponent; used by a candidate primarily to create a negative impression of one s opponent Response An ad in which a candidate will react to negative attacks Emotions, language, candidate on his/her character Contrast Juxtaposing positive images of one s candidacy with Imagery, emotions, candidate, transfer negative images of the opponent in the same ad Use of popular symbols to create a positive connotation for the candidate or the use of negative or controversial symbols to create a negative connotation of one s opponent language Imagery, emotion, language VI. Elections: Rules of the Game (PPT and graphic organizer, take a look at video link in PPT to refresh on electoral college) Rule #1 Rule #2 Rule #3 Rule #4 Rule #5 Each state has its own election laws and ballots Regularly scheduled elections Fixed, staggered, and sometimes limited terms Winner-takes-all The Electoral College Terms: federalism: : Federalism refers to the divison of powers between the national government and the state governments. Dealing with election laws and ballots is something that is left up for the states to do. Ex. Some states have paper ballots, some electronic; election day: Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November of even- numbered years fixed terms: House = 2 yrs; Senate = 6 yrs.; President = 4 yrs. staggered terms: Every member of the House up for re- election every 2 yrs; only 1/3 of Senate up for re- election at a time term limit: President limited to 2 terms or 10 years (22nd amendment)
majority: 50 % or more (NOT the system for federal elections) plurality: In American elections, the candidate with the MOST votes wins; don t need 50% popular vote: In all states except Maine and Nebraska, this determines which candidate gets the electoral votes. electoral vote: Each party in each state has the same number of electoral votes as they do Congressmen. For example, in Virginia we have 11 people representing VA in House or Representatives and we have 2 US Senators. Therefore, that allows for 13 electoral votes for Virginia. What is the difference between winning a majority and a plurality of the votes? A majority is 50% or more whereas a plurality is just the MOST votes. Think about when there s a third party. For example in a state, if a Democratic candidate gets 45% of the popular vote, the Republican candidate gets 40% and a Third Party candidate from the Green Party gets 15%, the Democratic Party gets the electoral votes for that state because they got the most popular votes in comparison to the other candidates. HOW DOES A CANDIDATE WIN THE PRESIDENCY? (include the following terms: popular vote, electoral vote, majority, plurality, 270) Candidates run in the general election in November and citizens cast their vote for the popular vote. In all states except Maine and Nebraska the plurality (most votes) of the popular vote in each state determines which candidate gets the electoral votes for that state. We call this winner- take- all. Each party in each state has the same number of electoral votes as they do Congressmen. For example, in Virginia we have 11 people representing VA in House or Representatives and we have 2 US Senators. Therefore, that allows for 13 electoral votes for Virginia. If the Republican candidate wins the popular vote in VA, the 13 electors from the Republican Party of Virginia will be allowed to cast their votes in the electoral college. Vice versa, if the Democratic candidate wins the plurality of the popular vote in VA, the 13 electors of the Democratic Party of Virginia will be allowed to cast their votes in the electoral college. The magic number to win is 270 electoral votes. 5 Pros of the Electoral College 5 Cons of the Electoral College - promotes 2- party sysytem of governance - meant to prevent regional antagonism - candidates encouraged to view the country as a whole - discourages third parties with more extreme views - makes small states viable participants - ensures that uneducated people don t get swayed by a charismatic leader - possible to win popular vote but lose the electoral votes - seen as unnecessarily complicated - possibility of faithless electors - provides a lot of power to chosen swing states - seen as undemocratic- do our votes even matter? - Makes it impossible for a third party candidate to win VII. Parties (PPT and Structured Academic Controversy Handout) Definition of a party: a group of people with a broad common interest who organize to win elections and to control and influence governments and their policies What is dealignment? Reduction in the self- identification of major political parties List 9 functions of parties: Nominate candidates, inform public, give seal of approval, help the government cooperate and work together, organize jobs within government, watchdog, reduce conflict, allow for a peaceful transfer of power Members of the Democratic Coalition today: African Americans, Hispanics, Jews, social liberals (pro- choice, pro gay rights, anti- death penalty), pro- civil rights organizations, labor unions, women, college educated professionals, young people Members of the Republican coalition today: Business community, white males, white Southerners, social conservatives (pro- life, oppose same- sex marriage), evangelical Christians, military
Third parties (definition and two examples): an political party organized in at least some states, other than the two current leading parties. Ex. Green Party, Libertarian Party What is their function? Get their ideas out their, bring awareness to an issue with the hopes of influencing one of the 2 major parties Why are they like shooting stars? They pop up, make their point about an issue, then they fade into the background 5 Pros of Two- Party System 5 Cons of Two Party System - historically it has always worked in America - lack of choice for voters - provides order by limiting it to 2 options - limits potential for change- in a multi- party system - more convenient new ideas have greater chance of emerging - stable balance of by accommodating varied - difficutly of compromise between the two parties interests and opinons - one party can have absolute power (ex. - discourages sudden shifts in political trends which Republican president and both houses of threaten govt stability congress) - encourages political participation - negative politics- focus on attacking the other - blocks out extremist groups, views candidate/party instead of focusing on the positives of your own platform/agenda VIII. Interest Groups (Interest Groups 101 Handout) What are interest groups? A collection of people who share certain views on public matters and work to shape public policy to their benefit How do they influence Lobby Congress, lobby executive branch, lobby courts, monitor government programs, public opinion? grassroots lobbying, protest activities, candidate endorsement, create political parties, contribute $ to campaigns, create propaganda How do they use money? Contribute $ to campaigns, most money goes to campaign ads List 6 types of interest groups What do lobbyists do (and don t say lobby ) Business groups, labor groups, agricultural groups, professional groups, causes/religious/welfare of people groups, public interest groups Try to persuade public officials to do make decisions in their group s interest IX. Media (PPT and Graphic organizer) Role Explanation Gatekeeper Influence what subjects become political issues and for how long Scorekeeper Helps to make political reputations, talks about presidential candidates and how they re doing, discuss winners and losers in Washington Watchdog Who is doing something wrong? Follow candidates, searching for past or current history that will make news What is the effect of the media on public opinion? - while TV may influence the political agenda to a certain degree, people are very unlikely to take cues from the media on issues that affect them personally - media usually does more to reinforce beliefs rather than change opinions Who regulates? Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Supreme Court How? Regulates electronic media consistently upholds 1st Amend. right of written press including great latitude w/ celebrities & politicians; Am. press much less regulated than in almost any country in the world including Britain
Congress may hold investigative hearings; pass new laws and regulations You through ratings; you can always turn the channel List 6 criticisms of the media profit motive, sensationalism, homogenization of the news, rise of smashmouth media, irresponsible