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OU PSC 1113 - Final Exam Study Guide

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P SC 1113 1st EditionFinal Exam Study Guide Lectures: 19 - 26These notes cover all of the material that the Lecture Concepts for the Final Exam (Exam 3), which was given to us in discussion, guides us to focus on. Please consult the textbook for more concepts, more terms, and a better understanding of the material.I. Lecture 19 (April 7)A. What does it mean for a president to “go public” and why would a president do it?1. In Kernell’s Going Public he points out that presidents go increasingly public to promote themselves and their policiesi. The goal is to place the man and the message in frontii. It draws upon campaign techniquesiii. Press conferences, addresses, speeches, visits, and ceremonies are examples2. The public can be leverage for persuading Congress3. Presidents goes over the heads of congress and addresses people directlyII. Lecture 20 (April 9)A. To what extent does “going public” work?1. More entertainment options means fewer people watch presidential addresses and lessattention in the media2. Big “going public” movements often fall on deaf earsi. Important part of power is getting heardii. President would be more successful at getting heard if government was unified3. Cynical and biased media4. Presidents compete for space but get on the agenda and only make up 1/3 of the agendai. Presidential ideas are more likely to pass than Congressional ideasIII.Lectures 20 and 21 (April 9 and April 14)A. When, why, and how do presidents get their issues on the congressional agenda?1. Bond and Fleisher “President in the Legislative Arena”i. A competent and skillful leader can overcome Congress or is that a myth?ii. Reality is that only some things are in the President’s control… some variables are out of the president’s controliii. Congress Members Fit Into One of Four Groupsa. Base (B)b. Cross-pressured partisans (CPP)c. Cross-pressured opposition (CPO)d. Opposition base (OB)e. President with majority in congress: holds onto group 2f. President with minority in congress focuses on group 32. How?i. One: Building Coalitions Through Electionsa. President helps get people into office (coattails)b. Presidents also make efforts during the midtermc. Go public to mobilize votersii. Two: Leading the Partya. Co-partisans reluctant to embarrass the presidentb. President is said to have “strategic position as party leader”c. Constantly reinforces shared policy goalsd. Deputize leaders in Congress to keep party members in lineiii. Three: Using Personal Supporta. Congress might respond when they fear public backlash(1) Might get afraid of getting booted out of officeb. Popular presidents may get a small boost in success rates(1) Success: “at the margins” according to George Edwards(2) 10 points of approval = 2% of legislative successiv. Four: Treat Successful Elections as Mandatesa. Explained belowIV. Lecture 21 (April 14)A. What is a mandate and why do presidents claim them?1. Fourth Way to Get Leverage: Treat Successful Elections as Mandatesi. Mandate: authority granted by voters to acta. Presidents portray elections as messages(1) You voted for me so now support me”(2) “Saying I was going to do these things is what got me elected, the voters want what I stand for, so let me do it”(3) The message: voters want what winners proposed(4) Directive: enact the winner’s ideasb. Using the mandate(1) Presidents tries to convince Congress mandate exists(2) Studies show Congress enters “mandate state”(3) Power of mandate dissipates quickly(4) Pressure of “first hundred days” (honeymoon period)(5) Act while election outcome is still fresh in mindsB. Why might we blame the Supreme Court for the low levels of legal knowledge most Americans possess?1. Americans and the Courtsi. Little knowledge of the players, the decisions, and their meaningsii. Feeling that much of what courts do doesn’t affect the daily lifeiii. Media coverage should be especially important given thisa. In a typical year: supreme court gets less than one hour of coverage on an average major network (CBS, NBC, ABC)iv. Court-related reasons that Americans might not know very much about the Supreme Courta. Decisions tough to understand, tough to make relevantb. Court doesn’t help the media out (technical writing, no PR wing)c. Justices vary widely in public natured. Calendar driven nature of Court leads to uneven stream of info, competition for coveragev. Supreme court is secretiveV. Lectures 21 and 22 (April 14 and April 16)A. Why might we blame the media for the low levels of legal knowledge most Americans possess?1. Avoiding grappling with details of decisions2. Focusing on litigant, political, local reaction3. Are journalists equipped to understand courts?i. Doesn’t know how to read legal language4. The media is a bad nuanceVI. Lecture 22 (April 16)A. What are the pros and cons of learning about the judicial system through popular culture?1. Effect of Reality (TV Legal) Courtsi. Late 1990s survey: 2 in 5 Americans said shows like these helped inform them about the legal systemii. Pros and Cons of learning about the law from TVa. Pro(1) Build trust and confidence in legal systemb. Con(1) False advertising about what the judiciary looks like, how complicated cases might be(i) TV judiciary is much more diverse than the real judiciaryc. CSI Effect(1) At its peak: CSI had around 30 million viewers in the U.S.(2) Judges notes increased juror knowledge, standards for making a case(3) Citizens expect investigators to use sophisticated methods, have perfect evidence(4) Reality: Falls shortd. Should we allow TV cameras in the courtroom?(1) Invasion of privacy of both the accuser and the accused(2) Can make it difficult for jurors to be impartialB. Why should we want the public to know more about the legal system?1. Legitimacyi. We want people to comply with laws, rulingsa. If we don’t know how courts work, will we accept them as legitimate?b. If we think courts are biased, will be accept them as legitimate?C. Why are Supreme Court nominations so important?1. Nominating Supreme Court Justices: an important and difficult presidential dutyi. Nominating Justicesa. A way for presidents to leave a lasting legacy(1) A supreme court justice will be in office until they die, probablyb. President has to be worried about getting policies through public opinion, congress, and implementationc. The dilemma selecting a nominee that can be confirmedd. The fear: high profile rejection leaves its


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